I've talked about identity in a few of my classes, and it intrigues me how people just have to have a label on someone, either an inferior or superior description of them, just to appease themselves that everyone fits into a specific category. Why can't people just be what they want to be?
Take for example a disabled person. He does not necessarily think of himself as incapacitated; for all we know he could be as confident and as functional ad any able-bodied man. But we still identify himself as the stereotypical person in a wheelchair. It is time we let people define themselves in whatever way they want, and not simply stick a label on them that we find appropriate. By doing this, we can eliminate a lot of problems and tensions. Race has always been a perennial identity, and many people do not like to be identified or judged based on the color of their skin. Thus by letting them chose how they would be liked to be addressed, we would allowing them the fundamental right of freedom; how they want to be known
Overall, I think that identity is an amorphous being, something that shifts continuously throughout one's life. A person can be a student, a father, and a son at the same time. How would you possibly judge him then? You may call him one of them, but he may not agree with that. Thus it is important to treat identity with respect and flexibility. We should not fear to be identified as something that does not fit the society's common perception. It is perfectly okay to look into the mirror and see someone else staring back at you,; as long as you are comfortable with it. There is no such thing as a pre-ascribed identity
This is very interesting. You put your point into words so eloquently. I completely agree with you that the people in society tend to only see one side of someone based on the job they have or the way they look. This is a topic that I have talked a lot about in other classes and in life. The one conclusion that I have come to is people in society want everything to perfectly fit into a category. Such as black and white or yes or no, where this is no grey area or where maybe is not an option. This topic of identity is something, however, has changed a lot in the last fifty years. People are becoming more accepting of the grey areas and learning that it is incorrect to make assumptions about someone based on their appearance. Society still has a long way to go.
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