The Politics of Difference and Identity

Question 1: Owing to our diverse linguistic, geographical, class (and so on) positions, we are variously located in different relations/structures and belief systems. How would you situate yourself as a knowledge producer?

In a society as diverse as this one which we live in, there are several ways in which I can appropriately situate myself as a knowledge producer. Given the fact that my cultural background is one that emphasizes the interests of the community above those of the individual, I can act as a knowledge producer in the area of collective responsibility and the significance of team work. This is because the upbringing that I was exposed to imparted on me a worldview that can be summarized by the common saying that states “If you want to go fast, go alone while if you want to go far, go together.” This is largely based on the long term benefits of engaging in cooperative activities with others (Blaagaard, 2011).

The kind of knowledge that I am in a position to supply is highly relevant in today’s society whose challenges are mainly brought about by behaviors and tendencies that can simply be described as selfish. Many people get to be selfish subconsciously while a few do this consciously and deliberately. This leads them to seek the position of ‘being ahead’ by any means necessary. Though beneficial in the short term, such endeavors prove to be detrimental to the individual and the society as well in the long run. This then grants me the opportunity to provide knowledge to my counterparts on the benefits of working together. My worldview makes it easier for me to identify ways in which people can work together for the common good.

In our classroom for example the main priority is academic work. The results of what we do are usually individualized but this does not mean that we have to work alone. Students can leverage on the different academic strengths they have during their studies while concurrently ensuring they are minimizing their weaknesses. This will make studies much simpler for those who choose to embrace this form of study. I will best perform this role if I am in a position of leadership such as class representative. This will also require me to be sensitive of people from different cultures.

Away from school, I can be a knowledge producer in my neighborhood by championing for environmental responsibility. In many instances people pollute the environment because it is simpler than more ecologically sound methods of waste disposal and this is again a selfish tendency. This is an opportunity for me to encourage all the community members on the significance of having a collective responsibility towards the conservation of the environment. For me to situate myself as a knowledge producer, I have to join an existent group that is concerned about the environment or alternatively initiate a new one if none is existent.

Question 2: How do the various elements of your identity influence and determine your personal, social, and political thinking and decision making?

The elements of my personality that highly influence my personal, social, political thinking and decision making are the fact that I am an extrovert, I’m Machiavellian and assertiveness. Being an extrovert, I get to have very little time to myself as I am inclined to express and exert myself in a social environment full of people. The manner in which I carry myself in public is therefore highly determined by the people who I am going to interact with (Innes, 2008). When I expect to interact with my peers I tend to dress more casually and this sets the mood for relaxed interactions.

When it is a professional atmosphere however I will be more formally dressed and in these interactions I am bound to be more serious and inclined towards serious conversations with a greater level of decorum. Past experiences with people dictate how we interact or how I treat them depending on what I learnt about their temperament and interests. The way they treat me also determines future interactions. I am bound to be cold or cautious when I interact with an individual who treated me harshly in a previous encounter.

Being assertive makes me present my views on what is best in social forums at all times. This also leads me to take the initiative of leading in different social forums. This has been seen both in school as well as in the family where I tend to take responsibility for different issues that involve the entire group. Assertiveness in my personality has over time led people to look at me as a leader even in informal scenarios due to the way I present myself. This however leads me to struggle with accepting other people’s opinions and suggestions, especially when they are contrary to what I think. This makes me subconsciously hostile to any sign of someone opposing me.

Machiavellianism in my personality leads me to constantly maintain a focus on the end result or desired end result of whatever I am engaging in. For me the end always justifies the means and as a result I choose methods of doing things depending on how I believe they will affect the end result. This is best manifested in the approaches I use in problem solving. While most people will insist on methods that are being used, I will focus on the end result and this even caused problems for me during elementary arithmetic tests whose examiners focused on the formula used while I insisted on the shortest way to the answer.

During political debates and discussions, I tend to pick sides depending on the intentions presented by an individual regardless of the political divide they come from. Though I am inclined to Democrat ideology, I will at times side with republicans if their actions or intentions seem to be better for the people than their democrat counterparts. This is also manifested during the democratic process of elections where I choose my representatives based on their long term goals.

Question 3: What components of your social identity shape your sense of self/your daily life? In what ways?

The elements of my social identity that shape my sense of self and daily life are my physical appearance, the level of education I have and also my religious faith. As far as physical appearance goes, I am of a bigger build than others around me, especially back in my hometown. I am also college educated and profess the Christian faith. These lead people to view and treat me in a particular way and eventually shape the way I interact with them.

The way people react to my physical appearance often serves to emphasize the fact that I am bigger than them and therefore possibly stronger and braver. As a result of this, I tend to volunteer a lot in situations that demand a person of great physical strength. This is due to the fact that I have grown accustomed to being viewed as this kind of person. At the same time I tend to feign the absence of fear whenever I am in public. This is because society has trained be to believe that such a person is tantamount to a ‘hero’ of some sorts or one with additional abilities and this then prevents me from showing fear or any form of worry so long as someone is watching me.

Only those who are very close to me will notice when I am not as confident as I appear to be in some challenging situations. In this regard, my social identity prevents me from showing any vulnerability (Tyler, 2011). I often convince myself that when it comes to physical matters I am at an advantage and this tends to boost my morale even when I walk in dangerous parts of the neighborhood or during hikes in the wilderness because it is generally expected that I am better placed to handle and overcome threats such as muggers or otherwise in these situations.

The fact that I am pursuing a college education also contributes to my social identity. It is often believed and expected that students who are in college are dynamic in their thinking. This fact leads me to be inclined towards activities that bring out my creativity and provide me with an opportunity to express the same. I also feel a compulsion to project an image of creativity and this can be seen in the clothing that I put on as well as the people I associate myself with. The forms of entertainment that I look for and enjoy are those that I feel will improve the level of creativity that I have. On a daily basis I strive to avoid being part of the mainstream in anyway as this is perceived to be lack of creativity. I am therefore inclined to view my ideas as unique.

My religious faith of Christianity is often associated with pacifism as well as non-indulgence in narcotic substances. These stereotypes about Christianity have shaped the way I present myself to those who are aware of my faith. I tend to avoid any form of confrontation and at the same time abstain from the use and abuse of drugs. These behaviors have become part of me and on a day to day basis one or both of these attributes will manifest themselves in my social interactions.

Question 4: What specific world events, personal incidents, relationships (such as with friends and classmates), environmental factors (for example, the neighborhood you lived in, family situations), media images (books, movies, television—please identify specific names/titles), and other such factors have had an effect on your ideas about sexuality, class, gender, race/ethnicity, and racism?

The portrayal of male-female relationships on popular media as well as actual examples that I have personally witnessed with my friends has shaped my view of sexuality. Recently a good friend of mine fell out with his girlfriend over her promiscuity. This matter was unfortunately in the public domain and it led to her being judged harshly. At the same time, there is a classmate who openly brags about the numerous sexual liasons he has had since he joined the campus. Many people in the class disapprove his behavior but their level of indignation is comparatively less than the one directed at my friend’s girlfriend. This led me to conclude that sexual indiscretion is generally frowned upon. At the same time I noted that society is often harsher towards women in such situations.

My family environment has greatly shaped the way I look at race/ethnicity matters. There are several people in the extended family who have married from different ethnicities and this has exposed me to the cultures first hand. I got to learn that at times people live out stereotypes because they have been accustomed to the fact that society generally expects some mannerisms from them. On a personal level however these behaviors are seen as individual characteristics rather than representations of what an entire race has to offer.

Portrayals of men and women on media have had an influence on the way I perceive gender and gender roles. While it is often claimed that equality is the way to go, I have come to conclude that there is no need for equality as the different genders have different strengths and weaknesses. This means that they complement each other by covering for each other’s short comings whether it is in the household or at the workplace.

My family background has also led me to view class as a necessary evil in today’s society. This is because it is impossible for everybody to be at the same level. However, those who are wealthier need to use their resources to uplift and assist those who are less fortunate. From the perspective of the media, I have got to note that the lower classes need to exist because they are the ones who provide labor resources for the industries owned and run by the higher classes. This however tends to bring about a hegemony that at times suggests that those of the higher classes are somehow more important than those from lower classes (Carmen, 2011).

References

Blaagaard, B. (2011) Whose freedom? Whose memories? Commemorating Danish colonialismin St. Croix, Social Identities. Vol. 17, No. 1, , 6172

Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo & Mary K. Bloodsworth-Lugo (2011) Citizenship, immigration, same sex marriage, and the browning of terror. Cultural Studies Vol 24 (2) 234-255

Innes, R. (2008) Contemporary Presents: The Canadian War Museum’s Afghanistan—A Glimpse of War and the Unfinished Business of Representation. Topia, 93-105

Tyler, K. (2011) New ethnicities and old classities: respectability and diaspora, Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture, 17:4, 523-542, DOI:10.1080/13504630.2011.587306