Hello everyone!
Before I being, I think I should warn you that this blog post is one that is very.... personal. I wasn't sure if I should write about it because it is a very 'touchy' subject for me, but life is about risks, and specifically, this class is about diving into the unknown and dissecting our social construction, sooooooo, here goes nothing!
This post is about the N-Identities defined by James Gee in the article we all know and love. Everyone has MULTIPLE N-Identities that shape them into who they are today, but one of my N-Identities is one that I'm not very happy to have: my whole family is big--immediate and extended--as am I. Whether you see this N-Identity as Genetic or personal choice.... well that is your opinion, but I see it as a genetic beginning. I really don't know how to talk about this sort of topic in such a public way, but due to my overall appearance, my N-Identity and its repercussions are very public.
Some N-Identities will follow you your whole life, as my chosen N-Identity does, but the most important thing I can say from this is that your N-Identity DOES NOT make you a stereotype or a statistic unless you let it. I am a very outgoing and confident person--yes I have my down days where I hate the world almost as much as I hate myself, but everyone has those days--but I REFUSE to let one characteristic in my whole scheme of who I am define me as a person. Though my size may be a glaring factor in who I am, it isn't all of who I am. It pains me when people who are overweight cower in the presence of thinner people: in a quote I once heard, it is said that "Hating people who are fat is the last acceptable prejudiced." Here is where I start to get all fired up: in a world that (or more specific) in a country where Equality is expected and preached, punishing those who show prejudice against others, how can this statement STILL hold truth?! Every day, you will hear a "your mamas so fat" joke, but God-forbid someone make a racist joke: BOTH are horrible and should be nonexistent in our world today. It is a lack of remorse for "fat-hating" that keeps people like me down, afraid to speak up and show there is more to them than their bodies.
Now, I realize that not all prejudices are equal--I would never even imagine using the "N" word as commonly as people use the slur "fat"--but both cut down and humiliate the person being targeted. I, on the other hand, refuse to be held down by this prejudice and I strive to rise above it, proving all who have assumptions about me wrong. I take pride in making myself look presentable, taking time to make sure my outfit matches and looks professional and stylish, and having an upbeat and confident attitude every day of my life. People like me need to wake up and realize that this N-Identity with its flaws and stereotypes and prejudices do not need to hold you down and affect who you are!!! Go against the grain and do something that YOU like to do; stand up for yourself and hold your head high; defy the assumptions and make those who judge you regret their idiotic theories. All prejudices are bad prejudices, but not all repercussions have to be oppression: stand up--no matter what your stereotype is-- and love who you are.
Now that I have gotten off my soap-box and made my point clear, tell me what YOU think: does it seem as though "fat-bashing" is the only acceptable prejudice left: do you think that one day, this can be stopped? And further more, WHY does the world think this particular prejudice is still acceptable: are we taught to accept this hate from a young age? Can it be reversed and viewed in the way I view it? And finally, do you feel as though some of your N-Identities hold you down and have changed how you view yourself and your self worth?
Thanks for your time, and as I said, this was kind of hard for me to write, so please take time think about what I'm saying: if you feel the way others do about this type of hate, maybe try and rethink your opposition. We aren't all bad, I promise :)
India, very passionate blog this week! But, then you strike me as someone who is very passionate about most things in her life (as am I!) And do not ever be afraid to voice a subject – btw, I could almost hear you singing the “sooooooooooo”!
ReplyDeleteAs for your thought-provoking questions, I do not believe there should be bashing of anyone nor do I believe that there should ever be any of it labeled as acceptable. On ABC News, January 22, 2013, a Yale researcher was interviewed and she commented, "There are no federal laws on the books that make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of body weight, so on the whole it remains legal. That sends a message that it's no big deal," said Puhl. Puhl suspects that public health campaigns branding obesity as a disease are sometimes perceived as criticizing individuals rather than the environmental and social factors that lead to weight gain. This, she said, gives some people license to engage in public fat-shaming. She also believes media portrayals of heavy people as fat, lazy and gluttonous do them no favors. "Overweight people are usually shown in stereotypical ways -- engaged in out of control eating or bingeing on junk food -- and they are often shown as the target of humor or ridicule," she pointed out. "With the amount of media we all consume, it's no wonder these stereotypes stick."
There it is again – the wonderful media. And when you Google, “fat acceptable prejudice”, headlines appear for PAGES AND PAGES with the heading “ACCEPTABLE PREJUDICE?” throughout various forms of media - my god, this alone is saying, “sure”! How can the word “acceptable” and “prejudice” even be allowed to be in the same headline? Here we go with the “Partial Birth Abortion” scenario again – what???!
I’m probably a little naïve on the “reversal”, as I do believe that most (if not all) prejudices begin in the home at an early age and then are exacerbated by the media – we need to start by fixing it at home. I don’t know how, but I do believe that would be a start and as I have stated before, education brings enlightenment which breeds acceptance. My favorite line in your blog is "I, on the other hand, refuse to be held down by this prejudice and I strive to rise above it, proving all who have assumptions about me wrong."
As for N-Identities that I have struggled with – the blonde hair/green eyes/thin female – has its downfalls as well. I have not been taken seriously in my jobs (even when I was in charge), I have had men walk out of companies after I received a promotion, I have literally been patted on the head (I was 33) and asked if I could make “that” decision, I have been almost raped twice due to “I must have been interested in them”(not), and I have had other women not like me just because of my physical appearance. I NEVER let this hold me back from going forward – it just made me push harder!
One of these days I am going to write a book and my title is going to be, “No Matter Your Color, Gender, Shape or Religion – At the End of the Day, We All Have a Bellybutton.” I know –silly – but came up with it when I was on vacation this Summer and thought, it’s true – there is commonality amongst us all.