Stanley Kubrick’s landmark 1971 science fiction picture, A Clockwork Orange, is an enduring classic of one of cinema’s greatest decades. The hyper-stylized film, adapted from Anthony Burgess’s novel of the same name, stood out for its controversial subject matter. But beyond the surface-level cold water shock of the film’s brashness lies a story of societal problems writ large and a meditation on the dangers of conformity. This subject stirred debates taking place on Siskel and Ebert at the Movies to college dorms today.

The dangers of suppressing individualism for the sake of societal or institutional norms are amplified by the Orwellian nightmare fuel setting in which A Clockwork Orange takes place, wherein the conformer is exploited by corrupt actors at every turn. While certain aspects of conformity’s perils may seem fanciful, they are prodding at real concerns.

For business owners navigating ever-changing markets, cultural shifts and launching campaigns, it is important to stop and think about being guided by individuality and authenticity with each step. Sacrificing these core values to conform with expectations or to chase trends muddles branding and core values, posing the threat of an existential unmaking. And, as Alex DeLarge soon discovers, oh my brothers and only friends, conformity may be as dangerous as the chaos.

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The Ludovico Technique

The film opens in medias res, following Alex DeLarge and his fellow droogs on a night out on the town from their milk shop to an underpass painted in haunting blue light. It is a seedy and bleak setting punctuated by Alex and his crew committing “a little bit of the old ultraviolence,” the details of which are too lewd to mention. Upon his long-overdue arrest, Alex is subjected to the Ludovico Technique, a treatment that strips him of his ability to choose violence by conditioning him to feel intense nausea whenever he considers it. His rehabilitation is deemed a success, but he is left without choice or agency.

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This speaks to the temptation for business owners, in times of tumult or chaos, to conform to industry standards, veer into a safer lane and chase trends. These impulses can condition a company to behave in ways that betray its values and may win short-term favor but ultimately can lead to long-term stagnation or worse. Brands on the cutting edge must take risks, and they may not always pay dividends. That is the implicit bargain of taking a risk. Campaigns and strategies may need to be reformed, but it is imperative to make these changes in an authentic way that serves the long-term vision.

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After his reprogramming, milk-guzzling psychopath and Beethoven enthusiast Alex is paraded around as a product of the state’s success. He is repeatedly exploited by those whom he had formerly wronged and is left as a barely functional husk of a man. However, he remains a product of the state, a success with his violent tendencies stripped from him, despite the Ludovico Technique’s other failings.

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Business owners often walk a similar tightrope. In the rush to scale, monetize and brand, there is a risk of flattening your identity to meet certain expectations. Whether it is adopting the same tone as your competitors, copying their aesthetics or chasing viral trends, the danger lies in turning your brand into something engineered to fit a current impulse rather than a lasting desire. Even successes can sometimes box brands in. You can conform to the expectations you have set as well as those set by external competitors in the market. Loyalty is hard to maintain when authenticity falters and innovation halts. If you become a product of external expectations, you risk snuffing out the cutting-edge instincts that brought success in the first place. Related Content

I Was Cured, All Right!

By the film’s conclusion, Alex regains his free will. For the cruelty to which he was defenselessly subjected in the wake of the Ludovico Technique, the government reverses it. They buy Alex’s secrecy and allow him to return to his ultraviolent ways. You mightn’t call it a happy ending.

What began as a controlled initiative to pacify Alex and strip him of his individuality and weaponize his transformation for political gain sees the system lose control of the very thing it tried to own. They no longer control the product; they are beholden to it to some extent.

Businesses face a similar risk when they over-constrain a product, brand or identity to try and conform to a marketable mold. Adopting strategies or approaches that you do not fully believe in in the name of conforming with competitors and chasing trends may leave you beholden to this particular avenue. Being forced to compromise and adhere to the whims of wherever it takes you poses risks. They may be less tangible risks than setting a violent psychopath loose on dystopian streets, but they remain a consequential threat for business owners. Trending Stories ‘There Is No Intel’: Trump’s Attacks on Iran Were Based on Vibes, Sources Say ‘The Onion’ Mocks Congress’ ‘Cowardice’ in ‘New York Times’ Full Page Editorial He Had a Mental Breakdown Talking to ChatGPT. Then Police Killed Him Carol Kaye Declines Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction

As with any Stanley Kubrick film, the process of bringing the iconic director’s vision to life was a study in rejecting norms, breaking boundaries and embracing a rigid, often challenging work ethic. The result is the stuff of film legend. A Clockwork Orange saw Kubrick test the limits of good taste in American cinema, alienating a number of prominent critics, including Roger Ebert.

Malcolm McDowell is said to have sustained multiple injuries during the grueling production, including scratched corneas during the haunting brainwashing scene. A Clockwork Orange, both in its content and in its production journey, offers business owners valuable lessons about the dangers of conformity and the threat it poses to being a trail-blazing original.