Average Equals Belonging

Discussing statistics and sampling a population to identify an average distribution to identify what unacceptable behavior in "An Average Distribution;" there is a flip-side relating to someone who is socially acceptable. Scientists attempted to identify traits of successful or popular people who do great things like amassing money, sell masses of records or helping masses of individuals. These people represent the lower percentage of extraordinary. In general, people are less concerned with altering, stopping or learning about this behavior. This might be because it is already a functioning part of society with few notable problems.

An unwritten part of social interaction is validating individual traits and lifestyles. In the competitive world these traits of success are observed. After someone makes their fortune we compare each other in measurable quantities of monetary gain and popularity. Often feel less than overachievers when observing their occupation, attractiveness and achievement; we worry about selecting occupation, getting married and owning a beautiful home.

People are competitive and dismiss achievements of another group. When looking at the facts every group is composed of few top performers, many average performers and few below-average performers. When wanting motivation it is important to identify with successful people who have similar personal traits.

A notably repressed group is homosexuals. People say over-and-over again how anyone openly gay will never be able to achieve higher levels of success or attempt to make another group "the gay group;" however, people are testing this theory. Around two percent of the entire population is, technically, gay. Even though the population is rare, stars announce their preference after becoming successful. They are still respected and winning awards; disproving the stigma will destroy a person's livelihood. There are also people who are openly gay in the beginning of their career who are constantly improving.

There is also no way to identify gay people with fashion. Some groups are more supportive, yet clothing preferences are learned from the larger group. Looking around it is clear gay representation is present in all lifestyles. It is awkward when people rely on old assumptions despite proof disproving validity even without a huge statistical study.

Another issue, closer to me is how competitors limit the potential of someone based on their clothing and music preferences. As a Goth, I have become aware of other subcultures, such as: Punk, EMO, Skaters, Environmentalists and Political Activists. Many people want to subvert their opinion with negative associations toward the lifestyle. Yet, looking around, there is a successful example to denounce any assumption.

Mentors affect a person's ability to go forward in life. Why does anyone need validation to go to work everyday or raise a family? Why should there be an icon to identify negotiable terms of attractiveness or correct behavior? I don't know, but it helps. It is great listening to a CD with offbeat, comical lyrics addressing greater, frequently taboo topics. Not only is it validation, it is something I am frequently criticized about, people criticizing me and about a million other people who bought the CD.

It feels good knowing personal aspects of my individuality are a part of something bigger. It is rewarding being able to imagine yourself as a valuable person with valuable traits. While, I could counter attack with nasty propaganda, nasty doesn't make me feel better about what I'm doing. Therefore, it is better to find similarities in successful people to overcome self doubts. In addition to reinforcing my approach as effective, it presents information in the correct form to find acceptable methods and share similar values.

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