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Since we live in sometimes such cookie cutter areas and people look down their nose at others I felt the need to write this: “Conformity is negative because it often leads to groupthink, suppresses individuality, and encourages the adoption of biased or behaviors that may be harmful without critical evaluation.
When individuals conform to group norms, they may abandon their own judgments and critical thinking, resulting in a lack of creativity and innovation.
This can also lead to prejudice, as people may favor certain individuals or ideas that align with the group’s views, creating an environment where diversity and open-mindedness are discouraged.
Furthermore, conformity can foster a sense of superiority or judgment toward those who do not fit in, making people more likely to criticize or exclude others who deviate from the group’s expectations.Groupthink: Conformity can lead to groupthink, where the desire for harmony and consensus overrides critical evaluation of alternatives, resulting in poor decision-making.
Suppression of individuality: Conformity often requires individuals to suppress their unique thoughts and opinions, which can lead to a loss of personal identity and self-expression”Conformity is a blessing and a necessity. Every member of every Jewish community absolutely should strive to conform to community standards, on all levels, to the greatest extent possible.
Blessed is he who conforms.
+1
R Twersky writes that modern Jewish education became, unfortunately, standardized so that non-conformal thinking is suppressed.
R Kirsteinbaum (sp?)/Waterbury writes that “we are losing our Resh Lakishim” because of that.Some other Rav writes how Jews were sent to Golus to collect good middos from all nations. He has a lot to say about all those nations, but for America he has – “ability to do everything at scale”. So, it works for Mcdonalds and Google, so the scale in America works for large yeshivos … Most of us are so assimilated (whether we wear coloured kippot or shtreimels) – that we do not even notice that this conformity is not our mesorah.
What could possibly go wrong in a community
where everyone is absolutely required to:
dress exactly the same, speak exactly the same,
learn exactly the same, pray exactly the same,
think exactly the same, date exactly the same, etc, etc?There is no way that some people might try to
go off-the-derech, because they feel that
they have no individuality and no freedom!Especially when the smallest deviations from
100% conformity are punished with: ostracism,
accusations, humiliation, and exclusion –
that is definitely never a problem.Square_root; You mean like everyone dressing in the same knitted kippah and casual clothing? You mean like everyone speaking the same way and saying Shabbat even though they are Ashkenazim? You mean like everyone learning from the same דתי-לאומי seforim and Rabbis? You mean like everyone praying the same nusach and not raising their voice above a whisper when praying? You mean like everyone thinking the same Mizrachi hashkafa? You mean like the same mingling of the genders in schools and at shul entrances and kiddushos? I hear what you’re saying about conformity.
Always_Ask_Questions said:
Some other Rav writes how Jews were sent to
Golus to collect good middos from all nations.
__________________________________________If I remember correctly, that might have been
Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen Rabinowitz of Lublin.Uncle Ben
You’re missing the point. There is no penalty for deviating from the issues you citedAJ: And there’s no penalty if someone wears a blue shirt instead of white, or an uphat instead of a down-hat.
To Anonymous Jew: Ofcourse there is a penalty, being a social outcast, looked at as different, ostracized, laughed at, looked at as a frummie, or whatever other term is used. People conform to the social norms of the group they wish to associate with, or they are looked at as being somewhat “off” at best. You would never find a hippie in a 3 piece suit, even though they advocated for release from societal constraints. They just created their own societal norms that they all felt the need to conform to.
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