Seeing the World in a New Light
My notion of identity was pretty skewed growing up. While contemplating what identity is (which I didn’t do often), I really only looked at it through the lens of race and gender, completely ignoring the vast nature of what identity really encompasses. This goes for how I imagined identity for myself and everyone else. My basic concept of my racial identity then was that I am a white male, with red hair. I didn’t realize that the fact that I am a heterosexual, cis-male, from a middle class background, born in Denver, Colorado, with a Lutheran upbringing, all came into play with forming my identity. This meant I never considered how this intersectional view of identity makes everyone’s experiences in society unique, or how no one can experience their personhood outside of the social constructs (Carbado 192) of their identity. Without those realizations, recognizing privilege and patriarchy is much easier to resist.
Recognizing my own privilege was a process that took a while, with different challenges I had to overcome to finally come to terms with how inherent racism is in our society, and its effect on me while growing up. As I look back at how my way of thinking transitioned, I definitely am a bit frustrated with some of the times I was resistant to open my mind and accept the new ideas. But then, I know I understand intersectionality better now, and can use my newfound knowledge/mindset to progress.
The process began when the Black
Now, looking in an intersectional lens we would ask question like “ What are your aspirations? Where have you travelled? What really defines you?”. As a result, the answers represent multiple identities of a person, for example Bromley elaborates on this idea “For example, you might be living in Canada, in your first year of university, born in South Africa, a Buddhist, and struggling to pay for your living expenses, yet able-bodied and employed.” (Bromely. 47) What Bromley is trying to prove is that your ethnicity, sex, gender, class and able-ism does not define you, but it is where you have been, what you have done, and the experiences you have ventured through which truly shapes who we are. In other words, every individual is unique, and complex due to their multiple identities; Bromley goes into detail that these characteristics make us who we are “ Rather, our complexity lies in the ways in which our multiple identities simultaneously create our whole selves” (Bromely. 48) To understand it better I justified the characteristics which created my identity. Personally, when people look at me, they probably think of me as a white girl, who lives in Mississauga, but, I do not define as that, yes,
Identity is the characteristics that determine who a person is, not all factors in a person’s identity are chosen for example race or gender, whereas being a New York Yankee fan is a chosen aspect in someone’s identity. Following that statement there are certain pre-determined assumptions about particular pieces that make up one’s identity, those assumptions, however are not chosen by the person with said identity. If you are a woman in today’s society you are under constant criticism, whether it is in your work ethic, the way you look, and even the way you conduct yourself. Sadly, being a woman is not the only aspect of someone 's identity that is constantly under scrutiny. Race is a major part a person’s identity, whether they themselves think so or not. This is a white man’s world that we live in so consequently if you are anything other than that you will most definitely encounter hardships in life.
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
Identity is one of the main questions throughout all of our readings, because it is hard for people to accept who they are in society. Accepting their identity as a minority with little if any freedoms
When I entered the Dynamic of Racism and Oppression class I was the individual who had blinders on. I did not have a full understanding of what racism was, which in itself is shocking to me as I thought I had. What made me really stop and think was this class opened my eyes to the fact that I did not know my own identity. I have heard individual say “I’m black”, “I am of African decent”, “I’m Latino”, “I’m Canadian”, and “I’m white”. These are common statements of how individuals view their race and identity. I have even placed my identity in one of those categories, I’m white. I was unaware and unsure of what it meant to have a culture, which many individuals claim everyday. Some individuals know their identity, others do not, I was one
In this sense, I noticed how privileged I am because of my sexuality, socioeconomic status, and country of origin. I was raised in a European country where I had the same ethnicity as the majority. Coming from an upper-middle class family, I never suffered from poverty or the stigma associated with it. This means that I grew up in a nice house and in a nice neighborhood where my neighbors were also middle-class families. I could walk alone around my neighborhood without the concern that I could be assaulted or robbed. This means that I was part of a privileged group, but without being aware of it since, as a kid, my parents could afford healthy food, medical bills (such as dentists, dental brackets, or new glasses) but, also toys and clothes. Furthermore, I was able to participate in extracurricular activities or go to college without worrying about the financial cost. Moreover, I have not struggled with stereotypes or stigmas that come with lower socioeconomic statuses such as thinking that they are less educated. Thus, I was never questioned for being intelligent, honest, or hard-working. Overall, I never faced discrimination or racism and that makes me unaware of how it truly feels like. For that reason, I need to acknowledge my identity
The growth of identity is a practice molded by a person’s family history, environmental experiences, and societal attachments. Identity endures ordeals to make the person secure and attentive so that it’s easier for the person to know what to expect out of their life. Although changes in our surroundings can be accepted, adjustments to one’s identity can often be challenging. Particularly in African American identity, there is difficulty in accepting who one is and knowing one’s place in society. There is an even greater difficulty if one is a biracial African American.
People live day to day struggling with identifying who or what they want to be. People allow parents, peers, friends, and even the media dictate what makes them unique. Identity is something that makes one person different from the next. Though it may take longer for certain people to understand that, it is a conclusion that one has to come to in time. People allow norms to stop them from being exactly who they are. We were all given a different identity so we could fully embrace the world head on. The time has come for people to stop letting outside forces like names, race, social identity, handicap, and gender determine who they are. One should identify who they are and never let any opposing forces get into the way of what they have to offer the
Identity is an interesting structure because its very fabrication is intertwined with discrimination and subordination. Bryan Stevenson discusses this idea of identity in his lecture “we need to talk about an injustice,” he states that identity is power. I believe this statement to be appropriate because looking back into history identity has been fragmented into multiple factions—such as age, gender, race, and ets —and within America we have witnessed many deplorable actions come about do to one’s specific belonging to an identity.
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
Identity in a sociological sense is more than individual genetics or individuality. Self identity is made up by many characteristics including; our personal experiences, beliefs, socio-economic status and other factors. Society plays a huge role in determining identity, although true identity generally isn’t a true reflection of an individual’s self identity. Over the generations there have been
To begin, I would like to examine the privilege that I inherited when I was born to a white mother and father. It is important, as a white person, to end the silence that so many white people engage in daily, regarding their privilege. It is not common to hear people speaking about the privilege they experience. This may be due to guilt. It may also be because most people wouldn’t want to willingly admit that all they were able to achieve, the stability they feel in their lives, and the pride they feel for the success that they created for themselves, in large part is due to how people in society perceive them as members of a privileged group. This isn’t to say that those who have achieved success have not earned it, but it must be said that skin color has made certain things easier for white people, and that it may have played a large role in their ability to achieve their potential. Of course I worked hard to be where I am today, but I
even though it didn't occur overnight, i came to the understanding that instituationalization and public-reinforcement of race is very real in the United States. and that I didn't have to conform to one race because that is what society expects of me.
Identity is what evolves us, it is what makes us think the way we do, and act the way we act, in essence, a person’s identity is their everything. Identity separates us from everyone else, and while one may be very similar to another, there is no one who is exactly like you; someone who has experienced exactly what you have, feels the way you do about subjects, and reacts the same to the events and experiences you have had. This became prevalent to me as I read through many books, that everyone goes through the process of finding who they are. A prevalent theme throughout literature is the idea that over time one develops their identity through life over time, in contrast to being born with one identity and having the same
The concept of light has boggled the minds of men for thousands of years. We have tried to bend it, twist it, tube it, generate it, and once more are continually trying to travel as fast as it does. Light, fascinatingly enough travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second; that is roughly 670 million miles per hour! Yet, when we look up at God’s creation in the middle of the night, we do not think of the physics or nuclear mechanics that makes them work. We