Acceptance from everyone around is something vital that all humans desire, much like our daily necessities like water, food and shelter. Centuries ago, acceptance was one of the most important factors of the human life. If you were wealthy, or had a high status, then you were accepted and praised by the rest of the world, but if you weren’t, in most cases, then you were treated like the dirt they stepped on. Everyone wants to be accepted, as one of the biggest fears in our society is rejection. Rejection from those around us, our loved ones, or even strangers is a terrible fate to endure. Apart from rejection, the other biggest factor is society. One may be asking, how is society affecting all of this? Society tends to contradict itself in almost every topic it touches, which makes it difficult for everyone to decide on what they really want. Our society is very flawed, as we like to base our opinions and decisions, over what everybody else thinks, not your own views.
Around Timber Creek, there are many students who would like to voice their opinions over social acceptance. One of the students is freshman Ethan Constant. He doesn’t let others define who he is as a person, as an athlete, as a friend, and much more. He might be tempted, but he decides to go with what he believes in, and what he thinks is right, not the rest of the world. Of course he makes mistakes, but he doesn’t let that overcome his strength to continue being a better person. One of the most important factors for social acceptance or rejection, said by him would be that “Religion contributes to the world being a better place. People tend to judge other people based on who they follow and what they believe in.” He doesn’t do what other people tell him to, but he lives by his own choices and his own decisions. He also said, “I would be myself, regardless of what other people say about me. If they don’t like who I am then tough! I won’t change myself to please other people.”
Denise Saavedra, freshman, also wanted to give her opinion about the matter. She doesn’t think that social acceptance should be something that you base off who you are. She likes to think that if you are yourself, then that is more than enough. She thinks that people use what those around them, society, as an example of who they are. Most people think that they have to be just like everyone else in order to “blend in” and “be accepted”. If a large group of people think that something is right, when you know deep down that it isn’t, people tend to do it anyways, for the sake of being accepted by their peers. Without anyone judging for something different that you do, to stick out from the rest of everyone, then the world would be a so much better, for everyone. She says, “Social acceptance affects people’s opinions, as it is such a vast majority, and people have as a nature to be followers. They expect for others to show them what to do, and then they “follow” it.”
Lastly, Mark Metryoos, freshman, had very strong thoughts about this issue. He likes to let people know that however they want him to change, he won’t do it, cause he will always be himself, whether they like it or not. Social acceptance judges people on who they are, how they act, and what they believe in. People are sometimes too naïve to realize it, and change themselves in order to make other people happy, even if it makes themselves unhappy and/or uncomfortable. The exact definition of Social Acceptance, according to Urban Dictionary is “Acceptance in human psychology is a person’s assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it or protest it.” Metryoos also says, “Personally, social acceptance doesn’t affect me because society’s opinion is irrelevant. What majority thinks doesn’t make me want to change who I am, because I’m happy with who I’ve built myself up to be.”
