Identity of an Atypical College Student

Identity of an Atypical College Student

Tylor

What Is an Identity?

It is defined as the distinguishing character or personality of an individual. This is an identity in its simplest form. So, I set out on a quest to find my identity and in turn find out what it means to be me. An identity should be important for every person to realize about themselves because self-realization is crucial to being a good person.

My First Identifying Factor

 I would identify myself as an American. I was born here, my parents were born here, and my grandparents were born here. That makes me American. My ancestors are Irish and Italian, but that doesn’t make me Irish or Italian. It is unfair to the people who are those ethnicities to say that I am one of them. It is comparable to saying that I was on a championship winning team when in reality I was on that team years after they won the championship and did not actually earn it myself. Sometimes people forget that they have never actually been to the country that they associate themselves with. If you were to ask them anything about the country that they are from they are likely not to know the answer. If you ask them something about America, they have a greater chance of getting the answer right, but they still would not consider themselves American if asked the question.

After realizing that I am indeed American I must ask myself what it means to be American. Being American brings on great responsibility. You have to act perfect all the time when interacting with people from different countries because Americans are scrutinized the most out of all. America is the number one leader on the world stage and that means that a lot of eyes are on what America does. It also means that many aspects of globalization are strongly linked to Americanization. America is seen as too big to fail because if America does poorly, then the rest of the world might do poorly. America has used this philosophy on their own banks recently knowing that they needed to be bailed out in order for America to keep functioning properly. The fact that America is too big to fail means that a lot of people are relying on America to do well and therefore are looking at with more scrutiny. I know that when I visit other countries that I must be on my best behavior because people are always trying to make Americans out to be the bad guys. It comes with the territory and I realize this.

This isn’t the only thing that being American entails; it also includes a higher standard of living and with this higher standard comes more opportunity to help others. There are plenty of opportunities to help other people in other countries who were not fortunate enough to be able to help themselves. This is something that I know is included with my identity and I try to embrace it in any way possible. It is hard to do work for people in other countries, but I try my best to help people in need. I love being American and I would choose no other fate for myself. It is a blessing to be born in the greatest country in the world and that is why I find it unfathomable that people choose to say they are other ethnicities.

My Second Identifying Factor

            I am a white male. I group these two together because throughout history they have been considered one identifying factor. This is an obvious characteristic of mine that is clearly visible by all. Race can be an important thing is someone’s life and is different from an ethnicity. Ethnicity refers to cultural characteristics, location, and beliefs. Race refers to a person's appearance and has biological underpinnings. They are commonly mistaken to mean the same thing, but in reality they are vastly different.

            Race is something that I have dealt with a lot in my years. My uncle was adopted from the Philippines, but he looks black. When I was younger and I walked around with him, people would think he was my dad and it was looked down upon. I was clearly white and the fact that I was with him implied interracial relations. It didn’t really occur to me then, but people really do not like the idea that a black man could be with anyone except a black woman. I have no negative connotations of African American people, but that is because I was raised to know better. I do understand how people can grow up with the negative feelings towards black people because of how they were raised. If someone is told their whole life that African American people are the enemy and that they are people of lesser importance than they are obviously going to have bad feelings towards them. I was fortunate enough to be raised correctly and not to discriminate, but many people in this country are not as fortunate as I.

My Third Identifying Factor

I would identify myself as someone who is “settled down.” I have a fiancé and have been with her for over 5 years. We are extremely happy, but it is rare that someone at my age settles down with one individual, especially in a college setting. This aspect of my identity is crucial because it makes me change things about myself. I realize that I need to be more conscientious about my money because I need to save enough to support both of us in the future. Also I realize that a relationship is give and take, and I need to compromise with her on some views.

            Being in college itself is an identifying factor. The American College Kid has a certain stereotype that is mostly negative. A college male in America is supposed to follow one of two paths. A person can join a frat and live through college getting drunk regularly, have multiple women in his life, and own fancy things. This person is not prepared for life in the slightest. They never do any work, they don’t worry about what alcohol is doing to their system and they think that a tough day is one that they actually go to every class. This isn’t typical, but it is one of the college male stereotypes. The other version of a college student is the typical stoner. This is the one that never does any work and is too “baked” to think coherently. They do not care what others think and they are the ones that go to rallies and parties during class just because they have those set for their priorities. Neither of these two stereotypes are positive ones, but they are the typical ones portrayed in the mainstream movies and shows that are seen globally.

            My specific experience with the American identity of the college male has to do with the fact that I am engaged. Not many people my age get engaged, and when they do it is often frowned upon at this stage in life. People always say that I am throwing my life away. To those people I say that I am just starting it earlier than most. It is much better to start living at a young age and being with her makes me feel good. Sometimes people wonder why I would commit at my age and ask me how I know she is the one. I really dislike hearing these questions all the time. The people that know us do support us and that is really all that matters, but it goes against the mold. It goes against the stereotype of the typical college male, and most people do not like change.

            Another thing that goes against most college stereotypes is the fact that I do not drink. I have never been drunk or gone to a bar with the goal of getting drunk. This is weird to my friends because, like many college students, they get drunk 2 nights a week. I prefer to stay inside and watch a movie or play a game and remember what I did that night. This isn’t typical, but it is preferable. It is often looked down upon by the people that I am closest to.

Yet another college male stereotype that I do not fit is the all-nighter. I have never had to put myself through an all-night study or work session like it is portrayed in many movies. I believe it is more important to sleep than it is to study and there have been many studies that would back that idea up. There are many people that I have seen that do these study sessions but it really is not beneficial. I do procrastinate, but I try not to procrastinate to the point where I have to cram for an entire night, which leads to the next topic, coffee!

            I absolutely hate coffee. The smell of it is bad, the taste of it is bad, and the effects are bad. It is not great for your body but there really aren’t many things that can wake you up without a large amount of caffeine. I am a soda drinker which isn’t much better, but the stereotype says that I should cram for tests all night with a large cup of java in hand. My fiancé does live on coffee so we often feud about the effects and the usage purposes of it. She usually wins.

Fourth Identifying Factor

            I would identify myself as a geek. The term geek is very specific. It refers to someone who is interested in things that others are not commonly interested in. A geek is smart, but unlike a nerd or a dork they are also socially adept. A common misconception is that they are not good at working with people, but in reality they are. I classify myself as such because I am into sports and hanging out with people, but I also love working on computers. That is my hobby and it is the thing that interests me, but does not interest many others.

            I love being a geek. I enjoy video games across multiple platforms and I enjoy working with technology. Being a geek also comes with some negatives. In my experience, geeks are usually a bit more unkempt and have a hard time caring about physical appearance. When people find out that I am a computer technician they often put these images into the back of their head. It isn’t truly accurate or a fair representation of being a geek, but it is a misconception that is prominent in today’s society.

General American Stereotypes

            (1) There are many misconceptions about America that are portrayed in stereotype from, but many of the stereotypes about America are actually pretty accurate. Americans are known as being greatly obese. This obesity epidemic is fairly recent, and is actually pretty true. Americans seem to be a bit larger than their English counterparts. They have greater access to fatty foods and food in general than most other countries. In America fatty food is rather inexpensive whereas the fruits and veggies can cost quite a bit more. This may be the reason that Americans are seen as larger than other people globally. This is seen throughout my own experiences because I too am a bit larger than most. I eat these fatty foods because I can afford them, and I eat food on campus which is generally less healthy than food found elsewhere.

            (2) Another stereotype about America is that we do not care about other countries. In general this seems to be true also. I personally know quite a bit about other countries because I am a history major and other countries intrigue me, but my peers seem to know very little about the world outside of America. This, like most things, has an explanation. People in America do not converse with many people in other countries because we do not border very many unlike European countries. We also cannot move freely between countries like they can in Europe. There is a passport and a long wait in order to get to Canada or Mexico and honestly many people would rather stay in America than venture forth into sometimes hazardous Mexico. Some people do go to Canada, but it isn’t a trip that can be made often and usually people do not go there for an extended period of time. If people want to visit other countries in Europe they can do so rather inexpensively and without much hassle.

Another example of the blindness of America is that people who live in the United States often forget that they are not the only country in America. They forget that there is a North and South America and as you can see in my paper I am a perpetrator of this. I usually just say America because it is simpler and easier, but really it is because I do honestly forget to acknowledge the other American countries.

            (3) One of the only American stereotypes that actually irks me is the one about Rednecks. It isn’t fair to refer to everyone in the South as a redneck. I was born in Louisiana and lived there for a while and the people down there are just as sophisticated as the ones in the North. Most people do not even know what it means to be a redneck. It really isn’t a bad thing to be a redneck and in some parts of the country it is the highest form of flattery. Some people love hunting, fishing, drinking, and being ignorant to all other issues. Ignorance is bliss and it makes them happy not to worry about many problems that they usually have no control over. Americans often are too stressed about things that they cannot change and therefore have stress that isn’t warranted. I am one of those people. I always worry about things that I cannot change. I realize it isn’t something that I should do, but unfortunately I am not ignorant to the issues of the world and therefore I focus on them.

(4) One of the stereotypes that I am unfortunately adding to is that Americans need things bigger and better. When a new technology comes out I must have it. When I look for a car or a house I must have the best, but why? Why does it really matter if I have a car that looks nicer than you? Is it to make you jealous? I honestly have no answer to these questions, but it might be because I am ignoring them so that I do not feel bad for taking part in it.  If I have a car that runs and a house that is good for shelter, then I should be happy. Unfortunately this is not how many Americans think. They always want better things than the person next to them. Americans were actually upset when the new iPhone came out because it looked like the old one and nobody would know that they had upgraded. This idea is ridiculous. If it works better, then you should get it, but do not get it just so that other people know that you upgraded.

(5) One stereotype that is similar to one mentioned earlier is that Americans are lazy. This is similar to obese Americans, but is different on so many levels mostly because of technology. Before computers and machines, people had to do physical labor to get by, but now people can sit at a machine and push buttons. This means they can be obese and it won’t really affect their work ethic. The thing that I would say I would identify with the most is a hard worker. I move up fast in any job that I have and I achieve high accolades no matter what the job is. It’s not that I can do my job better than anyone else, it’s just that I try harder to do better. If I do not know something I try to learn it and I typically learn what I need to do fairly quickly. I am a Resnet technician and when I went into the job I honestly did not know all that much about computers. Within one year I became student manager and had learned everything that there was to know at the position. It was a great experience, but I feel as if it is time to move on because there is no more challenge, which leads me to my next point.

Final Thoughts

            Is there anything more annoying and diverse as an American? I would have to say no. Americans are so diverse that they can annoy people on different levels. They can be too loud and pushy like a “New Yorker.” They can be too stupid and slutty like the “Dumb Blonde” girl that we all knew in high school. They can constantly be talking about killing deer and driving around in their pickup truck with a shotgun like the “Redneck.” Or they can be getting drunk and saying “bro” all the time like the “typical college kid.” Of course these aren’t accurate representations of America, but it’s what makes America what it is today. It is diverse, it is constantly changing, it is sometimes oblivious to actual problems, and it is constantly using force to prove points.

All of these stereotypes are obviously a bit exaggerated, but they all serve to show what America is. It isn’t all of what America is, but it is a part of America and they show the culture of America. Other countries have stereotypes that they aren’t proud of but it shows what they are made of. One example is that Swedish girls are among the most promiscuous. This isn’t a positive stereotype but it does tell us something about Swedish culture. The people in Sweden actually see promiscuity different than in America and the people in Sweden simply do not care if the girls dress in “skimpy” clothing. I found this out working as an intern for schools in Sweden.

The term American identity is rooted in enlightenment ideals. Out of the enlightenment came many ideas and a new way of thinking. The main thing was a belief in the individual, and this led to romanticism and consequently romantic nationalism. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a leader in this area of thinking and one of the main ideas that he had was that people should identify with their country rather then themselves and that their country is the individual which should be fought for. The idea of a national identity comes from beliefs rooted in the early 1700s and it still exists today.

I think that the idea of American Identities is a horrible one because it creates strife and stereotypes that may not exist otherwise. Without creating specific identities for people there might be more unity. If there were less ways to single people out from others then there might be less discrimination, which would be good for all. Obviously the idea of an identity is inescapable, but it's always good to think “what if?”

American Identities and American Education: Keeping the Melting Pot Simmering

Here's an Identification Project from Catherine Kilian!

American Identities and American Education:  Keeping the Melting Pot Simmering

A. Perception of My Identity:  “My Childhood Has Defined My Life”

            Intrinsic self-exploration for the sake of discovering personal identity has existed through all of time. Individuals and citizens from all types of societies with varying natures have long contemplated the question “who am I?” Throughout my life, I am convinced that I have a basic understanding of what defines me. I believe that within the timeframe of my lifetime, I have become familiar with some of the characteristics that distinguish me as who I am. These perceptions of my identity were most likely shaped by the same factors I am going to use in an attempt to explore who I am.

            I am part of a family. I am a daughter, an older sister, a cousin, a niece, a granddaughter, and a friend. I am part of a closely-knit family system. My entire family was born and raised in western New York. I have four younger siblings; two brothers and two sisters. My siblings and I have always been extremely close to one another, our parents and the rest of our extended family.

            My parents gave me a variety of experiences that provided me with ample opportunities to explore myself as a person and develop my own identity. There are various pieces of my life that I strongly value, that hold importance and guide my actions and decisions. First and foremost, my family, friends and boyfriend serve as the fence around the perimeters of my life. Like fence posts, they are grounded, stable and reliable. I depend on my family because they have never been undependable. These people are the most valuable part of my life and they have made the largest impact in it. They influenced the development of my values, morals, beliefs and principles.

            Since last summer when I adopted my dog, I have become more aware of what it requires to provide for and have complete responsibility of someone else (I say someone because I pretty much consider Tiko a person trapped in a chihuahua's body). He looks to me while trying to express his wants and needs because he knows I'll understand him best. He understands that I am the one who will get him water from the sink. He understands that his dog food is in the bottom drawer of my dresser and I need to get it out for him. He understands that when he barks near a door that I know he has to go outside. He understands that when I'm not home, he doesn't have the support necessary to fulfill some of his needs.

            I am a very important part of Tiko's life. Tiko's dependency provides some explanation of the excitement he experiences when I walk through my front door. Playing that crucial of a role in my little dog's life (the kind where when they see you they're so overwhelmed with good feelings they can't breathe), brought me to the realization that I strongly value compassion, understanding, dependability and providing for others. This instance was additional support of my choice to further my education and become an elementary school teacher.

            In today's world it is often easy to forget about your heritage and what it means to be who we are. We celebrate American unity claiming that our country's boundaries combine individuals from all walks of life into our “melting pot” society. Are we straying from our roots and leaning towards the belief that we're all simply just, American?

            I hope I never lose the interest I have towards my heritage and my family's history. I am German, Irish and Lebanese. My last name represents my family’s ties with Germany. As opposed to the likes of the Irish and their beer, “Killian's Red,” Kilian, with one L, is the German spelling of our name. My mother has curly red hair and I'm sure I've inherited my own curly hair and freckles from our Irish ancestors. My grandmother was one hundred percent Lebanese. She was a very important part of my life.

            Through her passing during recent years, I came to the harsh realization that she would no longer be here to help carry on some of the traditions and customs that she had shared and passed down to us. She left a bit of our heritage in our family and my father, which he passed on to me. I see her in myself through my dark eyes, my olive-colored skin and my inexplicable interest towards the customs and cultures of the Middle East.

            I intend to celebrate all of my ethnic roots through the constant exploration of my family, their predecessors and our history. Another ambition of mine, to celebrate my grandmother and our Lebanese heritage, is to further my ethnic cooking abilities. I am going to pass down the tradition of my favorite Lebanese foods. I will become more familiar with traditional Lebanese foods like seasoned rice pilaf, which is given texture and flavor from pine nuts, and stuffed grape leaves, which are filled with a rice-ground beef mixture. I also have high hopes and ambitions to travel to these three countries, to explore the places and people that have defined my heritage and sculpted my identity, as a person and an American.

            It is important to note that being an American citizen has played a role in my identity. The acquisition of American citizenship is sought after by many individuals. The government gently steers my actions towards our country's main interests and priorities. Regardless, I am appreciative of the many rights and freedoms my citizenship entitles me to. Many other nations and individuals are forced to abide by restrictions and government-mandated limitations, situations that strongly effected by the forces of various governing bodies. I believe that their ability to endure these often unfavorable circumstances, makes these people ideal candidates for American citizenship.

B. Experience with American Identities:  “The Influence of Diversity on My Past, Present and Future”

            Throughout my childhood, my parents have always modeled for me and given examples of ways to be--for lack of better words--a “good” person, based on the morals, values and beliefs they had already formed. They stressed acceptance and selflessness, treating others how I'd like to be treated. I've learned not to form my views of individuals off of other people's opinions, to give people an opportunity to reveal themselves before forming any criticisms. My parents were able to impress into my malleable, developing brain the concepts and perspective I hold today. I think genuine care and kindness are important aspects of my identity and my understanding of other's identities.

            When I was younger, I was given the tools and devices necessary to develop creativity and imagination. My parents had created an environment that was crucial to this development. Not having this background would have changed the way I perceive the world around me. I had baby dolls and stuffed animals, a kitchen set, a work bench and a construction hat, barbies, matchbox cars, blocks. All of these provided hours of entertainment, but more importantly, gave me various options to explore all kinds of play, instead of restricting my toys to “girly” ones. I played on the work bench. I'd wear the construction hat and talk about how I'll help my father at work in the future. I'd dress my stuffed animals up in doll clothes and push them around in strollers. I'd play “house” with my siblings, playing different roles. I truly believe that the vivid imagination I've held onto until today comes from the methods used by my parents to supplement my development at such an impressionable age.

            There should be a nationwide agreement made between our country's citizens in concern of our future, our children's future, and our grandchildren's future. The importance and overwhelming influence that parenting has on a child's developmental growth and their definitions of personal identity needs to be discussed with all individuals in all situations that are raising children. Stressing the importance of parenting, either through more thoroughly detailed explanations or more expansively, and making this knowledge and awareness available to parents and guardians from all backgrounds and circumstances, will likely cause an increase in conscious and informed child-rearing actions and decisions. Having the knowledge that you as an individual are a crucial element, a necessary requirement, in the development of a young child's identity is not only honorable but a humbling realization as well.

            I might have made the decision to enter the field of education during my childhood. My siblings and cousins would play more realistically as we grew older. We moved onto games like “court,” where we'd develop ridiculous scenarios for a case. My cousin received an overhead projector one year for Christmas. Paired with the desk I had, we made an excellent classroom set-up to play school in. We would take turns, reversing roles from teacher to learner. Creating tests and worksheets, correcting in red pen, raising our hands or shouting out obnoxious answers, we modeled strategies used by our real teachers and experimented acting out the behaviors we observed in our peers.

            My enrollment in the school district I lived in exposed me to an increasing amount of diversity. Once I had reached middle and high school, I was accustomed to the nature of diversity. I already had a good understanding of treating everyone equally, respecting all individuals; if this wasn't common sense at this point, my parents had already taught me. I also understood that while we treat everyone equally, it is not the case that we all live equivalent lives. The schools I attended encompassed a variety of students from many different ethnicities, cultures, economic backgrounds and family histories.

            My freshman year of college I had already defined my major as early childhood education, with a concentration in art. Ideally I would like to have an art classroom at the elementary level. However, I believe that to get the most value out of my education at Fredonia, I should strive to become a classroom teacher at the elementary level and incorporate all of the skills, strategies and methods I have learned thus far into a resourceful, stimulating classroom environment. The fact that I chose elementary education as a career path, driven by my morals and values to have a positive impact and influence in young children's lives, reflects my identity.

            The totality of my field placements here have presented me with the opportunities necessary to observe, experience and better understand what it's like to teach a group of largely diverse learners in a multitude of teaching styles. I have worked with students from Pre-K to 2^nd grade. These students have come from all walks of life, and are all a part of something bigger. Despite all of their cultural and ethnic differences, I saw beneficial relationships form between these children. Collectively, these groups of diverse American students belong together as part of American society and a classroom community.

             My participation in this American studies course has made me aware of the fact that one increasingly more existent aspect of our national identity is “American competitiveness.” Over time, American citizens began to shift from not only challenging their “mother country” and comparing one another's differences, to competing globally with, for and against members of other worldly countries. With the state of today's society and global economy, it only makes sense for parents, guardians and educators to raise and prepare our nation's youth for the competitive challenges tomorrow and in the future. By learning from experienced and devoted, educated adults, in a supportive, comfortable and culturally sensitive environment, young children will begin to recognize the existence of similarities and differences, equality and inequality, fair and unfair. Once students understand the inevitable nature of diversity and global expansion, they will be more readily able to appreciate strengths and understand weaknesses. Being enlightened by the environments that surround them, and becoming increasingly more accepting of others, gives young children the opportunity to become more exposed to and familiarized with, the diverse people, ideas and concepts of our world today. Multicultural education that provides a foundation for global awareness has been made possible in many areas of the world (some even in exist within our country's borders). These experiences have been made possible for students in today's society by the systematic provision of: a. equal educational opportunities that cause learners to become accustomed to varying cultures through diverse classroom composition, b. opportunities to learn and practice second (even third or fourth) languages in a world of multiple linguistics, and c. adequate opportunities to explore, discover, and make meaningful connections, in order to begin forming a level of individual understanding. In the future, those students that were able to experience valuable educational experiences, are most likely the individuals that will succeed. Our world is now populated by a global society that has (and will continue to) experience exposure to an ever-changing, constantly altered state of existence. The preservation of our world will be made most possible by the extent of which our future generations participate in global affairs and develop environmental and humanistic consciousness and are aware of the impact that is (or isn't) occurring.

            Knowing this, it was difficult for me to witness segregation by teachers of students in some districts. The segregation was not meant to divide students by race or socio-economic status. Rather it was meant to separate students of varying academic abilities. Ironically, this basically entailed that these American students who were speakers of different languages and less socio-economically advantaged were struggling learners. The backgrounds and circumstances children live in will affect the way students learn. With English being a second language and parents working too late to be available, these students have not experienced the enrichment necessary to succeed at the same level as their classmates. In my opinion, this type of labeling seems detrimental to the construction of confidence and self-esteem and therefore the students’ success. If students at this age continue being identified in this manner, it will undoubtedly influence the way they form their identity.

            In addition to being criticized or treated unfairly by someone in person, even the history textbooks used in some classrooms are used to delude the youngest generations of American citizens from truth of our prior experiences as a nation. These textbook 'stories' are often fabrications of historically true events and real accounts, that have been intentionally designed and very specifically chosen to effectively create the standard “American Identity” one may see today, designed in respect of our forefathers' ideals (regardless of the circumstances that influenced them over a hundred years ago). Not only do I worry from my standpoint as a future educator, I also play the role of an adult, concerned with humanistic values, like honesty and the well-being of children. I have now become aware of the fact that many classroom social studies textbooks contain misleading text that makes them unreliable sources. For this reason, I have become unsettled by the notion that records of American history could be equally unreliable and untrustworthy.

            My teaching methods are going to reflect the manner in which I was raised and the information that I have gained through my past experiences and observations in the classroom. Using American identity as a common ground, a group all students are a part of, I intend to teach acceptance and celebration of culture. I want to use this as a basis to form lessons addressing all levels of learners. In theory, I hope that this practice helps eliminate, or at least lessen, the existence of discrimination and stereotyping that is so prevalent in society today.

C. What Can We Define American Identity As? “Our American Identity as the Melting Pot Is Soupy”

            American identities can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In being citizens of this country, one would assume these individuals might classify themselves as American. However, I made the surprising realization that, despite having been born and raised a citizen of this country, when asked how I would define my identity; “American” would never be my first response in describing myself. I oppose the view that as United States citizens we should mask or blend our heritage into the generality of being an American. When asked to define myself, I would have first listed the people that have defined my family's heritage, giving my culture and family history more credit to the creation of my “American identity.” This view should easily be accepted, even by those individuals who truly classify themselves first and foremost as American.

            Publicizing our country for generations as “the Melting Pot,” the juxtaposition of cultures, race, ethnicities, it should come as no surprise that we, as a society hold so many different perspectives and outlooks. I believe that the existence of “the American Dream” seems like an illusion to so many of our citizens as they make their way into our American society. Our country's definition of “well-being” and “success” do not meet the expectations of those individuals who have left their homes and families to come to American in hope of searching for, finding, and experiencing a “better life.” Different cultures have different standards and definitions for these ideas. While reaching “the American Dream” might be an attainable goal for an individual who has lived in the country their whole life, it is often impossible for immigrants or migrants to succeed this far into American society.

            With the increasing amount of diversity that exists within the United States, is it really possible to create a definition that reveals the identities of all Americans? The amount of discussion, debate and inequality that still exists today, gives me the impression that we are currently involved in the process of defining what it really means to identify ourselves as American. Although I am American, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride and nationalism for our country rarely occurs.

Defining what American Identities is on a universal level would not be supportive of the United States. Other countries seem to use degrading stereotypes to express the negative connotations they hold in association to our American identity. Since this is the case, it must also be plausible that American citizens define our identity in more than a multitude of ways. Definitions of what it means to be American would most definitely reflect an individual perspective. We would define American identity individually, based on personal life experiences, history, etc. So is it even possible for our nation to develop an American identity that encompasses all of our citizens? I am convinced that continually over extended periods of time, individual perceptions (as well as generalized opinions), are influenced by the most current status of general societal perspective and the most widely publicly-supported beliefs during that time. I am led to believe that visible trends and patterns have been documented by our nation's history, but are often ignored or manipulated in meaning.

What really defines us as “American” besides the fact that we live in America? America was established hundreds of years ago. However, with the misconstrued, altered stories of our country’s history, we shouldn’t use any one specific defining action taken by our American predecessors to define our identity. Maybe our identity could be linked to the fact that the people of our country are free. For example, the freedom of speech is not something traditional to the rest of the world. The fact that America is a young, growing, changing country might define us. But I think as long as we’re still learning what works best for our country and our people, that we’re still constructing our American identity.

            At this point in my life, I believe American identities can be most accurately defined as follows: the existence of American identity is composed of our diverse citizens. American identities reflect the vastness of our people’s culture, race, ethnicity, customs, faiths, beliefs, principles, morals, lifestyles and backgrounds. We are “the melting pot.” Not only does the society we exist within today still exemplify our country’s diversity, it is constantly growing, adapting and changing our identity, as well. American society and identity are continuously in progressive, adapted movement, like the motion of simmering contents inside of a melting pot. I think that American identities are a conglomerate representation of our diverse nation. As an educator, in hopes of furthering young children’s development as “Americans,” I will not only aim to provide the most accurate American history possible, I am driven to teach tomorrow's generation of children to live compassionately and to accept, celebrate and understand differences in one another.

Quien tu eres

Oh America

Briella Santiago

The American identity, if it even truly exists, originates in many different forms and ideas. They are based on fact, straight-up lies, exaggerations and somehow all of these all at once. They generate from many different countries. Voices give truth to a typical sometimes unrealistic stereotype. These ideas come about from the way we present ourselves, how we define ourselves or how others want us to be defined.

On a micro and macro point of view America is viewed as the root of greed. The government is constantly trying to find ways to extract natural resources from third world countries. America is never satisfied with just relishing in her own success. She is forever going into other countries and trying to push American beliefs on those who don’t need or want them. Everything that goes against her beliefs is viewed as something that needs to be destroyed and rebuilt in her Image and her people are worse. They are lazy fat gluttonous slobs who sit in front of the television all day getting life handed to them as they die of obesity, while more than half of the world is starving to death.

Americans are stupid. They have never worked a hard day in their lives. Their idea of strife is when the internet connection falters slightly, or they missed that brand new episode of Jersey Shore. They know nothing about the world around them. China and Japan have long since passed the United States in intellect. With all the opportunities presented to them Americans insist on indulging their mindlessness.

Americans are unappreciative of what they have. Even with their families fully intact and basic human rights that people are dying for in other countries. Americans take it for granted and constantly criticize and bitch about a government that protects not only their lives, but their right to vote and live in a peaceful crime-free environment. Clean water and an abundant food source is not a right, it’s a privilege, and yet most Americans waste food or water for the fun of it.

Americans are all beautiful and glamorous. We all walk out of the bed in the morning with pin-straight blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes and a glowing tan, even during the winter months. All our people are beautiful and skinny. We are physically perfect, therefore we lead the perfect lives. We get the best jobs, have the most fun and marry the man (or woman) of our dreams. America is just one big party full of rich and gorgeous people.

What human nature doesn’t allow us to realize is that you can’t make a generalization about a group of people by the way an individual acts or carries themselves.  People are unique and cannot be judged by the actions of the majority.

There are many American people who are well-educated, who yearn to discover, who have a passion for giving back to others, who have experienced success through hard work and determination rather than looks or power. America has its corruptions like in many governments. We are blessed in many ways; not all of us take our gifts for granted.

Most of my mother’s childhood was spent frolicking on the sandy showers of La playa de ponce, a beach twenty or so miles away from Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico. My father was raised on the lasagna and baked ziti of Sunday dinners at his Nona’s house, right after church, during Sunday football.  Both of them found their way to the heart of Spanish Harlem. My father used to deliver milk to the boarding school my mother was sent to shortly after she made her trek from the countryside of her childhood to the mean hard streets of northeastern Manhattan. I couldn’t tell you exactly who they are anymore but I can offer up pieces of myself as part of their stories. I am a reflection of their past, a constant reminder of who they were. I am a mestizo, the typical Nuyorican.

Pregnant with a white man’s baby at fifteen, my mother became the typical American statistic even before she could speak the native language of this country. My dad, smitten with her exotic looks and naïve hopefulness for the future, never left her side. He spent endless hours satisfying her craving for the food of her home land, empanadas (beef patties) and rice with beans.  Not fully aware of the social standards in this country, her family celebrated and welcomed my birth, the addition to the family tree. She proudly displayed her growing belly in form-fitting maternity dresses and cut-up tank tops.

I came to this country from Buenos Aires, Argentina, at age four and I haven’t been back since.  My father left the big city to play soccer in Argentina with my mother. I guess it was a type of honeymoon, a way to escape the scrutinizing eyes of his family. Impregnating a 15-year-old girl at 26 is frowned upon and punishable by law. According to my father, however, my mother was by no means a child. It’s one of the only things they’d still agree upon to this day.  When he had met her, she looked 18 and told him in her broken English that she was in her early twenties. She doesn’t look upon him as the thief of her childhood or a molester. By the definition of Puertorican culture, her childhood had been stripped from her at age 13. She had long since become a woman, before even seeing my dad.

My mother gave me up to my father, for a chance at a better life she says. He had a home, an established business, and his family had a stability and knowledge of the typical American dream that she knew to be unachievable for her family and friends. She encouraged me to succumb to a different way of life, to grow up a typical American child.

My transformation began on Long Island. I came to my father speaking in Spanglish and fragments of broken English. He sent me to a special preschool for the chance at higher learning, early development and study skills it preached. It was there that I lost my accent, that I came to embrace the English language and abandoned the prattle of Spanish tongue.  Rice and carnita sandwiches became peanut butter and jelly. I no longer cooled myself in the summer by running through the streams of broken fire hydrants in the street, nor did I spend my Saturday mornings watching telemundo.  Still on occasion I yearned for the warmth of the tropical sun and the upbeat lull of bachata music. I missed the vibrant shades of orange and yellow as the sun set and night time cooled the air. I missed home.

Home came to be defined differently as I aged and allowed myself to become part of Caucasian culture.  In school I stopped speaking Spanglish and eventually the Spanish language became dormant through my lips, but never in my mind. My light brown hair and porcelain skin allowed me to blend evenly with my peers.  I went to dance school, joined pottery club, girl scouts, and took swimming lessons, horseback riding lessons and soccer. Never once did I look back to my roots. My mother cut off most contact with me, not wanting to interfere in my transformation or stunt my growth in any way, shape or form. My step-mother was Dominican, so occasionally I'd find myself prattling to her in Spanish quickly, but typically she encouraged me speak English and indulged my father’s desire for Italian cuisine. 

Although the area I grew up in wasn’t too segregated, I got a scholarship to a ritzy private school. Most of them were unaware of my lower finances or Hispanic heritage. I tried my hardest to never let on that I was different. As far as people were concerned I was your typical all-American girl.

After I graduated from the private school that ran from kindergarten to 8th grade, my plans to attend St. Johns, a private high school, fell through and I ended up in a normal public high school. It was there that I learned to embrace diversity and not shun who I am. There was plenty of everybody in that school. In fact Bay Shore senior high school won awards for its diversity and encouragement of acceptance of all people.  Bay Shore ranks as the 3rd most diverse high school in New York State. As I grew and met new people, I learned that to embrace one culture and lifestyle does not mean to completely disregard another. Part of being a typical American is embracing all that you are and everything you wish to be. America is a melting pot. You could never truly define the typical or generic American because it varies.  I would consider myself the typical American teenager. I listen to my iPod and I eat fast food, I shake my hips to a Spanish beat and I never forget who I am or where I came from.

America is the true definition of beauty, a place where the evils of the world cannot touch those who enter her realms. We offer a sense of freedom and stability. Our country is a shining beacon of hope. The very reason many decide to keep trying.

We are diverse. In many places in America, there are a wide array of cultures, groups, religions and sexual orientation. America takes in the oppressed and unwanted and offers them a place of belonging. Many of these people go on to find their place in a community so full of choices and diversity.

In reality, although we preach diversity and advertise a cultural melting pot, most of us live in segregated areas. Whether the difference is racial, cultural, monetary or religious, we are taught tolerance and not exactly acceptance. Often reverse discrimination occurs. We try too hard to be accepting of different people and end up exploiting and bending over backwards not to offend the group of people. Instead of actually welcoming them into the community, we gawk and make them feel more out of place then at home.

Success is a tradition. In America, there isn’t a child that goes hungry. We are a generous people. There are jobs available to all without the barrier of discrimination or sexism. America is truly a place of equal opportunities Judgment is rarely, if ever passed.

The government provides every one of its citizens and refugees, a place of safety. They are non-hostile and unconcerned with things of monetary value. They rarely bother with pretensions of war and usually stick to the business of the country. Their main focus is benefiting the people and working to improve within themselves.

For the most part, the government is filled with corrupt politicians whose main interest lies in making a quick buck.  Heck, most Americans don’t even realize the true nature of the politicians whom they support.  Most of what goes on in political elections are rarely covered by the media. The media portrays the political meat puppets in the light of their choosing. Charisma, a promise of “boosting the economy” and a couple of millions, is really all that is needed to win a major election. Notice that nobody from any other political group besides republicans and democrats get any media coverage during elections.  I doubt that many people actually spend enough time away from their iPhones and whatever other mindless overindulgent electronics to actually do the proper research on other candidates in the election. 

Americans are never unsightly. They take care to exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Their diet is crafted to keep them alive and fit rather than for entertainment of relieving of boredom. Nor do they starve or throw up to achieve an unreasonable standard of beauty. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. America is a place where that’s something you'll never forget. We appreciate people from all walks of life regardless of religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation.

Of course the media constantly bombards us with images of what we are supposed to look like. Constant ads featuring dangerously thin models who represent maybe 2 percent of the women or men in the world are used to represent body ideals.  Ironically, after watching a commercial for the newest diet pill and ways to mutilate and emaciate our bodies, the very next thing that comes on commercial for taco bell, think outside the bun. Make up your mind, America! You want my waist to be microscopic and yet, at every stoplight and corner I turn, there’s a McDonalds.

Most of all ,we’re all a very honest group of people. We would never invade another country and exploit their people for a disposable useless good. We wouldn’t make children and old women work 12-hour shifts without breaks for less than a penny a day. In fact here in America everyone lives in a little wooden cabin and works hard to make their own clothes

We aren’t known for our cruelty or callousness at all. In fact none of our people are self-absorbed mindless media zombies who parrot every subliminal message spoken to them. We research things before calling them a fact and entertainment is under no circumstances put above basic human rights. Oh no, we’re the absolute definition of perfection.

Our culture on average is way too self-oriented to even begin to comprehend any of these issues. Most of us would rather sit here in our perfect little bubbles and entertain our petty little problems than look at the world around us and realize that the definition of tragedy is not in fact your lack of internet connection for more than 5 minutes.  We turn a blind eye or refuse to dawdle too far away from our ignorance to try and make an impact in the world. It’s all about us, all the time.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the very first step towards our undoing. Think … the fall of the Roman Empire.

Cheers ;)

 ** smiles a stepford wife smile**

Us & Them: A Student Music Video Project

Going to be posting more from my students in the next month or so. Here's a music video that was part of a final project by a Ingo Hutzenlaub and Devon Sprague. Enjoy!

Walt Disney World and the American Dream

This semester I'm going to be posting student work from last semester's American Identities course, specifically the identification projects of those students who wanted me to share their work with a wider audience. Here's the first of many, from leemattar.

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Walt Disney World and the American Dream

My story starts out a long ways from here, yet at the very center of what is "American." Walt Disney used stories and his created wonderland in order to emulate the "Perfect All-American Dream." Many people feel that Disney is fake, but what is the original American Dream? Especially now, when the American Dream is becoming less and less attainable, the original ideals of the American Dream are fading. The ability to fulfill your dreams and goals through hard work is not possible for the average American. As children, we have huge dreams for ourselves, but as we grow up we are forced to give up those dreams for reality. Disney World is a place where people can re-submerge themselves into their childhood imaginings. The family can come together and, for a time at least, feel comfortable and separated from their problems. Their movies transport us into the fantasy of our choosing for a few hours. Disney may be a fabricated place, but it's the lack of reality that draws people to it. It's the emulation of the American Dream and the desire to attain it that keeps us going back.

In the spring of 2007 I was able to do an internship for Walt Disney World. I experienced the Disney Difference first hand. The Disney Difference means going above and beyond expectations. We treat our visitors as though they are guests in our home. Our home is clean, friendly, and inviting. As a cast member, my co-workers were like my second family and my work location became my second home. We would fight and make up, we would share our lunches and swap jokes. I was completely caught up in my own personal Disney world. I had all of Orlando to play in and few responsibilities outside of work. Having to enter the real world again, when my internship was over, was a bit of a struggle. I had to remind myself that I was no longer in a fantasy world where everyone was smiling. Here, I had responsibilities, meetings, and the constant flow of work to deal with. The memories I have from those seven months away have carried me through ruff moments. I can think back to the fireworks, to the laughter with friends, and the magic carpet rides. Those memories help me to smile and to keep going.

Today, people are struggling to keep their heads above water; they are dealing with angry bosses and demanding families. Walt Disney found ways to help people escape from their own lives and into his creations. When people enter the Magic Kingdom they have to take a boat or a monorail; driving in off the street is not an option. They are crossing the boundary between reality and fantasy. Once they pass the friendly ticket collectors they are greeted by the sight of a grand castle and are able to get their pictures taken by a smiling Cast Member. From there, the guest can choose what land he/she wants to visit first. They can visit the Land of Tomorrow where one can become a part of innovations and creations of new technologies. They can choose to visit Liberty Square and listen to the past presidents speak once again. In Frontierland, guests can go on adventures such as chasing run-away trains. Fantasyland has always been a favorite, with classics such at the Spinning Teacups and It's a Small World. Guests can choose to fly like Peter Pan or take part in Snow Whites Adventure. Disney offers those who visit many opportunities to escape reality.

Walt Disney wanted those who visited his park to be completely submerged into his created reality. In his world, everything is clean, everyone is happy, and family is highly valued. This is the kind of world we all strive for. The American Dream has typically been to be able to own a clean house with a trimmed yard, a white fence, and a supportive family. In reality, most people never achieve this version of the American Dream. They struggle to keep their heads above water and fewer of us have yards we can trim. Disney represents the America we wish we had. Every little boy is a pirate and every little girl is a princess. There are surprises and adventures to be found around every corner. Every movie has a happy ending. In actuality, our lives are monotonous, and children have been known to lie on the floor screaming. Happy endings are few and far between, life is more difficult, and animals are not as willing to help us when we are running from wicked stepmothers. We know all these things, but we continue to show our children the movies and go to the theme parks. Feeling like we are a part of an achieved American Dream is important to us and that’s why we continue.

Walt Disney was a man who successfully created his own American Dream. He had to work his way up and overcome many obstacles. He had a family to support and he wanted his children to be able to play in a clean and friendly environment. He also wanted it to be affordable and family oriented. Disneyland and Disney World have raised their prices quite a bit since their opening of Disneyland in 1955, and the following opening of Disney World in 1971. Yet they continue to find ways to entice millions of people to visit every year. The public dedications to all the Disney theme parks have started with: "To all who come to this happy place--welcome" (Disneyland Park (Anaheim)). At the Magic Kingdom in Disneyland, Walt continues, "Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America…" (Disneyland Park (Anaheim)). This quote is crucial to understanding how America and Disney Resorts are related. Everyone is welcome, whites, blacks, Americans and Non-Americans. Disney’s Magic Kingdom takes us back to the days for our grandfathers, or what we consider "the good-old-days." Disney hands over his creation to those who will enjoy it. When immigration first started into the United States, it was seen as the land for everyone. Our Statue of Liberty says, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free…" (Lazarus). These statements both represent the idea of people coming to a place to get away and to be free. At Disney, one becomes a part of the happy atmosphere there and is free of their normal routines, for a time at least. Many who came to America through Ellis Island often came to escape an old life and to take advantage of new opportunities. The problems with this is that one cannot stay at Disney World forever, and in America, many immigrants had to face discrimination and poverty. But people continue to come to the United Stated for the opportunities it promises to offer, just as people will continue to go to Disney World to have experiences they cannot get anywhere else.

Disney World invited people of all backgrounds to come and enjoy its resorts. This includes the Cast Members as well as the guests. In the United States we value diversity and Disney is sure to have one of the most diverse work environments. Animal Kingdom and the World Showcase in Epcot try to imitate the places they are representing. They did this by bringing people from the represented countries to work in the simulated countries. Many of the international students I worked with were from Indonesia because I was stationed in "Asia." When I asked them about why they were doing the internship and the overwhelming answer was that this was one of the only ways for them to easily get into the United States and to have American work experience on their resumes. One of the girls I knew decided to get married to an American friend so that she could stay in the United States after her internship was over. I was surprised that she was willing to leave her home and marry a man she had only known for a few months in order stay. I know that people have done much more extreme things in order to live in the United States, but I had never experienced it firsthand. Here, she saw a place for endless opportunity and financial success that she probably would not have back in Indonesia. Disney offers its employees many opportunities to move up in the company, as long as you show devotion and a good work ethic. The United States is seen as a place where people can work hard and give up a few things, and in turn, gain a slice of the American Dream. That dream drives people and it's a part of what makes Americans unified.

Often, we think people who live outside the United States to be more interesting and exotic. I think we forget that there are many different cultures right here in our own back yard. Besides working with people from around the world, I met and lived with people from all over the United States. One might say that people who live in our own country couldn’t possibly be that interesting, but I learned so much from those friends. I found out about lifestyles, values, and practices that are completely different from my own. One such friend was from Arkansas. His family lived in a double trailer, his family worked on a carnival over the summers and preparing food at a racetrack over the winters. His stories would amaze me. I couldn’t imagine living how he and his family did. I live in the suburbs of Buffalo, in a two-story house, with a say at home mother, and a business-owning father. I spend my summers visiting family and working summer jobs. Our lives were so different, but we are both Americans. Jan Radway argues that "American national identity is…constructed in and through the relations of difference" (Gruesz, 21). America--in this case we are talking about the United States--was created out of people who were different. Some wanted religious freedoms, some wanted adventure some were looking for economic relief, and others were forced out of their homelands. Today, our nation prides its self on being a melting pot. It's our differences that help us to be a strong nation. It's our common goals that hold us together; those goals being life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not everyone can attain those goals but it's our desire for them the keeps us unified. We are connected to and learn from the people around us. At Disney World, our goal is to create a cheerful environment that encourages guests to live out their dreams. We are able to do this through our differences. Every cast member has something to bring to the table. Some can speak multiple languages and can communicate easily with guests that do not speak English. Some are great with people and know how to explain situations to the guests. They give just the right amount of information while using the correct voice tones and inflections. Some are creative and are always coming up with new ways that we can be more efficient. We all have different personalities and ways of thinking about things that may clash once in a while, but we all want the same thing; to make a guest smile and to give their children memories that will last them the rest of their lives.

Disney wants their guests to be able to bring stories back that are filled with excitement and adventure. Stories are devices that have been used for centuries in order to pass down information and values from one generation to another. Oral stories were used to explain and teach, or often for entertainment at important events: "narrators told tales to bring members of a group of tribe closer together and to provide them with a sense of mission" (Zipes, 333). It was stories of the "Great West" that sparked young men's interest. It was tales of gold and adventure that drew whole families to California. Stories make us excited, especially stories that are new. Manifest Destiny, our movement to the west coast, was enhanced by the stories told about it. When people from other countries, especially poor ones, think of America, they think of the stories they have heard. Huge homes, lots of money, fun technologies and the freedoms that many of us born American take for granted.

Stories change over time, especially the oral ones. Every time the story is told some small thing gets changed. Life is not static, so it makes sense that our stories will have different variations depending on who is telling it. The American Dream is just like a story. Our idea of it has changed over time, so that we can still believe in it. In a nation wide survey done in 2009 72% of people stated that they believed people could start out poor and work their way up in the United States (Seelye, 1). Americans still believe in an American Dream, but it has changed over the years, morphed into a different dream, but considered no less American. Today, “fewer people are pegging their dream to material success and more are pegging it abstract values” (Seelye, 2). Some of these are being able to live your own life, having a fair chance to succeed, having a healthy family and nice friends, owning a home, and having financial stability (Seelye, 2). None of these mention being rich, but talk about being able to get by and not having too many financial worries. They talk about good friends and a loving family. This is what Americans in the United States want. Disney is able to give people that. Many people believe in the American Dream but, according to polls, only 44% feel that they have reached it (Seelye, 1). For the rest, Disney is a place where one can experience their personal dreams and take the memories back with them. Disney's idea of the American Dream has remained constant over the years, being able to be with your family and surrounded by helpful people who want to be sure your stay is magical.

Walt Disney had been a key player in story telling over the years. He was a creative man with grand ideas that he wanted to share with the world. His innovations led to the first full-length animation films.

Disney was a radical filmmaker who changed our way of viewing fairy tales, and that his revolutionary technical means capitalized on American innocence and utopianism to reinforce the social and political status quo. His radicalism was of the right and the righteous. The great "magic" of the Disney spell is that he animated the fairy tale only to transfix audiences and divert their potential utopian dreams and hopes through the false promises of the images he cast upon the screen; (Zipes, 333)

Americans have always dreamt of a utopian society, where everyone gets their fair opportunity. We like stories where the unfortunate end up on top. This is what Disney provides. We look at moves such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. A young girl escapes death, meets some dwarves who help her out, then she find her true love after being poisoned by her evil stepmother. He uses what Americans know and combines it into what we want in an artistic and creative way. We know that people are labeled and ranked according to the status society gives them. Cinderella, for example, is shown as a young girl who is abused by her stepfamily. She is a poor women, which, at one time would have made her extremely low in the social hierarchy. We like to see the underdog win and those who were the suppressers punished. Cinderella, with the help of her fairy godmother, was able to meet her prince and have her happy ending after much struggling. Her stepfamily is distraught because none of them were able to marry the prince.

Disney Americanized the original tales. Many of the happy endings we find in his versions of the stories don't exist in the originals. Americans don't want the sad endings; they want to feel that anything is possible and that your dreams are always achievable. This is one of the reasons Disney films did and continue to do so well. It's important to remember that every story is the teller's version of it. We often forget because Disney's versions of the stories are on a big screen, they are visual; we can hear them and we are pulled into them. We feel for the characters and we can see the build up of their identities as they change from the beginning till the end. People are more likely to believe something they see on the television or at the moves than something they are told. When the original films were first projected, people in the audience were scared and screamed when they saw trains coming at them. We make movies real and internalize them. The art of story telling is slowly dying. The original stories do not matter anymore because we do not remember them. I wonder if the original idea of the American Dream will matter after a time. As people's circumstances change they are forced to change what they want out of life.

Fairy tales and stories are not just for children. They are for anyone who feels that they need to be connected to something larger than themselves. Alys Eve Weinbaum states that "nations need narratives to exist – that they need to be narrated into being" (Weinbaum, 168). A nation is created by its people and by their commonalities. We learn about other people through stories, and we become connected to people by knowing their stories and passing them on. I think it is important to teach our younger Americans about stories, and to be sure that they recognize that the Disney versions of stories are romanticized versions that reflect what we want America to stand for. Stories are vices that allow us to get our points and feeling across to other people, they do not have to be true to do that. Disney was able to show his ideas of the American Dream through his stories, and had millions of people believing in a happily ever after. There are many who do not ever let that go, and that's one of the reasons, I think, that we are unified as a nation. We have the hope that Disney instilled in us. We want to beat down the suppressers and to finally reach our happy ending. We will continue to try and to move forward. This is what unites us. Our version of the American Dream may have changed but we still have a dream, we still have something to aim for.

It's important to constantly critique society, to re-examine our ideas and to continue to grow in our Identity. While I was working for Disney I had to completely change the way I viewed the world around me and re-think my self-identity as an American. I went to Florida as a naive individual who had few ideas about how the world worked and how our nation was viewed by others. I came home with a completely new attitude. I understood the struggles of the middle class worker, I knew how to talk to people without offending them, but most of all, I learned about how the American Dream has become an illusion. Those who fulfilled their dreams put in a great amount of time and energy in order to do so. It takes commitment and a drive to accomplish the goals that have been set out. Walt had clear goals and a passion for what he was creating. He has shared his hopes and dreams with us in order to help others believe that anything is possible. As Jiminy Cricket says, "If your heart is in your dream,/ No request is too extreme,/ When you wish upon a star,/ As dreamers do…" (Pinocchio). We need to have dreams, they give us something to aim for, something that we will want to continually reach for. Disney has instilled this idea into the hearts and minds of those in the United States and around the world.

Works Cited
"Disneyland Park (Anaheim)." Wikipedia. 8 May 2009. 6 May 2009 .

Gruesz, Kirsten S. "America." Keywords for American Cultural Studies. Eds. Bruce Burgett and Glenn Hendler. New York: NYU P, 2007. 16-22.

Emma Lazarus, "The New Colossus." American Studies @ The University of Virginia. University of Virginia. 07 May 2009 .

Pinocchio. Prod. Walter Disney. Disney Inc., 1940.

Seelye, Katharine Q. "What Happens to the American Dream in a Recession." The New York Times 8 May 2009.

Weinbaum, Alys E. "Nation." Keywords for American Cultural Studies. Eds. Bruce Burgett and Glenn Hendler. New York: NYU P, 2007. 162-70.

Zipes, Jack. "Breaking the Disney Spell." Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticism. Ed. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton, 1999. 332-52.

Another Course Blog: sf@SF

My science fiction course begins in less than an hour, so I'm officially launching the course web site and course blog right...about...now! Since it focuses on post-W.W.II U.S. writers, it will actually be very much about American Identities!

Who Am I?

Here's the second student paper, this one from someone who wishes to remain anonymous. In the course of my career, I've given out fewer than a dozen A+s on student papers. This was one of them. [Update 4/9/08: Apparently other people on my campus think so--a version of this just won a campus-wide writing award!]

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Who am I? Who do I want to be? Why am I here? What is my identity? Why are we all different? Though these questions may seem straight out of a cheesy self-help book on “discovering who you are” or “finding yourself” that most people would be embarrassed if caught looking at in a bookstore, they are fundamental questions that most of us don’t spend enough time pursuing. We’re too busy, we say, have too much that needs to get done. Like most people, I often rush around doing things, half the time not thinking about why I am doing them, much less who the “I” is that does them.

Identity is multi-layered, multi-faceted, and nuanced, a mosaic that changes elements as the contexts of our lives change. It affects how we portray ourselves, how we read other’s behavior, and how we categorize ourselves and others into groups. Who am I? It’s a seemingly simple question. I am a student. I am a Sociology and a Women’s Studies major. I am sister, a daughter, a cousin, a friend. I am a member of several organizations. I am a Capricorn. I am a person who likes to travel. I am a middle child. I am a former mental patient. I am both a cat and a dog person. I am an American. I am white. I am a woman. The list could go on and on. We do not normally think about these things unless some crisis prompts a screeching “Who Am I?” to circle around our heads, and even then, it is more commonly a “What am I going to do?” especially during life transitions.

When asked, most of us respond to the question of identity with something related to what we do, or our relation to someone important in our lives; we respond with the more contextual/changeable aspects of our lives rather than the more obvious fundamental qualities that become taken for granted and as such, there is no need to ponder them. Or is there? And are these qualities really fundamental? Do some of the problems with conflicts among people with differing identities stem from our lack of taking the time to explore these issues? For example, I am female and identify as a woman. For some people, gender identifications are not constants and/or they are grounds for much consideration. For me, though I think about sex/gender in a theoretical way through classes, and though I do not see myself as a typically feminine woman, I identify as a woman nonetheless and it does not rouse much thought on a day-to-day basis. It is plainly there. It is what I am. But were it not for my explorations of being a woman through some of the experiences I have had and for theoretical explorations as a student, I would probably seldom/never really have thought about what it means to be a woman in our society, or how being a woman in a society in which women continue to be oppressed has shaped my life. Nor would I probably have begun to actively participate in organizations working for change.

That being said, my gender is much more salient to me than some other characteristics for the most part, due solely to the fact that being a woman in a society in which women continue to be oppressed has negative personal consequences. How many of you or your female friends been felt up in a public place? How many are survivors of sexual or domestic violence? are afraid to walk home at night? spend hours on making themselves look “pretty”? have eating disorders? are torn between being a prude or a whore? dumb themselves down in middle/high school because smart girls aren’t liked? get paid less than their male colleagues? The list could go on infinitely. I could answer “yes” to all of these at varying points in my life, a fact that both enrages me and makes me sad. And I know I am not the only one.

Race and Ethnicity have had comparatively little impact on most of my life, because I am white in a society in which white is privileged. I don’t have to worry that anything I say will be taken as representative of all “white” people. In stores, I never have to worry about being followed by managers due to an expectation that I am shoplifting. When I speak, people will listen and not pass off what I say solely on the basis of who I am. Of course, with the intersection of white female, at times what I say may be passed off as feminist rants; even then, being shut out would not be on the basis of my race. People don’t reach out to touch my hair without permission. If I turn on the television, open a magazine, or read a book, I will see people who look like me. In school, I will learn about the great things people like me--white people--did. The list could continue ad infinitum. Being white where white is privileged and is considered normative leads to much less obvious social effects than being non-white, in which otherness becomes a part of one’s daily experience.

Unlike many people, I have had the opportunities to live overseas, which has led to a comparatively early recognition of race/ethnicity as a “thing” to be explored. Being overseas was what sparked by interest in learning about the social world, and perhaps even set me on the course towards pursuing sociology academically. Race and ethnicity became a more conscious aspect of my identity during the time I have spent overseas. In sixth grade, my family lived in India for a year, and then in eleventh grade I was an exchange student in Japan. In addition, I have also traveled to Germany, Austria, Nepal and Poland.

In the European countries I visited, my race/ethnicity did not become much of an issue, as I am of European descent. However, my real “race awakening,” so to speak, occurred when I was ten and living in India. For the first time in my life, I stuck out like a sore thumb solely because of the way I looked, and it was obvious that I was an outsider. I was conspicuously “different” and at times looked on with suspicion as a foreigner. This was especially true because the area in which we were living, foreigners were seldom found. It was not an area anyone would ever visit to sight-see. To get to the university housing where we were living, we had to pass through the Navy Nagar. Getting through and into our building required identification cards, all thoroughly inspected, especially before the guards came to know us. Being so obviously different was rather unsettling, as was having people stare often and take every little thing I did as representative of the way Americans do things. It made me much more observant of how I presented myself, even at that young age.

In addition to obviously being an outsider and all of the ramifications that brings, there were times in India during which our obvious whiteness provided a possible threat. Within the first few weeks of our arrival, my mother had an interview for a teaching position at the American International School of Bombay (where we kids ended up going to school). She brought me along with her to the interview. On our taxi ride there, we suddenly found ourselves stuck in traffic that had been stopped by protestors filling the streets shouting angrily. My mother and I were alone. Not knowing the language, we could not understand what the crowd was shouting and had no way of knowing whether or not it was an anti-American demonstration. With the exponentially globalizing world of the early to mid 1990s, and India’s historic relationship with the west as a colonized country, tensions constantly simmered beneath the surface. Lingering in our memories were stories of the previous years’ infamous bloody “Bombay Riots.” While not against foreigners, these riots were recent enough to remain in collective consciousness. Our school even had “riot days” on which they closed for the anniversaries of particularly violent incidents. The protesters began walking, weaving between the stopped cars, and mom tried hurriedly to at least roll up the windows of the taxi, but they were broken. My mother yelled at me to crouch down on the floor of the taxi; she covered my blonde hair, thinking that at least with her dark hair she was less visible. The crowd eventually let us through as traffic began to flow again. We later found out it had been a demonstration against foreign, especially American, involvement in India’s university system. I think that is the only time I have actually felt that I would possibly be targeted solely for a simple fact about myself that I have no control over.

In India, though different, we were also part of a higher socioeconomic class than we were accustomed to in the United States, due to the strength of the dollar against the rupee. And although there was potential for being targeted as foreigners, the British had exported western hierarchies of race into India during its time as a colony. While different, we were not suddenly part of an oppressed group in the way that Africans who are among the elite in their home countries become when they immigrate to the United States due to the importance race plays. In other words, what I am trying to say is not that I have had experience with oppression due to my race, because that is not the case, but that living overseas did bring race awareness and the experience of being “different” than the norm with respect to race.

However, despite being fortunate enough to spend time overseas when relatively young, I think my race awareness only came early in comparison to other white people. I think of my cousin who is the product of a biracial marriage; my aunt is white and my uncle is black. As the flower girl for a wedding on her mother’s side of the family when she was about five years old, she had worn a hairpiece with fake flowers and ribbons, which were woven into a circle pinned in her hair. At the back, the multicolored ribbons came together and flowed down from the crown. For several weeks after the wedding, she wore the hairpiece, refusing to take it off even when going to bed, telling everyone it was her “hair.” She told her mother that she wanted long pretty hair like her cousins. Even at about five years old, though she did not have any theoretical understanding of race relations, nor did she know the history of her father’s family from Jamaica, she did have concrete knowledge of what was beautiful in American society, and she knew her dark, short, curly hair was not. She did eventually stop wearing the hairpiece, and I hope that as she grows up, she develops a positive self-image, but regardless, it illustrates the kinds of “race awakenings” that non-white people have from early childhood. They may not know history or theory as children, but societal messages that “white” is better than “non-white” become ingrained very early on. Not having to ever have to think about my “racial” features is part of my white privilege; white is not racialized, but rather only usually seen as the absence of non-white.

Regardless of the very real effects race/ethnicity has on people’s lives, I do not think that it is actually “real” in a biological sense. Genetic testing may be able to give us an idea of the historic migrations among people and tell us when certain groups broke off from others, forming their own sub-group that developed its own distinctive physical and cultural features throughout centuries. However, it does not tell us anything about race itself. It only tells us about the genetic variation among humans, and how that variation developed due to when certain ancestors went in certain directions or formed their own groups. It does not tell us what groups should be considered races, or provide genetic evidence supporting the ideas of race, as it is often used by those who believe race is real. They conveniently forget that it is people who decide which groups are considered “races”; these groups do not coincide well with the scientific data. For example, the most variation as far as genetics is concerned is among Africans; however, despite being the most genetically dissimilar, they are considered part of the same “race.” Just as people used science in previous generations to pick out physical features to categorize races, people today pick and choose which branches of the human family tree to use; the branches they pick just happen (by some mysterious coincidence) to fit exactly with historic notions of race that have been constructed by racist societies. Some people admit that humans decide which branches to use, but say that it does not matte--genetics still proves that race is biologically real--and it just proves that we were wrong about exactly which groups were “races.” But who decides? Where do we draw the line? Do we end up with 1,000 races? Would that be enough? NO. Because it does not matter what we know about the genetic heritage of groups of people. It is the social constructions of race that are driving its continued use and its continued effects, not the biological variation. A decision made by academics or politicians to suddenly create several racial definitions for Africans will not suddenly change the way society constructs black-ness or effects that being black has on people. It is already true that there are some Africans who are not physically black, but they are still regarded as belonging to the “Black” race, even if they can “pass” as being white. And regardless, the genetic testing from which people can find out their ancestral origin does not test their whole ancestry. It can only test one (for females) or two (for males) genetic lines--either the direct maternal or the direct paternal--ignoring all the other individuals over thousands of centuries that contributed to their genetic makeup. For example, if someone’s direct paternal line is European, but the whole rest of their ancestors are Asian, when tested through their y-chromosome, they would show up only as European.

That being said, while I definitely see race as socially constructed in nature, I sometimes am wary of simply saying that everything is socially constructed and leaving it at that, as there is a fine line between saying that something is socially constructed and invalidating the experiences of those who live with the palpable effects of such constructions in their everyday lives. It is true that something has real consequences regardless of whether or not it is real, so long as it is believed to be real. It is still a fundamental way in which we organize ourselves, and as such, it is important to not only look at the theoretical implications of race, but also at the practical implications these conceptions bring.

I tend to be someone who, despite knowing that the idea of ethnicity has a variety of problems, many of them similar to those of the conception of race, would like to hold onto it much more than I tend to feel the draw to hold onto race. I think it is perhaps that the distinction made between ethnicity and race is that of culture versus biology, respectively. The biological basis of race has been challenged, but ethnicity still seems to be cultural, whether or not the distinct and mutually exclusive categories set up under the current system of ethnicity hold up. I am not suggesting that ethnicity is actually cultural fact, but only that I find it harder to let go of notions of concrete ethnicity than those of race. Further, I am not suggesting that we simply need more categories, because that would not do much to fix anything. People, myself included, need to get away from the “add more categories and let people choose more than one category so everyone fits” fix to the problems of classifying people by race/ethnicity. And thus far, I have only figured out what I would not do about race and/or ethnicity, rather than anything about what I would do, and what they are not more so than what they actually are.

I also question how much what people view as their “ethnic” heritage is really “ethnic” and how much has more do to with specific family traditions. One could say perhaps, that ethnic traditions are those shared among groups of families who either live in or share ancestors from particular locations. But I think that sometimes ignores all the heterogeneity within groups. While in Japan, I remember taking many things my first host family did as the “Japanese” way of doing things. As I lived with subsequent host families (4 in total), I learned very quickly that many of the things I had thought were Japanese—a reflection of cultural differences--were actually specific to that particular family. This was probably especially true, as my first host father was a Shinto priest, so much of their day-today life revolved around the large shrine adjacent to their house.

However, even in my own life, I have come to learn that many of the things I have grown up with, things I believed to be part of our ethnic traditions, were actually much more recently begun, and specific to particular families. I already have a mélange of European “ethnicities” from which to take traditions--German, Polish, Alsatian, Czech, English, Irish--but many things are more closely tied to family than ethnicity. For example, the anise cookie recipe we use comes from my great-grandmother. In addition, through family members having explored genealogy, we have come to learn that in several cases, what we thought we knew about our ethnic heritage was simply wrong. On more than one occasion, someone hid what their “true” background was, probably for better marriage and job prospects. My great-grandfather hid the fact that his mother was a Jew from Buffalo, NY. My great-great grandfather on another side converted in secret from being Lutheran to Catholic on the night before his wedding, though the way my grandparents talk, one would think their family was Catholic since the dawn of time. My great-grandmother on another side told everyone that her family was French Canadian, and wove tales such as her father being the middle-heavyweight boxing champion of Quebec, when in reality her grandparents had emigrated from the Palatinate. The Jewish and French-Canadian examples probably have a lot to do with the social and political climate of the time, as my great-grandfather who hid his being Jewish, probably did so because he wanted good prospects for his daughter. I have heard that he had is heart set on her being a debutante as well, which she would not have been able to do if it was known that she had any Jewish blood. The great-grandmother who hid the German connection probably did so because she was coming of age, and looking for both a job and a husband during World War I.

How much of what anyone knows about their “ethnicity” is true? How do we measure the “truth” of ethnicity? Especially in a world that is become more and more globalized, in which identity seems to be a thing we pick and choose from among many possible elements found worldwide--something we consume, rather than something we are--how do we define our ethnic background? How much relevance does it have to our lives? I don’t necessarily have answers to any of the questions I keep asking, but it is important for all of us to start asking these questions and to continue to ask them. There will probably never be a neat synthesis, a one-size-fits-all solution, but I don’t think that is necessary, nor something we really should be seeking. Nothing in the social world is static, so any nice solution we come up with would be obsolete very quickly. Granted, on a practical level, we need to come up with something we can generally agree upon, because without that, we would never get anything done, and bureaucratic institutions need to have an agreed-upon way to categorize people. On a more personal and interpersonal level however, I think we need to cultivate the idea of identity almost as a dialectic relationship with ourselves, the elements of who we are and who we want to be constantly shifting. We need to simply learn to be okay with multiplicity and tension and messiness, and get away from thinking about identity as fitting in a particular category, or choosing from several distinct categories. We need to learn to embrace the variety and amorphous elements and get away from dualistic thinking and rigidly-bounded categories.