Guest Monobloge: Kelly A.

In class today, while analyzing Brave New World, we discussed the repercussions that Bernard Marx suffers for acting “unorthodox.” On dictionary.com, unorthodox is defined as an adjective meaning breaking with convention or tradition. In the World-State, unorthodoxy affects stability because it would create factions within the uniform society and all hell would break loose. Bernard’s antisocial behavior was deemed unacceptable as an Alpha-plus, and was thus exiled to Iceland. Obviously this is an extreme, but considering this is a radically different world, how do we, in modern America, treat unorthodoxy?

In class, many students argued that people today try hard to be unorthodox and unique, but I feel that trying to be unique has, in a way, become orthodox. If everyone is striving for their own eccentricity, are they individuals? Or are they just part of the non-conformist scene? [PARADOX!] In America, more specifically high school, I see everyone trying to be an individual or create their own personality without actually stepping outside of the norm. You can get a tattoo, pierce weird body parts, and top it off with some creepy plastic surgery, but so can the next guy. Mr. Edmonds also pointed out how commercialized unorthodoxy has become, and I couldn’t agree more. We’ve all seen the oh-so-clever t-shirts that say, “Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.” While that pokes fun at people who are trying to be unique, it’s undeniable that industries altering physical appearance have benefited from this trend in society. They teach you to obey the propaganda. Let’s face it, it’s cool to be weird, and it’s weird to be normal. So if it makes you feel better to gauge your ears, tattoo your eyelids, or dye your hair blue, go ahead and flaunt your individuality, just be grateful you don’t live in the World-State or you’d end up somewhere colder than Rochester, Minnesota.