u·nique
yo͞oˈnēk/
adjective
- being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else."the situation was unique in modern politics"
What is it with uniqueness?! Why do we all want to be someone special? Why is there such a huge stress on being different? Is it even achievable?
As teens, we seem to have this need to be unique and different, but as consumers, we have a subconscious need to follow the latest trend and be a part of the tribe.
Which need do we want to satisfy more?
Honestly, I think our natural tribal instinct is more dominant than our desire to be different. Sure, the idea of being your own person and standing out sounds great, but look around and see how many people actually are unique. And if you find someone that is unique, look at the phone they have, the clothes they wear, or even their mannerisms. Chances are their phone is Apple, their clothes are a popular brand, and their mannerisms are like their friends or their parents.
Is there such a thing as unique? On the outside, I say no. It's pretty much impossible to be the only one in the world to have a certain thing. You know what they say, there's no such thing as original thought. However, on the inside, there is no one in the world like you. No one has lived your life. It is so miraculous to think that every person on this planet has had a different experience...and yet, we all have a common goal. We all want to be unique. Why? If we are so unique already, why must we try so hard to be that way?
The media. We see the ads telling us to be unique and to stand out, so we think we need to correct un-uniqueness, so we buy the product. But everyone will be buying the product so it's not unique anymore! But that's another reason why we buy it, to feel safe and in our tribe. We always go with what everyone else is buying, because we don't want to seem weird or uncool or unaccepted. Once everyone buys the unique product, it is no longer about being an individual, but about tribes once again. Uniqueness is its own tribe! But now, since everyone has the product, another one comes out that will make you be really unique, and the cycle is repeated.
Don't you think we are all trying to be different in the same way that everyone else is trying to be different? Does that really make us different?
You made a really solid point. I never realized how similar I am to the people I know and care about. It's so weird to think that society has completely disregarded actual "uniqueness" by separating consumers into different groups based on interest. I agree that's it's very hard to be "unique" and "special" in this world. Thanks for opening my eyes!
ReplyDeletei personally don't really care about uniqueness but I see a lot of people who do. For example all of in the video we watched that showed the people who dressed up like clowns and listen to that rap, they wanted to be different than the others around them.
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