Joining the Bandwagon…But Not Always!

It was interesting to discuss conformity in my Social Psych class last term, especially because there was such a disapproval of the idea of conforming throughout my junior high and high school years. Of course, blindly following the pack is usually unwise, but social norms and our society’s implicit rules serve valuable roles. Not only does this day-to-day conformity improve our ability to make decisions quickly and efficiently (which side of a hallway to walk on, how to order a meal at Wendy’s, how to signal respect), but it additionally allows us to communicate gratitude, requests, and respect without much effort. On the other hand, the extreme conformism that occurs in adolescence is certainly illustration of conventionality gone awry. When we accept consensus blindly without any thought behind that acceptance, we often end up doing some very foolish things. In my psych class, we watched these hilarious clips from the ’60s version of Candid Camera where in one situation people would get into an elevator where people were facing the back rather than the front as they typically would. Everyone conformed to the group and faced the back of the elevator, and some even continued to imitate the group as everyone else removed their hats, turned around in circles, and made abrupt movements. It was priceless!


















The other clip was from an art gallery containing some abstract art, where the set up was that the subject (or victim perhaps?) was examining the paintings with an “expert.” This expert would tell the subject what the artwork was depicting, and the subject almost invariably agreed, despite no evidence of the boats, ocean, or people suggested in the painting. The clincher came when the expert would say that he’d just realized that the painting was upside down, and now saw different figures in the art, which the subjects willingly accepted as well. It’s quite frightening how much we will accept without serious consideration, simply because of their desire to consent or respect an expert’s opinion. Hopefully I’m not kowtow all of the time, but I think I can certainly fall victim to this tendency. This conformity has really ingrained itself into our society, and has allowed phenomena like group think to take place. Group think is basically what happens when a group that follows its leader unequivocally, dismiss outside opinions, and do not critically examine their own decisions. As my psych profs are all left-wing (yay!), we frequently look at the Bush administration as a strong case of group think. Not only has the U.S. become a place where phrases like “you’re either with us or against us” are acknowledged as sane, but it’s also a country where supporting the troops requires supporting the president, and analytical evaluation of this president’s actions is reserved only for “bleeding-heart liberals.”

Perhaps the coolest thing we learned in our discussion of conformity was the fact that Christians, especially Protestants, are far less prone to conformity to acts like violence and aggression that occurred in the Holocaust. Not that Christians are necessarily far superior to others in terms of our morality, but it was encouraging to hear that Christians are deliberate about their values, and at least try to conform to God’s will rather than their own or someone else’s. I try to be my own individual and not just go with the flow, particularly when it comes to stuff like what companies I support with my purchasing power and my beliefs about others and the world in general. I’ve always been a black sheep, particularly in Christian circles where I have left-wing views and like a lot of secular music and books. Not that I don’t consider or accept Christian views on politics or check out Christian music and literature (I do love authors like C.S. Lewis and bands like Delirious). I simply love a lot of stuff, and some of it is non-“Christian.” However, it’s definitely important for me to not get caught up in any anti-conformism rhetoric, because there are certain universal truths that most of us should and do accept, and some things and people that are so fantastic that most individuals, including me, should be able to enjoy them.

In my family, the latest conversation about conformity relates to the upcoming election (seven days left!). My mom tends to “join the bandwagon” when she votes federally, and thus votes Liberal because the NDP usually have no chance of electing a candidate, and the Liberal candidate is the only one with a chance of edging out Rahim Jaffer. My dad and I, on the other hand, refuse to let such strategy taint our vote, because democracy means voting for who you believe in, not necessarily the lesser of two evils. Thus, our votes seldom “count” in the grand scheme of things, but we have the satisfaction of having exercised our beliefs. This is why PR (proportional representation) is definitely something to consider. I really am in love with Canada’s political system; I love the fact that the MP for my riding will write a letter of congratulations to my parents when they have their 25th wedding anniversary, and come to talk to me during elections. However, with the onset of voter apathy and the growth of smaller parties in Canada, PR could have an important role to play in this century of politics. Layton has even proposed a form of proportional representation that would incorporate our ridings, so I’ve been mulling over whether I’d support this in a referendum or not (although I don’t think PR will have an opportunity to be put into place for quite a few more years).

For me, 2005 was a year of both conformity and nonconformity, a year that was challenging yet rewarding. Without doubt, the most visible change in my life was my family’s decision to attend another church. As most of you reading this know, I’d been at Zion (my old church) since I was born, and having my Grandpa as the pastor and an incredibly involved family, I loved (and still do love) Zion more than I can ever express. Our congregation was quite small (about 100 members), and a huge chunk of my life took place at Zion. I taught Sunday School, helped to lead youth group, sang in the choir, greeted, and took part in a ton of other church initiatives. I have a deep love for everyone I know from Zion (the entire church!) and it broke my heart when we left in January of last year. There are truly valid reasons why we left Zion, and why a lot of our friends (who were also leaders in the church) left after we did, but it was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. A part of my identity was removed; I no longer saw my Sunday School class several times a week, there was no Monday night choir practices anymore, and my church friends were now just friends who I got together with on the weekend. One of the hardest parts has been the fact that, while my grandparents were completely supportive when we decided to leave Zion in the summer of 2004, my grandma and grandpa were left to deal with the problems that the church was facing.

Our family was the biggest family in the church, with my aunt and uncle, grandma and grandpa, and my parents and sister, and when my aunt and uncle started going to Strathcona after we were attending McKernan, church was drastically different for my grandparents. My grandpa has been retired for more than ten years now, but was preaching sermons because of the transition that was taking place. It hurt my mom a lot to see her parents working through the mess at Zion when we had left them there, and while I see God working in the congregation at Zion right now, it seemed unfair for my grandparents to be facing this in their eighties. I still feel weird without that community, and while McKernan is slowly becoming a part of my life, I know that it will never be the same. Of course, God has worked through this shift in my life, and His purposes in this hardship are becoming clearer, but the differences between small and big churches are certainly marked. Everything from worship to bible studies still seem strange at times, and it’s bizarre not to know people who attend the same church as me. Attending McKernan has meant not conforming to my previous close mindedness when it came to big churches, but it has meant conforming to the Christian norm of being part of a large community.

Part of the difficulty of resolving to leave Zion was a result of the difficulty of discerning God’s will for that situation. Although our family and friends totally backed our choice, it didn’t feel right at times, and Scripture, especially Paul’s books in the New Testament, didn’t seem to endorse leaving a church at all. Rather, there were verses about working through strife in a Christian community and remaining strong in God through difficulty. God answered our indecision eventually, and made it clear that our spiritual lives would be bettered by this change, but this uncertainty about God’s plan was totally echoed in this passage from Mark that I read in my devotions recently. Jesus was praying about whether he should remain where he was and continue his ministry there, or move on. His disciples interrupted Him in the midst of prayer, and the commentary I read along with this passage suggested that Jesus’ reliance on God to make a decision demonstrates how we should make choices. Jesus listened to those around Him, but ultimately waited patiently on God to make things clear. There’s always a competing collection in my life, whether it be friends, family, the Bible, or what I see around me, but when I take these different perspectives to God, He has always come back to me with an answer. One of my family’s friends from Zion is so dutiful with this call that he prays before even buying a $10 book because he doesn’t want to make any decisions apart from God. While I’ve never felt convicted to prayerfully consider every purchase I make, it’s certainly a reminder of what to consider when making decisions.

I’m off to work right now, so I’d better post this soon. It’s been incredibly slow in the café recently, as it always is after New Year’s with people trying to wean themselves off caffeine and avoid desserts to meet their weight goals. Although it’s good to have some more time to clean and organize everything, time does go by much more slowly when there are not as many customers to serve. It’s quite odd going from the bustle of Christmas to the lull of January, but change is always welcome I suppose. Even enjoyable things become grating if they are enjoyed for too long; this snowless, mild weather we’ve been having has been lovely, but I’m beginning to want to go tobogganing and cross country skiing, both of which aren’t really possible in Edmonton right now. My dad and I were having a bet on how much snow we’d get this winter, and of course I was foolish and took the side of the Farmer’s Almanac (that we’d get a boatload of snow). It is always possible that a surplus of flurries will accompany the turn of the calendar when February comes, but I’m doubtful. On the bright side, I’ve only had to wear long johns to school twice this winter.

I hope at least you’re enjoying this weather!