The strength and weakness of identification
is its ability to group. Identifying with people can be a great thing that
fosters belonging and understanding. Identifying does not just happen though;
it is a conscious choice, which means that while identification is taking place
so is the reverse.
There is no way around the binary that takes place because it
is based off of distinctions that we have made as a society. The differences
never just stop at being differences either, the question of best and worst,
good and bad, right and wrong are often attached to these divides. These feelings
can create polarizing effects that are unnecessary. The rationale for being for
something can be just as important as for being against. So even though on the
surface identification and the idea of belonging is something that unites
people it is at the same time dividing us based on our adoption of one way
while almost rejecting another.
Identification is everywhere
throughout our lives. There are five areas of identification that matter a lot
depending on the person. Four of them play large roles in the fifth. Sex and
gender, race, religion, orientation, and politics are all identities that are
debated and discussed constantly. Conflicting identities cause a lot of strife
day to day. Each area has different identities within them, and at face value
these differences are not threatening. It is when we place them in dialogue
that treats them as opponents that creates the difficulties.
By tying the fundamental differences
between two, three, or more side to emotion it is easy to keep the identities
stagnant and separate. This is often done through repletion. It is almost as if
something is said enough times then it has to be true. This is especially successful if the things
being repeated are “scientific facts” (Gates 4) . If we other someone to the
point of not even being the same thing as us it creates a feeling of
superiority and power. This commonly happens with race. People have ideas and
opens based on made up science from decades ago. Dominance is only a matter of culture and
societal norms. What makes everyone different has less to do with real
differences and more to do with what we as a culture have decided make us
different.
Identification can be a tool to
gain the upper hand because of it simultaneous functions. The identifying and
othering that happen create the need for a reason why we are one thing and not
another or the other. So maybe the only way to avoid othering or alienation is
to avoid identifying.
Hi Kristin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I'm happy you chose to talk about identity and identification in your post, since that is the route I took as well. I think it is important to consider the context of identity and how that shapes our perspective of the world whenever we read something, or even have an experience. You noted that perhaps as a way to avoid classifying others on some certain identifying factor, we should simply stop identifying people in general since that only leads to alienation. I obviously agree with this point, and I wholeheartedly wish that were true. But as you are surely aware of, that is not the case. We find it so easy to generalize others and put them in a group because it allows us to avoid getting to know the person on an intimate level, thus we have no reason to feel for them. Take the homeless man on the street. We can easily identify him as deadbeat drug addict who has no ambition to get his life together. But in doing so, we completely negate all the other aspects that make him a human being. Perhaps he's an artist, or he used to be a math professor. Perhaps he's suffering from a mental illness that makes it difficult for him to get a job. The possibilities are endless.
I took this same idea about identity and tied it our reading on Helen Keller. Being a woman and a disabled person during the time period she lived in most certainly placed her in two groups that were considered as "lesser" in society. Despite these setbacks, she became one of the most famous feminist figures in history. While we cannot disconnect her from her identity, we can allow her unique perspective to show how wrong we can be when judging others based on their classifications.