Everyone struggles with identity at one point or another. In New York and U.S as a whole we tend to be divided by hyphens. There are even commercials that celebrate these hyphens. The truth is we all focus on different elements of our identity: culture, religion, ancestry.
Who am I? I am an Afro-Carribean-Male-Lesbian-Liberal-Progressive-American. Without knowing me a weird image may pop into a person's head. First of all I do not have an Afro, although, I am currently working on one. I was certainly born on the ilse of st lucia, which counts a long way to being Carribean; I do not believe I have Carib ancestry so go figure. Male is fairly easy and obvious and I do love women so lesbian is fitting. Liberal means I probably look like Mao and progressive means I have a Karl Marx "Stache." I am naturalized in the good o' US of A.
On site I would likely just be labeled an Afro-American. X would be Indian-American, LBO would be American and, Koolredd would smack you and let you know he is African. (Insert Dead Prez Lyrics here) This topic always reminds me of an episode of SeaLab 2020 where there are two character with the same name. For clarification purposes one is deemed "Black-Debbie" in order to tell them apart. (Sealab 2021) This is of course meant to highlight the double standard.
There is another tv bit that is fairly funny but still rubs me the wrong way. Its a skittles commercial with a Korean man dressed in traditional scottish attire. He then exclaims to his son that they are a combination of opposites like skittles. While I understand the intended humor there is still an under-current of something being wrong with an ancestral Korean being born in Scotland.
The burning question is a matter of recognizing and celebrating the unique backgrounds we all have. We all have a tapestry; Nobody is all this or all that. We shoul celebrate Claw's Italian roots, Keysie's Czechoslovakian
5 comments:
For some reason when you said Indian-American I thought of the usual exchange between you and LBo -- "Wrong f-ing Indian". Also didn't you guys insist I'm South American and not Indian or something like at one point.
The Korean Scottish skittles commercial made me think of one of Arcan's friends. They've known each other since high school (which in case is only 2 or 3 years ago I know) but when he came over a few months back he broke out in the full Trinidadian accent and was talking to my parents about Carribean subjects. Here's the kicker though, he was of East Asian descent (Chinese I believe) so it kind of threw everyone including Arcan off since he never heard him talk that way. Then again most people don't know there are Indian-Guyanese/Trinidadians who speak with the full tilt accent.
Why am I telling you this story in response to a blog post I don't know, I'll probably just repeat it when I hang out with you next!
I did mean that Indian, crazy-horse.
haha... where did this come from?
Dunno I was feeling particularly verbose that day.
*smack* I aint no American! f*ck that shit. America oppresses--are you a member?
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