Little Writes on Conformity: Don’t ‘Become So Mesmerized by Our Identities’

JJacob Little, Doctoral Student of Creative Writing and Co-Founder of PROFANE

Jacob Little, a doctoral student in Creative Writing at Ohio University, published an article headlined “Escaping Conformity” in Quillette.

In the article, Little responds to a Tumblr post that began, “Here’s the problem with the idea that oppressed groups can ‘alienate allies’ by not being nice enough….”

“The person who reposted the screenshot also included their own message about not wanting ‘those’ kinds of allies anyway,” Little began, as he explored the nature of conformity:

…So, to return to the example at the top of this essay, a person claiming that their group isn’t being treated humanely should probably consider that they will lose a great deal of credibility (and likability) by refusing to treat others humanely. This kind of public unkindness doesn’t just alienate members of the specific group you’re insulting, but anyone who cares about even a single member of the insulted group. It also alienates anyone who believes that treating other people humanely is important for its own sake (in other words, the very people who might otherwise have sympathy for the group’s arguments).

And when members of a group hurl such insults and start demanding ideological purity, it’s often a sign that they aren’t very confident in their ideology, or don’t even believe in the ideas they’re professing, or at least not as much as their desire to exclude out-group members. This is a recipe for stasis, and it is often the antithesis of what the group claims to be about….

We find tribalism like this right across the societal and political spectrums. This is something about which we should all be more aware. We can’t allow ourselves to become so mesmerized by our identities or our warring tribes that we can’t accomplish the collective goals we say we believe in or recognize better ideas, even if they come from people or groups we don’t like….

And perhaps this is why we should all make it just a little bit easier for those in other groups to see our groups’ best qualities. If we really believe in the importance of our given cause, then we should be hungry for almost any allies that will help us advocate for it. Even if they have some objectionable qualities. Even if they have some objections about our qualities. Even if they’re only a half-hearted conformist with some reservations. Like me. Like you.

Read Little’s article in Quillette.