The internal need for the individual to stand out is inherently western
though it is sweeping eastward to meet swarms, cookie-molds, bomb blasts and annihilation. Simultaneously, a kind of broad social order, even in disorder, may be sweeping westward, it seems..... though it's not as clear to me as the west-to-east transport.
It is that "need to stand-out" that does not know where to go and emerges through tattoos and mohawks and behavior that, at least at first, is in conflict with the surroundings. In high schools you'll see it in clotheswear, hairstyles and mannerisms. In universities you'll see it in colored or cowboy hats, funny ties and long hair. In places where it is not immediately visible, such as law offices and banks, it emerges in some other, likely devious, way.
The human ego may seem complex, but recognizing it's needs in operation is often simple. |
