Shared Experiences vs Optimal Distinctiveness

The diversity of assignments led me to write about a wide array of topics this semester. However, my posts helped in my quest for understanding how communities are formed, a goal that I had at the beginning of the semester. After reviewing my blog posts, it seems as though there are two primary ways in which community can be formed. People can be drawn to a community due to a sense of shared experiences with one another or they can form community due to a shared belief that their group is optimally distinct.

The first way of forming community is notably demonstrated in my earlier blog posts. In my first analytical blog post, I don’t directly speak about community formation. However, I analyze how Alison Bechdel is able to evoke empathy through shared experiences and feelings. I write, “His face, while not fully revealed, depicts a burdened man, who is flawed just like the rest of us.” Though Bechdel’s father teeters the line of emotional abuse throughout the novel, Bechdel portrays him as being deeply plagued by insecurities that most people can relate to. Thus, while not looking at communities specifically, I analyze connection through shared feelings in my Tracing blog post. I expound on the concept in my feminist roundtable post, describing how Beyonce’s Lemonade is such a valuable feminist contribution because it affirms all of the feelings of injustice that woman—black woman in particular—experience regularly. I write, “The relatability of Lemonade is what makes it so meaningful and impactful. From Denial to Anger to Emptiness, Beyonce structures her album around themes that the vast majority of women can relate to.” Beyonce creates an identity that community members can rally around through her relatable themes. By finding similarities like Beyonce and Bechdel, it’s easy to foster large-scale, or mainstream communities.

The second way of forming community is noticed in my later pieces and speaks to more niche communities and their desire to feel unique. Troy Campbell describes this concept as “optimal distinctiveness.” In my multi-mediation post, I analyze how the Davidson men’s ultimate frisbee team (DUFF) and its quirky emails foster a tightly-knit community through an array of references and jokes. I write “It’s ok when members don’t ‘get it’ though because they recognize that the humor lies in the fact that the jokes are supposed to be so weird that nobody ‘gets it.’” The DUFF identity thrives on being nonsensically random and optimally distinct. I elaborate on this phenomenon in my book, “Scarlett’s Bread,” a book constructed purely to appeal to those who spend time in my room—mainly my roommates. I write, “Armfield’s landscape offers a unique environment only relevant to some and Flounge’s (my room) landscape offers a unique place to an even smaller few.” My book leveraged the assignment into an opportunity to construct a 12 page inside joke that only my close friends could understand, reinforcing our mutual love for Flounge. Communities formed through optimal distinctiveness are more tightly-knit than mainstream communities. However, they also are more difficult to infiltrate, and can thus be more exclusive.

It’s difficult to reconcile the differences between these two categories of community forming because they almost seem mutually exclusive in a way. The initial category has the potential to appeal to a large group of people by stressing similarities in experiences and feelings. The latter category on the other hand seems to strengthen its community on a commitment to distinctiveness that is only accessible to some people. It’s especially disheartening for me to confront this reality because I’ve found such tight communities in those that strive for optimal distinctiveness, be it DUFF, Community, or Flounge. However, I don’t know if the two categories have to necessarily be mutually exclusive. My work this semester has informed me of the perils that optimally distinctive communities can offer. However, these perils can be overcome by incorporating strengths from mainstream communities. That is, perhaps the most inclusive and fulfilling communities are those that actively invite others into an optimally distinctive group by appealing to larger, overarching similarities.

Works Cited

Bechdel, Alison. Fun home: a family tragicomic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Print.

Beyoncé. Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k29pfuoa5qlf94h/AAAKAWUwj8IkvO8BJ50xnny Fa?dl=0&preview=LEMONADE.mp4

Campbell, Troy. “NBC’s Community and Cancellation: It’s Personal.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 May 2013. Web. 08 May 2017.