Free as a bird?

Are we really free in today's world? Ok, some say that we have freedom to do what we want, as long as nothing too harmful comes out of it. Yet we are bound by so many rules and regulations that "freedom" needs to be redefined.

In British society today, we are told that we are free. But free to do what exactly? To buy a newspaper? To talk to other people about my opinions? To choose what clothes I wear?
Beyond that, i'm not really sure how free I am, I'm putting this down to labels. Suppose that I smoke, wear a hoddie with trousers that go round my knees, swear a lot and use "street" language, then people would label me a chav and I would belong to a group of people who are all labelled chavs. But then suppose I would start listening to Classic FM instead of KISS (for example), I would be no longer labelled a chav, both by chav friends and others. So in im own interests of staying within a group, I would not listen to Classic FM. In other words, I do not have the freedom to do what I want. (I am not saying that all chavs smoke, swear, and dress badly. If you are reading this and consider yourself a chav is reading this, don't be offended - its simply what the rest of the world thinks of you and you are free to make up your own mind about yourself).

Suppose now that I wanted a bit of everything and did everything according to my tastes and not what society / my cliques expects of me. Then I would not be part of any group, and would find it difficult to fit in and make connections based on the fact that I don't belong. So in this respect, we are not free to do what we choose, and everyone must hide their true personality or project a false one in order to "belong." (After all belonging to a group has secured our evolutionary survival thus far, but that is a topic for a another post...)

Is this a bad thing? I vote no. Staying in a group has its obvious advantages, and if you don't like being fake, then there are plenty of other groups to join. In my experience, most cliques are simply formed of people who share a common interest. And even if staying in a group means projecting a persona that is not how you view yourself, it is better than the alternative of being alone. After all, since when are we completely free to live and think?- our thoughts and actions are shaped by those around us. Why should be look for complete social freedom when we know it comes at too high a cost?

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