Rhetorical Analysis George F. Kennan

Afraid of having the wrong answer and standing out in class, a student will conform to the opinions of her peers to avoid being in the awkward position of appearing different or unusual. As humans we have a natural tendency to coincide with the popular opinion of a group. In “Training For Statesmanship” George F. Kennan discusses the irregular distribution of power existing in the United States. Power can dwell in the lives of thugs and criminals and also in courts of law and police establishments. However it exists in our social life and community. In America, we place the option of conformity amongst ourselves. In our daily lives we constantly feel the pressure to “give in” or conform to public opinion and shun the embarrassing feeling of being the “odd man out”. Especially in school, children and teens are constantly feeling direct pressure from their peers, to act and dress to meet their satisfaction-the only reason I typed this is because everyone in my class does. If an incoming freshman is asked by the intimidating upperclassmen to join them in the bathroom for a cigarette the scared and pressured freshmen will feel obligated to join the upperclassmen in a group effort to acquire lung cancer. Conformity evens squeezes it’s way into the clothes kids wear. When trying to gain the approval of a peer a girl might go to the mall and buy the new Hollister purse the girls in class have been raving about, hoping they’ll notice and accept her. As well as school the media is responsible for much of the conformity. The media is made up of different psychologists that can manipulate the way you think without even knowing it. Through television, magazines, and advertisements the media finds a way to influence your thoughts and actions. When buying a magazine with the stereotypical “beautiful” girl with the “perfect’ body young girls

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