What happened if the cat came out of the bag and people realized that sexual orientation didn’t change a person so fundamentally that they needed to be boxed and classified as ‘other’ or as someone who was so different they could be stereotyped.
I remember an experience with my father when I first moved to residence. One of the RA’s was gay but upon meeting, my father liked him and thought he was the cat’s meow, when he found out he was gay his response was ‘he didn’t seem like the type.’ Ummm, what type? the essentialized ’flamer’ of gay… somehow in order to take on the identity of gay you must fit the stereotyped identity. I feel the same way with nationality. I tell people I am native and they say they same thing ‘oh you don’t seem like the type’ or they start to ask about my percentage of blood, like there is something essentially different about my blood that is ‘native’. Why do minorities have to fit the majorities stereotypes in order to ’seem authentic’.
Here is another way to look at it. If a 3rd generation Canadian tells me they are Irish and then proceeds to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day do I rigiorously question how much blood quanity they are and then dismiss them calling them ‘not really Irish’ and demand they fit a stereotype for me to accept them? or I could do this with German, Polish, French, Indian… so why is it okay for people to do that to me or other humans who must fit the majorities stereotypes?
The problem is essentializing categories is a paradox; one one hand you want to take up that identity in order to take up space in the social sphere and be recognized. one the other hand you limit yourself because then you must live up to the stereotypes of these essential qualities. What’s worse is that these identities become pan-perspectives where every gay person is expected to be the same and think the same.
SO should every Irish person think the same and look the same and act the same? No, then why is fisting the definitive and operative way a gay person would be viewed?
I understand Butler’s gender trouble, as from my previous post “Free-Lance Conscious Raiser”, when I troubled my gender very much. However, like Butler points out these gender troublings are still working within the binary opposition categories. I was still rejecting ‘femininity’ to take up ‘masculinity’ and still thinking in terms of binaries to make sense of my world. How do we de-gender? How do we let go and become people?
Wow! I totally agree with what you are saying. And I have to admit that I’m one of the guilty ones, feeling I need to categorize myself as something other than Canadian and search for a category.
When I was writing about the articles on homosexuality it really bothered me how people would say “they”, as if homosexual people are an “other”, a category that is different in some fundamental way from “us”. It bothers me when people do that about different ethnicities or race as well. Because we could just as easily do that with one another – everyone is different! And I would argue that I have a lot more in common with someone of a different ethnicity, or sexuality than I do with people of my own.
We need to drop the categories and realise that we are all human, and that that is the category we should be worried about – not segregating people into these groups with expectations that they feel they need to live up to.
Awesome blog!!
I think “native” in Canada is a unique distinction (as opposed to French, Polish, etc) because the Fed.Govt. actually assigns status cards to members of this minority. Furthermore, the degree to which a person is considered native is institutionalized, proven by the geneology that you need to provide to obtain a status card. I don’t remember what percentage of native blood you need to acquire this status (and the card with all the priveleges thereof) but this percentage cutoff point undoubtedly influences how the general public feels about how “native” you are. I happen to be 1/32nd “native” (I had one native great, great, great grandparent) but I would feel kind of rediculous trying to proclaim a native identity…
I always find it interesting when people ask about ethnicity. I sometimes ask, but I’m always more comfortable asking outright “What’s your ethnicity?” instead of beating around the bush like some people. I have a brown wife, and it’s really difficult for people to guess her ethnicity because she’s 1/2 South African, 1/2 English. Also, her S.African father and grandparents are “colored” S.African as opposed to the really black Africans. So she has a skin color that allows her to blend in anywhere. In Alberta people assume she’s native. In Toronto they assume she’s middle-eastern. When she’s with Latina friends, she looks latina. It’s funny listening to people try to ask her in subtle ways. (Sorry for the long reply) Funny story: When we joined a mission trip to Mexico in December it was funny to watch Mexicans speak to her in rapid Spanish, assuming she was Mexicana, when actually only I spoke spanish. Some of them were offended thinking that she was ignoring them. Or, when we approached someone mexican, they would always turn and speak to her, and she didn’t understand a thing! People were surprised when the “white boy” answered instead!
Okay, I am a status Indian and the reason I have beef with the ‘minority’ issue and perception is the blantant misinformation that is out there about being ’status’. First, I don’t get everything paid for: I get a percentage of my medical and dental paid for but it is less than the coverage I get from my parents medical/dental plans. Second, I am on a scholarship for school, but I applied and it is competitive. My little brother applied and was waitlisted so the notion of ‘free school’ isn’t there either. Thirdly, the only tax break I get is if I work on the reserve (notice there isn’t much economic opportunities out there) and of the percentage that actually make enough to qualify to be taxed on the reserve well it is 11%
This is what the ’status’ card does for me. Not to mention that it is a government way of deciding who THEY want to recognize as Indian. And when it comes to band membership it is once again an elite group of people who decided who gets to be ‘Indian’. What I am trying to say is my identity and being recognized by a card is wrong. The government shouldn’t be the ones who get to choose my identity and furthermore people getting mad about how much I recieve for my ‘benefits’ of being an Indian really need to look into the system and what we actually get. Unless you are from oil money, you don’t get much.
There is my rant for you to explain why blood quantity and status cards in reality don’t influence the equation of whether or not I have a right to call myself an ‘Indian’ or whether I need your (the big ‘your’ as in society) approval to take on these identities. How’s that for backlash
Awesome entry!
I enjoy your ‘mental masturbation’; I guess that means I like the way you think!
The idea of de-gendering makes my head explode. I have my doubts that those with the control to manipulate the status of gender are going to be willing to relinquish that ANY time soon. The more women move into jobs that men once occupied, the more those men will move into other positions that exclude women. Although it seems like things have gotten better (perhaps they have), I still think that all the same stuff exists, it is just a lot more covert than it used to be.
I certainly wasn’t making a value judgment about the fact that the govt. and the public need to know how “native” you are to determine your status, I was simply pointing out the penomena I observe. I don’t subscribe to the normal notions of distinction, and that’s why I find it kinda funny when people try to dissect my wife’s ethnicity. I know the status card is a mixed blessing for some, including friends of mine, who are torn between proclaiming their identity and suffering the social consequences (again, I don’t agree with it but the consequences are evident) or supressing their heritage to fit into the mainstream culture. I had a friend who was on the verge of changing his name because he had a very obvious blackfoot last name, and it hindered his success with job applications. It’s unfortunate, and I can only hope that the old-fashioned prejudeces die along with the old generation.
LJDV
I used to get a lot of people asking me if I was gay, or just assuming and harassing me when I worked at a night club. It was pretty annoying, as I am really not effeminate or “flaming” in anyway. The only thing that really set me apart was a really rad pink shirt that I bought at Value Village. That was before pink was “Cool” so I guess I’m actually just a trailblazer.
Hey, sorry if I seem a little edgy these days, the stress of school has really gotten to me. But I think our group video’s going to turn out great and I look forward to the presentation too.
I’ll catch you around and maybe we can chat about non-academic things for a while!