This is actually a common feeling. You need only watch SLC Punk which addresses this issue.
I really became aware of anti-sheep-sheep in college. I had a pretty tame outside appearance. My hair was short. I shaved. I dressed in a way that was affordable in the town south western I grew up in (Old Navy, maybe some music tshirts from Hot Topic). Ironically I actually hung out with some real counterculture people (by the definition of this article) growing up. They accepted me although I didn't always dress like them. There was no way to dress like them because there was no one style.
My first summer job in college was working with a group that was basically a group of liberal hippies from the east coast, and I don't mean that in an insulting sense. We did backpacking and trail work for an americorps program. I initially didn't get the job, but my girlfriend did. When someone dropped out of the program I joined.
Immediately I stuck out like a sore thumb. These people weren't even close to being accepting of any ideas other than their own. They were conformists. I didn't have the right hair, it wasn't long enough. I didn't wear the right brand of shoes, Chacos were required. I didn't even drink the right kind of water because I refilled a cheap gatorade bottle rather than use a Nalgene. Even the things I did that happened fit in with the group were questioned. During our first team party I mentioned how much I liked "The Doors", and I someone had the balls to say I didn't look like I would like that kind of music.
I ate the wrong food because I wasn't vegan. The chain smokers told me: "don't you know the crap you're putting into your body?".
After 3 months of backpacking and working in national parks my appearance was quite a bit scruffier. The head of the program actually had the balls to say "I looked like a team member now".
I began to value people who had their own ideas, regardless of whether those ideas were or weren't mainstream. I'd rather see new culture than counter-culture. I'm suspicious of people who define themselves by being the disagreeing with mainstream because to me that seems just as restrictive as conforming.
It's extremely rare to find anyone who's not looking to be validated by their peers.
Comments
This is actually a common feeling. You need only watch SLC Punk which addresses this issue.
I really became aware of anti-sheep-sheep in college. I had a pretty tame outside appearance. My hair was short. I shaved. I dressed in a way that was affordable in the town south western I grew up in (Old Navy, maybe some music tshirts from Hot Topic). Ironically I actually hung out with some real counterculture people (by the definition of this article) growing up. They accepted me although I didn't always dress like them. There was no way to dress like them because there was no one style.
My first summer job in college was working with a group that was basically a group of liberal hippies from the east coast, and I don't mean that in an insulting sense. We did backpacking and trail work for an americorps program. I initially didn't get the job, but my girlfriend did. When someone dropped out of the program I joined.
Immediately I stuck out like a sore thumb. These people weren't even close to being accepting of any ideas other than their own. They were conformists. I didn't have the right hair, it wasn't long enough. I didn't wear the right brand of shoes, Chacos were required. I didn't even drink the right kind of water because I refilled a cheap gatorade bottle rather than use a Nalgene. Even the things I did that happened fit in with the group were questioned. During our first team party I mentioned how much I liked "The Doors", and I someone had the balls to say I didn't look like I would like that kind of music.
I ate the wrong food because I wasn't vegan. The chain smokers told me: "don't you know the crap you're putting into your body?".
After 3 months of backpacking and working in national parks my appearance was quite a bit scruffier. The head of the program actually had the balls to say "I looked like a team member now".
I began to value people who had their own ideas, regardless of whether those ideas were or weren't mainstream. I'd rather see new culture than counter-culture. I'm suspicious of people who define themselves by being the disagreeing with mainstream because to me that seems just as restrictive as conforming.
It's extremely rare to find anyone who's not looking to be validated by their peers.
I don't mean to be a peer validating you, but this comment really hit the mark for me.