Identity Politics In Whistling Vivaldi By Claude Steele

A common human characteristic is the yearning to feel a sense of belonging through connections and different forms of relationships made in life. A sense of belonging or not belonging can emerge from feeling connected to people and places, whether they have been freely cast there or not. An individual will only feel a true sense of belonging through the understanding of those connections, which are created by experiences and can only come within.

There are two different dimensions of our identities: ethnicity and race. Ethnicity refers to one’s belonging to a specific cultural, or racial group that makes up culture, race language, and/or place of origin. For example, one can be African-American but have different ethnicities, one African-American and the other African-Caribbean decent. Race is a social construct that can be changed over time. Historically, referring to its specific characteristics one possesses based on: ethnicity, religion, or language; today's its classified solely based upon the color of one’s skin. Nevertheless, ethnic and racial identities are important and instill a sense of belonging and identifying with that specific group through attitude, behaviors. Moreover,

The social identity dichotomy is the epicenter of perhaps the most prevalent issue in the country today. To put it clearly, what aspects of a person define who they are, and how strongly are they used to shape everything in that person’s daily life? Key groups scaffolding an ugly, extremist version of this outlook are Antifa and the “Alt-Right”. One of the most outspoken leaders of the alt-right, Richard Spencer, is to speak at DePaul University. This is bringing much unrest to the forefront, and numerous student groups are threatening to boycott this event unless it is cancelled. This stubborn behavior is exactly what fuels the unrest in the country. Refusal to be open to other viewpoints and possessing the inability to accept them at face value, then academically refute them, is why our country’s citizens are becoming increasingly discordant. These acute groups cannot be hid from. They must be examined and learned in depth, or it will merely foster into a larger portion of the population, causing people to become hostile more regularly.

At the turning point of the century came the rise of the industrial age in America, and with that, came the rise of multiculturalism. The promise of the money and jobs brought people from all over the world. Free-market enterprise had people enamored with “The American Dream,” the idea that freedom enabled every hard-working individual with the opportunity for prosperity in success. Because of this, no other nation has such a rich blend of cultures. However, with this culture of diversity one could claim makes America great, comes a series of convoluted identity politics. In the novel Covering: The Hidden Assault On Our Civil Rights, Kenji Yoshino talks about the dichotomy between the True Self and False Self, and the concept of covering,

Identity can mean different things to different people, but for most people, it’s about one’s personality and experiences. The 21st century has seen young people in various parts of the globe have a preference for some desired identity, which they deem superior, rather than accept their own identities. For example, in Goin Gangsta, Choosin Cholista: Claiming Identity, Neil Bernstein makes a case on how a number of people have claimed ethnic individualities other than their own and this is not an evil obsession (Bernstein, 1995). In this essay, a girl named April and her friends (and by extension most young people) believe that “identity is not a matter of where you come from, what you were born into, or what colour your skin is, but it’s everything

It’s evident that identity politics is nothing more than labeling as described in the case of Susie Guillory Phipps. She sued the Bureau of vital record for declaring her negro according to the state of Louisiana anyone with one-third-second would be labeled black. The government began to label the different ethnic groups and according to them it was all in the name of science. According to them the reason for the record keeping was for the prevention of genetic diseases. Before the nineteenth century there was no labeling for sexual preference. Since the beginning we follow the example of Adam and Eve assuming that is the normal and anything else unnatural and abnormal. The “normal” became so powerful that no one would question one could say

“The Danger of a Dominant Identity,” discusses what one columnist believes to be one of the largest problems facing America today. David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, argues that reducing people to nothing more than a label with a singular identity is one of the largest problems America faces. Through the appropriate use of rhetorical appeals, David Brooks writes an effective article by informing and firmly convincing the reader of the danger in viewing others as one-sided.

As civilians we live in a world predicated and pronounced on difference ,a world in which havoc and chaos affirms our differences and presents us as a nation struggling to find our self-identity. We are faced with serious and complex criminal and racial challenges that proves our estrange.our divide occurred as soon as men were created and we are left with the incessant clicking that is injustice,which was thought to be corrected by our forefathers.

Mark Lilla’s argument in The End of Identity Liberalism definitely recognizes the underlying problem in the “success story” (Lilla 1) of the American diversity: a lack of unifying force (Lilla 1). However, it seems to be too arbitrary to deduce from the defects of identity liberalism that the possible solution is only an either-or choice: the necessity of a unifying force should predicate the end of identity liberalism. The end of identity liberalism will come at some time, but today must not be the time. The end of identity liberalism should be based upon universally equal acceptance and representation of different individuals, a point that is ignored by Lilla in his argument.

In the present political climate of fear, uncertainty, and division, the most important form of resistance is continued defiance and unwavering hope that things can be made better. In unstable times, governments often use rhetoric of unity and cohesion to rally those who support their cause, while actively seeking to alienate anyone who is viewed as ‘other’. The age-old trope of building walls – physically and ideologically – is used to spread distrust of differences and diversity. Through creating divisions, unification can be achieved, however, the resulting unity hinges on the instability of keeping other people out. During the current, increasingly unstable time, not falling victim to panic and fear is one of the most important requirement

However, today I will be arguing against this concept as a suitable method of dealing with issues as I believe that identity politics encourages segregation in society. I will let you know that I am not against the concept of identity politics as a whole because there are benefits from the idea. But I am against how it has been executed since it encourages division based on personal factors, dismisses individualism in situations and promotes the idea of only being able to contribute towards an issue if part of a specific group.

Throughout my life, certain identities have remained consist. And these identities have come to shape my perspectives and my needs and wants within American culture. Typically, my social

Now some people may say that the fashion, music, and slang today and in the World of The Outsiders are very different, but others would say that they are very similar. The most noticeable differences between the two eras is definitely the music. The music is so different now than it was back in the World of The Outsiders, today we have rap and alternative music. Although some of the music back then is still popular and doing well today. Another major difference between the two eras is the fashion, the fashion couldn’t be much more different today than it used to be. Today the trendy clothes include crop tops, sweatshirts, leggings, ripped jeans, and very revealing clothing. Whereas in the world of The Outsiders the popular clothing included

Many circumstances oblige people to move from their native country to a foreign one. From this movement of migration have emerged many ethnic groups. An ethnic group is a restraint number of persons living in a larger society and sharing the same distinct cultural heritage. Some people tend to bury their habits and accommodate to the new way of life. However others hold on to their identity and try to identify their race and maintain it. This enriches societies and makes them multi-racial. Therefore, every ethnic group is essential to complete the mosaic. Although they are sometimes threatened, minorities must fight to preserve their principles. Why must they fight? Because racial identification has many positive impacts on the members.

Can identity be a sharp weapon to overcome restrictions and oppression. Jose Munoz, a former perfomance studies professor at NYU argued in his article "The White to Be Angry" that identity is manipulative. According to Munoz, the manipulation of identity is called disidenticaction. Instead of rejecting society or a group whole sale, someone who disidentifies accepts some aspects of that society or group without assimilating to the dominant ideals. People, especially in minority groups, developed disdentifciation as an offensive mechanism because it allowed them to function within that group or society without becoming trapped. Munoz's theory provides a powerful analytical lens which I will use to evaluate the characters Corliss and Harlan