@@AmigaCammy I completely agree with you on needing to not exploit animals. Life deserves kindness from us if at all possible and if we're going to ingest it, doubly so. With that said, plants are just as alive as animals. They communicate and feel. We treat them pitifully for our consumption ,and plastics, fuels, etc. Then there's the bugs, the viruses, heck soil is full of life. Why do we draw a line? Mind you, I was vegan and vegetarian at different times. I love animals. My children were animals. I also went carnivore a year ago in June. Best decision of my life. I'm healthier than I've been since my early 20s. That's a long time ago. I do less damage with what I eat now than I did before. I do also love to garden. I don't think people need as much protein on this diet as is promoted as long as they get the fat right and make sure their electrolytes are on point. I love gardening. I love nature. Put me there any day over an urban environment. I'll never go back from being carnivore unless someone forces me or it starts wrecking my life. Vegan and vegetarian made me very ill, though I was doing it correctly. We do need a better way of "commercial" ranching. It's disgusting. But we also need a better way to farm. None of the scare tactic models on global warming concerning either are exactly correct. So maybe, the first thing we should do is start being honest with each other and ourselves, and stop allowing -I can't believe that autocorrected to "oiling". Phone keyboards have such a sense of humor sometimes. Other times they're quite prudish. Mine have been vastly different from one another. A curious thing when thought about, don't you think? Please pardon any other mistakes I miss as I attempt to proof my runaway ramble- the energy companies to direct the conversations away from them and the vegetarian movement to get a little more honest. Dogma is everywhere. It doesn't make it true. If we consume less meat we will become a sicker species. We need to take our emotions out of nutrition. Figure out the best nutrition and then find the best, sustainable, kindest way to provide it. Removing where we belong from the food chain fixes nothing, but neither does breaking it as we are now. No, I don't believe we're naturally strictly carnivores, but we're dang close to it. We certainly weren't meant to eat like we are now. There's no money to be made for most companies out there if we eat as we should. Plus there's millions, probably billions of people who are dependent upon the worst, least nutritious food choices available so as not to starve. We need to change how we view food and how we view society, the world, and our place in it. Until we stop seeing ourselves as the mighty overlords (not implying you view us that way) we and everything around us is doomed unless something succeeds in wiping us out. Our entire moral compass, as a whole, is based upon selfish fundamentalities that make us worse than plagues. Until we fix ourselves, we've little hope of fixing anything else, because we refuse to acknowledge what the life and death cycle actually is. We're certainly rarely acknowledge how intelligent other life on this planet is. Most of us wouldn't even recognize other intelligent life or life period when we're looking right at it, or it's climbing over us, or it's feeding on us. We dumb everything down and overinflate our own egos. Why? Does it make us wiser, more intelligent, do we make more logical choices, or come up with better solutions by viewing ourselves through that lens? Not even close. I do apologize for the length of my response to your answer. I even bet I completely agree with you on the sentiment behind your belief. I am just under the belief that the way most express it would cause a lot more harm than good. And turning humans vegetarian would destroy us and the environment, not to mention countless species of wildlife, insects, and plants included. So I wish that everyone passionate about saving the animals, and treating animals kinder ("humane" is such a filthy word. We aren't known for our selflessness.) would reprogram their thinking a little bit instead of buying into what is essentially also corporate brainwashing. But I do absolutely agree the way commercial livestock is raised is grotesque and the humans who don't mind treating animals that way really wouldn't enjoy me as their judge and jury. Then again, most humans wouldn't like my ideals for society either, so I'm guessing we're just going to remain ignorant on a large scale sort of thing. Unless some genius out there figures out a way to make doing what's best for the life of this planet more profitable than consistently destroying just about everything we come in contact with or think about happens to be. Even each other. Heck, we don't even destroy in a productive step of the creation process of making something better kind of style. We just want and destroy, want and destroy. We can't really go bragging about our intelligence as a lifeform when we're so lacklustre in our use of that intelligence, can we? Especially since our very act of education so often purposefully promotes spreading our ignorance. Gotta wonder if other species are as good at that as we are, don't you? We are definitely not a big picture thinking sort of species. Probably due to not eating enough fatty meat.. our poor brains are just constantly mistreated. 😂 I suppose we shouldn't blame them when they glitch. We're not exactly bringing them up in the best environment...🤣🤯😶 How I'd love to see that change occur. I can't even fathom how remarkable our planet would possibly become and the many unseen or misunderstood doors it would open. Can you?🦋
@@Catlily5 being a social animal, completely not getting influenced by norms is inevitable. But when you realise certain things by conscious alertness, then consider you're already challenging the norms.
Good video for people who do cruel or petty things and insist that it’s cultural, myself included. What might be normal, or has become normalized over time, isn’t necessarily good or right.
@@stupifyingstupedity2112 hardly. There's a lot of value in having a culture, just don't be a drone amd be mindful of what values you actually fuck with.
I agree with this in principle -- I am, by nature and practice, a very skeptical person, and so I do try to question everything. And that works for me. Even when I was younger, and a much more timid person, I at least was quietly skeptical. The problem, as I see it, is that not everyone who decides to go their own way, to challenge the norms, does so in either a rational or a beneficial way. That's how we end up with the first anti-vaxxers, for example. And when people are different, or unusual (like Jenny McCarthy preaching her anti-Vaxx sermons), people in the media (eg. Oprah) are more than happy to give them wide exposure. The start is always someone going against the norms. Eventually in some communities, it becomes the norm. But it always starts out as an act of dissent. Dissent is not always good. Dissent has to be good for it to do good. And not everyone is capable of knowing the difference between good and bad dissent. Another problem --- and let's assume that the dissent is intelligent and logical -- not everyone knows how to communicate effectively. It's a skill that one has to learn. It's not enough to disagree with something which is wrong. You have to be able to communicate it without triggering people to get defensive. And some people are really awful at that. I've met a few. Being right is not enough.
Great points! Contrarianism is not always right, even if it can be necessary for beliefs to evolve. It's tricky. A lot of people will watch this video and it will resonate because many of us feel frustrated by norms we feel are invalid. Sometimes we are right; sometimes we are wrong. And being wrong can come with consequences, as with your example of anti-vaxxers. Sometimes even incorrect contrarianism can also be widely spread if it confirms people's beliefs or fears. So what are we to do? One quote that seems relevant is "Argue as if you’re right; listen as if you’re wrong." (Karl Weick). If we feel that norms are invalid, we should challenge them. But we should not mistake that feeling for certainty that we are right. Perhaps a good cultural norm to establish would be respectful tolerance of dissent. By lowering the temperature and the emotions around our discourse, perhaps we can encourage people to challenge the status quo, reduce its ability to grab attention and lower the incentive to cover it broadly even if they are wrong, and allow people to feel less defensive if they take the positive risk of being outspoken and receive negative feedback.
What I wish people would understand about dissenters, contrarians, conspiracy theorists is that they are not all the same. There is a mountain of difference between someone's fear and anger dictating their thought processes versus someone who is astute at noticing patterns and understanding systems. There is a big difference between knowing your government is corrupt and thinking the world is flat. Those can be the same people but generally it takes irrational thinking to hold onto a flat world point of view. It is quite rational to think governments can be corrupt to varying degrees. People who have vaccinated three times and decide it's not working are not the same people who think a certain ex president was sent here by god. Critical thinkers should not be confused with mindless nationalists and they often are.
@@johnbrooke6867 I definitely agree. That's basically what my point was. Unfortunately, those who fit in the less rational group lack the tools needed to see that they aren't being rational. They also see patterns in the world, as we all do. Man is evolved to see patterns. But somehow they still end up with the wrong conclusion. We all are able to think. But it takes practice and some positive influences and/or teachers to learn how to think critically and effectively. You can still make mistakes, even with all of that practice. But when you value critical thinking, and with practice, you learn to own your mistakes and move on.
People who see this needs to understand it applies to them. It's not something to spread so people with opposing views can become better. No matter how right you think you are, be sceptical always!
I love how my wife and I are much more awake about what’s going on around us. We go against the grain when things don’t suit us, which ultimately weirds out others because it’s not the “norm”. In short, we have never been more happy 👍
@@bigthink Going part-time, starting a TH-cam channel, having only 1 child, taking adhd medication to help improve our lives even though medication is “frowned upon”, saying no to things we just aren’t interested in without being ashamed of what others will think. Stuff like that! 🙌
That all sounds good. Raising even one kid gets expensive and I know what it’s like to take medication for attention issues (though the success seemed to vary for me). I’ve hardly gone out to bars and when I do, it was usually only for food and to play games. I only ever had alcohol in a bar once and that was last year (only managed to stomach one beer). I have had alcohol before then but those times were few and far between. Never enough to get me drunk.
Do you want to be a true non-conformist? Meditate daily. I find a majority of people are driven by irrational thinking and never take any time to sit outside of "normal" thought processes as an observer. When you learn not to attach to delusional thinking, you find that you are more likely to lead by example and dissension with a perceived enemy is not needed.
This. Meditation has been shown to increase empathy and compassion for others, and ultimately helps people see others perspectives with less judgement.
Preach it man. Faced hostility from my very own family, friends, and local community for choosing to deviate from COVID related "social norms". Scary how easily people will turn on each other based off what the media says.
7972 upvotes,111 downvotes. So happy to see this like/dislike ratio. This topic is extremely important. Free speech and tolerance can coexist. Practice dissent.
I am 64 and I have always been the Rebel in this crazy world we live in. Some times you need to face death to realize your whole life, society has lied to you. Being on the Carnivore way of eating has cleared the fog of deception for me...
Good point, but be careful what you wish for. I suspect many people who would say "shatter cultural norms" might be the very same people who gasp "no, not like that!" when a cultural norm organically shatters.
I am so glad I watched this. Madonna is the reason I first started to question the pervasive view that I thought I held about gay people. I was 19 and grew up mainly in small town America in the 80s. But I loved Madonna. I really questioned why do I hold such views? Are they really my views? No. They weren't. And so many other changes came fast, as well. I didn't like how it made me feel to think I had ever not embraced someone else's difference. If your beliefs cannot withstand scrutiny, then why believe them? Things have to resound, make sense to me. Most people are inherently good. Science and experience show that to me. Some people just need to have their eyes opened. I was one of them.
As an artist, I'm all for challenging the status quo. But we also should realize that most social norms are not arbitrary, but have been formed through centuries of civilization and millennia of evolution by our ancestors, who often had generations of handed-down wisdom from their elders. Our western society lacks this today, but we think we're smart by tearing down social norms, undoing about 5000 years of humans striving toward a civilized society. Questioning norms is healthy. Destroying them is not always the right choice, especially when we're unclear on what we are replacing them with. (And no, I'm not a conservative.)
Thank you for sharing that. Norms are mostly useful in order for large groups of individuals to be able to live in relative harmony. The rejection of basic norms is causing us to lose civility. The bully benefits by living by a my-way-or-the-highway group lifestyle, and the meek person suffers. The result is a might-makes-right mob of bullies...a chaos of barbarians.
@@betsybarnicle8016 Good points. When we rip apart shared values that hold us together as a society we become more atomized, more disconnected, more vulnerable. Hence mob rule. Also domination by powerful corporations, the media, etc. It's easy to tear down something that took centuries to build, but not so easy to rebuild. 🌱
Good point. While there are social norms that are created for a reason (like not murdering people), some social norms start to phase out because the said reason for its existence is outdated. It used to be taboo for people to marry another race, but now it’s mostly accepted
History does not progress in a linear fashion. We do not apply social norms that took 5000 years or have been developing toward a civilized society. Like, do you view this from a godseye' perspective? Your talk is too vague and nuanced.
@@AGirlofYesterday "It's easy to tear down something that took centuries to build, but not so easy to rebuild." I think you need to meet the chinese and have a discussion with them about this.
I decided against having kids for just that reason. I’m well past the first half of my life now (I assume, unless I actually become one of the oldest known people in history), and I’ve had a pretty good run, but I feel bad for the children who are just starting out in this world
@@X9523-z3v well it's really sad because there's a ton of innovations and ideas that could have truly been life changing. Cell phone technology alone is well over 100years old just in this linear time frame...the public is never disclosed findings, facts, or technologies until way afterwards...when the masses were given computers they chose to play games, make porn... it's really dumbed alot of people down because they get online and look up shit but they are totally unaware of how easily anything digital is untrue.. Additionally, if you have ten minutes of a person's voice recorded , then digitally you can make it sound like a person's voice is saying anything... unfortunately alot of great scientists have been demonizd.. There is no such thing as actual competition...the best ideas don't necessarily get support or win....
@@gregbors8364 well I kept having dreams that the future wasn't going to be good for many of us without drastic changes, additionally I was remote viewing terrible things happening to really good people....Tesla had better ideas and died alone in a hotel room...Edison was more of a showman with Barnum and Bailey
years ago I went to Benin, Africa. I met there a young guy who was working as a tourist guide. Facial scarification is a common ritual in Benin, through scars people want to connect with the ancestors. I almost didn't see a person without them. This guy face was scars free. I asked him why? He told me : "My mother resisted the tradition and the pressure because she believes that one day her son will travel the world, maybe even emigrate. She doesn't want me to have scars in my face". This guy was coming form a very poor, traditional family. I will never forget this story. I think about it when I hear horror stories about female genital mutilation. I was lucky to be raised by a very no conformist and at the same time, very compassionate parents. My childhood wasn't easy, I was too honest, too brave, too empathetic. I got more conformist over time, to be able to survive in the society.
The problem with breaking public illusion is that people will regret ever deviating from that illusion at the first sign of struggle while acting true to themselves. People think they cannot afford mistakes if they are free to choose for themselves. That's one reason why we lie to each other, whether to convince others that our flaws are actually a perfection, or to keep the flaws hidden no matter the cost. On the other hand, struggling while being led by something other than yourself is for many reasons just easier to accept.
Maybe when we're just accepting the status quo way to act and face struggles (that may have been avoided had we acted in a way that deviated from the norm) we just assume that's how it is supposed to be.
Interesting point! That's another important aspect of it: we perceive it as a risk to our social status to deviate from what other people think is normal. And as he mentions in the video, sometimes the norms are grounded in reality and sometimes they aren't. So you can be risking your reputation if you deviate from a norm and people don't respond well to it--or you may have to be confident and keep pushing to make people really rethink it if it is mentally easier to just dismiss you.
I believe I finally understand the evolutionary benefits of autism for humankind. It has been around for a very long time but since it's been falsely labeled as a disease, it's seen as bad all of a sudden. I am Not wired to conform but when I finally did (out of fear), it made me unhappy and exhausted. And actually, conformity wasn't really what I wanted anyway. I just want to be me and I want others around me to feel safe to do the same. I can tell from experience that it's worth the risk. The alternative is a fake "safe" life, which I don't want anymore.
The world has become intolerant of differing opinions. Instead of realizing basic rights like free speech are being infringed, people politicized every issue missing the bigger picture
@@leebrock4783 it's not personal, though it makes sense,it happens to a lot of things these days ,people will come together to raise awareness, but they'll miss the fact that they also need to fix it and not watch, kind of like seeing a fire and saying "we need to put that fire out" but not doing anything.
@@leebrock4783 Depends on where a person lives, doesn't it? The citizens of Russia is certainly being silenced at this moment. North Korea. Afghanistan. Just to name three entire countries. Depending upon the community people are silenced in the US also. We conform every single day in order to not lose our jobs, not lose our peers, and to not rock the proverbial boat. Doctors being silenced from suggesting certain treatments if the wish to practice within a specific hospital would be a great example of it being done in the US. A great example would be an OBGYN losing privilege at certain hospitals because they provide birth control, or any given specialist getting wrote up or fired because they don't adhere to the insane time policy some hospitals have. There's plenty of topics not to be discussed on company grounds brought up in various company handbooks across the country. Not to mention the insane silencing of certain subjects that teachers at various schools are expected to adhere to. We're silenced all the time, and it's rarely for our benefit.
@@Alithium0 Exactly. I'd go a step further and say we're kind of being groomed to give our opinion with social media so widespread, but equal attention isn't made for acting upon those opinions or providing solutions to all the problems mentioned. Not only that, but due to the very small window of attention span and the busy lives so many lead, it's almost as if we're purposefully being lead away from acting upon our ideas. Not to mention all the anxiety inducing, anger engaging, oxytocin releasing, etc that goes on to amplify the moods behind our thoughts, and the whole popularity and canceling trigger that goes on. Even when it comes to the channels. While some "content creators" will go do something whether it gets them views or not as opposed to talking about the subject. Others stick to strict time and subject guidelines trying to make the most of the algorithm. If it's not going to bring in the clicks and cash, they're not doing it. Same can be said in the opposite manner where someone goes and does something whether they believe in it or whether it's helpful or harmful all because it'll get them views and in turn moolah.
Republicans politicize everything from wearing a mask, education, to sexual preference, the right to vote, and abortion. Republicans want our government to decide what you can have, be or do.
I am positive deviance. I’ve always fell out side the norms of society. I’m not fooled by these norms. Today t he e norms cause a crazy amount of harm. I follow my own path and life is good.
The norm of thinking our voice is too weak to be heard, too small to be valued, too naive to be true, too "selfish" to be "responsible", therefore too fragile to survive.
Like in most fraternities and sororities, hazing still exists. Members who still considered hazing as a "norm" or "tradition" is just collective hypnotism to me. It falls within the ambit of groupthink, or the irrationality of collective thinking. Nonconformists against hazing are called cowards or traitors. But when you look at it objectively, it does not have value, it is completely irrational and unnecessary, and it often leads to morbid consequences like serious injuries or even death. That is why dissenters are important individuals in society. Do not simply conform just because it is widely accepted. You have a mind, use it.
Being vegan in a non-vegan world, Todd's words make a lot of sense. Questioning the norm of consuming animals for the purposes of pleasure, convenience and culture, I've come to the realisation that, at least in the developed world, it is completely unnecessary to enslave, torture and slaughter billions of sentient beings every year. Bringing this up generates a discomfort and cognitive dissonance in others who may be uncomfortable with the idea of supporting animal abuse but equally unwilling to stray from the social norm.
This is a really good video to explain the constant battle between what is and what could be. I think the important thing to remember, if we’re talking sustainable development, is that there always needs to be people who push the boundaries and people who maintain them. A lot of people rip on “conservatives” or “Normies” but sometimes those people are actually right, the values or systems they maintain do actually work well for a lot of people and they stabilise societies… but sometimes they’re dysfunctional and THAT is the role of the maverick to point it out.
I agree! The creative minds are there to open up what structured, Conservative individuals have a hard time seeing. Balance between the two is a good thing! I think where society goes wrong is that when people are fixated on a social norm and they are presented with an alternative, the mavericks have been taking it to EXTREMES, as of lately. Conservatives shut down when extremes are thrown at them. They don't have a creative enough mind to be able to comprehend the underlying message that is trying to be conveyed. Instead of tearing down statues and burning down buildings and neighborhoods, there needs to be art work portrayed of the injustice, peaceful protests, and constructive conversations. I also believe that politics (top down theory) takes alot away from the average person's perspective, due to the propaganda they spew.
@@Leo-mr1qz Absolutely, one of the big issues I’ve been studying is the polarisation between “left” and “right”. I’ve explained it that on the spectrum of beliefs (political, economic, social etc etc) some people move so far to one side that the opposing side seems ABSOLUTELY far fetched, so they entrench themselves further into their own beliefs or move further in the opposing direction! This creates a massive rift where no common ground is established and you just get a focus on “pwning libs” or “bashing the fash”… so to speak 😂 There are so many models emerging like the sustainable development model, circular economies, social responsibility. While not perfect they’re attempting to bridge the gap between opposing interests to find solutions that are designed to work for more people.
@@Leo-mr1qz I couldn’t think of the name before. But it’s called the Theory of Dialects. The idea that to come to the “truth” of a situation you must be able to integrate multiple perspectives, that it’s not until you have seen the other sides that you can truly understand the whole picture. A good analogy would be that if you looked only at one side of a dice for years, you’d be convinced it’s a square with 2 dots. If someone said to you it’s a square with 5 dots… or god forbid A CUBE?! You would think they’re are insane.
@@iliketalkingaboutstuff3651 I find that to be true, as well. It has become common practice practice, that if your beliefs are challenged in any way, (in some people), that they tend to dig their heels in and not even listen to the other side. The idea of having an open mind has almost become criminal!
Earl Nightingale said it best in the Strangest Secret years back, “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice it is conformity, the reason for so many failures. Conformity people acting like everyone else without knowing why or where they are going”
It was literally started as an advert by a diamond corporation. Even the concept of an engagement ring was also started by the same diamond corporation. Before people just had wedding rings.
It has always been like this. "Reason" has a specific form and history, it has been shaped by questions of power (politics and economics); we are taught to think according to that heritage (judeo-christian and cartesian in occident). So, the way of thinking is already shaped before we can be really critical, the society where we are born is always prior to us. We are only critical "inside" those forms. "Rules" , norms, are not something you have, they are something you live with (that's why most men don't go out in heels and a miniskirt). And while it is true that social groups can change their consensus/habits, ways of thinking and acting have a kind of inertia, dragging the old and delaying the new, in multiple layers that intersect. So that we are always living a bit of past habits and a bit of new habits (ideas or consensus).
While there are many 1 major problem with that is when 1 person does not like what another is saying and tries to shut them up or otherwise destroy them because of it.
We are NOT "wired". That suggests that we have no choice. It's a cultural thing, a taught thing. And we dont have to conform. it's basically a reaction from fear, fear of the group turning against us, which in fact is what happens - and I speak from experience. Most want to "go along to get along" and think it's a good thing. They need to be taught differently.
Basically : Culture is not your friend. It's an instrument of power and control. Let's not bring expectations too high for "positive deviation". Anything new fundamentally is a threat to established structures and customs. But small steps are possible and important to.promote for. Counter propaganda is needed. Simple info won't punch through.
Describing culture as only an instrument for power and control is an inherently flawed idea. It also presumes that the adherents to the culture have power over it and can wield it freely. Culture is simply a phenomenon of our social evolution and is a necessary emergence in the process of creating civilizations. Since culture is a product of nature and nature, by nature, is amoral , it doesn’t compute to make sweeping moral judgments about it. It obviously has its benefits with some downsides to the individual.
@@davyroger3773 culture goes along with identification and tribalism. It breeds violence and hatred against The Other. Traditions in multiple variants come along with it. Call this good or bad is up to the observers setting of mind/thoughts. There is no morals in culture worth praising. It's all about seeking ones own advantage over The Other even with in a certain cult and self-fulfillment. Culture is the glue preventing factual humanitarian progress. Cults and culture have turned this biosphere, we all depend upon, into a "take what u can grab" conglomerate based on the fear of getting a raw deal. Culture totally has gotten out of control and truly is nothing but a warty outgrowth of an oversized and deadly bored brain. Nationalisms on the rise show the true and deeply uncivilized nature of man, which was only covered up by the oppressive character culture thrives upon. None can choose or change the cult one is born into. Do-gooders have taken over and fail to realize and admit, that any attempt on their part in the direction of improvement has first , complicated things and second worsened the situations we find ourselves in. I don't see any civilisation . Every anthill is more civilised.
@@davyroger3773 I agree with u that culture is an auto run sys which we are subdued to. It's man serving culture, same way man is serving economic interests.
An interesting but mysteriously apolitical take! The challenging role you attribute to artists is more frequently taken by campaigners and activists. I like your optimism about the possibility for rapid social change.
Diversity is one of the most essential aspects of living things. To try and control or repress it always ends up erupting in stranger darker more severe ways. It’s almost thermodynamics. Suicide is expression of this. Murder is expression of this. War is collective application of this repressed energy for commercial interests.
The silencing of the mind that's occuring is really disturbing. Especially when it seems to be becoming virulent in persons who had the benefit of being educated in both critical and creative thinking. The commercialization and politicization of controlling and morphing ideas has not only become a work of art. It's a pretty nasty piece of weaponry we all seem a glutton to sacrifice ourselves to. It's weird. I really enjoyed the example in this video. I'd love it if y'all would do a deeper dive into the destructive ways our thinking and trust is being abused. Since we're being groomed to embrace our inner mob mentality, shouldn't we stop allowing the entities with harmful intentions to be the loudest voice? I mean, often we're all speaking and playing to a crowd that already agrees with us or is at least likely to. Or, if attempting to deliver the message outside of it, we don't take the steps to speak in the language that will catch our intended audience's positive attention. I know you were showing how to do so with the women and shrimp in the video, which was awesome. I find it really weird how we're more apt to pander to those who'll agree with us than step into the crosshairs of those who won't. I mean, I do understand the potential repercussions would certainly be a deciding factor. It seems like those with more harmful intentions, be it political, corporations, or individuals, are really tapping into the mob mentality we're constantly being groomed to follow and they rarely seem to be held accountable for their actions. I dunno. I can understand why people just check out and give up when so much of our input has become manipulation. I suppose the dumbing down and encouragement of small attention spans aids in that endeavor. It just seems like the powers that be trying to push back in the different areas could tap into the same construct on the larger scales where so much harm is occuring. It's concerning to see the directions our minds are being led. Even more so to see the minds being left behind via the various reasons we seem to just write them off. For example, would the far right conservatives had made the gains they have if we engaged with their target audience in a different way? How much of our lack of education on subjects is due to intentional silence and purposeful neglect? Are we more interested in crowd control and profiteering from it than we are in making an actual positive difference? I know there's groups who are doing wonders, but why do we not often see the giants with the booming voices doing the same beyond for reasons of profit? It just all seems like the dance has already been choreographed right down to the twisted ankle ten minutes in. Sure, a short guy in a robot costume might rush the stage in the second act and catch a flicker of attention, but why isn't the entire stage robotic? Why do we not integrate the positive ideas with the same efficiency and abundance so much of the negative is? Maybe it's just me, but the harmful messages often appear to have a better delivery system. Thank you for another lovely engagement with our brains. I do enjoy your delivery system. 😂🦋
The periphery is experiment is discovery. The interior is grounding. The more integrated the surface boundary is to the core/norm the more robust a culture. The faster it can adapt. Plurality is more robust imho. fractions can be encouraged as there is low contrast between fractions. If Tolerance is foundation norm suddenly there is unity. Monotheism begets internal fractions. Polytheism accepts this and so gives singular deity with multitudinous aspects.
Did you read my mind this week and made a video about it?🤣🤣JK I've been thinking lately that some cultures are narrow minded to believe one truth and those who question it,are the black sheep. Other cultures (which I wish that every culture should cultivate),are very open minded to new things,to view the world from a whole view,not just one point of view. Amazing video❤️❤️
One thing that I do differently is that I host holidays not on their official days. For example, instead of compromising who my brother spends Thanksgiving with (his girlfriend's family or ours), I just have Thanksgiving on Saturday and everyone wins. And since no-one likes "Thanksgiving food," I make other dishes.
Tell me about it, I get it in the neck all the time for expressing dissenting views. would be nice to see this change given how combative people can get other mere disagreement.
My wires must not have been hooked up b'c I always root for the underdog, zig when everyone else is zagging, and automatically throw red flags on the field when I see blanket messaging and conformity happening.
Its important to start questioning things like George Carlin said in his last standup before he died but nobody does because so many are accepting of what is in front of them. So many have been bought off by gizmos and toys and the result is that nobody doesn't question things. Start questioning things from everything you read to authority to whatever else society is putting in front of us like in the news. When you start questioning things some get very annoyed because you don't roll over on command and conform.
I now know what my chief fear is. Thanks. I have several thoughts on this. Besides fear. This is too complicated a problem to only have part of a solution. Positive deviance will not be enough.
Foucault habló de eso en el famoso debate entre él y Chomsky. Traer al presente estas ideas, exponiéndolas de una manera más clara, es un buen paso. Thanks Big Think!
That's why we apostates from Islam have ex-Muslim organizations, to normalize dissent. Not only in the Muslim world, but also in the West, when criticizing Islam is labeled as "Islamophobic".
Hey l can relate this to a herd mentality where a group of people would actually follow someone without questioning the end game, like herds of cows or sheep's, noting that whenever one goes astray the rest would follow even though all of them would be in a difficult position.
I realized that the secret to making a million is saving for a better investment. I always tell myself you don't need that new Maserati or that vacation just yet. That mindset helped me make more money investing. For example last year I invested 80k in stocks (with the help of my Financial Advisor of course) and made about 246k, but guess what? put it all back and traded with her again and now I'm rounding up close to a million.
I am Long term investment. invested $6,500 in march last year with Mrs Angela and top up my trade with $500 every week. Now, I'm having over $147,000 on my dashboard. Toping up your trade is really important
Consensus is ad populum, it's important not to adhere to bias or group think. Challenge the status quo and embrace your inner weirdness. This is why I like other neurodivergent people
What is norm and status quo, doesn't meant it was all true and correct. It is true and correct to the people who created the norm in the society, however that doesn't meant it was correct for everyone. The problem rises when either the norm started to be disadvantageous or when it was being forced for no apparent reason, except for the sake to follow the norm.
First find out what humility means to you. Then practice dissent with humility. It's a process, can take a long time- change can happen over generations
Yeah yeah, do understand that any antivaxxer think of themselves as the mother in this story... You can justify and rationalize any behavior like this. Even the harmful ones. Dissent and anti-conformism aren't enough to find better ways of life.
I used to oppose the multiculturism of Europe. People called me a racist. I never hated any race. I was just against social problems caused by our politicians. So I gave up and sat down to watch the show :)
if you known more about vietnam, you would see the draconic society after the war that we did not have enough meat to eat, not enough clothes to wear for along time. Because vietnamese were born and grew up in such a hard period , we clearly understand what call value of food and every things we have had all from our effort to overcome in every circumstances. I think it is a priceless lesson not for your culture that every one in every cultures, every religions could learn something about it.✊✊✊
The level of positive dissent and the tolerance towards it decide how civilized a group of people is, and vice versa. Conformity is the straight blind path to the bottom.
I too buy the public narrative and find myself trying to tell it again but I always fail and go back to who I am (or at least fighting to be different).
I always question everything. But it’s hard for me to be vocal about certain things around people. I don’t know how to not sound like a conspiracy theorist or something of the sort. I’m not good with spoken words, so I mostly remain skeptical in my mind.
Understanding alone will not open the gates for “positive deviance” to emerge - the Powers directing our controlled evolution will most certainly work hard against this.
To the description...society has always discouraged people to speak their mind. Civil rights movement is a fine example of it. Now we live in a time where we can speak openly but that doesn't mean theirs isn't any negative consequences..
4:33 - Brilliant! So, stop politicians from telling you how to think. Be the voice of the community AFTER the community wants it. Elevate the voices of the community and use it to channel into the politician and into representation. Political rally's are "I tell you what I think, several people cheer (not everyone), and not everyone is actually heard." When did the ad for a football/basketball game turn into the replacement of political discourse?
What norms do you think should change?
Normalised animal exploitation and meat over-consumption.
Our misunderstanding of society as a whole, especially when it comes to employment and socialization acceptance norms.
@@AmigaCammy I completely agree with you on needing to not exploit animals. Life deserves kindness from us if at all possible and if we're going to ingest it, doubly so. With that said, plants are just as alive as animals. They communicate and feel. We treat them pitifully for our consumption ,and plastics, fuels, etc. Then there's the bugs, the viruses, heck soil is full of life. Why do we draw a line? Mind you, I was vegan and vegetarian at different times. I love animals. My children were animals. I also went carnivore a year ago in June. Best decision of my life. I'm healthier than I've been since my early 20s. That's a long time ago. I do less damage with what I eat now than I did before. I do also love to garden. I don't think people need as much protein on this diet as is promoted as long as they get the fat right and make sure their electrolytes are on point. I love gardening. I love nature. Put me there any day over an urban environment. I'll never go back from being carnivore unless someone forces me or it starts wrecking my life. Vegan and vegetarian made me very ill, though I was doing it correctly. We do need a better way of "commercial" ranching. It's disgusting. But we also need a better way to farm. None of the scare tactic models on global warming concerning either are exactly correct. So maybe, the first thing we should do is start being honest with each other and ourselves, and stop allowing -I can't believe that autocorrected to "oiling". Phone keyboards have such a sense of humor sometimes. Other times they're quite prudish. Mine have been vastly different from one another. A curious thing when thought about, don't you think? Please pardon any other mistakes I miss as I attempt to proof my runaway ramble- the energy companies to direct the conversations away from them and the vegetarian movement to get a little more honest. Dogma is everywhere. It doesn't make it true. If we consume less meat we will become a sicker species. We need to take our emotions out of nutrition. Figure out the best nutrition and then find the best, sustainable, kindest way to provide it. Removing where we belong from the food chain fixes nothing, but neither does breaking it as we are now.
No, I don't believe we're naturally strictly carnivores, but we're dang close to it. We certainly weren't meant to eat like we are now. There's no money to be made for most companies out there if we eat as we should. Plus there's millions, probably billions of people who are dependent upon the worst, least nutritious food choices available so as not to starve. We need to change how we view food and how we view society, the world, and our place in it. Until we stop seeing ourselves as the mighty overlords (not implying you view us that way) we and everything around us is doomed unless something succeeds in wiping us out. Our entire moral compass, as a whole, is based upon selfish fundamentalities that make us worse than plagues. Until we fix ourselves, we've little hope of fixing anything else, because we refuse to acknowledge what the life and death cycle actually is. We're certainly rarely acknowledge how intelligent other life on this planet is. Most of us wouldn't even recognize other intelligent life or life period when we're looking right at it, or it's climbing over us, or it's feeding on us. We dumb everything down and overinflate our own egos. Why? Does it make us wiser, more intelligent, do we make more logical choices, or come up with better solutions by viewing ourselves through that lens? Not even close.
I do apologize for the length of my response to your answer. I even bet I completely agree with you on the sentiment behind your belief. I am just under the belief that the way most express it would cause a lot more harm than good. And turning humans vegetarian would destroy us and the environment, not to mention countless species of wildlife, insects, and plants included. So I wish that everyone passionate about saving the animals, and treating animals kinder ("humane" is such a filthy word. We aren't known for our selflessness.) would reprogram their thinking a little bit instead of buying into what is essentially also corporate brainwashing. But I do absolutely agree the way commercial livestock is raised is grotesque and the humans who don't mind treating animals that way really wouldn't enjoy me as their judge and jury. Then again, most humans wouldn't like my ideals for society either, so I'm guessing we're just going to remain ignorant on a large scale sort of thing. Unless some genius out there figures out a way to make doing what's best for the life of this planet more profitable than consistently destroying just about everything we come in contact with or think about happens to be. Even each other. Heck, we don't even destroy in a productive step of the creation process of making something better kind of style. We just want and destroy, want and destroy. We can't really go bragging about our intelligence as a lifeform when we're so lacklustre in our use of that intelligence, can we? Especially since our very act of education so often purposefully promotes spreading our ignorance. Gotta wonder if other species are as good at that as we are, don't you? We are definitely not a big picture thinking sort of species. Probably due to not eating enough fatty meat.. our poor brains are just constantly mistreated. 😂 I suppose we shouldn't blame them when they glitch. We're not exactly bringing them up in the best environment...🤣🤯😶 How I'd love to see that change occur. I can't even fathom how remarkable our planet would possibly become and the many unseen or misunderstood doors it would open. Can you?🦋
normalization of only allowing everyone to be specialized, gifted at, or trained in one thing.
Legalize all psychedelics 😍
Just don't let the "norms" shape your mindset. Be skeptic, then act, and reflect.
You will still be influenced by them but at least you will question them and consider other ideas.
I might add that after reflect you also need to adapt, react, readapt, apt.
Agreed
@@Catlily5 being a social animal, completely not getting influenced by norms is inevitable. But when you realise certain things by conscious alertness, then consider you're already challenging the norms.
@@AzmanNabi You have changed one person then.
Good video for people who do cruel or petty things and insist that it’s cultural, myself included. What might be normal, or has become normalized over time, isn’t necessarily good or right.
Infant Circumcision is a perfect example. Such a cruel, evil thing to be doing to children.
oh, you mean like racist republicans.
@@sethea That is such an anti-semitic thing to say.
"Culture" is where the collective stagnates and where the individual starts.
@@stupifyingstupedity2112 hardly. There's a lot of value in having a culture, just don't be a drone amd be mindful of what values you actually fuck with.
I agree with this in principle -- I am, by nature and practice, a very skeptical person, and so I do try to question everything. And that works for me. Even when I was younger, and a much more timid person, I at least was quietly skeptical.
The problem, as I see it, is that not everyone who decides to go their own way, to challenge the norms, does so in either a rational or a beneficial way. That's how we end up with the first anti-vaxxers, for example. And when people are different, or unusual (like Jenny McCarthy preaching her anti-Vaxx sermons), people in the media (eg. Oprah) are more than happy to give them wide exposure. The start is always someone going against the norms. Eventually in some communities, it becomes the norm. But it always starts out as an act of dissent. Dissent is not always good. Dissent has to be good for it to do good. And not everyone is capable of knowing the difference between good and bad dissent.
Another problem --- and let's assume that the dissent is intelligent and logical -- not everyone knows how to communicate effectively. It's a skill that one has to learn. It's not enough to disagree with something which is wrong. You have to be able to communicate it without triggering people to get defensive. And some people are really awful at that. I've met a few. Being right is not enough.
Great points! Contrarianism is not always right, even if it can be necessary for beliefs to evolve.
It's tricky. A lot of people will watch this video and it will resonate because many of us feel frustrated by norms we feel are invalid. Sometimes we are right; sometimes we are wrong. And being wrong can come with consequences, as with your example of anti-vaxxers. Sometimes even incorrect contrarianism can also be widely spread if it confirms people's beliefs or fears.
So what are we to do?
One quote that seems relevant is "Argue as if you’re right; listen as if you’re wrong." (Karl Weick). If we feel that norms are invalid, we should challenge them. But we should not mistake that feeling for certainty that we are right.
Perhaps a good cultural norm to establish would be respectful tolerance of dissent. By lowering the temperature and the emotions around our discourse, perhaps we can encourage people to challenge the status quo, reduce its ability to grab attention and lower the incentive to cover it broadly even if they are wrong, and allow people to feel less defensive if they take the positive risk of being outspoken and receive negative feedback.
What I wish people would understand about dissenters, contrarians, conspiracy theorists is that they are not all the same. There is a mountain of difference between someone's fear and anger dictating their thought processes versus someone who is astute at noticing patterns and understanding systems. There is a big difference between knowing your government is corrupt and thinking the world is flat. Those can be the same people but generally it takes irrational thinking to hold onto a flat world point of view. It is quite rational to think governments can be corrupt to varying degrees. People who have vaccinated three times and decide it's not working are not the same people who think a certain ex president was sent here by god. Critical thinkers should not be confused with mindless nationalists and they often are.
@@johnbrooke6867 so well said, thank you!
@@johnbrooke6867 I definitely agree. That's basically what my point was. Unfortunately, those who fit in the less rational group lack the tools needed to see that they aren't being rational. They also see patterns in the world, as we all do. Man is evolved to see patterns. But somehow they still end up with the wrong conclusion. We all are able to think. But it takes practice and some positive influences and/or teachers to learn how to think critically and effectively. You can still make mistakes, even with all of that practice. But when you value critical thinking, and with practice, you learn to own your mistakes and move on.
Aptly put, Haldurson!
People who see this needs to understand it applies to them. It's not something to spread so people with opposing views can become better.
No matter how right you think you are, be sceptical always!
"Argue as if you’re right; listen as if you’re wrong." - Karl Weick
I love how my wife and I are much more awake about what’s going on around us. We go against the grain when things don’t suit us, which ultimately weirds out others because it’s not the “norm”. In short, we have never been more happy 👍
Interesting! Can you give some examples?
@@bigthink Going part-time, starting a TH-cam channel, having only 1 child, taking adhd medication to help improve our lives even though medication is “frowned upon”, saying no to things we just aren’t interested in without being ashamed of what others will think. Stuff like that! 🙌
Yes, this.
So happy for you 👌🏽 Heading down the same path myself 💯
That all sounds good. Raising even one kid gets expensive and I know what it’s like to take medication for attention issues (though the success seemed to vary for me).
I’ve hardly gone out to bars and when I do, it was usually only for food and to play games. I only ever had alcohol in a bar once and that was last year (only managed to stomach one beer). I have had alcohol before then but those times were few and far between. Never enough to get me drunk.
Do you want to be a true non-conformist? Meditate daily. I find a majority of people are driven by irrational thinking and never take any time to sit outside of "normal" thought processes as an observer. When you learn not to attach to delusional thinking, you find that you are more likely to lead by example and dissension with a perceived enemy is not needed.
This. Meditation has been shown to increase empathy and compassion for others, and ultimately helps people see others perspectives with less judgement.
I like the point about art. Memorable art often involves figuring out exactly how much to bend (or break) the rules.
We need to show acceptance and compassion for deviating in social scenarios. The more of us normalise deviating, the better it will become
Preach it man. Faced hostility from my very own family, friends, and local community for choosing to deviate from COVID related "social norms". Scary how easily people will turn on each other based off what the media says.
Excellent video. Drinking, sexism & consumerism are some of the most toxic for our society.
I'm sorry for my manner of approach but i really love to get to know you. hope you are not upset
ouuhh who's this beautiful girl
7972 upvotes,111 downvotes. So happy to see this like/dislike ratio. This topic is extremely important. Free speech and tolerance can coexist. Practice dissent.
how to see downvotes?
@@Martinlee91 Return TH-cam Dislike extension for Firefox
I'm quite clearly not wired for conformity & it hasn't made my life particularly easy.
I am 64 and I have always been the Rebel in this crazy world we live in. Some times you need to face death to realize your whole life, society has lied to you. Being on the Carnivore way of eating has cleared the fog of deception for me...
Good point, but be careful what you wish for. I suspect many people who would say "shatter cultural norms" might be the very same people who gasp "no, not like that!" when a cultural norm organically shatters.
I am so glad I watched this. Madonna is the reason I first started to question the pervasive view that I thought I held about gay people. I was 19 and grew up mainly in small town America in the 80s. But I loved Madonna. I really questioned why do I hold such views? Are they really my views? No. They weren't. And so many other changes came fast, as well. I didn't like how it made me feel to think I had ever not embraced someone else's difference. If your beliefs cannot withstand scrutiny, then why believe them? Things have to resound, make sense to me. Most people are inherently good. Science and experience show that to me. Some people just need to have their eyes opened. I was one of them.
As an artist, I'm all for challenging the status quo. But we also should realize that most social norms are not arbitrary, but have been formed through centuries of civilization and millennia of evolution by our ancestors, who often had generations of handed-down wisdom from their elders. Our western society lacks this today, but we think we're smart by tearing down social norms, undoing about 5000 years of humans striving toward a civilized society. Questioning norms is healthy. Destroying them is not always the right choice, especially when we're unclear on what we are replacing them with. (And no, I'm not a conservative.)
Thank you for sharing that. Norms are mostly useful in order for large groups of individuals to be able to live in relative harmony. The rejection of basic norms is causing us to lose civility. The bully benefits by living by a my-way-or-the-highway group lifestyle, and the meek person suffers. The result is a might-makes-right mob of bullies...a chaos of barbarians.
@@betsybarnicle8016 Good points. When we rip apart shared values that hold us together as a society we become more atomized, more disconnected, more vulnerable. Hence mob rule. Also domination by powerful corporations, the media, etc. It's easy to tear down something that took centuries to build, but not so easy to rebuild. 🌱
Good point. While there are social norms that are created for a reason (like not murdering people), some social norms start to phase out because the said reason for its existence is outdated. It used to be taboo for people to marry another race, but now it’s mostly accepted
History does not progress in a linear fashion. We do not apply social norms that took 5000 years or have been developing toward a civilized society. Like, do you view this from a godseye' perspective? Your talk is too vague and nuanced.
@@AGirlofYesterday "It's easy to tear down something that took centuries to build, but not so easy to rebuild."
I think you need to meet the chinese and have a discussion with them about this.
Society must always have those mavericks that go against the 'norm' and inspire!
Thanks for putting it in a way that conforming people understands
This is why our society, if this continues, will eventually reach its breaking point.
🌹
I decided against having kids for just that reason. I’m well past the first half of my life now (I assume, unless I actually become one of the oldest known people in history), and I’ve had a pretty good run, but I feel bad for the children who are just starting out in this world
@@X9523-z3v well it's really sad because there's a ton of innovations and ideas that could have truly been life changing. Cell phone technology alone is well over 100years old just in this linear time frame...the public is never disclosed findings, facts, or technologies until way afterwards...when the masses were given computers they chose to play games, make porn... it's really dumbed alot of people down because they get online and look up shit but they are totally unaware of how easily anything digital is untrue..
Additionally, if you have ten minutes of a person's voice recorded , then digitally you can make it sound like a person's voice is saying anything... unfortunately alot of great scientists have been demonizd..
There is no such thing as actual competition...the best ideas don't necessarily get support or win....
There's also time travel. I fully believe this along with many other things mastered not recently, but thousands of years ago on this planet
@@gregbors8364 well I kept having dreams that the future wasn't going to be good for many of us without drastic changes, additionally I was remote viewing terrible things happening to really good people....Tesla had better ideas and died alone in a hotel room...Edison was more of a showman with Barnum and Bailey
years ago I went to Benin, Africa. I met there a young guy who was working as a tourist guide. Facial scarification is a common ritual in Benin, through scars people want to connect with the ancestors. I almost didn't see a person without them. This guy face was scars free. I asked him why? He told me : "My mother resisted the tradition and the pressure because she believes that one day her son will travel the world, maybe even emigrate. She doesn't want me to have scars in my face". This guy was coming form a very poor, traditional family. I will never forget this story. I think about it when I hear horror stories about female genital mutilation. I was lucky to be raised by a very no conformist and at the same time, very compassionate parents. My childhood wasn't easy, I was too honest, too brave, too empathetic. I got more conformist over time, to be able to survive in the society.
The west still accepts circumcision either religious or cultural like in America.
Always be yourself. Only you know what’s best for you.
The problem with breaking public illusion is that people will regret ever deviating from that illusion at the first sign of struggle while acting true to themselves.
People think they cannot afford mistakes if they are free to choose for themselves.
That's one reason why we lie to each other, whether to convince others that our flaws are actually a perfection, or to keep the flaws hidden no matter the cost.
On the other hand, struggling while being led by something other than yourself is for many reasons just easier to accept.
You expressed that so well. I think those natural inclinations are being stroked and encouraged to boot.
Maybe when we're just accepting the status quo way to act and face struggles (that may have been avoided had we acted in a way that deviated from the norm) we just assume that's how it is supposed to be.
Another reason may be fitting in social circles, because we are social animal we need others but it gets tough to if others dont think we are normal.
Interesting point! That's another important aspect of it: we perceive it as a risk to our social status to deviate from what other people think is normal. And as he mentions in the video, sometimes the norms are grounded in reality and sometimes they aren't. So you can be risking your reputation if you deviate from a norm and people don't respond well to it--or you may have to be confident and keep pushing to make people really rethink it if it is mentally easier to just dismiss you.
Your 2nd paragraph is thought provoking!
You just took me from regret to happiness so fast! Thank you ❤️ I really needed this,I’ve been feeling like crap lately.
I am now able to keep in mind that social change is acheivable.
Thank you so much fort this !
I believe I finally understand the evolutionary benefits of autism for humankind. It has been around for a very long time but since it's been falsely labeled as a disease, it's seen as bad all of a sudden. I am Not wired to conform but when I finally did (out of fear), it made me unhappy and exhausted. And actually, conformity wasn't really what I wanted anyway. I just want to be me and I want others around me to feel safe to do the same. I can tell from experience that it's worth the risk. The alternative is a fake "safe" life, which I don't want anymore.
The world has become intolerant of differing opinions. Instead of realizing basic rights like free speech are being infringed, people politicized every issue missing the bigger picture
What are you not allowed to say? How are you personally being "silenced"?
@@leebrock4783 it's not personal, though it makes sense,it happens to a lot of things these days ,people will come together to raise awareness, but they'll miss the fact that they also need to fix it and not watch, kind of like seeing a fire and saying "we need to put that fire out" but not doing anything.
@@leebrock4783 Depends on where a person lives, doesn't it? The citizens of Russia is certainly being silenced at this moment. North Korea. Afghanistan. Just to name three entire countries. Depending upon the community people are silenced in the US also. We conform every single day in order to not lose our jobs, not lose our peers, and to not rock the proverbial boat. Doctors being silenced from suggesting certain treatments if the wish to practice within a specific hospital would be a great example of it being done in the US. A great example would be an OBGYN losing privilege at certain hospitals because they provide birth control, or any given specialist getting wrote up or fired because they don't adhere to the insane time policy some hospitals have. There's plenty of topics not to be discussed on company grounds brought up in various company handbooks across the country. Not to mention the insane silencing of certain subjects that teachers at various schools are expected to adhere to. We're silenced all the time, and it's rarely for our benefit.
@@Alithium0 Exactly. I'd go a step further and say we're kind of being groomed to give our opinion with social media so widespread, but equal attention isn't made for acting upon those opinions or providing solutions to all the problems mentioned. Not only that, but due to the very small window of attention span and the busy lives so many lead, it's almost as if we're purposefully being lead away from acting upon our ideas. Not to mention all the anxiety inducing, anger engaging, oxytocin releasing, etc that goes on to amplify the moods behind our thoughts, and the whole popularity and canceling trigger that goes on. Even when it comes to the channels. While some "content creators" will go do something whether it gets them views or not as opposed to talking about the subject. Others stick to strict time and subject guidelines trying to make the most of the algorithm. If it's not going to bring in the clicks and cash, they're not doing it. Same can be said in the opposite manner where someone goes and does something whether they believe in it or whether it's helpful or harmful all because it'll get them views and in turn moolah.
Republicans politicize everything from wearing a mask, education, to sexual preference, the right to vote, and abortion. Republicans want our government to decide what you can have, be or do.
I am positive deviance. I’ve always fell out side the norms of society. I’m not fooled by these norms. Today t he e norms cause a crazy amount of harm. I follow my own path and life is good.
for instance what?
@@jJust_NO_ I go out alone to social events
The norm of thinking our voice is too weak to be heard, too small to be valued, too naive to be true, too "selfish" to be "responsible", therefore too fragile to survive.
Like in most fraternities and sororities, hazing still exists. Members who still considered hazing as a "norm" or "tradition" is just collective hypnotism to me. It falls within the ambit of groupthink, or the irrationality of collective thinking. Nonconformists against hazing are called cowards or traitors. But when you look at it objectively, it does not have value, it is completely irrational and unnecessary, and it often leads to morbid consequences like serious injuries or even death. That is why dissenters are important individuals in society. Do not simply conform just because it is widely accepted. You have a mind, use it.
Being vegan in a non-vegan world, Todd's words make a lot of sense. Questioning the norm of consuming animals for the purposes of pleasure, convenience and culture, I've come to the realisation that, at least in the developed world, it is completely unnecessary to enslave, torture and slaughter billions of sentient beings every year. Bringing this up generates a discomfort and cognitive dissonance in others who may be uncomfortable with the idea of supporting animal abuse but equally unwilling to stray from the social norm.
Ive always hated being controlled and now i understand where my adversity to society and the people within comes from.
It’s like a layer of spectacle that blankets the wide and wild “collective conscience”.
This is a really good video to explain the constant battle between what is and what could be.
I think the important thing to remember, if we’re talking sustainable development, is that there always needs to be people who push the boundaries and people who maintain them.
A lot of people rip on “conservatives” or “Normies” but sometimes those people are actually right, the values or systems they maintain do actually work well for a lot of people and they stabilise societies… but sometimes they’re dysfunctional and THAT is the role of the maverick to point it out.
I agree! The creative minds are there to open up what structured, Conservative individuals have a hard time seeing. Balance between the two is a good thing!
I think where society goes wrong is that when people are fixated on a social norm and they are presented with an alternative, the mavericks have been taking it to EXTREMES, as of lately. Conservatives shut down when extremes are thrown at them. They don't have a creative enough mind to be able to comprehend the underlying message that is trying to be conveyed. Instead of tearing down statues and burning down buildings and neighborhoods, there needs to be art work portrayed of the injustice, peaceful protests, and constructive conversations.
I also believe that politics (top down theory) takes alot away from the average person's perspective, due to the propaganda they spew.
@@Leo-mr1qz
Absolutely, one of the big issues I’ve been studying is the polarisation between “left” and “right”.
I’ve explained it that on the spectrum of beliefs (political, economic, social etc etc) some people move so far to one side that the opposing side seems ABSOLUTELY far fetched, so they entrench themselves further into their own beliefs or move further in the opposing direction!
This creates a massive rift where no common ground is established and you just get a focus on “pwning libs” or “bashing the fash”… so to speak 😂
There are so many models emerging like the sustainable development model, circular economies, social responsibility. While not perfect they’re attempting to bridge the gap between opposing interests to find solutions that are designed to work for more people.
@@Leo-mr1qz
I couldn’t think of the name before.
But it’s called the Theory of Dialects.
The idea that to come to the “truth” of a situation you must be able to integrate multiple perspectives, that it’s not until you have seen the other sides that you can truly understand the whole picture.
A good analogy would be that if you looked only at one side of a dice for years, you’d be convinced it’s a square with 2 dots.
If someone said to you it’s a square with 5 dots… or god forbid A CUBE?!
You would think they’re are insane.
@@iliketalkingaboutstuff3651 I find that to be true, as well. It has become common practice practice, that if your beliefs are challenged in any way, (in some people), that they tend to dig their heels in and not even listen to the other side. The idea of having an open mind has almost become criminal!
For the past two years we have seen a good amount of examples of conformity and group-think. Interesting topic !
Wonderfully put. Let your innermost voice guide you, not what others think!😊
Earl Nightingale said it best in the Strangest Secret years back, “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice it is conformity, the reason for so many failures. Conformity people acting like everyone else without knowing why or where they are going”
Can we all just band together and say that the “two-months salary” thing for an engagement ring is BS?? 😂😂
It was literally started as an advert by a diamond corporation. Even the concept of an engagement ring was also started by the same diamond corporation. Before people just had wedding rings.
What media did to people is scary. I guess we should have seen it coming letting such a powerful tool be controlled by small groups.
"They make life predictable to us" this took my thinking to a new level
It has always been like this. "Reason" has a specific form and history, it has been shaped by questions of power (politics and economics); we are taught to think according to that heritage (judeo-christian and cartesian in occident). So, the way of thinking is already shaped before we can be really critical, the society where we are born is always prior to us. We are only critical "inside" those forms.
"Rules" , norms, are not something you have, they are something you live with (that's why most men don't go out in heels and a miniskirt). And while it is true that social groups can change their consensus/habits, ways of thinking and acting have a kind of inertia, dragging the old and delaying the new, in multiple layers that intersect. So that we are always living a bit of past habits and a bit of new habits (ideas or consensus).
While there are many 1 major problem with that is when 1 person does not like what another is saying and tries to shut them up or otherwise destroy them because of it.
This is so unbelievably and incredibly brilliant! Thank you, Todd.
We are NOT "wired". That suggests that we have no choice. It's a cultural thing, a taught thing. And we dont have to conform. it's basically a reaction from fear, fear of the group turning against us, which in fact is what happens - and I speak from experience. Most want to "go along to get along" and think it's a good thing. They need to be taught differently.
I know I am not part of this western 'culture'. I keep my inner sanctum private these days and be joyful in remaining true to myself.
My mom (R.I.P.) once told me about conforming to society’s norms, “That’s just what you do!” As if free will is simply not a thing…
Very cool. Inspiration, Determination, Compassion. Let’s make good changes. I’m with you
Basically : Culture is not your friend. It's an instrument of power and control.
Let's not bring expectations too high for "positive deviation".
Anything new fundamentally is a threat to established structures and customs.
But small steps are possible and important to.promote for.
Counter propaganda is needed.
Simple info won't punch through.
Describing culture as only an instrument for power and control is an inherently flawed idea. It also presumes that the adherents to the culture have power over it and can wield it freely.
Culture is simply a phenomenon of our social evolution and is a necessary emergence in the process of creating civilizations. Since culture is a product of nature and nature, by nature, is amoral , it doesn’t compute to make sweeping moral judgments about it. It obviously has its benefits with some downsides to the individual.
@@davyroger3773 culture goes along with identification and tribalism. It breeds violence and hatred against The Other.
Traditions in multiple variants come along with it. Call this good or bad is up to the observers setting of mind/thoughts.
There is no morals in culture worth praising.
It's all about seeking ones own advantage over The Other even with in a certain cult and self-fulfillment.
Culture is the glue preventing factual humanitarian progress.
Cults and culture have turned this biosphere, we all depend upon, into a "take what u can grab" conglomerate based on the fear of getting a raw deal.
Culture totally has gotten out of control and truly is nothing but a warty outgrowth of an oversized and deadly bored brain.
Nationalisms on the rise show the true and deeply uncivilized nature of man, which was only covered up by the oppressive character culture thrives upon.
None can choose or change the cult one is born into.
Do-gooders have taken over and fail to realize and admit, that any attempt on their part in the direction of improvement has first , complicated things and second worsened the situations we find ourselves in.
I don't see any civilisation .
Every anthill is more civilised.
@@davyroger3773 I agree with u that culture is an auto run sys which we are subdued to.
It's man serving culture, same way man is serving economic interests.
An interesting but mysteriously apolitical take! The challenging role you attribute to artists is more frequently taken by campaigners and activists. I like your optimism about the possibility for rapid social change.
I've never been a conformist, everything I saw as a child taught me to listen to different things like actions rather than words.
Diversity is one of the most essential aspects of living things. To try and control or repress it always ends up erupting in stranger darker more severe ways.
It’s almost thermodynamics. Suicide is expression of this. Murder is expression of this.
War is collective application of this repressed energy for commercial interests.
It's okay to doubt what u have been taught.
I doubt that...🙄
The silencing of the mind that's occuring is really disturbing. Especially when it seems to be becoming virulent in persons who had the benefit of being educated in both critical and creative thinking. The commercialization and politicization of controlling and morphing ideas has not only become a work of art. It's a pretty nasty piece of weaponry we all seem a glutton to sacrifice ourselves to. It's weird.
I really enjoyed the example in this video. I'd love it if y'all would do a deeper dive into the destructive ways our thinking and trust is being abused. Since we're being groomed to embrace our inner mob mentality, shouldn't we stop allowing the entities with harmful intentions to be the loudest voice?
I mean, often we're all speaking and playing to a crowd that already agrees with us or is at least likely to. Or, if attempting to deliver the message outside of it, we don't take the steps to speak in the language that will catch our intended audience's positive attention. I know you were showing how to do so with the women and shrimp in the video, which was awesome.
I find it really weird how we're more apt to pander to those who'll agree with us than step into the crosshairs of those who won't. I mean, I do understand the potential repercussions would certainly be a deciding factor. It seems like those with more harmful intentions, be it political, corporations, or individuals, are really tapping into the mob mentality we're constantly being groomed to follow and they rarely seem to be held accountable for their actions. I dunno. I can understand why people just check out and give up when so much of our input has become manipulation. I suppose the dumbing down and encouragement of small attention spans aids in that endeavor. It just seems like the powers that be trying to push back in the different areas could tap into the same construct on the larger scales where so much harm is occuring. It's concerning to see the directions our minds are being led. Even more so to see the minds being left behind via the various reasons we seem to just write them off. For example, would the far right conservatives had made the gains they have if we engaged with their target audience in a different way? How much of our lack of education on subjects is due to intentional silence and purposeful neglect? Are we more interested in crowd control and profiteering from it than we are in making an actual positive difference? I know there's groups who are doing wonders, but why do we not often see the giants with the booming voices doing the same beyond for reasons of profit? It just all seems like the dance has already been choreographed right down to the twisted ankle ten minutes in. Sure, a short guy in a robot costume might rush the stage in the second act and catch a flicker of attention, but why isn't the entire stage robotic? Why do we not integrate the positive ideas with the same efficiency and abundance so much of the negative is? Maybe it's just me, but the harmful messages often appear to have a better delivery system.
Thank you for another lovely engagement with our brains. I do enjoy your delivery system. 😂🦋
Beautiful video 🌸
The periphery is experiment is discovery. The interior is grounding. The more integrated the surface boundary is to the core/norm the more robust a culture. The faster it can adapt.
Plurality is more robust imho. fractions can be encouraged as there is low contrast between fractions. If Tolerance is foundation norm suddenly there is unity.
Monotheism begets internal fractions. Polytheism accepts this and so gives singular deity with multitudinous aspects.
Did you read my mind this week and made a video about it?🤣🤣JK
I've been thinking lately that some cultures are narrow minded to believe one truth and those who question it,are the black sheep.
Other cultures (which I wish that every culture should cultivate),are very open minded to new things,to view the world from a whole view,not just one point of view.
Amazing video❤️❤️
Everything should be questioned.
I question your statement..
Especially the norms called “religion”
"Positive deviants' - is that what I represent to you?
Ok, I'll take it. It could be worse.
Thank you🙏
One thing that I do differently is that I host holidays not on their official days. For example, instead of compromising who my brother spends Thanksgiving with (his girlfriend's family or ours), I just have Thanksgiving on Saturday and everyone wins. And since no-one likes "Thanksgiving food," I make other dishes.
Well, aren't U the clever one...
Tell me about it, I get it in the neck all the time for expressing dissenting views. would be nice to see this change given how combative people can get other mere disagreement.
You are caught feeding your energy and letting it be taken away from you from getting into so many arguments online. Ultimately you need to heal.
@@aaaa-fq1ue Pardon? Come again?
That 'Vietnamese mothers and shrimp' analogy was fantastic.✨
“Because in order to think you got to risk being offensive.”
-Dr.Jordan Peterson
That's one of the ways that cultural diversity can strengthen societies. It's much easier to spot irrationality when you're outside looking in.
That would be so cool if people can say what they think!!
My wires must not have been hooked up b'c I always root for the underdog, zig when everyone else is zagging, and automatically throw red flags on the field when I see blanket messaging and conformity happening.
This is why education traditional and life is crucial for getting through the convenient and harmful BS!
Its important to start questioning things like George Carlin said in his last standup before he died but nobody does because so many are accepting of what is in front of them. So many have been bought off by gizmos and toys and the result is that nobody doesn't question things. Start questioning things from everything you read to authority to whatever else society is putting in front of us like in the news. When you start questioning things some get very annoyed because you don't roll over on command and conform.
I now know what my chief fear is. Thanks. I have several thoughts on this. Besides fear. This is too complicated a problem to only have part of a solution. Positive deviance will not be enough.
How beautiful and thought provoking this video is 👍👍🎆🎆
Whosoever is putting these fuc#@ing msg please stop this.
Interesting.
Thank you.
Peace 💕🇺🇲
Loved seeing this blogging .
Great History
Social norms weighed in value for survival .
Social change in Vietnam a positive response 👌
Foucault habló de eso en el famoso debate entre él y Chomsky. Traer al presente estas ideas, exponiéndolas de una manera más clara, es un buen paso.
Thanks Big Think!
This is probably one of the reasons why we should have more Polymaths - especially in making decisions and solving societal problems
That's why we apostates from Islam have ex-Muslim organizations, to normalize dissent. Not only in the Muslim world, but also in the West, when criticizing Islam is labeled as "Islamophobic".
Hey l can relate this to a herd mentality where a group of people would actually follow someone without questioning the end game, like herds of cows or sheep's, noting that whenever one goes astray the rest would follow even though all of them would be in a difficult position.
The norm of giving a👍when we agree, and not giving 👎when we disagree, even when it's just an emoji.
That story towards the end; summed up the issue of how Pop Culture is deteriorating the cognitive-functioning and the emotional health of our Youth.
"..conventional culture always corrupts..."
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
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I'm happy expert Mrs Angela Cole Carr handles my trade with an accurate skills and helps even when the market is crashing.
@Muslim Khan Yh, Bitcoin is a better investment for a long term potential gain..
I am Long term investment. invested $6,500 in march last year with Mrs Angela and top up my trade with $500 every week. Now, I'm having over $147,000 on my dashboard. Toping up your trade is really important
Investment is the tiny line that keeps differentiating the poor from the rich and I guess expert Angela cole Carr has brought these to our doorstep.
I knew there is something wrong , thanks for letting us know
Very thought-provoking video. The example of Vietnamese mothers secretly feeding their kids shrimp was new to me. And, shrimp is delicious.
Consensus is ad populum, it's important not to adhere to bias or group think. Challenge the status quo and embrace your inner weirdness. This is why I like other neurodivergent people
Thanks for sharing!
What is norm and status quo, doesn't meant it was all true and correct. It is true and correct to the people who created the norm in the society, however that doesn't meant it was correct for everyone.
The problem rises when either the norm started to be disadvantageous or when it was being forced for no apparent reason, except for the sake to follow the norm.
question everything
First find out what humility means to you. Then practice dissent with humility. It's a process, can take a long time- change can happen over generations
Yeah yeah, do understand that any antivaxxer think of themselves as the mother in this story... You can justify and rationalize any behavior like this. Even the harmful ones. Dissent and anti-conformism aren't enough to find better ways of life.
I used to oppose the multiculturism of Europe.
People called me a racist. I never hated any race. I was just against social problems caused by our politicians.
So I gave up and sat down to watch the show :)
i am non-conformous, i natutally like to challenge authority when they tend to overshadow commonnsense
if you known more about vietnam, you would see the draconic society after the war that we did not have enough meat to eat, not enough clothes to wear for along time. Because vietnamese were born and grew up in such a hard period , we clearly understand what call value of food and every things we have had all from our effort to overcome in every circumstances. I think it is a priceless lesson not for your culture that every one in every cultures, every religions could learn something about it.✊✊✊
Collective illusions- such a cool term
It became interesting when he gave examples.
The level of positive dissent and the tolerance towards it decide how civilized a group of people is, and vice versa. Conformity is the straight blind path to the bottom.
I too buy the public narrative and find myself trying to tell it again but I always fail and go back to who I am (or at least fighting to be different).
I can't believe this guy didn't get cancelled for suggesting something beyond 'Always trust authority, and never do your own research'
I always question everything. But it’s hard for me to be vocal about certain things around people. I don’t know how to not sound like a conspiracy theorist or something of the sort.
I’m not good with spoken words, so I mostly remain skeptical in my mind.
3 words. I LOVE THIS.
Understanding alone will not open the gates for “positive deviance” to emerge - the Powers directing our controlled evolution will most certainly work hard against this.
I've rejected pretty much all institutions of humanity. Marriage, family, religion. What's left to reject?
To the description...society has always discouraged people to speak their mind. Civil rights movement is a fine example of it. Now we live in a time where we can speak openly but that doesn't mean theirs isn't any negative consequences..
4:33 - Brilliant! So, stop politicians from telling you how to think. Be the voice of the community AFTER the community wants it. Elevate the voices of the community and use it to channel into the politician and into representation. Political rally's are "I tell you what I think, several people cheer (not everyone), and not everyone is actually heard." When did the ad for a football/basketball game turn into the replacement of political discourse?