thePIANIST

Tuesday, 12 May 2009

the self-perpetuating cycle of stereotypes and outstanding..

Been dragging this post for too long already. Just feeling a great big inertia for some reason I can't explain. Yet, I know if I drag this any further I'll most probably end up not blogging. Yet it's something that I feel so strongly for. It's seriously a weirdded juxtaposition of the two irreconcilable concepts. So anyhows, here I am forcing myself to get this through. Hope it goes through the way I intended...

Was at east coast park the other day with my family and overheard the conversation of a group of secondary school kids.
Boy: Eh! that one reminds of the pokemon..
Girl: Eeeyer! pokemon where got nice, powerpuff girls nicer!
Boy: Eeeeee, pokemon nice lors, it's cute wat..
Girls: POWERPUFF GIRLS!!!
...
In life, it's unavoidable to make sweeping statements, categorical conclusions as well as overgeneralisations. Okay, that previous statement in itself was already an overgeneralising assumption. Well, anyway, such tendencies to oversimplify situations and things stem from the trend that we live in a society which functions/thrives on stereotypes and social norms. There you have it, another sweeping statement. Alright I shall stop punctuating myself.

So as I was saying, we don't really live for ourselves. Oh wait, how sure are you that what you are doing, how you are living and what goals you are working towards are not the result of social constructs and expectations? Is pursuing that law or medicine degree really what you want, or is it because society tells us that lawyers and doctors are respectable people and you can prove yourself to be the creme de la creme. Have you ever contemplated getting tatoo - but you stop short of that simply because your parents have told you since young that tatoos belong to those gangsters which are oft so violent and crude? Do you sometimes have that totally screwed up feeling inside you and inside your mind you are just thinking to yourself what-the-f***, but you just never allow it to escape your mouth because your parents tell you that it's unbecoming of a gentleman/lady and that it's incongruous with your religion?

Alrights, just let me veer away from the issues of moral values, religion and being cultivated/refined, just in case I incur the wrath of anybody. Still, social norms and pressures transcend beyond such intangible concepts.

Focusing on the more mundane everyday matters - girls are expected to be at least a lil' whiney or bimbotic at times when required to, guys are expected to shed blood but not tears [okay, this might be changing with the prevalence of SNAG and metro guys], guys = soccer, girls = shopping, sissies are associated with gays, tight shirts are associated with metro in turn associated with gays, computer games addiction are believed to result in poor results...

Well, for those who know me, you all know I really hate social norms and stereotypes sometimes. It's just degrading to reduce someone into a particular mould since we are all different individuals waiting to be discovered by people. Even more so, I just can't stand it how the society dictates how we ought to lead our lives.
Oh, you must work hard in primary school to go to a good secondary school so as to get to a decent junior college so as to secure a place in university.
Oh, you should not get attached when you are studying because it will distract you from studies, but you must hurry up get married and then subsequently give birth to many many kids.
I mean, there's so many different paths in life and if everyone else is dong the same thing, that's why we have the problem of graduates not able to get a job? There's always alternatives to getting around in society and how to lead our lives. I'm not speaking in angst of defiance but in exasperation of resignation. And then it's such a disgust of conforming to social norms that I always seem to be open-minded and tolerant of radical changes - challenging people's mindset of A must A because uhm, my parents tell me that it's A and society says that it's acceptable to think of it as A.

Well, that said, I am still a victim of stereotypes, unfortunately AND fortunately. As much as I hate to admit it, there are times when I just back into the shadows of social norms and allow myself to be yet another part of the enveloping social fabric. After all, as my friend puts it, there's a reason why stereotypes are called stereotypes. There's no doubt some sense of truth and logic to it. At the end of the day, it gets tiring after defying social norms and championing individuality, and it does feel good to relax and just blend into your surroundings to just be like everyone else. And it's because after one whole lifetime of being the odd-ball, of being cast weird glances and condescending exchanges, it's just nice to know that you are part of a bigger identity, part of a collective group which you belong to.

And then when you are properly rested and charged-up, you find the energy and drive once again to stand up for your cause, to go against social norms and challenge stereotypes.

21:40; The Pianist'

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