Identity. Something you can’t get away from, no matter how much you just want to be human being or just a person. Identity start before an individual is even born. Now more then ever you are seeing people couple have gender reveal parties for their unborn children. These are events where neither parent knows what’s the sex of their child that’s in the womb. It is typical that you see dads that want the child to be a male so much that when that gender is revealed and it's a boy they jump with excitement, however when the gender is revealed for a female, it is hard for some mean to hide the disappointment. So it can be said that identity is already set for you even before you are born. As, Adams explained, “The concept of identity is a complex one, shaped by individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts.”. I interpreted this as identity being something that you can control and cannot control. We are born into certain things in society that is a part of our identity if we want it to be or not. Also so we make decisions that help contribute to our identity.
Personally my identity changes depending on the environments that I am in and the people that I am around. For example, I want to perceived as hard worker when I’m in class so I sit the front and always bring my book to class. I also like to be identified as a football player so I wear issued gear. However there are situations when I don’t have control over my identity or how I’m seeing by others. For example when I walk into a store that might be expensive I am usually asked if I need any help immediately. Then to create the identity that I can shopper there I would pull out a large amount of cash or ask for the most expensive thing in the store. This goes with the “ dominant and subordinate” groups that Adams spoke about in the first Chapter of the text. The dominant group is usually the group that creates these identities for us. They are reinforced so much by the things around us that we tend to start to believe in them. For instance, the male label or stereotype that has been placed on my groups is that we are criminals or thieves, So every-time I go somewhere to shop I subconsciously think if the workers and employees think I'm stealing. Although I don’t commit the act, I still act according to an individual that is under the suspicion of being a thief. However, Identities are a complex concept as Adams said it determines how we are supposed to interact with other and how others choose to interact with us.
As we saw example in the film, 50 Shades of Gay , although Wright was born a female Wright was able to self identify, then she chose to embrace her own sex a few years later. It was interesting how that she never chose what her identity was so it was more expect when Wright chose to be one sex or the other she hardly ever got in backlash. The video of Lana Wachowski who is film director of popular movies and also is transgender that received a human rights awards, that most interesting part of that video was when Lana talked about the dinner with that her guest and how they avoid talking about Wachowski’s identity, much rather the accomplishments of the individuals. Which I personally find difficult to do when identifying a transgender individual, because I don’t want to offend or disrespect the individual. This just goes to show how much we rely on identity to help make a person.
I really like what you said about identity being something you can’t get away from. Sometimes, even when we reinvent ourselves, we are still boxed in by how others perceive us. We can consciously try to alter the perspectives of some aspects of our identity, such as sitting in front of the class, but other aspects we cannot as easily alter. Oftentimes the ones we cannot change are the ones people try to label us most intensely by. I’ve never really thought about “gender reveal parties” in the way that you described, but I think you are right! As soon as the biological sex of a baby is known, people project an entire life on to the child who isn’t even born. You hear parents say that they want a girl that they can dress up prettily or a boy that they can watch play sports. This is a little weird when you think about it. What if that little girl doesn’t like dolls and dresses, or if the little boy doesn’t want to play sports and spend their time outside? It would be nice if we could neutralize these experiences and just let a child decide who they want to be. Like you said, even if we disagree with the identities that are assigned to us, sometimes we begin believing those things about ourselves. For most of us, these identities are very engrained into our minds and everyday lives, but perhaps we could prevent this same thing for the next generation.
ReplyDeleteThe link between identity and stereotypes is very strong. Not the identity that we create for ourselves, but the identity that dominant groups have created for subordinate groups, as you stated. It is so strong, in fact, that you even stated that when you enter a store, you wonder if people think you are going to steal something. You also attempt to establish that yes, you do belong in that store, by compensating with money and buying expensive things. That need to compensate is because of the predetermined identity that was placed on your particular group, as you also stated. My point is that, no one ever asks people about their identity unless a person genuinely wants to know. Most cashiers, retail workers, and other customer service professionals don't care to know about their consumers, so they go with the predetermined identity that is associated with certain groups. This can be very detrimental in some environments. Identity is multi-faceted, and people are more than just one aspect of their identities. My hope is that, one day, we will look at one another and see all of the facets as they make up the whole person. I hope that, one day, we no longer look at just one aspect or make assumptions of people based on stereotypes or the thoughts we have been conditioned to think by dominant groups. I just want us to see each other as we are: whole, valuable, and incredible.
ReplyDeleteReally great work!!!