I bought something just so I could be like everybody else!

[Deja Q]

People think they're individuals but they're actually lemmings.

Especially for the youth, who all say they're rebelling because they want to be individuals. Not realizing that they look just like their friends, who'd otherwise kick them to Timbuktu or beyond if they looked different. :crazy:

[dorktv]

1. I still am not going to cut my hair but that Potter book was good.

[DanCa]

2. I bought a play station two

Hell my hands arent fast enough to hit the buttons on that thing any more. Time to go hook up my old black and white atari 400 with my pong game on it.

[dorktv]

4. I have really got to get my PS2 out of hock.

[hyphenate]

3. Not all kids want to be "individual

Most of them are struggling with their identity as it is, and they have this overwhelming need to be "just like everyone else." It depends, I think, a large part of how you are raised, what your status at home is, and whether you have a decent relationship with your parents or guardians.

The less secure someone is about their homelife, the more likely they are to try to fit in with the rest of their peers. There seems to be aa major correlation between self-esteem and ability to stand out from the crowd.

It's partly because of this that many schools have gone to uniforms--in addition to putting poor kids on an even footing with more well off kids, it also gets rid of the jockeying for individualism that puts many kids at a different societal level than others. It also saves a bundle in keeping the kids from spending literally thousands of dollars for designer clothes.

As far as emotional needs and wants, being a teenager often puts kids into a different spotlight that they're not willing to accept. Many of them would rather simply disappear into the crowd, not claim the crowd as their own. Invisibility is one common meme among our children, because it alleviates the need for responsibility, and gives them a coat of invisibility that protects them from the increasing stress and necessity of taking on responsibility.

I recall in my own youth that those of us who enjoyed the spotlight, who enjoyed taking on leadership, were often made fun of, and that certainly didn't make our lives any easier, but in most cases--myself included--our self esteem was good enough to allow those who made fun of us to be ignored. Personally, I was president of the Fantasy and Science Fiction Society, and all club presidents had to give speeches at the beginning of the school year to introduce the new kids about what sort of activities we had going for us. In my own case, I was president of the group for two years, and both years tolerated cackles and hecklers as I dressed as a Vulcan one year, and as an astronaut the second year to make my presentation. I had a lot of fun doing it, though, and those few who were a little more ignorant in their behavior were likely the ones who would have a problem their entire lives with the notion of being in any way "different" than everyone else. I've always felt at ease in front of an audience, and have done it quite often, regardless of how many people are in the audience.