conformism in society theme
The ramifications of conformism in society, the strong expectation (sometimes enforced) that everyone should adapt themselves to specific norms, are explored.
Examples
A band of space hippies refused to conform and scolded Captain Kirk for being a rigid old "Herbert" in tos3x20 "The Way to Eden".
13 total · 3 choice · 5 major · 5 minor
| Story | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| blackmirror3x01 | choice | People were under constant pressure to get good ratings from others. |
| movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) | choice | At the heart of the story was the main protagonist McMurphy who was highly intelligent and probably not mentally ill in any way, yet was institutionalized because of his eccentricism. He ended up at the receiving end of a forced lobotomy. |
| tz1959e5x17 | choice | Marilyn suspected that despite not being legally required, the Transformation was not optional, and was being maintained by the leaders of society to ensure conformity. |
| movie: Privilege (1967) | major | The narrator described the world show in the film as being in an age of conformity. |
| movie: The Island (2005) | major | The clones of the isolated compound in which the film is largely set were governed by a strict set of conformity inducing rules, such as everyone having to wear identical white jumpsuits. |
| movie: THX 1138 (1971) | major | Everyone wore the same white jumpsuits and had shaved heads. |
| tz2002e1x01 | major | The Evergreen gated community teens were forced to wear uniform like outfits. Jenna's tattoos, piercings, and colorful hair dye was removed, presumably to make her the same as everyone else. |
| tz2002e1x38 | major | The story is set in a totalitarian society in which people who did not physically conform to the prevailing standard of normal were banished. The totalitarian state leader spoke of "glorious conformity" in his speech. |
| movie: The Last Chase (1981) | minor | When asked by his teacher why he was hanging upside down from a statue, boarding school student Ring McCarthy replied that he was doing it to not conform with society. |
| movie: The Ugly Swans (2006) | minor | The doctors at the mental hospital were using a combination of drugs and television in an effort to make a catatonic Ira conform to societal norms. |