A person can be exalted for his individuality or be isolated for it. If a rich person is different from the rest in the society he will be looked up at with awe and everyone will be more than willing to accept him in their midst. However, if a person belonging to the lower class of society is dissimilar than others, he is looked down upon and is persecuted for his originality. He is banished by the public and is expelled from all activities taking place within the community.
The life of man has usually been dictated by the norms of society. Success in the socialization process creates a positive self-image, whereas failures in the socialization process may lead to negative self-image. Sociologists believe that society has developed a great many inequalities in the divisions between groups which exist. If a person, belonging to the majority feels that maybe the minorities deserve rights as well, he may not be able to voice his opinions due to pressure from the society. Hence fear of humiliation leads to conformity. People agree with others because they fear ridicule or being isolated from the crowd. They fear the idea of not being a part of the whole. They fear isolation or worse, being ostracized by the group. Most people usually have an innate desire to fit in with a group. Consequently, they follow others not because they comply with what the majority is doing, but because they want to be a part of the powerful majority; not the weaker minority. Still, those that resolve not to conform have to deal with the conflict of going against the majority. Man is a social creature. He needs the support and company of his fellow beings. Therefore if one is atypical, he is condemned by the society, or mentally tortured. Thus, his self-esteem and morale is completely shattered.
Moreover a person belonging to the majority often assumes that he is superior to the minority. This may cause conflicts to arise from bias and prejudice or from a difference in communication styles. Prejudice is a prime cause of pain and suffering of people for many centuries. For example, in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, racism is the cause of much agony for the African-Americans living in a small town in the state of Alabama. Along with them, other groups of people are also judged unfairly, just because of their differences from others.
The prejudice and bigotry of society causes the victimization of people with differences, which is formed from their own ignorance. Some who are discriminated against are those who are born differently than the majority. Ethnocentrism is often the foundation of bias and prejudice that leads to conflict. Ethnocentrism is the “idea that your own race, nation, group etc is better than any other.” Unfortunately, minority groups are usually under the impression that they must conform to the ways of the majority in order to succeed. As a result the ramifications of ethnocentrism have often caused minorities to change in order to “fit in” with society.
It is human nature for vast changes to be difficult to digest. People do not like things to change a lot and prefer to stick to the conventional ways. Therefore if a person is a nonconformist he is exiled from the society. The most common reason leading to people being separated from society due to their uniqueness is that they are misunderstood. Consequently I believe that people should get to know and understand individuals before passing judgment about them.
