Let's Agree to Agree: Freaks vs. Individuals

Too often people mis-equate what it means to be an individual with being a freak. Individualism, according to most, unfortunately, means anyone who bucks the norm, be it Frank Lloyd Wright or a psychotic young punk who drowns himself in booze and marijuana. This definition of individualism is not individualism -- it is freakism.

Freakism has one criterion for something to be "individualistic" -- that it is different from other things. Freaks admire rebellion for rebellion's sake. That is, they like difference for difference sake. Freaks want to buck tradition -- just for the sake of bucking tradition.

A freak's favorite holiday is Halloween -- in which every person comes dressed in a monstrous and grotesque outfit, exerting their differentiation from everyone else. The freak wants to create a pretty rainbow, with every person being distinctly different from one another. Differentiation is the most primary value to a freak.

The freak's mantra is that whatever a person wants to do should be embraced, whether he wants to be a drunken bum or successful doctor, in the name of "individualism." The punk with dyed purple hair and piercings in every orifice of his body thus is hailed by the freak for being such a great "individual." No judgment should be passed on this purple-haired punk, as "that is what he wants to do."

The way a freak discovers truth, in particular, is what makes the freak incredibly vulgar and nauseating. Given the freak always wants to differentiate himself from others, he is constantly playing devil's advocate. A person could say something the freak completely agrees with and the freak will instantaneously, as if it is a gut reaction go "No you are wrong." I could say this computer in front of me has a keyboard on it and the freak would instantaneously say, "No it doesn't." I could turn around and say this keyboard does not have a keyboard in front of me and the freak will instantaneously say "Yes it does." The freak has no objective integrated personal philosophy in life, the freak lives his life in rebellion to other people.

To draw out the absurdity of this type of freakism, imagine a young student proclaiming that the answer to 2 + 2 = X is "5" when everyone else in the class has stated that, and correctly, that it is "4," just to "be an individual." The freak is incapable of agreeing with other people, regardless if the people around him are right or wrong.

This type of "individualism," is rooted, of course, in subjectivism. Subjectivism is the belief that truth is in human consciousness. Truth is whatever a human wants it to be. Subjectivists believe everything in life is just a matter of personal taste. The subjectivist thus will support people shooting off in all sorts of directions, designing their lives based on any haphazard paradigm, be they some boozed teenager or a successful entrepreneur. The subjectivist always likes to look back and inhale this pretty diverse array of people and feels all gushy that so many people can think and behave differently. This type of subjectivism leads to the political philosophy of anarchism.

The individualist, on the other hand, rejects rebellions for rebellion's sake—just as he rejects tradition for tradition's sake. The individualist does not have as a criterion that he is different from other people in order to be an individual. The individualist understands that individualism has one criterion -- that you are the sole, heroic controller of your destiny. The individualist is one who, at all times, takes on the responsibility of thinking for one's self. The individualist lives by his own means, by his own minds—never asking other to think for him or to produce for him. This, which is in essence heroism, is what it means to be an "individualist."

The individualist understands that in order to be a real individual, one must have a disciplined concentrated purposeful mind. The individualist does not just dye his hair purple and think he has attained the status of being an individual. The individualist knows that in order to be an individual, it demands that he be the captain of his life, that he steer his own ship, that he take control of himself—as opposed to letting any wave or harsh wind blow him over and sway him in any haphazard direction.

The individualist is a scientist who examines reality to discover what it is then stands behind his claim, not because it was merely him who said it or because he is trying to rebel against the establishment, but because he knows he is right. If others agree with his assessment, the individualist will great them with a smile and do business with them; if they disagree he will either let them be or convince them otherwise if nature demands he must.

The individualist does not feel he needs to accept that other people will "think differently" than he does. The individualist will slap any hippy-astrologist telling him that he must accept their "opinion" that the stars can predict human behavior—as other people can "think differently" than he does. The individualist knows he must live his life by evaluating reality with scientific rigor and rejects anyone telling him that the end-all and be-all of intellectual discussion is accepting that people can have "varying viewpoints."

The individualist does not have any "opinions," the individualist has analyses. The individualist does not believe that what his conclusions are are mere "opinions." The individualist does not believe that truth is a matter of personal taste. The individualist believes that truth is an objective principle in reality, and given his job is to judge and evaluate reality -- he thus has an "analysis" of reality, not an "opinion." When speaking, the individualist never says "I think," he says "I know."

This form of individualism is rooted in objectivism. Objectivsim holds that reality is absolute. Based on the absolutism of reality, man must also behave in a way that is absolute to his nature. Man, by his nature, must think in order to live. Man must be a hero, a person in control of his life in order to live. Man must live by his own means, by his own mind, judging reality for himself. This form of individualism leads to the political system of capitalism.

Heroic individualism should be what is thought of when one thinks of individualism—not Halloween freakism. The men of the mind, who have contributed worthwhile ideas, inventions, and businesses to the world are the real individuals—not freakish punks like Marilyn Manson or Dennis Rodman. These latter men are certainly different, but differentiation is not the criterion for individualism. In order to be an "individual," one had to be a creator or an inventor, someone who contributed something worthwhile to the world, based on their own competence and their own ability. It is the inventors, pioneers, artists, and anyone else who has sought new heights and developed new ideas that are the real "individuals."

The subjectivist view of individualism makes it hard to get along with anyone. Given they always want to go against the group and stay aloof like a lone woof, they will never ever contribute to a common purposeful goal, be it the goal of winning a softball team or of working on a business project. The gadfly is always there, "challenging" the "system," forever irritating those around him. The psychological reason that a subjectivist does this is he wants to believe that his mind is omnipotent, while everyone else's is impotent, thus it becomes necessary for him to have one opinion and everyone else to have a different opinion. Indeed, this subjectivist needs to grow up.

Instead of chanting the mantra that we need to "agree to disagree," we should instead realize that truth is objective and it is in fact much harder, but also more desirable, to agree with other people than it is to disagree. When a person agrees with your basic view of life, instead of deciding it is time to change your view of life, look at him graciously and simply nod your head. Let us forget the subjectivist view of "individualism," which is really freakism, which maintains that one should forever "challenge" those around them. One can see pretty easily, that this mantra of agreeing to disagree, which is disguised under the veil of "tolerance," in fact leads to fights and wars; not to harmony and peace. Let us instead accept the absolutism of reality and rejoice in our and other men's ability to judge the reality around him which then allows us to get along. Let's agree to agree.

Amber Pawlik

February 3, 2002