> I think a lot of perhaps too close inspection has gone into an innocent statement.

I don't think this thread is about that statement; it was merely triggered by it. It IS the case that there is a vast and widespread set of conflicting desires both to "be different" and "fit in" at the same time.

> As for the employment of minorities which people have argued about I think that has been taken much too far. When people will not hire someone because of their race you should take action, or else those people will never work.

Bologna. In today's social climate, no company would dare discriminate on the basis of race, regardless of law. Sure, you'd get some Mom and Pop shops discriminating on the basis of race, but to say they'd "never work" is absurd. Frankly, I don't think it would be any harder than it is already, with the exception that the free rides some people get simply for *being* a member of a minority group would disappear. The employers that are inclined to discriminate still do -- they're just sneakier about it.

In any case, if you own a business, you should also own the right to employ whoever the heck you wish to employ. Employers should have the *right* to discriminate. As abhorrent as racism is, the government removal of private rights is worse and leads to worse. Just hiring is better accomplished by a system of social checks and balances: the media exposes business with untoward hiring practices, and private citizens avoid investing in them.

> Anyway, some of us have felt bad for being different our whole lives. So we joke about it. It's the old laughing with versus laughing at situation. If you think being "different" is good, you can feel good about yourself even if everyone else tells you you are worthless.

That's what this thread is about. These platitudes like "different is good" come from catering to people's feelings and boosting egos and vanquishing inferiority complexes. That, in itself, is not necessarily bad, but Wes' question was about WHY people have these bizarre, illogical, and conficting personal philosophies in the first place. Your answer to that -- that it makes people feel better about themselves -- is much the same as mine. I just went a step further to say that, no, "different" is not necessarily "better," but it's not necessarily "worse" either. It depends on what those differences with the norm are and how they are used to contribute to the betterment of the world around you. "Different" could mean that you're way more of a total jerk than your peers. It could also mean that you're more reliable, truthworthy, and kind. Then again, it could be something neutral -- like you have the gift of verbal expression, or a great imagination -- and what determines "better" vs. "worse" is not the difference itself but how those differences are used.