The movie “Accepted” depicts Bartleby Gaines a graduating high school senior who unfortunately gets turned down by every college he applied to, much to the disappointment of his overly expectant parents. Wanting to be accepted, he creates a fictitious university, the South Harmon Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T...seriously... its mentioned in the movie), and is accepted along with three of his other friends. However, his parents want to see the website, campus, and the dean. So he gets his friend Sherman (who has been accepted to the prestigious Harmon College) to build a web page. They then lease out an abandoned hospital, and hire Sherman's uncle, Ben, to be the dean. Everybody’s happy right? WRONG! Hundreds of students, who were turned down by other colleges turn up at the front steps of South Harmon. Bartleby and friends proceed with turning South Harmon into a real college, and set about figuring out what to teach and how to teach it. But, the head of a Harmon College fraternity and law student, Hoyt, wants to take down Bartleby by exposing that South Harmon and its curriculum is “nonsense” (They have classes like “Slacking 101”, and skateboarding…I won’t be complaining though). The Board of Education then gives Bartleby a chance in proving that South Harmon is legitimate. Will Bartleby prevail in the end?
This movie reflects conformity (any change in behaviour caused by another person or group) in that Bartleby goes to college as requested by his parents (although the means he took are dodgy) and because of influence from others, in that college is a natural transition for many seniors. The transition to college for high school seniors would be considered an informal social norm, which is a rule for guideline about what behaviours are proper and improper. Social norms can be formal (laws) or informal (customs, traditions). Normally, if one follows the social norm the reward is social acceptance; and if one doesn't, rejection would occur. Conforming behaviours occur for two main reasons, normative influence and informational influence. Normative influence occurs when people are influenced by others to gain rewards such as when they simply want to be liked, or want to avoid conflict. In the movie, Bartleby’s character was depicted as someone that barely made his grades and was socially awkward. Thus, he just wanted just to be accepted. Moreover, Bartleby wanted to appease his parents and avoid conflict from his father, who was on his case about going to college (normative influence) and whose judgement he respected (informational influence; influence from other people that is motivated by a desire to be correct and to obtain accurate information).
During the meeting with the Board of Education, all the students from South Harmon were present, and although a minority, stood as one supporting Bartleby. Research has mentioned that the minority can be an influence if they are unanimous such as in this case. In the movie, this lead to the accreditation of South Harmon.
I end with part of the speech Bartleby gives during the meeting with the Board of Education with the hope that you will think about he said.
Bartleby: Nah, I'm not going to answer your question, 'cause you guys have already made up your minds. I'm an expert in rejection, and I can see it on your faces. And it's too bad that you judge us by the way we look and not by who we are. Just because you want us to be more like them when the truth is we're not like them. And I am damn proud of that fact. I mean, Harmon College and their - and their 100 years of tradition. But tradition of what? Of hazing kids and humiliating anyone who's a bit different? Of putting so much pressure on kids they turn into these - these stress freaks and caffeine addicts.
Dean of Harmon College: Your phony school demeans real colleges everywhere!
Bartleby: Why? Why can't we both exist? Huh? You can have your grades, and your rules and your structure and your ivory towers, and then we'll do things our way. Why do we have to conform to what you want?
I think that although we need to follow social norms (sometimes), we need to be able to stand up to things and make a decision for ourselves and not simply follow others just cause they are doing it or telling us to do things.
6 comments:
Seems like a good movie even if I haven't watch it before. Conformity will always happen whether in big or small groups. This is because people wants to be accepted. However, I'm against those people who discriminate the minorities. What's wrong with being different? If everyone follows the majority, wouldn't the world be boring? No uniqueness. No individuality.
Hi! A very interesting description of the movie. It should be worth watching!
Well! It all depends on what are the individuals beliefs and attitudes to the social norms. In my opinion I don't see why you have to go according to the crowd. It sometimes helps to be different.
I think i shall go find the movie and watch. in our daily life, there is always conformity. there is no way we can avoid it at all. Like in school, we learn to conform as when we say something different from others, everyone just show that weird looks. But most important being ourselves will be the best.
May i know where to get that show? It'd be lovely if that show can be used as some education purpose, that is, taking out 1 lect for this show only!
btw, with regard to 'monkey-xian''s comment about being yourself is the best, that's good and that's true.
Even Biology has defined us to be unique and there's no 2 people who are exactly the same, except for the fact of monozygotic twins. But still, they are different when reared in different environment.
It is always an utopical answer that we give,' we must resist conformity', or 'stand up for the rights, speak your mind'.
Can we really do it? can we really resist the wierd looks that showered on us if we are the odd one out?
we can do it, if it is done with a small group of people. At least you have some company.
We have the IMH you see, so if you were to be the 'special' one, you have an asylum to crash! :P
However, we still need to stand up for what our opinion is if not like what sitti said, no individuality.
We can then refer to the channel 5 show, The Arena 2.
quoting from my all time 'lover', Nicholas Quah *screams*, 'i guess we have to wait and prove ourselves.CONFIDENCE.'
*thinking about Nic Quah now* X-)
Yeelee
great movie. conform. something that i had to do recently. it was a no choice situation.
was at a company meeting, and my boss posed a question. and as always, and 'aye' or 'nay' question. everyone else except me raised their hand and agreed. so, what choice was i left with? it's either i agree to it or have my boss targetting me for the next entire 2 hours of the meeting and having the entire group of colleagues kill me for it, cos when he starts arrowing people, then everyone else would also be a victim (in a way). so, wat can i say bout conformity, it happens in every daily sh**hole that you can find.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. ~Winston Churchill
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