Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Complex Identities
Today we briefly touched on how identity amongst students is affected in a school setting, such as cultural clubs and other organizations like the Gay Straight Alliance that strive to unite people of different identities. We did not reach a clear consensus of whether these groups were beneficial or whether they created even more of a divide between students, but identity in school can also be affected by peer influence. When people are told they do not act how they are supposed to (like how Nick was told by peers that he does not act Jewish enough in the Complex Identities reading) do these people lose a sense of their true identity? Also, what type of responsibility do adults (such as teachers) have in order to make everyone feel comfortable, no matter how diverse the students are?
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I think peer pressure is something that can affect someone's identity. It seems to me that what you view as your true identity is constantly changing, one of the factors being a struggle with peer pressure. I feel that you're constantly losing your true identity in favor for a newer more accurate one based on your present situation or state of mind. In the reading Nick claims sometimes to feel he identifies with African Americans, and sometimes with whites. I guarantee sometimes this is due to peer pressure, some of which he describes in the interviews.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, depending on how you view identity (as we learned on tuesday) there can be some aspects of your personal identity that don't change due to outside factors. For instance, I'm probably going to remain white for the rest of my life. So realistically, I think we can all agree that while certain aspects of identity may change over time, there are certain things about you that will always remain the same.
I think that groups like the Gay-Straight alliance have both positive and negative effects on student identity.
ReplyDeleteIn a positive sense, groups like this brings students together through a common, identifiable cause. Kids that support the Gay-Straight alliance may have never found each other if such a group had never been formed. Groups have the ability to bring pieces of a diverse student body together.
That being said, forming these kind of groups can definitely have a negative effect on participating students. As someone brought up in class, joining a group like the Gay-Straight alliance can subconsciously craft your identity in a socially critical environment (high school, middle school, etc.). It surprised me to find that a Straight-Straight alliance was formed as a come-back to the GSA. Regardless, forming such a group has the ability to put a specific group of kids in the social spotlight - for better or for worse.
-Tom McGovern
While I agree with both Dave and Tom, I'd like to touch on something that Tom points out. He said he was surprised to learn that a Straight-Straight Alliance was formed after a Gay-Straight Alliance was formed. I think there is nothing surprising about this. We are constantly and consistently seeing groups formed to create equality. For example, on our campus alone, we have groups representing not only Republicans and Democrats, but even Libertarians and Socialists! I think we're always trying to create an equal playing field to the best of our abilities. By defining oneself with an organization or club, a person is taking an active role on the side in which they believe to be "the best stance" on a particular issue.
ReplyDeleteI think that peers can influence kids in high school in great extend. The actions taken by peers to influence other can be conscious as well as unconscious, but the point is that action or inaction can create a reaction from others. Kids who are less popular than other can try to become “cool” and do things they didn’t do before, even though their true identity is different. In that situation popular kids didn’t have to intentionally affect that kids, but their willingness to become part of some other (maybe better) group made them change their behavior. Trying to become some other person or imitate other is not good for kids because everyone is different and should pursuit to stay as a unique person, even if that can cause some minor disadvantages.
ReplyDeleteI think that teacher should be responsible for making kids feel comfortable no matter how diverse they are. Teacher should encourage diversity and not allow anyone to make fun of someone who looks or acts differently than the majority.
I feel that for people in Nick's situation, they would lose self-esteem because they would not feel like they were good enough to fit in with a group. If someone (especially an adolescent) is constantly berated, they are not going to be confident in their identity, and they may blame themselves for not acting how they should. I don't think there should be certain characteristics in place for how specific people should act, but that is the nature of stereotypes and as we discussed in class, are unavoidable.
ReplyDeleteI also believe teachers should respect diversity more amongst students. I am diabetic and one of my professors last year would always make comments about me in front of the class about my situation. Although she meant it as joking, it was annoying and I lost complete interest in the course because I didn't feel like being singled out most of the time. Maybe it would be a good idea for teachers to attend workshops or something of that sort that go about explaining how to deal with diverse students. It is important for teens to feel like they belong, and just because they are different does not mean they are any less important, or more easy to be picked on.
This is a really interesting topic. In the school where I work, there is a very active gay-straight alliance. One of the things that's really nice about it is that it has become a place where students can go who do not necessarily identify as gay, or even questioning, but rather are simply seeking a very socially accepting place where they can just "be themselves." For teenagers, being able to be one's self can often be challenging and scary, so having a safe place to do that is important and a real luxury.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the straight-straight alliance issue, I see this as less of an issue of everyone being able to identify as who they are, and more of a reactivity to other groups. I agree that people are always seeking to define their identity, and that this is good. However, with this I see it as an attempt to make a statement about the gay-straight alliance. That statement could potentially be seen by some as humorous, by others as simply voicing some level of discomfort, and by others as somewhat hostile.