Social pressure to conform, Conclusion
Conformity is the tyranny of the majority.
Towards that end, when I have watched herd animals on the nature channels, any member of the herd that could not keep up was left to fend for themselves. Since there is security in the herd, when they leave individuals out, those beings usually end up being prey for predators.
Even though it is likely that 4,000 soldiers will have died in Iraq by the end of the year, on a campus with a student body of over 15,000 young people, that does not matter. There are obviously homeless people using Butte County streets to sleep, but in a county of over 100,000 people, their plight is of no concern to the majority. Even though the American Diabetic Society estimates that there are 20 million diabetics, in a nation of 300 million, they do not matter.
One of the things that being part of the herd insulates it members from is the need for mercy. It is a lot easier to leave those who stand out to be targeted by society's predators. After all, their victimization means that the herd is safe, and its members will live another day.
As I walk about on the Chico State quad, and hundreds of young people zip by me, it feels that there is more import for me to stay out of their way than for them to notice me. This college is a highly conformist society, as I have observed both in the English and Journalism department. It is much easier for the professors to cull me out of the herd and leave me to fend for myself than deal with the concerns of a re-entry student.
This makes me a stronger person, but that is not what I want. There are times when I become tired of being a solo man, that I would like to be part of the herd. All I can do is the best I can, but that doesn't matter to the herd. It is more important that their members be safe.