Back in the day bad behavior was often chalked-up to “peer pressure.” It was the influence of those around us that was responsible for the fool-hardy, idiotic things we did. You remember your parents asking “ . . . would you jump off the roof just because Billy Bob did?” Damn right you would have, any of us would; peer pressure was what drove our semi-psychotic, hormone-soaked teen-age lives!
Theoretically we stopped our self-destructive cave-in to peer pressure as we attained adultness. That’s not to say we stopped caving-in to peer pressure, just began applying some (hopefully) good sense to the process. It is still the engine that drives a lot of the stuff we do; mowing the lawn, raking leaves, washing the car (well, maybe not washing the car – for some car guys that seems to be religious or sexual or something). Although we call it different things; ambition, competitiveness, keeping-up-with-the –Joneses, peer pressure is still a factor in our lives.
It is obvious the pressure our peers exert on us is always right there. Whether we forgo the urge to take on another “project” because we need to keep the money in the IRA or say phooey to the kids’ College Fund and buy Billy Bob’s old Willys gasser; ultimately it will be peer pressure to blame for the decision. That’s what adults do; they find ways to rationalize their behavior vis a vis peer pressure. I, for one, never made a stupid decision without first convincing myself it wasn’t (stupid). It’s easy to claim it is only the young who fall for this stuff but we all know that’s not true.
Peer pressure has lots of disguises; it can masquerade as fashion, fad, style or trend. Sometimes it hides behind political correctness or some “ism” or another but it is the primary way in which society polices itself. Without it we’d all act like Jerry Springer’s next guest or have our own reality show. It may seem like no one pays any attention to you but, actually, your neighbor is always watching to see what you’re doing next! If you don’t want to feel like you’re simply being swept along on a current of peer pressure be the first in the ‘hood to mow, or rake, or put up the Christmas lights. You can be the one they all hate!
Things have recently gotten a lot easier to keep track of the pressure your peers are putting on you. What better way to keep track of the pressure than to take advantage of the latest in social media? Check your Smart Phone or your Facebook page, I guarantee someone is applying some pressure about something. Don’t have a Smart Phone or Facebook? See, you’re just caving to the pressure your Old Fart, Luddite peers are applying! You know you want to Tweet but you are afraid your buddies will laugh.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment