Identities: Beautiful Disasters
As Amartya Sen once claimed, "identity can be a source of richness and warmth, as well as violence and terror...". We, as human beings, each belong to a multitude of different groups: I, for example, subconsciously identify with America, Vermont, CVU, The Edge, the Clos family, vegetarians, bloggers, personal trainers, Netflix-lovers, amongst many other groups. I feel that I am automatically biased towards any of these, since these "groupings" entail my interests or desires. Yet, what I find fascinating is how in some cases, it's shown that one certain identity can actually prevail over all others - and not always in the best of ways. A prime example of this concept is the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, when the Hutu's were forced to slaughter Tutsi's for the sole reason of identification. Certain Hutu's had absolutely nothing against the Tutsi people, yet they went on to brutally murder the group out of such strong belonging to the Hutu "family".
So here's my burning question: Why? Why does this occur?
There must be a way we, as individuals, can stop this. Although human nature has the power to do disastrous deeds, there's also the power for wondrous occurrences, too. I truly believe all evil stems from what we are brainwashed to think. Where do we come up with biases and stereotypes? How can we prevent these from becoming prejudices? The answer is simple: early life. We learn from such a young age what is right and wrong through our parents/guardians - the main influencers of our childhoods. Whether it be political thoughts about social welfare or something as simple as the proper clothing, our opinions that we form when we're older are based off of what we were unconsciously absorbing as kids. I grew up in a household of 6, with 2 married parents and 3 younger siblings; this lifestyle is rather different than my peers, as I've always been taught that this is how a family "should" be, and that we put each other before anyone else. But what if I had grown up like a majority of teens these days, and had 2 divorced parents and perhaps a sibling or two? It's intriguing to think about how different my outlook on life would be. Would I live here in Vermont? Would I have a job at a gym? Would I be an intern in the field of law? Who knows. The one thing I do know, though, is that my values and behavioral actions derive from my life up until now. If it weren't for such influencers, I may be a completely different person.
Alright, what does this have to do with anything? Going back to Sen's beginning quote about identity, I've inferred that such identities can be both wonderful and destructive. It's great to be able to be a part of different groups, but, as I mentioned earlier, one group can be potentially polarizing. Looking at this concept from a big-picture perspective, the Jewish/non-Jewish relations demonstrate this perfectly. Hatred of Judaism was/is completely generational. Back in the early times, Jews were isolated due to their difference in religion living amongst the Christian Empire. They were thought to have been "wicked" and "devil-worshippers" that drank the blood of Christian children. Yet, where did the formation of these thoughts come from? Each generation. How could a 10 year old child possibly make these assumptions about someone else, like a Jewish person? The only way they know what to think is passed down from their parents, friends, and those around them. This is a common thread in "The Boy of Old Prague", where a young boy realizes that the Jews aren't such wicked human beings when he is forced to live with them. However, the stereotype leads to a pogrom that destroys the Jewish ghetto. The symbolization of this opens my eyes to how disastrous one certain identity can be; you're EITHER Jewish or German; a Nazi or a non-Nazi; a blonde or a brunette. All of these identities were used against the Jewish people for centuries, thus resulting in the horrendous acts of the 1900's.
So if there's one thing to take away from this, it's that we can change the way the future thinks. We have the power to formulate the thoughts and behaviors of the next generation, because we've seen how that power can influence entire nations to commit atrocities. Why can't we commit miracles, too? If we can teach the future that it is indeed okay to identify with multiple groups that we choose to, then why are we still living in a world full of hate and prejudice towards certain stereotypes? Think about it. We can manage mankind.
-Lyndsey Clos
So here's my burning question: Why? Why does this occur?
There must be a way we, as individuals, can stop this. Although human nature has the power to do disastrous deeds, there's also the power for wondrous occurrences, too. I truly believe all evil stems from what we are brainwashed to think. Where do we come up with biases and stereotypes? How can we prevent these from becoming prejudices? The answer is simple: early life. We learn from such a young age what is right and wrong through our parents/guardians - the main influencers of our childhoods. Whether it be political thoughts about social welfare or something as simple as the proper clothing, our opinions that we form when we're older are based off of what we were unconsciously absorbing as kids. I grew up in a household of 6, with 2 married parents and 3 younger siblings; this lifestyle is rather different than my peers, as I've always been taught that this is how a family "should" be, and that we put each other before anyone else. But what if I had grown up like a majority of teens these days, and had 2 divorced parents and perhaps a sibling or two? It's intriguing to think about how different my outlook on life would be. Would I live here in Vermont? Would I have a job at a gym? Would I be an intern in the field of law? Who knows. The one thing I do know, though, is that my values and behavioral actions derive from my life up until now. If it weren't for such influencers, I may be a completely different person.
Alright, what does this have to do with anything? Going back to Sen's beginning quote about identity, I've inferred that such identities can be both wonderful and destructive. It's great to be able to be a part of different groups, but, as I mentioned earlier, one group can be potentially polarizing. Looking at this concept from a big-picture perspective, the Jewish/non-Jewish relations demonstrate this perfectly. Hatred of Judaism was/is completely generational. Back in the early times, Jews were isolated due to their difference in religion living amongst the Christian Empire. They were thought to have been "wicked" and "devil-worshippers" that drank the blood of Christian children. Yet, where did the formation of these thoughts come from? Each generation. How could a 10 year old child possibly make these assumptions about someone else, like a Jewish person? The only way they know what to think is passed down from their parents, friends, and those around them. This is a common thread in "The Boy of Old Prague", where a young boy realizes that the Jews aren't such wicked human beings when he is forced to live with them. However, the stereotype leads to a pogrom that destroys the Jewish ghetto. The symbolization of this opens my eyes to how disastrous one certain identity can be; you're EITHER Jewish or German; a Nazi or a non-Nazi; a blonde or a brunette. All of these identities were used against the Jewish people for centuries, thus resulting in the horrendous acts of the 1900's.
So if there's one thing to take away from this, it's that we can change the way the future thinks. We have the power to formulate the thoughts and behaviors of the next generation, because we've seen how that power can influence entire nations to commit atrocities. Why can't we commit miracles, too? If we can teach the future that it is indeed okay to identify with multiple groups that we choose to, then why are we still living in a world full of hate and prejudice towards certain stereotypes? Think about it. We can manage mankind.
-Lyndsey Clos
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