A2 Blog 2: Un-Identified

Do I think it is possible to be completely un-identified in modern day culture? No.  People are told their identity by their parents and relatives from a very young age because it gives them knowledge about their family, their culture, and who they are as a person.  Identity is a necessity because it connects people with people of similar interests and heritage, while creating a large network of people who have endured similar things in their life.  Instantly people are identified in society based on their phenotype and then continue to gain labels based on their interests and background.  Although racial barriers have come a long way, there is simply no way for people to stop differentiating people based on their race.  In 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dick says he doesn't see race and his colleagues laugh at him, showing the innate nature of people to make quick judgements abut a person's racial identity.

There would be advantages of being un-identified of finally tearing down all race barriers and for the first time in history all races would be seen as completely equal with no phenotype to create a distinction.  Prejudice would end leading people to no longer make assumptions about people based on first impressions, allowing people to improve their interactions with one another.  However, many drawback exist as well.  Un-identified people would have no immediate community of people with similar interest and backgrounds to seek for advice, support, and friendship.  It gives people pride, meaning, and a purpose to carry themselves the way they do.

The media engrains images of identity in all aspects of life.  For example, popular children's television shows play upon many stereotypes and identities.  Many shows take place in a school, typically high school, setting where there are several groups portrayed: the jocks who all wear Letterman jackets, the popular girls who wear far too much make-up and act stuck up, the friendly classmates, and the nerds who are often sympathize with for their mistreatment.  This is a conscious choice made by the shows producers and it forces the viewers to not only see the prevalence of identities, but it also causes them to chose which identity they want to associate with. 

Is this what society is pushing for as they continue to racialize people?  A homogenous world would lack diversity of perspectives and be far less superior to a diverse society; however, those with ethnic backgrounds feel the need to fit the mold perpetuated by society and media. 

A2: Blog #1: Perfoming an Ethnic Identity

In this blog it is to be determined how an actor, such as Dick from 3rd Rock from the Sun, is supposed to "perform" an ethnic identity.  I would opt to go with the approach of most people when they have to act like someone else: by following them and viewing their actions and responses to everything.  However, in this particular scenario from 3rd Rock from the Sun it is not as simply as that because he has to act for an entire ethnicity not just an individual.  Dick notices this difficulty when he refers to African Americans as appearing to have "strict rules they have to follow" so he moves on to the next race after an initial observation.  To completely understand how to perform a specific race I feel an actor would have to resort to playing upon the stereotypes that portray their ethnicity through society, film, and history.  Thus, the importance of our course Exploring Ethnicity through Film shows the importance of how ethnicities are performed and the effects it has on society.  I would use specific racial cues as seen through caricatures and other portrayals of race to compliment my acting.  For instance, Mexicans with mustaches, Irish with fair skin, Jewish with a common last name, and so on.

More over, I find it interesting that the aliens from 3rd Rock from the Sun feel the need to immediately start trying to learn about different racial groups so they can fit into society.  For example, the son, Tommy, states he is bullied because he doesn't know his ethnic background and because of it the kids on the playground cannot stereotype/ understand him.  Also, since the Soloman's don't see race as a color, they resort to other ways to stereotype ethnicities based on their rules, values, and traditions which illustrates the need of our society to always find a way to group people together.

It is a difficult task to perform an ethnicity but it can be done through not only research about the ethnicities traditions and beliefs, but more importantly how they are viewed and stereotyped by society because those are the aspects an actor needs to focus on. When performing an identity it is vital to be aware of how the acting will be portrayed on film and to not offend anyone.  In the image below, it shows how someone may be attempting to act out an ethnicity but overplays the stereotypes and as a result greatly offends the ethnicity.