Since the beginning of time, humans have always enjoyed rooting for the individual to succeed. Lets face it, we’ve all cheered on Rocky to knock out Apollo Creed at least once, we all applauded Malala Yousafzai for standing up against the Taliban in 2012, and I bet the Scots even cheered on Sir William Wallace for going against the English over 800 years ago. All in all, it’s as plain as the nose on one’s face that we just love people who have the confidence to swim against the current, or in other words, rebel against what is mainstream civilisation. But why do we adore this rebellion? Why do we adore these individuals in our society? Four words. They make society riveting. With our largely conformist civilization currently lacking in variety
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But, who knows? Maybe in a few years time we actually will exist in a world somewhat similar, all thanks to the media and advertising companies concerning constant pressure on us. But, there’s no need to fear, because there is one way we can stop this from ever happening. As quoted by Madonna, express yourself! We need to be different, we need to be something society doesn’t want us to be. Now, that doesn’t mean we should rob a bank or shoot our neighbour with a shotgun. But it means we should be our own person. Contrary to what most people think, Being an individual actually isn’t about being the next Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr. You achieve ‘individual’ status when you start thinking for yourself and swimming against the …show more content…
Although his name may not ring a bell, I’m sure his appearance will. You know that guy dancing alongside Lady Gaga in her Born this Way music video? That’s Genest. Except that scary Walking Dead-like ‘makeup’ on his face and body isn’t actually makeup. It’s tattoos. Having survived complex surgery to remove a brain tumour at the age of 15, Genest decided to cover his entire body – well, 80% of it, to be exact – with tattooed images of bones, rotting flesh, death symbols and bugs. However, his inked physique hasn’t resulted in him becoming a byproduct of society. As a matter of fact, Genest is actually a highly sought after individual, and is often kept busy appearing in films, music videos and fashion shows from as far as Paris to Prague.
So, what’s the moral of this story? Well, if Rick Genest did not have the courage to swim against the current and tattoo nearly his entire body, he would not be living the remarkable, electrifying life he is today. Nor would he have the attention and support from people all over the globe either. Genest is living proof that being a non-conformist will result in individuals that aren’t excluded by society, but rather, rewarded for being just
But, who knows? Maybe in a few years time we actually will exist in a world somewhat similar, all thanks to the media and advertising companies concerning constant pressure on us. But, there’s no need to fear, because there is one way we can stop this from ever happening. As quoted by Madonna, express yourself! We need to be different, we need to be something society doesn’t want us to be. Now, that doesn’t mean we should rob a bank or shoot our neighbour with a shotgun. But it means we should be our own person. Contrary to what most people think, Being an individual actually isn’t about being the next Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr. You achieve ‘individual’ status when you start thinking for yourself and swimming against the …show more content…
Although his name may not ring a bell, I’m sure his appearance will. You know that guy dancing alongside Lady Gaga in her Born this Way music video? That’s Genest. Except that scary Walking Dead-like ‘makeup’ on his face and body isn’t actually makeup. It’s tattoos. Having survived complex surgery to remove a brain tumour at the age of 15, Genest decided to cover his entire body – well, 80% of it, to be exact – with tattooed images of bones, rotting flesh, death symbols and bugs. However, his inked physique hasn’t resulted in him becoming a byproduct of society. As a matter of fact, Genest is actually a highly sought after individual, and is often kept busy appearing in films, music videos and fashion shows from as far as Paris to Prague.
So, what’s the moral of this story? Well, if Rick Genest did not have the courage to swim against the current and tattoo nearly his entire body, he would not be living the remarkable, electrifying life he is today. Nor would he have the attention and support from people all over the globe either. Genest is living proof that being a non-conformist will result in individuals that aren’t excluded by society, but rather, rewarded for being just