To think nonconformity is often overrated?

[HeathcliffMoorland]

I don't exactly go out of my way to conform or do otherwise. I come across a lot of people who sneer at 'conformists' - most quite recent.

I'm not touting the benefits of only living in traditional roles, or blindly following the crowd. However, I don't necessarily see conforming as a bad thing, or not conforming to be inherently beneficial.

AIBU?

it depends what you mean really - i wish i could conform but see so much injustice that make my blood boil.. (if that's what you mean)

Oh, I mean nonconformity for the sake of being a nonconformist.

I have no problem if there is a reason, such as injustice.

It depends why you're conforming, doesn't it? If you're doing the same as everyone else because everyone else is doing it, then that's a bit daft, really IMO.

But if you're doing the same as eveyrone else because you've made an informed decision to do so, then that's sensible.

I find that most of the things our family choose are non-conformist, but we don't choose them for the sake of being differeing, but because the alternatives make more sense to us.

And I would be thinking about someone who chose not to conform for the sake of not conforming as I would about someone blindly following the herd.

I agree, Flamingo.

It all depends on the context doesn't it? I mean teenagers often don't conform and that's just for the sake of it...I wouldn't say that's a pointless no-coformity. It's important in terms of the kid finding itself.

LOL!! Teenagers conform with each other like crazy! They are obsessed with it. No matter how crazy and 'non-conformist' a teen tries to be, there is usually some identikit group that they belong to - all conforming with each other. :) Same applies to the rest of us... You can go for some bonkers alternative lifestyle and feel warm and fuzzy about it, only to discover that there's some community in California that's been doing it for years.

I disagree Chilli...we're talking about conforming with society...not peer groups.

How can anyone really 'conform with society' when society is made up of so many different groups? IME the people who sneer at someone for being a 'conformist' usually turn out to be equally conformist within their own preferred group rules. There are few genuine individuals.

I've lived too many different lives to conform to a single society. It doesn't make life particularly easy but it is fun and interesting.