We have learned thus far that both Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson consider themselves "individuals". Bernard, wallows in his emotions, refusing soma and trying desperately to belong. Helmholtz, has it all-looks, intelligence, a prestigious job and women who throw themselves at him. Yet, he is not satisfied. Both men wish that being "different" was not such a bad thing. How hard is it to maintain your individuality? Is it easier to blend in and be like everyone else? Is it worth the pain, ridicule and sometimes violence that society (both ours and the one depicted in the novel) heap upon those that are different? Just how different are you really willing to be? Please comment.
Being the only person who wears the hijab at my school. I totally understand individuality. I want to be like everyone else, but not to the extent that I get in trouble. I always have to remember my morals. It is always easier to not stand out but sometimes it is not the right thing to do. Thats what we always have to remember with our actions.
ReplyDeleteI feel it is easy to maintain my individuality. I do my own thing while others try to follow. It is easier to blend in and be like everyone else. That is why everybody does it. Everybody takes the easier route because they can't handle being different and awesome like me! That is why I love being different and individual. I strive for the challenge and "I won't back down" Eminem. Being different is worth the pain and ridicule. I'm willing to be so different, I would create my own race! Like Mama Gump said, "If god wanted all of us to be the same, he would of put braces on all our legs."Also, I hate being second! ahhhhh! curse you Maryam!
ReplyDelete“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
ReplyDelete― Dr. Seuss. In the words of Dr. Seuss be who you want to be no matter what others think or say of you. It's your life not there's and people are just afraid to be themselves to be accepted in society. If I have to deny being me and what I believe and feel and think to please someone else then I should have to live with my worst enemy. I am willing a 110% to be me no matter what others say of me because at the end its my life not theres to live. Peace!
Individuality, for me, isn't very difficult for me to maintain. I believe that maintaining your individuality becomes a task when one refuses to think for themselves and let what others think influence thier own actions. In some instances bullying can be a great issue and being different can make a person a target. In this case blending in is simply playing it safe. Whether or not being who you are is worth ridicule, pain, or even violence depends how much pride a person might have and how important individualism is to that particular person. In our society, uniqueness is either applauded or frowned upon depending on who you are and your social status. In the novel, being different is nearly intolerable if a person is different they must always try their hardest to act like everyone else. I am only willing to be myself and if that is too different for the rest of society that's just too bad.
ReplyDelete(forgot my name)
ReplyDeleteThe previous comment was written by: Kayla Barrett
I believe both trying to be individual and like everyone else is overrated. Now a days the two contridict one another, however it is way easier to follow than it is to lead(be individual). While your trying to be individual, everyone is tryin to be like you and when you think you're acting like everyone else time flies past you and before you know it, you back to being a loner (an individual). Our generation is very confused, we can't define individual, because its impossible to find. Everyone is worried about what the next person does, say, or even the way they dress, peer pressure. The ones who beleieve they are individual don't realize they have completely changed who they once were just to profile themselves as what they use to be. I guess we just have to mature more to really be able to know and understand the true meaning of individual. As for me I really don't care, you can classify me as a follower or an individual, I'm just doing me. -Sylvia Williams
ReplyDeleteFor me it is not hard to maintain my indivisualiy because I don't care what people think. I'll say/do/act upon any circumstance in the way I want to not caring about what other people think. I follow certain trends though but not really to "fit in" but because I like the trend or I agree with the popular vote. Somethings maybe worth the ridicule it depends on how much it means to you. If I had a strong oppinion on something and people are going against it I have no problem for (lack of a better word ->) fighting for what I believe, if its something stupid that doesn't matter to me I won't make a big deal about it. I don't strive to be different, I just try to be myself and I'm be myself all the time, maybe not in times where im sucking up to people or to important people that I need to make a good impression on, not saying that my personality wouldn't make a good impression C; Haley Spaznick
ReplyDeleteI actually think it's really hard to be "individual" even though there is so much promoting it. There is good individual, and bad individual. It's not the same if a person is always the leader and does their own thing ( the "trend starters") and something completely different when a person doesn't have that same influence. I do think it is easier to just blend in and be like everyone else because then you can't really be pointed out for anything.
ReplyDelete-Lindsey Tonnesen
I don't think its that difficult to be your own person. Why would you want to be EXACTLY like someone else, plus I think it would be extremely hard to be just as they are. I don't think its easy to blend in, not anymore at least, considering that now, there are so many different styles of fashion, hairstyles, ethnic backgrounds (for the ones who still stick to tradition I guess) all within the same boundaries, its not necessary. In the book, its looked down upon, like seriously bad, but today, in society, how can anyone judge, everyone likes something different, no two people are exactly the same. Plus, its just pure ignorance from people, because we have other things to be worrying about, but we decide to judge people who are different? Makes no sense, we should be worrying about not being pwned by China and the U.S not blowing up or something. I'm willing to be as different as I want to be, because that is who I am, despite of what people have to say about it, cause that is what I'm happy with, (not exactly) and that's my comfort zone, nobody elses. :-D
ReplyDeleteCharles is a ugly butt head that likes to flirt with any girl he sees XD, he's just jealous of his shorter, yet sexier friend Giovanni. He tells me all the time how jealous he is. Poor kid, I'm his role model XD
ReplyDeleteWhile everyone should see themselves and others as individuals, it's not really worth it to be really unique. "The nail that sticks out is the one that gets hammered down." It's easier to just blend in and chill in the background than set a trend. In some cases, individuality is great and its the unusual thoughts of people that have contributed to technology and other sciences, but it can be a negative thing and lead a person to isolation being bullied. It's best to just find a happy medium and stay there.
ReplyDelete-Krystal Midcap
In today's society, individuality is not as hard to maintain as it use to be. Society has become much more accepting of others compared to 50 years ago. I have no problem just being myself but I know some people struggle trying to stand out of the crowd. It is much easier to blend in with everyone else and some people are just to lazy to try and stand out. A follower just goes along with whatever the crowd is doing but a leader goes against the crowd sometimes and that is not always an easy thing to do. The struggle to be different is totally worth it to me. That is just who I am. In our society being different is not such a bad thing but in the society in "Brave New World", standing out is something that is not tolerated. I just be myself and I don't care what anyone else thinks, thats their problem not mine.
ReplyDelete-Ashley Collins
It is incredibly hard to maintain one's individuality because everyone wants you to do what they are doing and go where they are going and not allow you to do your own thing. This constant barrage of peer pressure does make it easier to just follow the group and lose your individuality. Although at times it may seem that maintaining your individuality is not worth all the suffering but in the long run you will come to realize that it really was all worth it. I do normally go my own way and do my own thing but there are times when I do follow the group only because I feel like the group is going in the right direction or is something that I myself want to do. I am not the type of person who is easy to spot standing out in a crowd but someone who stands out in a more discrete way by my thoughts and actions.
ReplyDelete-Matthew Greene
For me, it is not that hard to maintain my individuality. I do this just by being my self and always being honest. I feel these two things will get you the farthest in life. I think that it is easier to blend in and to be like everyone else but you lose your individualistic like qualities when you do so. I think it is completly worth it to be an individual although society sometimes makes it hard to go through with because you might stick out from other people. I am willing to be as different as necessary to become an individual because of the benefits of being your own person.-Brandon Day
ReplyDeleteI believe that if you like different things than the people around you then do your thing. However if you really do like what everyone likes then just go with it, dont strive to be different. Just be your self and either you will be different and have different interests with a lesser amount of people, or you will like things more people like and have alot more in common with people. Either way just do what you like and attract the right people that fit you and do the things you like whether they be the same or different.
ReplyDeleteI am different from alot of people in this school, however outside of school i meet people like me all the time at shows and through friends. It is totally worth it to be myself some people love me for it and some hate it but im happy with myself and whether im different or exactly the same its worth it.
It is very hard to be an individual because you always have the people who jump on band wagons for trends, and as soon as you wear something that you like people criticize you for "jumping in on the trend". And whether or not you do follow trends its hard to be an individual. Sometimes people dont want to be an individual because of how society treats them, harshly and ignoring people. So sometimes because of that people just try to blend in. And if someone really wants to stand out they will take all the harsh things people say about them and stand out like they wanted to.
ReplyDelete~ Taylor Stephen.
How hard is it to maintain your individuality? In general, it is a hard concept to maintain your own individuality because of everyday life and the influences that it entails, whether is be school, magazines, or television. Someone is always out there to try to make you conform to their standards. I do my best to maintain my individuality through my own means, and if I mimic the actions of someone else it is only to benefit, not just because they "looked cool" or something. It is much easier to blend in and be like everyone else but today there is just so much diversity that I think people are encouraged to be individuals, but or those people who cannot find themselves, it would be much easier for them to just conform. It may not seem as though it would be worth it, but in the long run the nest thing you can be is yourself because otherwise how can you identify, and what would make you distinct? Personally, the best thing you can do is stand out just because of the satisfaction you gain from it. I'll be as different as I naturally am, I wouldn't go out of my way to stand out among people, but I'll just be me.
ReplyDeleteHow hard is it to maintain your individuality? Is it easier to blend in and be like everyone else? Is it worth the pain, ridicule and sometimes violence that society (both ours and the one depicted in the novel) heap upon those that are different? Just how different are you really willing to be?
ReplyDeleteIt is sometimes hard to keep your individuality because being around people might cause you to change to blend with what everyone else is doing. I find it easier to keep my individuality because I remind myself of who I am as a person, not what people want me to be. I think it might be easier to blend with everyone, but it isn't worth it because with your real friends you should be able to be yourself and be accepted. I think that no matter what we should be ourselves with everyone, even if we are judged by others. Otherwise, they would be nothing to keep ourselves apart from one another or be different. I don't see myself as an outsider, but if I am different from others I am proud of it and I will continue to be who I am.- Alicia Wilson
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! mine didnt post! -______- #hatinglife
ReplyDeleteIt's not hard at all to maintain my individuality. I like being different. There's too many boring people in this world who fit the standards of society instead of being happy. People tell you to do things a certain way because that is what's expected of you. But it's my life, so I'm going to live it the way I want to. Why would you waste your life by doing what everyone else does? People may treat you differently or look down on you, but you can't let those people get to you. I feel bad for people who do stuff like that. It's really sad, originality is dead. It's like Kid Cudi says - "I guess if I was boring they would love me more, I guess if I was simple in the mind everything would be fine." - Barack Jordan
ReplyDeleteI believe it is hard to maintain your individuality in todays society. Its much easier to 'stay in the crowd' or be a 'follower'. People follow trends every day in this socket such as jerking, dougieing, being a hipster. It takes one person and everybody else follows. Nobody is their own individual. For some people though it is easier because they don't care what people think of them. In 'Brave New World' to be different isn't good at all, you are an outsider and it isn't tolerated. In the world today its about the same minus how intense it is in 'Brave New World'. Its hard to live in this society if you're an individual you look like a loner, if you follow the crowd you're a bandwagoner.
ReplyDeleteI think being individual and sticking out in this society is almost impossible. Everyone wants to be like everybody else. New styles are used by practically the whole world. I try to be different as much as I can with my cowboy boots and silly flannels! Even though I get made fun of, I'm comfortable with what I wear and how I look.
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