When did being quiet become socially unacceptable? Last time I checked, the loudmouths of the class are the ones who crack inappropriate jokes or get themselves into trouble. Yet, our society still views gregarious people as being more enjoyable and prosperous- when in fact, some of our most successful public figures qualify themselves as being introverted and shy; Steven Spielberg, J.K Rowling and Charles Schulz are just a few examples. Without these wonderfully introverted minds, we would not have E.T, Harry Potter or Charlie Brown. These three forms of entertainment have broadened our society, breaking its mold and expanding horizons. The minds behind this entertainment may have been quiet, but their products finished with a bang.
According to the book Quiet, one out of every two to three people are introverted. This statistic makes our society’s biased viewpoints on “the quiet ones” even more unfair. If nearly one half of our population is introverted, why do we continue to root for the extroverted? Maybe this is because we have had “the bigger the better” theory ingrained in us since before we could talk. From a young age kids worship people whose main characters are beautiful, loud, and spontaneous, while the quiet characters wear glasses and are painfully lacking in social skills. Because of this, kids are taught to aspire to be loud like the “cool” characters, leaving introverts forever branded with a nerdy stereotype.
Our society should praise those who yearn for knowledge or go the extra mile to get a good grade. Instead, they hand over their praise to the extroverted football players. Sure, scoring a touchdown and being a social butterfly takes skill, but it also takes skill to read a 700 page book or to actually listen when people talk. Our society has become so focused on the “nerdy” aspect of introverts that we have forgotten the vast amount of good qualities they possess. Sadly, kids will probably never see a “cool” quiet kid on their shows.
Being quiet is mistakenly viewed as a crime. Really, there is nothing wrong with sitting back while things spin around you, especially in today’s fast pace. For once, we should not focus all of our energy on which personality is “better.” There is no better. Both personalities contribute a unique element to our society. Being quiet is not a crime, it is a choice.