Conformity"Conformism is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." – John F. Kennedy. When we allow ourselves to conform to what our friends, family, or society asks of us, we lose the ability to become our own person. However, conformity isn't limited to a 13-year-old middle school girl wearing UGG boots and an Abercrombie hoodie to fit in. It's about more than listening to top 40 radio stations and watching American Idol to have something to add. to the conversation your colleagues have over stale company-provided coffee. Conformity kills. He attacks the week and strangles them until their true selves die and a new person is created. This new person disregards all the values ​​they once held in high esteem and will do anything not to be seen as different. The funny thing about this killer is that people are more than willing to give in to his pressure to appear "normal." Sometimes it's easier to be obedient and do and feel what people say you should do to stay out of trouble. Sometimes it's easier to blend in with the crowd than to be crucified for being different. Why would anyone really want to be different? Society tells us that difference is bad. Different, it's weird. We are taught from the beginning that difference is not what we want to be, it is not a safe value. So people are willing to give in to societal pressures to be “safe.” People's willingness to give in to conformity is illustrated in the literary works entitled "What is a Homosexual?" » by Andrew Sullivan and "Salvation" by Langston Hughes. Both show how people will do anything to slip under the radar of public opinion and criticism. In "Salvation", Langston Hughes describes an event from his childhood where he pretended to be saved by Jesus Christ in order to further save his congregation. aggravation and problems. At the age of 12, Hughes was called a sinner. He was placed in the mourning bench in his church with several other children who were about to be brought into the “fold.” Hughes was told he would "feel Jesus" in his soul, and he believed them because they were older and supposedly knew better..