Wtf? Above the influence my ass.

[graph]

I'd also like to add that I see a difference between making a decision based on observation and peer pressure. I mean, I just kind of went with whatever would make me the coolest.

"Teenagers smoke, Kif, and they seem pretty on the ball"

Do you watch Futurama?

[Oneironaut]

Everybody does things to make other people view them in a favorable light. That's why we say "bless you" when somebody sneezes, why we do favors for others, and why we don't wear panties on our heads. Sure, it's probably not a good idea to just blindly follow the herd in everything, but everybody does certain things to make them "fit in". Nobody is a complete non-conformist, but nobody is a complete conformist either. Take a look at hippies, punks, skinheads, nudists, gangsters...even non-conformists have societal norms that they follow. Be an individual, but don't completely alienate yourself from everybody by refusing to do anything to make others think positively of you.

[graph]

But if you're conforming to life because of the way others conform, doesn't that make you a conforming non-comformist?

Oh, I get it now. Everything just kinda snapped. I see what you're saying.

Oh, and panties on the head is the new thing in Japan.

[Oneironaut]

Sweet, I gotta go to Japan sometime.

[kingjustin]

Make it two. I'm all in for some jap panties.

[SpiritLevel]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is nothing wrong with peer pressure. Everybody belongs to some social group and adopts many of the societal norms they find their peers following. For example, why do so many teenagers skateboard, dye their hair, or use the latest slang words? Because they enjoy doing those activities with their friends and they consciously chose to do it out of their own will. It's not like people are being forced into following societal norms; it's just what humans tend to do because we are social creatures who like to have a sense of belonging. Smoking pot is no different. If someone consciously chooses to smoke pot because his friends all seem to be having a good time with it, what is wrong with that? He's not harming anyone else, and nobody is going to beat him up if he refuses (if someone is threatening to beat him up, then the ethical issue is not peer pressure but violent threats, which is a different ballpark). Everyone should be able to do as they please so long as nobody else gets hurt in the process, no matter what their motives are in doing the activity they have chosen to do.

I disagree with some aspects of your opinion and this is why. Having a sense of belonging to a group because of having to conform is like assimilating bad behaviour because everyone else is that way inclined. If someone doesn't know right from wrong, and most people only comprehend this literally, then peer pressure doesn't enable those people to make the right decission for themselves. They tend to make the decission which provides popularity or comfort or whatever fulfilment one is seeking out of that group. People being forced into the NORM isn't right, it means people aren't free to be who they want to be, thus they are forced. I've been forced, and I've been lost through this encounter, and I am now seeking the truth in the midst of many lies. To become caught up in impressing others and losing oneselve; being a conformists. I see people having a good time doing all kinds of things; the bus driver has a good time scaring passingers by going fast, police have a good time fuckin with peeps. Orite, bus drivers and po po are jobs. But the same peer pressure still goes on in employment as well as in other social group encounters.

Doing as one pleases contradicts peer pressure to some degree; there is often one or two who feel no pressure because they are actually being who they are. Any pressure applied to cause someone to do something means they aren't doing as they please. It means they are under influence. I'm going for a shit fucit

[yabatab]

I like that commercial that came out where the dad smokes weed
then he finds out his son does also. I always liked to think that
after it cuts off they toke up together.....LOL that's an old one
some of you may have no idea what im talking about. Most of
these anti-drug commercials are so preposterous they are funny.
I say keep making them they only premote drug use anyways and
are good for a laugh.

[dejayou30]

i don't understand the commercials they used to have where the dad would be talking to his kid about how smoking pot was so bad and how he used to do it but the kid shouldn't, but the dad is like some successful dude in a suit and tie and a nice house, its like, "uhh yeah must have been really bad." my coworker is like 35-45 and one of those commercials came on at work and he's like "that's a stupid commercial, i had a lot of fun back at those pot parties in my day."

commercials like these above the influence ones are just to try to further cement the idea of "pot=drug=bad," which for most americans these days is enough knowledge on the topic for them.

[Oneironaut]

I disagree with some aspects of your opinion and this is why. Having a sense of belonging to a group because of having to conform is like assimilating bad behaviour because everyone else is that way inclined. If someone doesn't know right from wrong, and most people only comprehend this literally, then peer pressure doesn't enable those people to make the right decission for themselves.

Right. People need to think for themselves. But that doesn't mean they can't do what other people are doing in order to belong to a group. Most peer pressure, as I see it, encourages activities which are neither good nor bad in themselves (i.e. skateboarding, using slang, etc.) If what your friends are doing is a bad idea, then sure, don't do it. But I don't see the harm in adopting a societal norm if it doesn't hurt anyone.

They tend to make the decission which provides popularity or comfort or whatever fulfilment one is seeking out of that group. People being forced into the NORM isn't right, it means people aren't free to be who they want to be, thus they are forced. I've been forced, and I've been lost through this encounter, and I am now seeking the truth in the midst of many lies. To become caught up in impressing others and losing oneselve; being a conformists. I see people having a good time doing all kinds of things; the bus driver has a good time scaring passingers by going fast, police have a good time fuckin with peeps. Orite, bus drivers and po po are jobs. But the same peer pressure still goes on in employment as well as in other social group encounters.

But the issue there isn't peer pressure. Bus drivers driving too fast is a safety issue, and policemen harassing people is an abuse of power issue. If someone is doing something unethical out of a desire to belong, it is still their responsibility for doing the wrong thing, and they should be held accountable for that because they chose to do it out of their own free will. But if you actually look at how peers affect people, you'll find that most of the societal norms are completely harmless and in some cases they are even beneficial. Just look at the strong peer pressure in our society against being a racist for example.

Doing as one pleases contradicts peer pressure to some degree; there is often one or two who feel no pressure because they are actually being who they are. Any pressure applied to cause someone to do something means they aren't doing as they please. It means they are under influence. I'm going for a shit fucit

Individuals don't develop in a vacuum. Every person on the face of the earth has had their worldviews and behavioral patterns influenced by their peers. We learn how to act in society by observing how people around us act. Take handshaking for instance. I bet you shake people's hands all the time. Why do you do it? Because that's what your peers do, and it's expected that you do it too. Nobody's forcing you to shake hands, but you do it anyways because you don't want to alienate yourself from the rest of society.

All I'm saying is, don't follow the crowd just for the sake of following the crowd. Think for yourself, and carefully evaluate whether a given societal norm is harmful or not. If it is, don't do it, but if it isn't then there's no compelling reason why it would be wrong if you choose to conform.

[NextLineIsMine]

gahhh you guys are getting me all pissed at the goverment, stop harshing my mellow