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Originally posted by Arbiter I finally game to realize that I didn't really want to have a lot of friends. I would much rather have two or three really close friends than have a large group of "friends" who I didn't really know because my only interaction with them consisted of posturing and trying to act "cool" and gain acceptance within the group.

if you feel you have to "ACT" to get acceptance thats your own inferiority complex. I am who i am, if people like me fine we can be friends if not who cares, lifes to short to be a fake.

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Originally posted by loudcloud Let me take it back. I was being a little too facetious. I do know why I bought them... I bought them because if I wear them to work, no one will be critical. They will "fit" right in. I just don't want to spend my energy on other things. I don't care about them so it is easier to conform in this regard. And we can debate it a little conformity means that you have surrendered to the media machine. I personally think not. I think that the "confident" type-A personality will always have strong opinions and make up their own mind. The point is though - the point is that it is hard to have a strong opinion about everything. One reason that stereotypes exist, that peer pressure works, is that they are shortcuts to make judgements. If we weren't allowed to take shortcuts, we would either make too many mistakes or we would be immobiliized by indecision. So back to the original thread - does reflexivity exist - absolutely. From fashion to violence in video games to sex on television, there are strong arguments to be made that the media has a responsibility that they are ignoring.

I agree. Most people don't wear what they wear, listen to the music they listen to, or think the way that they do because of "corporate brainwashing". That's a nice buzzword people like to use to describe human behaviour of the masses that they don't understand. Let me ask you this, if Microsoft creates a crappy OS and says it will enrich everybody's lives do you think everybody is going to switch over? Do you think people will stick with it once they realize how shitty it is? What if abercrombie makes something completely ridiculous, like a visor on both ends of a hat, and markets it as the latest fad? Do you think that a lot of people will adopt it because that's what abercrombie tells them to do? These companies don't dictate to the consumer, the consumer dictates to them what they want. You think a company spends millions developing a new product without conducting just a LITTLE bit of market research to ensure their product doesn't completely bomb? It's simply human behaviour to conform with what is in their eyes popular. Everybody likes to fit in with some crowd of their choosing. If people aren't with the mainstream crowd, they adopt the mentality of whatever crowd they are in. Can you say without a doubt that you are completely different from the crowd you hang out with? Well crap, I'm leaving for vacation in an hour so this is the last you lucky fucks are going to hear from me for a week.

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Retro ...

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Originally posted by ProDiGaL lifes to short to be a fake.

*wipes a tear*

it is easy to say that other people are "corporately brainwashed". if you feel effected by this, i ask you to think again!

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Art is useless.