Weird: Why we should celebrate nonconformity
Table of Contents
Introduction
Generally, we are taught, or at least conditioned to believe that blending in, conforming, is the ultimate route to acceptance. This is true, according to common social standards. However, this is a belief that is held by many people, not an undeniable fact of the universe.
The general consensus is that nonconformity:
- Makes you stand out (this is seen as negative)
- Makes you a "troublemaker", "unpredictable", or uninteresting to be around
- Draws attention to you instead of the task at hand
All of these are fallacies in one way or another, and I present this blog as a counter to these claims.
Freedom of Expression and Intersectionality
The freedom to express yourself is the core value behind idealogies like punk, but is also a secondary result from intersectionality with other minority groups.
What's common is that people belonging to marginalized identities no longer feel the pressure to conform - as they've essentially "crossed the line". A slippery slope to freedom.
The intersectionality between queerness, blackness, neurodiversity, etc. and general nonconformity is no coincidence. In fact, the idea of normality is heavily rooted in whiteness and the patriarchy. Men are essentially raised to conform - never show emotion. Women are influenced by this to a lesser extent, without the looming idea of "masculinity" to maintain, but similarly held to standards of womanhood.
In being queer - one accepts the fact that they will never conform. Because being queer is explicitly weird - it is not accepted within cisgendered, heteronormative, white society as "normal" or to be expected.
My understanding is, within non-white cultures, queerness is less subject to this scrutiny because an inherent part of being non-white is not fitting this white notion of normality.
It's important to understand the cultural context behind the ideas of what is normal and weird, and recognize the biases you're imprinted with by the society you were raised into.
Breaking it down
The points in my introduction are heavily impacted by this intersectionality of weirdness.
Standing Out and Negativity
The idea that standing out is negative is rooted in fascist idealogy - where individuality is a threat to authority. Like in George Orwell's 1984, the characters are forced to conformity at all levels in life. They follow the commands of Big Brother, and anyone who pushes the boundaries of normality is a threat to the state. 1984 is a warning against conformity and fascism. It's a painting of a society where we failed to accept individuality. Authority is threated by individuality because it draws into question who is more free and who is more capable. If someone "under" you is expressive in a way you aren't, they are seen as more "powerful" because we attribute power to freedom. Big Brother is the ultimate power, and also the most free.
In 1984, those who work in the government are under much heavier scrutiny and surveillance than the common people. This draws similar parallels to the reality of the United States today, where class is a deciding factor in conformity - the ultra-rich are free to wear, look, and do whatever, and they act as role models for the masses - while the poor either don't have the "luxury" of conformity, or don't conform to the same standards as the middle and upper classes - especially along the lines of whiteness.
Essentially, the "American Dream" and the white middle class are entirely built around the idea of conformity. The nuclear family, the cookie-cutter house, the newest Apple phone, the hottest fashion.
Troublemakers
The correlation between nonconformity and so-called "troublemaking" or being criminals can probably be accredited to the intersectionality between nonconformity with class, mental health, and abuse.
Abuse and the resulting mental health issues also break down the internal sense of normalcy - while also leading to riskier behaviors. When people see someone who is nonconforming in something purely visual - and then see them get into trouble, often as a result from similar abuse or other mental health problems, they come to correlate nonconformity with trouble.
Another point of intersectionality is that of class, where the United States has consistently oppressed its lower class - which is overwhelmingly of color. This also feeds into racist idealogy through the idea that people of color don't "fit in" to white society, when in reality, there shouldn't even be a need to. As I stated earlier, being part of a minority, or at least being non-white, leads to a lower requirement for conformity.
My connection back to troublemaking: the United States leads lower class citizens (and thus, overwhelmingly people of color, due to the economic conditions which are still maintained today in "modern-day racism", but that's a whole topic) to crime - and keeps them there. The war on drugs means high drug prices on the black market, which means profitable business for those who have no other options, which leads to mass incarceration, in which the prison-industrial complex exploits prisoners and fails to rehabilitate, only punish and increase gang culture, which leads to further drug use and crime. A need for conformity perhaps leads to gang culture - as they provide a sense of brotherhood. "White normalcy" inherently excludes racial diversity and those without the money to buy the hallmarks of the culture.
Attention
The idea that weirdness is inherently attention-seeking is rooted in the normative idealogy. If you expect nothing other than normalcy, then when someone contradicts that, your attention is drawn there. Thus, you may be led to believe that this weirdness is in the pursuit of attention. This may be true sometimes, but it's not a fact of the matter.
Furthermore, the "attention" required for other tasks is a part of the school-industrial complex. For example, school dress codes often ban alternative fashion as a "distraction". The American school system was designed upon the foundation of producing good factory workers. These factory workers are to be the ultimate standards for conformity. Devoid of individuality, a cog in the machine. The school bell, dress code, lack of social interaction, inability to leave the building, and bolstering of free expression are all results of the school system's roots in factory training.
Those influenced and oppressed by this system and unaware of its effects carry its idealogies with them. Often without realizing.
Conclusion
The problem with weirdness was never what the person is doing, it's always been a result of subconscious biases against nonconformity, ingrained into us by our schools, our friends, our parents, and our society. Nonconformity, weirdness, and freedom of expression are beautiful. In the modern age, we have more routes and ways to express our individuality than ever, and shunning generations of children away from the freedom to be themselves is hardly helpful to our society, and leads to fascist idealogies when taken to the extreme. Homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, and basically every other -ism, are all rooted in the idea that weirdness is negative, alongside stereotypical understandings of what it means to be part of these groups.
When you take a step back to look at it all, you can see the beauty in that weirdness.