The Ideal American Identity: Male. White. "American"?

The Ideal American Identity: Male. White. “American”?

A.B.

“I’m A., a woman, white and American.” What would you think if I approached you and introduced myself as such? If your reaction is anything like mine, you’d probably be a bit taken aback if I felt the need to mention such information concerning myself, my identity. Without ever really thinking about it or making a conscious decision to do so, I’ve always omitted it whenever I introduce myself. Perhaps this illustrates that I tend to take my Americanness, my race, and perhaps even my sex and/or gender for granted. I doubt that I’m alone in that. Have you ever considered your own identity? What parts of your identity are considered to be crucial? Is it your nationality, race/ethnicity, gender/sex? One thing I think we all need is to become more conscious of is how we see and conceive our own and others’ identities. Instead of taking them for granted, we ought to question them, and the categories out of which we build them.

Take me, for example. When I consider my personal ethnic and racial heritage, I have roots in Germany, England, Norway, and Denmark. However, there was never any heavy emphasis within my household on our heritage. Having grown up in the Western New York area my entire life, I had come to know a sizeable number of Polish and Italian families who carried many ethnic traditions, especially around the holidays.  My family was not one of these.  My ethnic heritage was something I could rattle off if someone did ask, but never did we associate strongly with one ethnic heritage or another.

            I tend to frequently identify myself in terms of my status as a student. Ever since I applied to college, my undergraduate major has become a key part of my identity.  I almost became prepared to readily spill out, “Hi, I’m A. I’m a Psych and Women’s Studies major.” The question of what my major was seemed to be a part of every opening conversation I had in college and outside of campus. Everyone always seemed to inquire as to what other people’s majors were, as if discovering the answer was to give some critical insight as to what kind of individual that person was. Some commonly overheard examples were: “Music? You must have no spare time.” “Biology? Oh my goodness, you must be really smart.” “Psychology? Are you trying to diagnose me right now?” “What the hell is ‘Women’s Studies?’”

            Perhaps one’s major, as well as the status of being a college student, is perceived as a way to roughly determine what one’s occupational and class status is. Indeed, I feel as though occupation is seen by American citizens as a sort of hallmark of an individual’s level of prestige, money, and power. We idealize the individual whose occupation is a doctor; we don’t idealize a person who works as a janitor. We assume that the doctor is more intelligent, more sophisticated, and perhaps even more compassionate than the janitor. In films and on T.V. shows, when a janitor is featured, he is almost always depicted as the poor guy being called to the cafeteria to clean up vomit. Conversely, doctors have whole dramatic series dedicated to them. In these ways, the doctor is essentially the ideal American, personifying the “American dream.”

            One of the primary ways we subscribe to the idea of the American dream is through our culture’s emphasis on family. I am A.B., daughter of J.B. and C.B., and a sister to C. and M. Locally--especially in smaller communities--strangers would like to think that they can tell a lot about an individual based on what family they come from. If a child’s parents are attorneys, that child may be held to a higher level of regard by someone who knows what their parents’ professions are. Even college enrollment can be partially contingent on a family member’s graduation from that particular college. Traditional family structures in western society also can have a significant effect on one’s gender identity and overall American identity.
            Furthermore, categorization is an important process within America. We categorize everything from sex to race to class. And when we are confronted with ambiguity, we grow extremely discomforted. For instance, consider a multiracial individual, whose race is ambiguous. One may grow uncomfortable and continue to try and pinpoint the individual’s race using various schemas, which have been built and perpetuated through society. Often our schemas harbor stereotypes and overgeneralizations, leading us to wrongly apply them to an individual. A minor problem that can then arise when a person is confronted with a multiracial individual is the application of stereotypes and overgeneralizations which could even lead for one to rule that the multiracial individual to have only one race, or even a wrong race. This instance can certainly be applied to any minority individual, for one may wrongly identify them as another race.

            One personal example of this includes my younger sister’s boyfriend, R..  When R. first moved to my sister's school, he was classified as Mexican and/or Black by many people, when in fact he is Puerto Rican. Friends of his would either be the source of the question or the receivers of the common question, "What exactly is he?" When people weren't troubling over what his ethnicity/race was, he was often called Mexican in a degraded sense and a "grape picker". Stereotypes were certainly at work: Latinos were invariably Mexicans and/or illegal immigrants. He even was asked by some of the teachers to pronounce a certain Spanish word or to translate, even though English is his first language, and he doesn’t feel particularly comfortable with his Spanish skills. There is certainly a need for people to become aware that despite the seemingly common core of values, Hispanic/Latinos are diverse and encounter different challenges and opportunities. Particularly within educational settings, Hispanic/Latino students must be looked at as individuals with unique characteristics, personal academic strengths, and learning styles.    

            American animator Mike Judge’s “The Goode Family” pilot provides a pop culture commentary that mocks both stereotypical "liberal" and "conservative" mindsets. The eponymous Goode family struggles with the social and environmental responsibilities of being American liberals, and the conflicts that arise for a working-class family when trying to be politically correct about everything all the time. Situations in the premiere episode included shopping at a natural foods store without having brought reusable bags, and how to refer to ethnic groups in a politically correct way. In the same episode, the Goodes explain their decision to adopt a child from Africa in hopes of promoting racial tolerance within their community. However, the Goodes end up with a Caucasian South African baby instead of the black child they expected. His name, Ubuntu Goode–taken from Ubuntu, a concept from African philosophy—means humanity, compassion, and goodness. This example, while humorous, demonstrates the very real misconceptions which people may have when considering Africa’s demographics. People in the West tend to use "black" and "African" synonymously, essentially leaving out all those who are African but not black. Also, not all black individuals are African. A similar situation arises when one thinks about how Western cultures characterize Asians. In the Americas, "Asian" tends to refer to individuals from China, Korea, Japan, and other Pacific Asian regions.  Conversely, in Europe, "Asian" is understood to mean Indian or Pakistani. The episode of “The Goode Family” demonstrates how individuals may believe they are aware of racial issues, yet fail to recognize their own ignorance. In addition, the application of stereotypes and the need to racially categorize people needs to be critically examined and challenged, for the effects can be detrimental to an individual’s own identity.

Another example of ambiguity which we grow uncomfortable with is ambiguity of gender or sex. Intersex conditions are often treated as a medical emergency that requires immediate surgical intervention. Concerns for the inability of parents to bond with the child appropriately due to the ambiguity of the child’s sex are a high priority for doctors treating intersex individuals.  This attitude suggests that an individual whose genitalia is ambiguous would find socialization and peer interaction difficult because their sex and gender is unclear. Consequently, there is a perceived need to label individuals within an appropriate sex box in order to socialize them into appropriate gender identity. Note the final steps of our birthing process, and how child birth certificates--which ask parents to specify the sex of the child--are due within 42 hours. As children grow, they are constantly learning about themselves, developing their own identity and how they are “supposed to act.” They learn what is deemed as appropriate gender-specific behavior. Gender typing is how children acquire not only a gender identity but also the motives, values, and behaviors considered appropriate in their society for their sex. Children conceptualize gender in a different ways depending on which level of development they are at, according to the cognitive developmental theory. However, to be exposed to gendered role content can highly influence their personal gender schemas.

It is clearly evident that children could learn the stereotypical characteristics from things such as fairy tales. Snow White, for example, emphasizes the importance of beauty and the ability to perform domestic housework. Beauty is what the whole story is based around for the evil queen wants to kill Snow White because she is the “fairest one of all” and the reason the hunter who is sent to kill Snow White is unable to commit the murder is because she is so beautiful and sweet. I feel that these scenes can easily influence a young girl into thinking that the greatest qualities for a woman to possess are youth and beauty. Snow White is also depicted doing stereotypical activities of a woman--like housecleaning. She is shown smiling, singing and happily doing domestic housework for the seven dwarfs almost on impulse after entering their cottage. She also makes the comment upon arriving into the cottage that whoever lives there must not have a mother. I feel that this comment assumes that it is a mother’s job to clean and care for the house, and that domestic chores are part of female nature.

A crucial part of American identity is the need to categorize individuals, whether it is race or gender or sex. We need clear-cut, definite answers, and are uncomfortable with ambiguity. This is a major flaw within American identity, for the need to categorize individuals leads to denial of parts of people’s true identity, whether they are intersex, multiracial, or perhaps both.            

When did I first realize I was a woman? I would have to say I was forced to realize this essential part of my identity when I first began to experience crude behaviors and acts from boys, and perhaps more disturbingly, older men. This included hearing wolf-whistles, seeing kissy-faces, being cat-called at, and having slow-moving vehicles with men inside them stare and give a thumbs-up as I walked down the road. Being a woman is certainly a crucial aspect of my identity, because despite being biologically female, gender plays a significant role in all aspects of my life. While growing up I experienced a lot of sexism, but it wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I was able to revisit a lot of the situations I had encountered and label them easily as sexist. Now, I am a senior majoring in Psychology and Women’s Studies, a certified advocate for the Anew Center in Jamestown, passionately involved in the Women’s Studies program, Vice President of WSU, and have completed an internship with the CEASE program on-campus. Being a woman and considering the experiences--though often negative--I have faced, they helped me pursue certain goals and harnessed that part of my identity, in order to further grow and establish multiple identities.

Sexism plays a large role in the American identity.  Sexism in the United States certainly helps form our model for what the ideal American should be: Male. White. “American.” America was discovered and built by our “founding fathers,” and it wasn’t until the Nineteenth Amendment that women were even given the opportunity to vote, to be a part of the political realm.

Today, women continue to fight to gain equality, such as striving to diminish the wage gap that exists, gaining equal pay for equal work. Women on welfare may face prejudiced attitudes and behaviors for many reasons, but particularly because prejudiced attitudes and behaviors are justified through the legitimizing of myths about women on welfare. One myth which often keeps stereotypical thoughts surrounding women on welfare established is the bootstrap myth. The bootstrap myth, which states that the best way for a person or group of people to come up in the world is to create their own opportunities and lift themselves up by their bootstraps, is often illustrated and romanticized by classic American “rags to riches” stories. This myth may explain why many people attribute poverty to individualistic characteristics; they were able to get where they are by themselves.

One structural attribution which may contribute to poverty includes low wages. The wage gap continues to exist despite The Equal Pay Act of 1963. As of 2006, women earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. Minority women fare the worst. African-American women earn just 64 cents to every dollar earned by White men, and for Hispanic women, that figure drops to merely 52 cents per dollar. The feminization of poverty may also contribute to prejudiced attitudes towards women. Feminization of poverty describes an overrepresentation of females among the poor. In 2007, 13.8% of the population was classified as poor women, whereas 11% were poor males. From this statistic, it is clear that women are overrepresented among the poor. This is a double-edged sword, as it may lead to additional prejudiced attitudes to be focused on women.

Exploring Social Injustice as an Identity

I think I first became aware of race and ethnicity-related issues (at least at some primitive level) as a toddler. At an early age I was exposed to different media, already creating schemas to help me organize and perceive the world around me. However, influencing my views greatly were my parents, who taught me to always be socially conscious and to treat everyone with respect. I was taught at a young age that everyone is created equally and should be treated as such, and to “do onto others as you would want them to do unto you," and that it's never polite to point.

At an early age, my parents always focused on equality and educating my siblings and I about the world and oppression through historical events and personal experiences. Another important lesson which my parents taught was to "never judge a book by its cover," to never allow for someone's physical appearances define who they are. Now I know that many parents may follow similar golden rules, but I believe what made my parents’ advice so effective was their ability to practice and not just preach.

However, within my high school system, we rarely discussed racial and ethnic issues, unless we were talking about the civil rights movement or we were just finishing up reading Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin (which I discovered is no longer in the curriculum). Although this is definitely more than what some educational systems may provide, sadly, it wasn't until my freshman year in college that I began to have a sort of social awakening.

I have experienced and seen far too many instances of racism (one is too many). One experience that sadly isn’t an isolated one is when my Korean-American boyfriend and I would visit a restaurant; the hostess would often assume we weren't together, offering me a table for one. Another instance that I can recall is when someone harassed T. with racist comments and threats, using his race as a target of violence and hatred. Also, during a lecture, I watched as a professor was getting familiarized with students’ names, asking them to say their names before they shared an answer. But when the professor arrived to an Asian-looking male student, she didn't ask for his name, perhaps assuming that she wouldn’t be able to pronounce that student’s name correctly anyway. The student then shared the answer, speaking perfect English with no detectable accent. I feel that through my personal experiences of race and ethnicity, I have gained a better understanding of how crucial being white is to the American Identity. With being white comes privilege, a sense of security. Rather than worrying about whether someone is going to make a racist comment or the assumption that you can’t speak English based on physical features, being a white American allows one to rest assured that your children’s history books will include ancestral history that will not be restricted to a special month out of the year. Furthermore, through instances I have witnessed, to be able to speak English is an important part of the American identity. To be an American is to speak English. We see this expressed in adages such as, “Welcome to America, we speak English.”

Another personal experience that I have had which has helped me gain a better understanding of the American identity is an experience of sexism. During high school, I sadly experienced quite a few occasions of sexual harassment. One incident involved a boy who decided to grope my chest. In defense, I bit him right above his nipple, on his chest. Now, I hadn’t been aiming for this particular area, nor did I really know why I reacted with biting, but I did, and I left a bruise of teeth marks and I got written up. Conversely, the boy got away free. Later, I challenged my write-up explaining what happened to a guidance counselor with the boy sitting right beside me. The boy still got away with nothing.

Despite the fact that I didn’t have to serve detention after the meeting, I still felt grossly dissatisfied with its outcome.  I felt as though the school’s administration truly didn’t understand that what had happened to me was part of a bigger underlying problem in American identities. The administration failed to recognize that he had performed an act of sexual harassment and despite the apparent physical harm I had inflicted on him they ignored what psychological effects the incident may have had on me. This incident helped me realize that women do have to overcome obstacles which men may have to ever encounter.  It helped to solidify the American identity to me because it demonstrated the value of a man and woman within our society.

Many people may never experience a social awakening, for they may never be given the opportunity to consciously explore themselves and the culture which they live in.  Others will choose to deny their social awakening, for the path which they have been following has been a comfortable path, a path within a society which has been good to them. Those people might say, “Why challenge that path?” I have been allowed the opportunity, and continue to experience a number of opportunities, to continue to learn and explore my own biases and culture which has helped to instill and support them.

Adopting a Conscious Identity

On some levels, it is important for one to be proud of his or her home country, as a society which is completely apathetic toward the place it resides will fail to contribute to its betterment. However, blind pride is just as dangerous as apathy, and it is important to examine the assumptions we do make about the United States. For example, the phrase, “love it or leave it--it’s the best country in the world,” excuses the faults of our culture and policies, and places criticism on anyone willing to pass judgment on the negative aspects of the U.S. It diminishes the likelihood of positive change. It is important to recognize that the American identity as it stands now is an unrealistic one, built upon stereotypes. The American identity needs to be more realistic and encompassing of America’s general population. It should be constantly shifting and changing, as does the make-up of the general public. In truth, some of the adages have become so ingrained into our attitudes of the United States that they often blind us to the truth and the existence of crippling propaganda.

The American identity should be one of complexities and multiplicities, and one which embodies everyone. I do not subscribe to the concept of a colorblind society as a means to alleviate our problems. As I have stated, one’s race/ethnicity and gender are important parts of one’s identity and should be recognized, rather than ignored.  Furthermore, as the population make-up of America grows increasingly more diverse it is important to recognize so in the American identity. We can recognize each other’s differences while still remaining conscious of the challenges that different demographics face. Additionally, we must reexamine (and eliminate) the assumptions that we make about each group. Otherwise, people will severely suffer in attempting to aspire for an American identity which is realistically unattainable, especially if you’re homosexual, black or female.

The Condition of Being Oneself

Here's an Identification Project from Catherine Essenza!

The Condition of Being Oneself

Some days I feel old. I know I’m not—I just hit 19 and I’m young and thriving. But some days, I just feel like I’ve seen all types of people. I’m taking a class right now (hence the reason for this post) which is based on American identities. I’m a sophomore at a college in the western New York area. Throughout the almost two decades of my life, I have gone through changes and events that have shaped who I’ve become, and helped solidify my own identity. Some of these things were negative and some were positive, but overall they allowed me to grow as a person and find myself. Though I wouldn’t necessarily want to repeat some of the bad—I’m not masochistic in the least—I know that experiencing them ended up benefiting me in the long run.  Among the most important things that I value about myself are my personality, my passions, my attitude towards others, and the people with whom I associate myself.

Though I am far from perfect, I usually try to go by the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. This was something emphasized in my life growing up, and something I strongly value. At points, I was known for being blond—just the hair color, not the stereotype that typically goes with it. I still remember hearing a blonde joke for the first time, and not understanding why the girl with light hair was supposedly stupid. I knew I wasn’t, so I never cared about that stereotype.  I was the gleeful little girl with pale Parisian curls and bright blue eyes that were usually lost in a book. I was recognized for being happy and smiling continuously as a child and part of that identity translated into who I am as a young adult.

I love smiling. And I love that people smile when they’re happy, but smiling also makes people happy.  It’s a wonderful little cycle. The attitude I put out is the same kind that I like to see in my friends. I try to surround myself with happy, confident people who have a love and passion for life. I do not drink or do drugs, and the majority of my friends are very similar to me—at the very least, they drink minimally which I don’t mind. I feel that a crucial part of maturing is the realization of what traits you value most in yourself and the people you have in your life and making sure that those qualities are noticeable.

The things in life that bring me joy are also an important part of my identity. I love horseback riding, drawing, writing, playing flute, photography and many other art forms. I prefer to let nature inspire me than to focus on technology. Don’t get me wrong—I love my cell phone and computer and camera. But the sun is really wonderful, and the seasons are enchanting. I get all four here, though winter is a bit longer than I would prefer. I’m more of a summer girl, for all I love snowflakes. Nature is lovely, and it’s one of the many things that I try not to take for granted. Horseback riding took up the majority of my childhood, and the responsibility that came with riding and helping to care for horses at the stable I rode at gave me maturity at a young age. All of the things that make up my hobbies and interests have given me varying experiences that continue to mold me.

Outside of these passions are incidents that took me away from them—I seem to be chronically accident-prone. Whether it was getting repeatedly ill as a child, or the nerve damage and broken ribs that kept me from doing anything for two years (the second half of my high school experience), I have had my share of hardships. These events, no matter how terrible they were at the time, allowed me to grow and appreciate how blessed I am. I’m not saying it was okay that they happened. it was not okay that I was in pain and it was not okay that doctors told me I would never get better. That was not okay with me, but those things did happen and I moved through and past them. I can’t, and won’t, say that I did it alone, though. Alone, I never would have made the same progress that I did with the people in my life supporting me.

Through these—let’s call them challenges—I tried new things, adapted to difficulties, and learned to love everything life threw at me. While it took some time to love everything life threw (and no, lemons were not chucked my way), I finally got to the point where I was tired of being angry and hurt and sad. It’s difficult to be grateful for everything all the time; I have my moments where life feels crappy, and during my challenges those moments were a lot more frequent than I’d like to admit. But I always had and have a strong foundation in my friends and family who gently remind me of the beauty there is, and I am able to go on being myself. 

My family has played a key role in shaping me into the person I am and helping me solidify my own identity. Understanding my family allows someone to better understand me, and vice versa.  Love is of the upmost importance—love, in the unconditional sense. My parents taught me to love everyone first, simply for being human, and to love them in different stages from that point on. That doesn’t mean trusting every person I meet—I’m not that naïve, but everyone should be recognized. My parents gave me the freedom of faith in whatever I chose to believe in, so long as I believed in something good. My family is the most important part of my life, and so much of my individuality comes from what they’ve taught me. Together they have built me up into such a strong person that I can be independent and know who I am, while still wanting to be with them. If everyone had the family life that I do, the world would be a very different place.

Growing up, my family didn’t focus on watching T.V. It was rare to ever have it on—we read an hour every day for one hour of television a week, plus one family movie every Friday night. We spent more time together as a family than glued to a show or the computer. It allowed me the chance to grow up differently than my friends. I fell in love with books and the magical place they took me, and I was often caught reading. I got teased a bit for it later on in life, but I was the bookworm of the class. I read during class, in the hallway, during lunch, on the bus, everywhere. I learned about nature and the world and every topic I could get my hands on, and starting gaining a view on the world.

I can remember the first time I was planning hanging out with a new friend and she told me we were going to her Mom’s house. Divorce had never really affected me or any part of my life, so I didn’t understand—I simply thought that meant her dad wasn’t going to be home while we were hanging out. My life was so different than most of my friends’. As I got older, I got closer to my parents—my mom in particular. While my friends were fighting with their parents, I was confiding in them. Call it crazy if you want, but my mom is my best friend, and I am not ashamed of that. She loves me unconditionally, and I love her the same way.

She’s the person that I want to end up like—she is the best person I know. She always asks me and my siblings to think about how she and Dad have raised us. My mom asks us what we would do the same, and what we would do differently. I wouldn’t change a thing—I couldn’t have been raised better.  I am so blessed to have her, and to experience life with her in it. She pushes me to be better, to think of others, to take less for granted and to forgive even when I’m hurt. I couldn’t ask for a better person, and I would never change my childhood. Maybe that’s what sets me apart—there isn’t a single moment that I would change. Even the rare moments when we fought taught me valuable things. (Mostly that she was always right. And I mean always).

I mentioned that one of my challenges was nerve damage. It happened the summer between tenth and eleventh grade, and it threw me for a bit of a loop. A week after the initial injury, I went off to visit family in Germany. I had broken my ribs once before, and it started out as a second set of breaks, which damaged the nerves and caused two years of extreme pain. It wasn’t until several months after the initial damage that I realized that I was getting worse, not better. My mom and the rest of my family—and my true friends—got me through it. A few people who I thought were friends abandoned me during this time. High school was not the best time of my life, but I learned from it, and I’m happy to say that I’m a better person because of it.

My mom woke me up every morning and told me it would be okay. She took me to over fourteen doctors, sat with me through every painful test they put me through. She was the reason we found a way that I could heal. After being told I would never get better, this was beyond a miracle. But it was during that time that my mom became more than just my mother—she translated from friend and mother, to best friend. I trust her with everything. She got me through the worst time in my life, and helped me appreciate it simultaneously. Even when it hurt to breathe, even when laughter was excruciating, movement brought me to tears, and fabric on my skin was agonizing, she managed to make me appreciate every intake and exhale of air, and every smile that cracked over my lips. She makes my world better. It’s corny and bit of a cliché, but true.

Growing up the way that I did was what allowed me to become the person I want to be. I had amazing role models—I still do. My elder sister developed into one alongside my parents and relatives. I have constant encouragement coming from all aspects of my life. If ever I have a rough day, I can scroll through my contact list, pick out a name, and know that whoever it is will be there to make me smile and laugh again. I am who I am because of the people and experiences in my life, and I hope to only continue moving forward. I can’t imagine a different life for myself—I wouldn’t want it.

As I mentioned earlier, stereotypes never affected me as a young child. Everyone gets labeled as something—it’s just how life works. But it didn’t really strike me as odd, or mean. The blond thing was more of a way to recognize which kid in the classroom I was, and never referred to my intelligence—according to school grades at least. Quoting Einstein, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” There are plenty of things that I don’t know, but I like to think that I’m pretty smart. Once my last few elementary school years rolled around and middle school happened, I got hit by a few stereotypes. I was the bookworm, the know-it-all with glasses, and the girl who didn’t know nearly enough about fashion. Looking back, I think I was adorable. Some of the kids my age didn’t agree at the time. Again, I had that strong support in my family who told me day in and day out that I was beautiful, and my friends concurred. Maybe it was their job to tell me that, but it was nice hearing it anyway.  

The stereotype of being an American was something I never fully understood, especially as a child. Other than the national anthem each morning, traveling to Canada for summers and other countries for vacations, I had no concept of the difference between places other than climate. I didn’t understand what it meant to be American versus Canadian. And for a long time, I didn’t care. It was a stereotype I received without giving it any acknowledgement.  September 11^th, 2001, allowed me to start to learn about my country, though I was young—a fourth grader who knew very little about the world, and even less about what was going on around her. My book knowledge usually led me into the realm of fantasy, of wild stories that weren’t much related to current events. After that day, the national anthem finally held meaning, and I watched our country go to war to ‘fight the bad guys’. That day changed everything for me, as I am sure it changed for everyone else, and allowed me to start to form my own ideas and concepts about my country and what we stood for. For once, I thought about the pledge of allegiance as I recited it every morning with my class. This all came into play about seven years later, when I made my first out-of-country trip on my own to visit relatives in Germany. The time I spent there allowed me to come back and reflect on what I knew of America, and what I decided I wanted to better understand. I had been planning the trip for about a year and a half, and just a week or so before I was scheduled to leave, I broke my ribs, which resulted in the nerve damage I told you about earlier. Nevertheless, I wasn’t about to give up my trip for what I thought was just a few broken bones. Climbing up a several mile walk in the Alps to reach the castle that Disney based theirs off of is just one example of my stubborn refusal to miss out on the trip.

After two planes, four movies, a thrilling ride on the Autobahn and several cups of coffee I arrived in Jetzendorf, Germany. Once there, I saw firsthand that people got a look of disdain on their faces when I mentioned that I was American. Especially the expression on the face of the customs officer when I pronounced the ‘J’ in the town’s name, not knowing it was actually pronounced with a ‘Y’ sound. It was only after I tried a little bit of German and mentioned that I was staying with family that I was accepted among my cousins’ friends and community members.  Though I stayed for almost three straight weeks, it took me a great deal of the first week to earn smiles from anyone but the boys my age.

It was an interesting experience, to say the least. I learned the words kleinen löffel, which means small spoon, gute nacht, which means goodnight, and guten tag, which means good afternoon. These simple phrases—though the spoon was only useful at breakfast when I needed it—allowed me to show others that I was trying, even if my language skills weren’t the best. By finally getting to know the people, I began to learn of their culture and was able to compare it to what I knew of my own. Attempting their culture showed people that I was more than a tourist.

I was surprised that my German cousins knew more about American politics than I did; I had very little to say on the subject, and simply listened as they spoke both of their own country’s history and present state, as well as my own. Family identity was strongly emphasized as well, and I began to learn a little bit about my German roots—including the knowledge that my last name comes from a town in Germany. My great-great-something grandfather was the major, and as such took on the town’s name as his own. My name would have been thirty letters long, not including my middle name or mother’s maiden name. Imagine bubbling that in on a scantron. One of my cousins, a year older than I, was a history fanatic, and taught me about the different castles of her country and all the people who lived there. She spoke German and English fluently and was learning French, which amazed me at age fifteen. I had enough difficulty with learning a second language, let alone a third.

Speaking to my parents about my trip helped me finalize some ideas that had been brewing. I figured out that in most other countries, children are fluent in at least two languages, if not three, and that it is much more beneficial to have that kind of knowledge. I was able to understand just a little better the debates over the Thanksgiving and Christmas tables about politics, and interject a few ideas of my own (especially the idea of being proud to be an American, even if America didn’t always make the best decisions. After all, we’re all only human, right?). Finally, my trip allowed me to start forming better opinions about what I wanted from my country, and what I wanted to put into it.

This trip started my increased interest in my country and the events that were occurring around me that I hadn’t ever taken the time to read about. I was able to identify what I did and didn’t like about current stereotypes, and figure out where I wanted to fit into society. By viewing America from the eyes of others, I could be both critical and forgiving, and gain a wider perspective of both my country and the world around it.

As you probably know, Americans are given hundreds of different stereotypes by other countries, other groups of people, and by themselves. Many of those broad judgments are those of bullies—negative statements that make them feel better about themselves and put others down. Some of the most well-known ones include the dumb blonde, an ignorant or naïve personality, someone who is fat and most likely lazy too, the greedy money-hungry CEO, the lethargic unemployed, and the stupid. There are plenty of others, but this outlines a basic idea of the negative view that many take. We all know someone, or know of someone, who fits into one of those stereotypes. But I believe that people should focus towards the positives—American or not, though it would be my preference that America take on a new stereotype.

Looking at a smaller group of people, the most well-liked person is kind, generous, friendly, and clever. This basic idea is the epitome of what America should strive towards. Instead, we are known for politicians who are pro-war, and who focus on protecting big businesses and not the everyday person. The person that I want to be is who I think America should try to be. Our national anthem is about war; it would be my preference to change it to America the Beautiful, which speaks about what there is to be appreciative of in this country. Starting with the basics is one way to begin a larger change. We don’t need a drinking song about war as our national anthem. Seriously, what kind of message is that?

There are plenty of people who do fit what I believe is the perfect stereotype, and while some are American, these types of people live all over the world. These are the same people who went to Haiti after the earthquake, who donate money to struggling causes, and who visit countries in need of aid, or send money to help. I believe that if the news focused more on the positive—such as the aforementioned instances—that people would start to hold a better connotation with the idea of being American. I know that there were stories written on such events—but they seemed few and far between in comparison to the stories written about the destruction, or the politics that followed.

Nowadays, in order to understand American identities and stereotypes, people must look at the psychology of the mind. So often, people focus on the negative and allow themselves to be oblivious to the wonderful things happening around them. It is easier to use a stereotype about a group of people than it is to take the time to learn about them and understand them.  I believe that people should first look inward before trying to use stereotypes. Most of the time people project what they don’t like about themselves onto others. Furthermore, people rely on the idea of the seven deadly sins (sloth, anger, greed, pride, gluttony, lust, and envy) to define others around them. These are the most basic ideas to pull upon, but almost every stereotype stems from them because they are pointed out throughout history as being the worst part of humanity.

Though the objective of my class was to focus on American identities, I think that it is also important to consider the identities of the rest of the world, because their backgrounds are what add to their views and perceptions of Americans. By better understanding others, we can better understand the flaws of our community and have a hope at correcting them. In general, it would benefit everyone to recognize the seven deadly sins as part of all of our lives, but then to move forward and strive towards including the seven contrasting holy virtues to allow ourselves to improve and become better people. Those are: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. This goes back to the idea of the perfect stereotype, and what people should focus on moving towards.

I believe that we as a people have to acknowledge both the negative and the positive about our community as a whole, and work on improving the negative instead of using them as stereotypes. Simply pointing out the undesirable does not change anything; it just allows people to vent without taking any true action. I feel that in order to define America as a whole, we have to define the everyday person: imperfect, but trying for something better.

Who Am I or Who Are You?

Miss Dee kicks off this semester's crop of Identification Projects from American Identities!


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Who Am I or Who Are You?

Who am I or who are you? This is a question that Americans rarely think to ask of themselves because we believe we know who we are. If you were to go to the United Kingdom, and they were to ask you where you were from you would say, “America." What if they were to ask you who you were? Would you say, “I’m an American” or would you say something that identified you by region? “I’m from New York," “I’m from California,” you might even say, “oh, I’m a teacher” or “I’m a sales clerk," but what does that mean? What does it mean to be an American?

When I first thought about this question, I thought it would be easy to answer. What came to mind was, I’m a 20-year-old girl who grew up in a small city--you might even call it rural. I have been home schooled since 5th grade and did my first two years of college online. My home life was quiet; I was raised by my mom, my parents got divorced when I was 3, I have a sister who is two years older than I, but these only touch the surface of who I am--there is so much more to me.

We have all learned that sometimes people use ethnic markers to make snap judgments on who a person is: if you’re Asian you must be smart, of Middle Eastern descent, you are Muslim. Are you from India? Then you must be Hindu.  Black? Then you must be from an inner-city poor family. If you are Hispanic, then you must be here illegally, right? If you are white, well, then you must live in a nice house, and own two cars. All of these are stereotypical identifiers that we have used to label ourselves or each other but are they true and do we each have different definitions for identifying our fellow Americans?

One of the ways we identify ourselves is by family and how we are raised. I was raised in a single-parent household. It was just my mom, sister and I; all our extended family on my mom’s side lived in Florida. My dad lives in Kentucky and his family lives in south Florida.This helped shape my identity because I grew up without a lot of people trying to influence my thoughts and ideas. Family stories and traditions were told by my mom but since there was no other family around, we also made our own new traditions. My mom was raised to be a good “Southern lady” by her mother and grandmother; it was important to them that she was taught about her southern roots. My mom wanted to keep that part of the family identity alive so my sister and I were brought up to say, “Yes Ma’am” and “No Ma’am” We called our mom “Mama” and were often reminded that “ladies” act a certain way.

As I’ve learned in this course family can have a major influence on how you identify yourself. In the book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua, we learned that some Asian families have a much different idea on child rearing. In this story, we learned how Chua was trying to raise her daughters to be just like Chinese children who were born and raised in China; the problem was her daughters thought of themselves as Americans not Chinese so there was a constant conflict. From this we see that sometimes people have a hard time letting go of the way their parents might have raised them and when they have children they want to continue those traditions but their children don’t always want to share that identity--they want to make their own.

Think about your own family, are your parents first, second, third or possibly fourth-generation immigrants, did their past influence how they raised you and is your upbringing going to influence how you will or might raise your children? The bigger question might be will your upbringing influence how you see yourself compared to other people in your neighborhood, town, or state? Would you want to make your idea of the American identity the same as everyone else’s--would you change your idea to fit theirs? As our cities and neighborhoods change will we are able to learn to accept all the people who come to live in our little part of the world?

I've grown up in a small town where the residents are mainly white, middle class, and college educated. The people I do meet of diversity are also middle class and college educated. When people use to ask my mother why we left Florida to move back to New York my mom would tell them she wanted her daughters to be raised in the same environment she was raised in. This is where she learned about her identity, and she wanted to expose us to different people without prejudices, so we would learn to base our opinions of people on what they did, not the color of their skin or their religion. Like my mom would say, “The two most important things you can give your children are roots and wings."

There is a disadvantage to growing up in a sheltered environment; I now feel that this has limited my exposure to how other people live. When you look at the world from an idealistic point of view, it makes it harder to understand the lives of people who grew up so different than you. If you grew up in a city, you might see yourself as someone who is more streetwise than someone who grew up on a farm, but does this really cause a change in our American identity? The answer is yes; we are a large county with many unique cultures and where we grew up makes us different in how we see ourselves. I know that when I travel to large cities that have a very diverse population I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the many different cultures. I’m not sure how to feel, all I know is that it isn’t what I’m used to. However, what unites us are our love for freedom and independence and our proud heritages.  That is what everyone has brought to America; these loves are what make as united under a single American identity.

Our ancestors have had a major influence on how we see America and how we have come to call ourselves Americans. Take a moment to think about what that statement is really saying and asking you to think about. “Our ancestors have had a major influence on how we see America and how we have come to call ourselves Americans.” What does that statement mean to you? My great-grandfather grew up in Kentucky, and I’ve been told that when he first met someone he would often ask, “Who are your people?” This is a very telling question because it can be answered in so many ways.

So, let me take a moment to tell you who my people are and what helped create my American identity.  I like to think of myself as a founding American. My mother’s side of the family took two very different paths to come to America. My grandfather’s family, the Williams/Bartow clan, got its footing here by coming as captured Irishmen back when the British forced men to become sailors. These ancestor schanged their name to Williams from Allsworth before the Revolutionary War. After they escaped from British hold they fought to help gain America her independence, many of their descendants have now become Daughters of the Revolution. From the shores of Massachusetts to upstate New York, they settled and raised families who fought in many wars, from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War as Union soldiers to Korea. They were farmers, and railroad men; they were housewives, mothers and partners in this new nation. They traveled west and back east working as forest spudders, and met Buffalo Bill Cody.  I’ve even been told that my distant grandmother’s family came over on the Mayflower and the first woman to set foot on the new land was a relative. 

My mother’s mother side of the family came in through the Carolinas from England. They are the Thomas and Hicks side of the family. They too were farmers and worked the forest.  Some owned slaves; some were dirt poor; some fought the Indians and some married into them. They fought in the Civil War as good Confederate soldiers and died for their beliefs. Some walked the “Trail of Tears,” or so the story goes. They grew and moved from farms to cities and farming to factories. We even have bloodlines to President Polk.

My dad’s side of the family is just as colorful. On his father's side, you can trace his family back to the second settlement at Jamestown, VA. They crossed the state to become farmers and neighbors of President James Madison in Orange, Virginia, then moved on to Kentucky. They were farmers, and tug boat captains. They fought in the Civil War on the Union side and fought in both World Wars. It was a distant relative on my dad’s father’s side, a Houchin, who is credited with finding “Mammoth Cave” in Kentucky.

            On my dad’s mother’s side, you have the Jones, Comb branch:  good strong English names. Again, the families came in through Virginia and farmed and hunted their way across to Kentucky. My great-grandfather Charles Green (Red) Jones owned a mule team and carried supplies over the mountains in Kentucky, married and raised seven children in the coal-mining camps in the hollers of Eastern Kentucky. He was involved in helping form the coal unions and wrote a book entitled Growing up Hard in Harlan County when he was in his sixties. My great-grandmother was unique because she not only graduated high school but also went to college--something that was not normally done in the early 1900s. From these humble roots, my dad’s family grew and changed to leaving the coal mines and become successful businessmen and -women, bringing their families out of the hard life of coal mining and into the safety of business ownership.

Of course, each family has more modern stories to share.  My great uncle has won several Broken Wing awards from the Army for landing disabled aircraft safety. My mom's brother was a long-haul truck driver and rode Harleys. He never went to college but insisted that my sister and I go and instructed my mom that neither my sister nor I should work while in school. He passed away at the age of 45, and my mom has kept her promise to him regarding working and school.

What does this have to do with American identities, you might ask.  Think about your own families, where are they from, what hardships did they endure to bring you to the place you are today? This to me is truly the heart of our collective identity:  the woven stories and history of our families and how they have shaped and changed us to become not only who we are as individuals but who we are as a country.

While you would think that with all that diversity in our collective history and families, we would be more tolerant of the different people who are currently coming to our country, it doesn’t always work that way. Even though we are a nation of immigrants, we still have very strong ideas of who should be a new American. Even my generation is influenced by where we live and how this new influx of people affects us personally. In the northeast in the small city I live in the influx of immigrants haven’t had a large impact on us, but I can’t say this is true for others living in other parts of the country. This influx of immigrants is reshaping our identity, and it is also causing us to stop and think about who we are and where we stand on this difficult issue. Let me give you some personal examples of how some of the different generations look at the new immigrants.

You see, my grandparents live in Florida, my mom’s dad lives in Jacksonville, which is among the 13 largest cities in the United States, and my dad’s parent’s live in Naples, Florida, which is located right outside of one of the biggest-growing areas in south Florida.

When I have visited my dad’s parents in Naples, I am always surprised by the dislike for anyone who is not just like them; by this, I mean anyone who is Hispanic. If you were to believe my grandparents, you would think every Hispanic person in the United States was an illegal immigrant, and that our county is being destroyed by the flood of people coming from South America. My grandparents would like to blame this group of people for “hard-working American” not having jobs. Now I know this isn’t true, and I’ve often thought that I personally won’t want to do the hard work that they do. I don’t want to stand in the sun all day and work for hardly any pay, and I’m grateful that I can go to the store and pick up a tomato or an orange. We need to stop and think, what do these people bring to our country and more important, why don’t we want them to make it their country? Is it because we fear for our jobs? Maybe it's because we are afraid they will change what we see as “our” country, or maybe we are afraid that we will lose our identity. I think that is the biggest reason, fear of losing what we inherently think of as ours. We seem to have forgotten that Mexico owned most of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico before America got those areas in the spoils of war in the Mexican-American War of 1846.

When it comes to my mom’s father, he seems to have a problem with people of Middle Eastern descent. Let me tell you a little about my grandpa:  he moved back to Florida when he was 45 after living in upstate New York from age 26 on; anyway, while living in Florida, he worked as a repair person for a coffee company.  At this job he dealt a lot with small convenience stores, and a lot of these are independently owned by people from the Middle East and Asia.

The problem started because it is common for Middle Eastern culture to haggle for everything and of course in America our prices are set and usually not negotiable. My grandfather took their bartering style and viewed it as them trying to get something for nothing; in his eyes it was not much above stealing. He would get so mad that they would argue over everything he had to charge them for, and I could see where after a while it could begin to feel like you might want them to go back to where it was common to negotiate for everything you purchased. Regardless of how much we tried to explain this to him, he still was set in his ways, and even though it was disturbing to hear him make certain remarks we knew we were not going to be able to change his mind.

I find this common among older people, and I know that some of it is because of who they are and how they were raised, but it is still hard to be around. You would think that knowing their own family's background they would be more tolerant, but for many it was just too long ago for them to remember. Maybe the families had worked hard to elevate themselves to their current status in life and they don’t understand why it’s harder for today's immigrants.  You would think they would want to give this new influx of people a chance. Maybe it’s because we now have more enemies in the world and newcomers are looked at with suspicion. But, what about the Irish or the Germans when they came here?  Weren’t they, too, looked at and thought of as outsiders?  If you look at your family backgrounds, you will probably see that many of your ancestors worked hard to raise themselves up from humble beginnings to where they are today. Don’t you think we should give new immigrants the same chance? The new generation of immigrants has made as many sacrifices to get to this country as most of the earlier generations but many people are still of the mindset that they haven’t paid their dues to be called Americans yet.

When I think of the study of American Identities, I think about learning what it is to be an American. This is not an easy thing to do, because everyone’s identity can be defined in so many ways. It can be defined by where we live, who our ancestors were; it can be defined by our monetary status, the region we live in or grow up in. What I do know is that we are all different, and yet we are all the same: we are Americans.

Now if I were to ask myself the same question as in the beginning of the semester, I would answer it very differently. Who am I? I am a young white woman who was raised in a divorced household. I am lucky because my parents still get along. I have a sister who is two years older and me; both my sister and I are college educated. My mom has been a big influence on me by instilling the love of our own family history. I’ve learned wonderful stories about my family's adventures in early America and have many great family members, who helped shape this country. I've also learned to try to understand where my grandparents get their point of view about who they believe should be considered Americans, and even though I don’t agree with them, I now have the tools to try to help them see my side of the story.

I hope that this makes you want to find out about your families and what makes them and you part of the American Identity. I bet with some questions to grandparents, aunts and uncles as well as parents you will find out that their stories help you better understand who you are and how your family has help create our country’s identity.

Here Come the Identification Projects from Fall 2011's American Identities Course

Over the next several days (and starting tonight), I'll be posting the Identification Projects by the students from this semester's completely-reimagined American Identities course who wanted them to go on the blog.  They'll be getting some extra credit for actually taking their writings public, but much more valuable will be whatever responses you care to offer them in comments!

Identities of America: A Student Blog

Check out Identities of America, a photoblog by one of my students. It's got a fun, sarcastic feel to it, but he's raising some important questions through his conjunctions of text and image.

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.

Tattoos: Art or Disaster

Research question:
Why do people get tattoos?

This question has been plaguing parents, sociologists, and everyday people for a very long time. Man-kind has been experimenting with body marking and body art for centuries. Egyptians, Romans, Native Americans and other ancient peoples have been using different forms of tattooing to symbolize or to bring awareness to something. It is my belief that people get tattoos for various reasons; but some common theories I have as to why people do this are for rebellious reasons, for self-expression, or to belong to a group. These are not the only reasons why people get tattoos but they are the reason I will be studying in this research question.
Editor Jane Caplan[1] also supports this idea of multiple reasons for tattooing. In her book, Caplan discuses the history of tattooing in many different Empires and cultures throughout history, she also helps support the idea that tattoos were used to symbolize something more than just body marks. Other authors such as Carrie Reed[2] and C.P. Jones[3] have studied the historical use of tattooing in Chinese and Roman culture. They also have come up with similar finds that tattooing was used for more that just body art. It was used to tell who a slave was and to identify people easier.
In approximately the last twenty years, there has been a new trend of people getting tattoos. It is the sixth largest business in the United States, and the majority of people getting tattoos are suburban women. This means that a large number of soccer moms are the ones “rebelling” and getting tattoos.
Women started to become more interested in tattooing in the 1960’s. In the United States during this time women and men were experimenting with drugs, sex, and other forms of self-expression. Tattooing was just another way for women to rebel against society. Traditionally, society had viewed tattoos has symbols of rebellious nature, only bikers[4] and prisoners would have them. In today’s society teachers, lawyers, and accountants have tattoos. They are respected members of the community and yet they still have tattoos. The stereotypical view of people with tattoos is so slowly disappearing. What has changed over time? Why are tattoos more accepted? Also, if they are in fact accepted does this mean that getting a tattoo is no longer a rebellious act?
In many cases we see that adolescents are trying to rebel against their parents and decide to get tattoos and body piercings. To them, this was the only way to gain some control in their lives and help their self-esteem. Lynne Carroll and Roxanne Anderson[5] have done various research on the affect of tattooing and body piercing on young adolescent girls. In this study, they found that adolescent girls were trying to not only rebel against their parents for more control in their lives but also because of this act of rebellion their self-esteem was affected.
Tattooing is also about control for many people, for rebelling is usually based on the lack of control someone has in their life. People tend to rebel because they want control whether it’s over their body, their life, or their society. They need to have power over something and having a say of what goes on your body definitely helps them. Tattooing is one of those things that you have complete control over because it is on your body and you decide what goes on it and what does not. This is why many women started to get tattoos, whether they are unhappy with their lives or not, this gives many of them their first taste of freedom and control outside of the home.
This idea of needing control and rebellious behavior from women is supported by the work that Christine Braunberger[6] has done about tattooing. In her study, she explains the perception women have about tattooing and the freedom that comes along with it. She describes tattooing for women as a rebirth into their natural beauty. Tattooing for women is more of an act of independents that helps them discovers themselves in all their glory. In addition, Braunberger also gives you the battle between the concepts of women with tattoos as beautiful or as a monster.
Then there is a whole other theory about tattooing, and it is a form of self-expression. This reason of self-expression is becoming a popular explanation for the increase in people getting tattoos. More and more people want to find outlets for their passions, religious beliefs, anger, sadness, happiness, etc. To them tattooing is a perfect way to express themselves. It is a great way to express many different emotions. It has become body art. There is a whole culture today that is all about tattooing. Many professional artists have tattoos and many tattooists are artist, their work is on peoples bodies and to them it is a living art. This culture is more than just tattoos and making money, to the tattooist and to the person getting the tattoo it is about so much more. It is about art, color, shape, emotion, remembering, honoring a loved one. They live and breathe tattoos. It is their way of life; however, whether it is an obsession or devotion is another question.
This notion of tattooing as a culture is actually true. Culture does not have to refer to a people of a specific place who speak the same language and have the same belief system. It can also be built on a common goal or desire; this is the case with the tattooing community. Margo Demello[7] actually takes the time to examine the modern day tattoo world and how it came to be. In her book she decides the community from the ground up; the background stories of tattooing, tattoos in today’s media, and the new meaning of tattoos. Her work is a vast study on tattoos in the new age and future of tattooing in America. And tattooing has become its own world; there are magazines, books, movies, national and state competitions and conferences that are all based around tattooing.
Another writer who adds to this theory of self-expression is Terisa Green[8], she takes it one step further and creates an encyclopedia for tattoos. This lends a hand to stating that tattooing is about self-expression and art. In her book she is trying to help others figure out some common meanings of tattoos so they are getting a tattoo that best fits them. Margot Mifflin[9] also looks at the meaning of tattoos in her book. She actually studies the history of tattooed women in circuses. She learns about the meaning of tattoos and freedom that the tattoos gave women in historical time periods where women weren’t allowed to be that expressive.
On the other side of self-expression some authors are studying tattooing in definitions of beauty. Robert Wicks[10] looks into the affect that tattoos have on beauty and whether or not face tattoos are accepted as beautiful. He also tries to put limits and restrictions on tattoos so people can remain acceptable in society. Corinna Wu[11] is another author who disagrees with this idea of self expression; her discussion is about the removal of tattoos due to regret and more. She is looking at tattoos in a different light, she looks at them as symbols of a rebellious youth and not as a well thought out plan. She believes adults will later come to understand the wildness of their younger years and see tattoos as a mistake.
A final explanation that I have come up with for why people get tattoos is to belong. In our simplest form we are human beings and as humans we need to socialize with others. It is a basic function that we have; we do not usually like to be alone. As children we are taught to play nicely with others, to share, and to work together. With these common lessons that are taught to us as children it is no wonder why we want to desperately belong to a group or to fit in. We see it all the time in high school and college, how kids want to be apart of “the in crowd” and popular. Many of them will go to extreme measures to do so, even permanently marking their bodies.
Many sport teams, braches of the military, and gangs have tattoos that are symbols of belonging. Many of these groups do not make it a requirement to be tattooed or to last receive a tattoo in order to get in but that does not stop people from feeling pressure to get a tattoo to show how tough they are or to show their loyalty. Because a tattoo is so permanent, when you get one you show that you are permanently apart of this group and chose not to leave it.
Other people get tattoos for groups because they feel that they need to for protection. In gangs[12] if you flash a gang sign or a gang tattoo then most people will not hurt you because of fear of having whole gangs come after them. On the other side if you do not get a tattoo for a gang, many times this is telling the gang that you are not loyal and they will come after you themselves.
To sum up these theories, people get tattoos for different reasons. It is on case to case bases. But each theory is similar in the end, for it is up to an individual person to get a tattoo. Whether a person gets a tattoo for rebellious reason, to fit in with others, for control, or even for self-expression, it is all the same. I am writing this paper and doing this study in hopes of not only discovering the reasons behind tattooing but I also wanted to show society that not all tattoos are negative. I hope with this research that many negative thoughts and feelings toward tattoos can stop so people can continue living their lives and promote a more accepting society.


Bibliography
- Atkinson, Michael. Tattooed: The Sociogenesis of a body Art (University of Toronto Press)
- Caplan, Jane. Written on the body: The tattoo in European and American History (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey)
- Demello, Margo. Bodies of Inscription: A cultural history of the modern tattoo community (Duke University press, Durham & London 200)
- Green, Terisa. The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide to choosing your tattoo (A Fireside book Published by Simon & Schuster New York, Toronto, Sydney)
- Kuwahara, Makiko. Tattoo: An anthropology (Berg Oxford-New York)
- Miller, Jean-Chris. The Body art book: A complete illustration guide to tattoos, piercing, and other body modification (Berkley Books, New York)
- Mifflin, Margot. Bodies of Subversion: A secret History of Women and tattoo. New York City: Juno Books, 2007.
- Pitts, Victoria. In the Flesh: the Cultural Politics of Body Modification (Palgrave Macmillan)
- Armstrong, Myrna. "Vital Signs: When the Art is on a Body Part." The American Journal Of Nursing 99, no. 6 (1999)
- Braunberger, Christine. "Revolting Bodies: The Monster Beauty of Tattooed Women." NWSA 12, no. 2
- Carroll, Lynne, and Roxanne Anderson. "Body Piercing, Tattooing, Self-esteem, and body investment in adolescent girls." (n.d.)
- Demello, Margo. "Not just for bikers anymore: Popular representations of American tattooing."
- Demello, Margo. "The Convict Body: Tattooing Among Male American Prisoners." Anthropology Today 9, no. 6 (1993)
- Jones, C.P. "Stigma: tattooing and branding in Greco-roman antiquity." the journal of roman studies 77 (1987)

- Kang, Mailiann, and Katherine Jones. "Why do People get tattoos?"
- Reed, Carrie. "Tattoo in Early China." Journal of the American Oriental Society 20 (n.d.)
- Wicks, Robert. "Can Tattooed faces be Beautiful? Limits on the Restriction of forms in Dependent Beauty." The journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 57, no. 3 (1999)
- Wu, Corinna. "Disappearing Ink: Tattoo Technology for Modern Impermanence." Science News 172, no. 15
[1] Caplan, Jane. Written on the body, pgs. 17-45
[2] Reed Carrie. Tattoo in Early China
[3] Jones, C.P. Stigma: tattooing and branding in Greco-roman antiquity
[4] Demello, Margo. "Not just for bikers anymore: Popular representations of American tattooing."
[5] Carroll, Lynne, and Roxanne Anderson. "Body Piercing, Tattooing, Self-esteem, and body investment in adolescent girls.
[6] Braunberger, Christine. "Revolting Bodies: The Monster Beauty of Tattooed Women
[7] Demello, Margo. Bodies of Inscription: A cultural history of the modern tattoo community
[8] Green, Terisa. The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide to choosing your tattoo
[9] Mifflin, Margot. Bodies of Subversion: A secret History of Women and tattoo.
[10] Wicks, Robert. "Can Tattooed faces be Beautiful: Limits on the Restriction of forms in Dependent Beauty"
[11] Wu, Corinna. "Disappearing Ink: Tattoo Technology for Modern Impermanence."
[12] Demello, Margo. "The Convict Body: Tattooing Among Male American Prisoners."