QUESTIONING AUTHORITY
Let's See Some I.D.

From AlterNet:

We humans are generally compliant creatures. We follow the path of least resistance, even if it's not to our advantage. We halt at stop signs even when there are no other cars around for miles. We unquestioningly accept the small "service fee" tacked on to our bills without knowing exactly what they are for. We are sheep who follow the herd -- most of us, most of the time.

This is the story of one rogue sheep.

Deborah Davis, a 50-year-old mother of four, is by all accounts an ordinary woman who worries about ordinary things like her mortgage and the safety of her middle son, who is a soldier in Iraq. To save money, she rides the bus to work in Denver, Colorado. That is, she used to ride the bus to work, until one morning in September when she dared to do what my favorite bumper sticker urges people to do: Question Authority.

Click here for the rest.

The essay is actually about the circumstances under which it is reasonable for authorities to demand to see citizens' indentification papers, and it's quite an interesting read. But the introductory paragraphs compelled me to return to a thought that I've hit on a few times before here at Real Art, the myth of America's rebellious nature and sense of individuality. We seem so proud of our individualism. We bask in the retelling of the stories about how our founding fathers rebelled against England in order to form our new nation based on freedom and democracy. Our popular culture is filled with rebellious archetypes and individuals from James Dean to Fonzie to Howard Stern to the morons from MTV's Jackass TV show. But it's all a sham. All this rebellion and individualism is carefully controlled and contained in such a way that it is ultimately meaningless. The vast majority of Americans go with the flow, do as they're told, conform to the conventional wisdom. Sure, we find our individualistic niches. We might drink Pepsi instead of Coke. We might listen to "alternative" rock instead of "classic" rock. We may dig independent films instead of Hollywood blockbusters. But those are all just consumer choices. Who among us truly rebels against society? How many people really dress in an individualistic way? How many people are in a situation such that they can tell the boss to go to hell without facing financial ruin? Who actually has an original thought every now and then? In our great nation of individuals, individualism is a charade. Rebellion is just a game. It's a nice thought, that we American individuals are able to pursue our own individual interests which collectively amount to some kind of greater whole, but it's all just a myth, all just a show. Like the 70s Bob Dylan song says, "you're gonna have to serve somebody." Like it or not, that appears to be the situation in 21st century America.

Personally, I'd like it much better if we could find a way to make the myth into reality.

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