"Stick it to the man" Informative essay
“Stick it to the Man”, What does this mean? Simple definition: rebellion, pushing against “The System”. The actual dictionary definition is as follows: to perform an act of vandalism or general civil disobedience in order to oppose the power of the man. “The Man” has many different definitions, ranging from a wealthy man that controls everything that no one has ever seen (urbandictionary.com) to “The Establishment”, a group of people that run the system in a way that benefits themselves (dictionary.com). It all depends on who is talking about it and what context it is being used in. In this context we would be using it to represent a form of authority over us and the people around us. “Stick it”, used in this context, is defined quite simply as: throwing it in their face or getting a point across with intention to irritate. It can be more than just that. Sticking it to the man is proving “The Man” wrong. “The Man” can also be seen as obstacles, and everyone pushes through obstacles everyday without even realizing it. Everyday, everyone is sticking it to the man without realizing it. It is a much bigger part of our everyday lives then we realize.
Let’s look at this from different perspectives. Let’s say we define “Stick it to the man” as rebellion. The word rebellion brings to mind strong connotations of revenge, violence, war, etc. The word must be looked at from a different light though. Assumptions show that when thinking of rebellion everyone or mostly everyone thinks of violence and bad things, but good things can come out of rebellion as well. A rebellion can result in a change for the better, although it is a drastic measure. A good example of this would be the Revolutionary War. We rebelled against the British and came out on top, as our own free country. This is just one of many examples.
Another perspective we could look at is this: Rebellion is an individual action. It has nothing to do with a crowd. Rebellion has nothing to do with politics, power, or violence. “Rebellion has something to do with changing your consciousness, your silence, your being.” (Osho, 1987)
This perspective has to do with the everyday sense. Rebellion can be seen as a battle between individuality and cultural expectations. These words may come across as confusing, so let’s break it down. As you may already know everyone is unique in their own way, but we tend to get grouped together with the trends that develop within societies. We see this as Rebellion, pushing against the “Norm”, and each culture has expectations when it comes to individuality, living, and working. Individuality is a necessity for variety, as variety is a necessity in society.
This definition of rebellion applies to my topic undeniably. “Awake, arise or be for ever fall’n” (John Milton, Paradise Lost). Everyday, maybe without even realizing it, we are given choices; and more than just a few have to do with the society around us. There are two choices; go along with what everyone else does, or do your own thing and be unique. The people who understand the importance of variety in culture, know what it brings to that culture and the rest of the world. Variety brings beauty, richness, and color. So “Stick it to the man” is a lot more complicated than you initially expected. “Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature” (Tom Robbins). The World wouldn’t be where it is today without “Sticking it to the man.” It has a lot more to do with life than you first expected doesn’t it? It’s the perspectives that show you the different doors you could open with this phrase.
Let’s look at this from different perspectives. Let’s say we define “Stick it to the man” as rebellion. The word rebellion brings to mind strong connotations of revenge, violence, war, etc. The word must be looked at from a different light though. Assumptions show that when thinking of rebellion everyone or mostly everyone thinks of violence and bad things, but good things can come out of rebellion as well. A rebellion can result in a change for the better, although it is a drastic measure. A good example of this would be the Revolutionary War. We rebelled against the British and came out on top, as our own free country. This is just one of many examples.
Another perspective we could look at is this: Rebellion is an individual action. It has nothing to do with a crowd. Rebellion has nothing to do with politics, power, or violence. “Rebellion has something to do with changing your consciousness, your silence, your being.” (Osho, 1987)
This perspective has to do with the everyday sense. Rebellion can be seen as a battle between individuality and cultural expectations. These words may come across as confusing, so let’s break it down. As you may already know everyone is unique in their own way, but we tend to get grouped together with the trends that develop within societies. We see this as Rebellion, pushing against the “Norm”, and each culture has expectations when it comes to individuality, living, and working. Individuality is a necessity for variety, as variety is a necessity in society.
This definition of rebellion applies to my topic undeniably. “Awake, arise or be for ever fall’n” (John Milton, Paradise Lost). Everyday, maybe without even realizing it, we are given choices; and more than just a few have to do with the society around us. There are two choices; go along with what everyone else does, or do your own thing and be unique. The people who understand the importance of variety in culture, know what it brings to that culture and the rest of the world. Variety brings beauty, richness, and color. So “Stick it to the man” is a lot more complicated than you initially expected. “Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature” (Tom Robbins). The World wouldn’t be where it is today without “Sticking it to the man.” It has a lot more to do with life than you first expected doesn’t it? It’s the perspectives that show you the different doors you could open with this phrase.
