I am your perfect Irish girl - pale skin, lots of freckles, and reddish hair. Although we are now into the third generation of American born family members, my family and I still hold onto my family practices passed down from my great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. We are also your stereotypical Irish family - we are loud and bawdy, even when everyone hasn't been drinking, which is very unusual. We can never leave a party without saying goodbye for at least two hours, and of course, we have many red-haired children in the family. We still cook our own potatoes, for instant potatoes are a sin in my family. The smell of boiling cabbage is nothing new to our nostrils - in fact, we enjoy the smell.
However, I never really considered myself really Irish until I learned about the persecution that my family went through when they came to America. Along with many other Irish immigrants, my great-grandparents had a hard time finding jobs because they were not considered "white" in the eyes of their society. For God's sake, my great-grandfather was John Wayne's stand-in at one point (in Ireland, of course)! How could they not be considered "white"? I'm still doing research on this point, and as my brother has agreed, when he goes to Ireland this December, he will send me the contact information of the family we have still left in Ireland so that I may talk with them about what their family members went through in the "promised land."
So, am I Caucasian or Irish? As the authors state, we are many things, for our full identity is a conglomeration of all of these different sub-identities. With much reflection, I have decided that I am a young, straight, Irish-American Caucasian Lutheran female from the upper-middle class of Edgmont, Pennsylvania. I am an American.
I would love to hear what others think of themselves and what others think of me from this blog. If you have any comments, I PROMISE that I will get back to you (I know that I wasn't very good at this before). I'n very interested in hearing what you all have to say! Thank you for reading!
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ReplyDeleteIts true that we are a conglomeration of identities, and who knows what identity to choose in describing ourselves. Am I a woman, American, young adult, middle class? It all depends on the context of the situation. For instance, in the health care debate, Michelle Obama claims that many women are denied coverage to women who are victims of domestic violence because they are considered to have pre-existing conditions. In this case, I would assume the identity of a woman, not an American or middle class citizen. If there is an argument on whether young people or older people tip better in a restaurant, I am obviously going to pick the identity that suits the discussion. Also, in many cases, biracial people tend to identify with one side or the other and not biracial as an identity. Some peopl also don't get to make a choice in their identity. Sometimes society deals identity out to people without their choosing.
ReplyDeleteLadies, you both have some very interesting points, and I think that these questions definitely need some working out.
ReplyDeleteOlivia - I think you were absolutely right to raise this question. In my opinion, identity is partly a choice. For instance, I was born "white." That's embedded in my identity even if I don't want it to be. However, I have the choice of identifying with this group or not. What I'm trying to say is that we are born with certain aspects of identity, but it is always up to us whether or not we choose to acknowledge those traits. As for religion, you can always disregard the one you were given at birth and decide for yourself. Parents are just making a choice for us because we can't decide for ourselves until much later in life. Does that make any sense?
As for the idea that society shapes our identity and that there are consequences to saying that there is no choice, I think these are huge problems that we have to deal with! Of course, society can shape our identity, but again, I think we have that choice whether or not we listen to what society says. And if we say that there is no choice, wouldn't that just mean that everyone around us would be the same?
What do you think? I would love to hear back from you!
Kendra - I don't know if this is what you meant, but from reading your post, it sounds like you believe that you can only have one identity "on" at a time. While it's an interesting thought, I don't necessarily agree with this. For instance, in the case of women's health care, must I say that I am woman and only woman? Why must I drop the other aspects of my identity? Why can't I also be an Irish American? Or do you mean that you portray a certain dominant aspect according to what is needed (I think this is closer to what you were saying)? Okay, I agree with this, but you have to remember that you're not defined by just that trait - we are very complex creatures, and there are many levels to who we are!
As for society shaping identity, please look above (sorry, I just don't want to be too redundant)! Lastly, the case of the biracial is very interesting. I hadn't thought about this, but don't you think that people would be willing to celebrate both of their cultures instead of isolating just one? For instance, I have a friend whose parents are first-generation Irish (her father) and Italian (her mother). She celebrates both cultures and identifies with both. She may be a rare case, but that's how I believe others would see it, as well. However, I may be wrong! What do you think? I think this is a very interesting point, and I would like to hear from you again!
Thanks for reading, guys!