We all like to ‘fit in’ and be accepted, no question about it. That is why things that are popular, spread very quickly – because if everyone else likes or does that thing then you must like it too, right? It is far easier to go with the flow than it is to go against the grain and that rule remains true with a lot of the issues today, including politics.
The problem with this however, is we lose our identity and end up going along with something we disagree with just because we don’t want to deal with the hassle if we do not. How many times have you nodded in agreement during a convocation just because you don’t want to be the killjoy? How many times do you sit there silently when someone rants about something you disagree with? How quick are you to go along with the latest trends or look at the most popular items in a shop, just because everyone else is? This is a very dangerous mindset and (as history has shown us) can lead us down some very dark paths, such as the raise of the Nazi party during world war 2 which could of been avoided if people actually stood up for what they believe in, popular or not.
A similar thing is happening now, with one way of thinking being the ‘norm’ or ‘popular’ way and anything else labelled as bad. Anyone who dares speak differently is threatened and outcast. This discourages people further from speaking their mind and it creates a ‘your either with us or against us’ mentality. This line of thinking is very similar to communist Russia, where no one wanted to be the first person to stop clapping because they didn’t want to be seen as a traitor. This resulted in people clapping awkwardly for upwards of 10 mins until they were all told to stop by their leader.
Today we face a similar problem. One trend of thought is the ‘correct’ and dominating view point and this is reflected everywhere from TV / media to magazines and the internet. Opposing points of view are healthy, it is both the strength and weakness of any healthy democracy system — we should be very worried if one point of view is only allowed to be the norm, and all others excluded because this (weather you agree with their view or not) is the dark path to what created horrors like the Nazi party in the first place.
Not everyone has to agree on political or general issues. There is no reason, at all that people with different stances on an issue can not still get along. It is also very important to remember that these people who disagree with you also want the best, regardless if you can see it from their prospective or not. Your view point has flaws and errors, because your bias — and their view point is the same. No one has the perfect answer / solution to a problem, and no one ever will. Agree to disagree, politely and accept that not everyone thinks the same. The more we tribalize thought, the more unstable we become as a nation.