Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with conformity

Forgotten picture book about the transformation of a neighborhood

mojohand — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:38:33 -0800

A question from the Mojodaughter regarding a forgotten children's picture book : "The book begins with a with a street full of houses that all look the same, until one day a bird drops a can of paint onto the roof of a man's house... "... This inspires him to paint his house in many vibrant colors, invoking the wrath of his neighbors who want to keep the calm monotony of the street with houses all the same. One by one, however, the owners of the houses on the street paint/re-design their houses into something that represents their favorite things/dreams (I think one had something to do with a sea/a boat)."

When did the cool kids discover computers?

bondcliff — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 08:42:18 -0800

At what point in time did computers go from being something the nerds used to something all the cool kids used? I'm asking specifically about high school age and below. I find it fascinating that what was once nerd hobby is now the central hub of communication and entertainment for kids and it seems to me it was a much bigger shift from, say, vinyl to CDs or the rise of VCRs.

When I graduated high school (1987) if you demonstrated any kind of proficiency at computers your reward was an atomic wedgie. When it came out in 8th grade that I got a computer for Christmas (TRS-80 CoCo kicks the C64s ASS!) I got shit for it. Basically, anyone who knew anything was a marked man.

Now, in 2006, my 14 year old nephew, the star athlete in his school, has friends he only knows on-line. He downloads music. He introduced me to Homestar Runner. He had to do some HTML for a school project. He's one of the cool kids. All his friends are the same way.

Rumor has it that computers have even made it easier to get dates, and not in the Virtual Kelly LeBrock way that we used to dream about. For someone my age this is like acne becoming fashionable. I'm not bitter. Bastards.

When did this happen? Was it gradual or did it happen overnight? Was it a certain technology that kicked it off? Obviously, the 'net was the catalyst but what specific use of the 'net? AOL? The discovery that dad's computer was an unlimited free porn machine? Did the alpha-kids suddenly decide computers were cool and the rest of the kids followed or was it just what you knew if you were born after 198x?

What's the line that separates nerdy computer use from normal use these days? Do the nerds all use Linux? Does the definition of a nerd even have anything to do with computers these days?

"Look at poindexter using a command line! What's the matter, dweeb, your alcoholic dad can't afford a GUI?"

I realize the same thing happened in the adult world but a lot of adults had PCs forced on them through work and fitting in is less important than it is when you're in high school, at least the high school I remember.

Studying Sheeple (for lack of a better word)

schroedinger — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 20:34:01 -0800

Are there any studies on combating the groupthink phenomenon that seems to arise in situations like My Lai, where in a group otherwise "normal" people come up with and perform the most horrific crimes? Studies like the Asch and Stanford prison experiments seem to imply this phenomenon exists, but I'm wondering how (if?) someone can "break out" of the "hive mind" once they're trapped inside.