Fear of Nonconformity

Fear of Nonconformity

In "The Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. and "The Individual and the Pattern of Culture" by Ruth Benedict, both authors agree that society and culture is made of individuals. The way individuals feel, think, and act plays a major role in how they are impacted by their culture. Fear in many forms shapes how individuals react and live in different cultures. It can encourage a person to stand up for what he or she believes to be right; it can hinder a person from doing something otherwise not acceptable in society. Fear affects how individuals are able to contribute to their society, and it can make a person brave and do something regardless of the consequences. Because human nature and the emotions that result from it, individuals will act differently to certain situations, different cultures, and the value systems that make up those cultures. Further, human nature impacts the individual and their culture through the means of fear of nonconformity.

In reading these pieces, the one thing that resonates is behaviors of individuals and how they respond to their respective culture has not changed much; individuals are essentially a product of their culture. King, a college educated Black man, wrote his practical letter of gentle conviction to an audience of White clergymen, while Benedict, who was also college educated, wrote her theorized essay in an academic tone to a much broader audience, particularly one that may have similar studies as she. King's focus is on civil rights for Blacks, but Benedict is not focused on any one particular sub-group. Both King and Benedict use comparisons, albeit in different ways, to help the audience understand. King uses Biblical and realistic references to help the clergymen understand how segregation has an emotional, physical, and oppressive effect on the individual in a culture. Benedict uses comparisons within each culture to demonstrate her theories.

Fear, a necessary emotion, drives individuals to react to situations in ways that can protect themselves or hurt another person. It will make an individual non-conform to cultural or societal standards, for he or she does not fear the consequences. It will also motivate a person to conform to something; for fear of not doing so would be just as worse as what was causing them fear in the first place. In King's letter to the clergy members, he illustrates how fear motivated a group of people to stand up and do what was right for them. King states, "It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks" (220). Comparatively, Benedict addresses how fear dictated the Puritan clergy to react to a situation they otherwise did not know how to handle. "It was in the duty of the minister to put the fear of hell into the heart of even the youngest child, and to exact of every convert emotional acceptance of his damnation if God saw fit to damn him" (Benedict 320). The Puritan clergy sought guidance from religious doctrine that resulted in what motivated their decision; their culture was led by this religious doctrine. Benedict notes that during this period, the behaviors of the Puritans, and their asocial actions, especially in dealing with witches were "a degree of mental warping" (320). With respect to the Puritan clergy, Benedict says that "From the point of view of a comparative psychiatry they fall in the category of the abnormal" (320). They were seen as abnormal, but their fear of non-conformity within their own religious cultural beliefs is what drove them to act out in the best interest of their "...intellectual and emotional dictatorship..." (320). In contrast to Benedict's example, King, "...a minister of the gospel..." (225) points out that the "church as a whole" (227) did not conform to being partners in this fight to end segregation due to fear. He says, "...some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders...too many others have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows" (226). Similar to Puritans, the white churches of Alabama did not conform to their religious doctrine or measure up to what their ultimate authority, Jesus, preached, "Love your enemies..." (224). If they did love their fellow brothers, they would have joined the Blacks in their quest for freedom and equality. To illustrate this analysis, King said, "...some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom" (227). Although fear can lead an individual to rebel against his or her societal standards, it can facilitate an individual in gaining a little moral fiber to withstand judgments placed on him or her by society or culture.

Fear will stop someone from trying something different than what is normal because they know it will be frowned upon by individuals or society. The normal way that whites handled protest or negotiations was in court or among trusted officials, not in the streets like the Blacks were doing. The clergy's decision, also driven by fear of not conforming to societal norms, motivated their choice to not allow a group of disgruntled, dehumanized, shameful Blacks to protest. King points out, "...you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence" (221). To allow Blacks to demonstrate would be going against the grain of what is normal for the handling of such situations by the white people. King states, "Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt...segregation to say, "Wait"...So let him march, let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall;