What does it mean to “modulate your outsider identity”? Do you agree that everyone has “outsider” aspects to their identities, aspects they might choose to hide?

When someone “modulates there outsider identity” they are changing how they act in the presence of other people. They may alter big things like there personal values, ideals, goals, and aspirations. They can also change the little things like how they dress, the way they speak, how they act, and what they like and dislike. I believe that everyone has an “outsider” aspect of there identity. Everyone has a certain personality they bring out when they are outside closed doors. I personally do not intentionally hide any aspects of my personality but certain parts of my personality may not come out according to the type of group I am with at the time.

The Pressure to Cover
By Kenji Yoshino

“The Pressure to Cover” by Kenji Yoshino has similar ideas to the video he made. The main idea they are both highlighting is the idea that people “cover” their true identity to assimilate to society. Assimilate means to blend into or become similar to someone or something. Yoshino uses diction in the article such as “covering” and “passing” to describe how people try to blend into society. Yoshino describes the word “passing” as an accepted visible characteristic while “covering” is a visible characteristic that is unwelcome too society. He then gives the example of covering and passing when President Roosevelt “used a wheelchair. He was covering, playing down his disability so people would focus on his more conventionally presidential qualities.” The passing part was the fact that everyone knew he was disabled but the covering part being that he would try to hide this difference because society would possibly think of him differently because of it. This was very similar to the video because Yoshino described how straight white men “cover” up who they are because they are afraid they do not live up to the stereotype of what a “real” man should be in the eyes of society.

How You Should Read Coronavirus Studies, or Any Science Paper

By: Carl Zimmer

Race Essentialism and Social Contextual Differences in Children’s Racial Stereotyping

By: Kristin Pauker

Pauker’s study is observing how children from Massechustes and Hawaii ages 4-11 years old view racial cognitions and stereotypes. Children’s concept of race is created by outside factors. Such as demographic makeup, or local norms, should also impact what stereotypes are available in that context. By studying two states opposite of each other will result in varying results. The experiment concluded that as the age of the children increased so did the amount of outgoing stereotyping. In reference to the difference in the environment, kids in Massechustes did more outgoing stereotyping compared to the kids in Hawaii. The results supported their hypothesis that social context and age affects the way children see race.

“Raising a Black Boy in America” by Calvin Hennick

The author, Calvin Hennick is struggling with how to teach his African American child about the concept of racism. Hennick acknowledges that he is “white, and my wife is black, and I have nothing to teach my son about how to be a black man in America.” Hennick points out that it is his role as the father to teach his son how to be a gentleman and how the world works but in this situation many white men and black men live very different lives. Hennick is reluctant to explain to Nile, his son, how racism will affect him because it feels like he is “deliberately peeling away a layer of his innocence.” This is the sad reality of what many African American families have to deal with daily. Imagine trying to explain to your child that because of the color of your skin people will “also perceive you as scary; and even though you’re the one scaring them, it’s you who will be in danger.” This is an instance where “self” definition has been made up by strangers over thousands of years ago. The Black Lives Matter Movement is just now starting to break this “definition” of African American people and bring racism of all forms to light.

“Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay

The author of Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay is struggling with what it means to be a Feminist. Gay is caught between two views of what a woman should be according to society and “good” Feminist. Most of society thinks of a woman as “thin, to wear makeup, to wear the right kind of clothes… charming, polite, and unobtrusive… content to earn 77 percent of what men earn… bear children and stay home to raise them without complaint… modest, chaste, pious, submissive” Gay points out that this stereotype of a woman has been around for decades and is growing and evolving as times are changing. According to Gay, “good” feminists are women who “hate pornography, unilaterally decry the objectification of women, don’t cater to the male gaze, hate men, hate sex, focus on career, don’t shave.” These are two completely different views of what a woman is, this is why people are afraid to join the feminist movement. This makes self-definition difficult as Gay explains, people fear categorization because of the punishment and criticism they might face from opposite parties. The ultimate value and goal of feminism “is to achieve equality, in all realms, between men and women.” Gay considers herself as a failing woman and feminist because “To freely accept the feminist label would not be fair to good feminists. If I am, indeed, a feminist, I am a rather bad one.” She believes in this one goal but doesn’t fully agree with all the ideals a “good” feminist has. She also doesn’t fit into the box that society has created for women. Gay is breaking the social norms and isn’t afraid to be different just because she self identifys as a “bad” feminist.

“My Son, The Prince of Fashion” by Michael Chabon

The article “My Son, The Prince of Fashion” by Michael Chabon is about a 13-year-old boy and his early passion for fashion. Abe’s Father knew he was into fashion because “At 3 he had been firmly of the opinion that a bright-yellow-and-sky-blue Wolverine costume was appropriate attire for any occasion” which wasn’t normal for people in his preschool. Later on, his sense of style matured and he would go to school “dressed up as a man—a stylish man.” With this fashion statement came some criticism from Abe’s peers. He would deal with “teasing; one of his two little snap-brims would get snatched off his head now and then, and tossed around the playground” just because the kids in his grade didn’t know how to accept people who are different. I believe that clothes can be a great way to physically express your personality. For example, some billionaires like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs like to wear plain or ordinary clothing during important events because they are money savers and like to put emphasis on their million-dollar creations. In Abe’s situation, he was the last child of 4 and had to find his calling quickly because all of his siblings had already found a path in life. Abe was given the chance to visit Paris during the Men’s Fashion Week. During this time he went to many shows but the one stood out to him the most was Virgil Abloh. At Virgil Abloh’s fashion show Abe realized that fashion to him is really gathering “all the bits and pieces from here and there” that you like and feel comfortable in that shows the ” history of the guy who had put them on.” This fashion show taught Abe that clothing is a form of self-expression and that he should be proud of and comfortable wearing no matter if it is “normal” or not.

“Does My Childs Name Erase My Identity?” by Jami Nakamura Lin

The article “Does My Childs Name Erase My Identity?” by Jami Nakamura Lin, is asking a question about if a name can bring honor to a culture. Lin, the author, is struggling with naming her child because her, “eyes are bluish-gray, her hair is light brown” which doesn’t show any Japanese-Taiwanese characteristics. Lin feels like her cultural identity is disappearing in the next generation she is creating. The author believes that names “cannot explain all of our experiences, but they can gesture toward the community.” I agree to this statement to a point. I think that names can show one side of your heratiage but they don’t nessicarliy display one’s personality traits. At the end of the article Lin then questions her initial question by asking “Should we change her name is the question, Can we control who she becomes?” All in all a name can’t define the kind of person you turn into and how you want to live your life.