> The whole concept of "being differrent" being good or bad makes no sense to begin with, just from a logical, grammatical standpoint: "different" is a comparative term, and, as such, is meaningless on its own. To say that "different" is good makes no more sense than to say that "taller" is good.

"Different" is good because being different from others would mean you're independent. If you're like everyone else, you're a sheep in a herd. And sheep are stupid. They go where their shepherd leads them.

I once heard a quote -- not sure about who said it first: "Man is wise. People are dangerous."

Also, uniformity is boring. Difference is interesting. Accepting differences, learning to appreciate them, is important, because enforcing conformity makes life dull and people less tolerant.

Beuraucracy is conformity. Rules makes sure everyone is treated "equally". But if someone happens to fall outside the criteria, the system won't work for those people, even though common sense (heh, kind of ironic) clearly shows that the rules are plain wrong and unfair. Standard reply: "But we have to have RULES. You must CONFORM. What would the world come to if not?" My guess is it would be much more interesting.