Pieces of my Identity: 2011

Putting them together...

This is my global identity:

Age group: I am 21 years old and I fall in the age group of 20-25.

Picture of myself and co-workers

Socio-economic Status: I am apart of the lower class as I am a student working for minimum wage.

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Language: I speak fluent English and Jamaican Patois, but I know basic French and Spanish.

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Race: I have a mixed racial background but in general terms I am apart of the Capoid Race.

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Gender: I am a female.

Picture of myself

Religion: I was brought up in the Christian faith.

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Sexual orientation: I am a heterosexual.

Picture of my ex and I.

Education: I am a high school graduate and I am presently attending college.

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Family structure: My joint family consist of my mother, stepfather, brother and myself.

Picture of my family and I.

Nationality: I live in Canada but my nationality is Jamaican.

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Power Privilege, Prestige ...or NOT??

Table showing how the aspects of my identity can give or take away or give me power, privilege or prestige and if these aspects are changeable.

*Aspects of my Identity*	*Power, prestige, Privilege*
*Aspects of my Identity*	Gives:	Takes away:	Changeable
Language	I have an upper hand over those who are not from an English speaking country.	Canada uses both French and English but I can only communicate fluently in English	This aspect of my identity is changeable as I could learn other languages.
Gender	Men are more courteous, and as a black female I may be considered illiterate.	As female I may not be considered suitable for a job that is dominated by men, at times.	This aspect of my identity is not changeable because I was born this way.
Family structure	My joint family structure gives me the father figure I never had and i will be seen as someone coming from a stable home.	My joint family structure takes away some of my freedom because now I have to answer to two parents instead of one.	This aspect of my identity is changeable as subtracting or adding more members could change it to single parent or extended family for example.
Sexual Orientation	Being a heterosexual enables me to have my own family one day and eliminates the possibility of me being discriminated against based on my sexual orientation	I’m not sure	This aspect of my identity is changeable because it is possible for me to decide that that I am no longer attracted to men but women instead, which would make me a homosexual or bisexual.
Religion	I will be able to relate to and make friends more easily with others of the Christian faith, because we share the same belief.	I’m not sure	This aspect of my identity can be changed as I could switch to the Islamic, Jewish or Buddhism faith.
Race	As a black woman I may be seen as a strong individual.	Being dark skin people may wrongly judge me based on the colour of my skins not who I am as a person.	This aspect of my identity can not be changed, because I was born into this race and I will never be able to change the colour of my skin.
Nationality	I am able to connect with others who are Jamaican because we share the same ancestry, and traditions.	People may assume that I am violent and untrustworthy.	This aspect of my identity is changeable as I could adopt the Canada’s traditions, but that would be hard to do since I spent all my childhood and teenage years in Jamaica.
Education	My college level education gives me the upper hand in the working world over others who has or does have high school diploma.	I received most of my education in Jamaica, so it is harder for me to get into Canadian schools so I have to go back to school here to get a Canadian credits.	This aspect of my identity is changeable because after finishing college I can always go for a university level education.
Age-group	By being a member of the 20-25 age group, if I didn’t have a high school diploma I am able to apply for college as a mature student.	I might not be qualified for certain jobs as they probably want someone from a different age group as I maybe considered too young or too old.	This aspect of my identity is changes each day and year as I get older and one day I will belong to the 26-30 age group.
Socio-economic Status	As a member of the lower class I pay less taxes and I am able to get help from the government, especially for school.	Being a member of the lower class makes it harder for me to afford certain things and in some cases lack of money can prevent mefrom achieving my goals.	This aspect of my identity is changeable as I could get the proper education allow me get a higher paying job and move up the socio-economic ladder.

People tend to look at me and see immediately that I’m a black girl. I assume that from the color of my skin most people expect me to be loud, vulgar, filled with attitude and disobedient. But if they take 5 minutes top observe me you would see that I am not. I was taught by my mother, to speak when spoken to; show respect to others; be courteous and polite; and to abide by the rules. I can not blame them for that perception because there are some who portray black women to be that way. Personally when I am travelling on the road and I see them behave in this negative manner I am embarrassed for them and myself. However, I also know that this generation is more educated so they know that not every black woman would behave this way. The racial diversity in Canada also allows people to interact with the different races so people know first hand that not every one is like this. On the other hand, because I am a girl hand people may see me as incompetent or naïve. However as I have said before people are ore educated these days and know that this may not be true. It has become a known fact that a woman is able to do any job a man can do.

I really don’t feel like I am targeted by anyone because I am a black girl because people are more educated these days and I believe judging people for the colour of the skin is a overrated notion (not to say that it probably doesn’t happen) and woman have proven their strength time and time again.

Judging others...

Judging Tom*

In my first year at college in Jamaica, some of my classmates from my previous high school crowded were around a Tom. While walking over I realized they were having a “conversation” with him. Although he wasn’t aware of it, I knew they were making fun of him. He was blind to this because everyone was smiling. That smile was a way of hiding desire to laugh out loud. As I got closer I could not help smiling too.

His response was not funny but his reaction was. In Jamaica the word: “funny” is sometimes associated with being a homosexual. His gesticulation was soft and woman-like. We considered him to be “funny” so we made fun of his demeanour amongst ourselves.

We were in the same program with Tom and shared some classes with him. As time progressed our perspective of him changed

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Analysis

The Jamaican society shows no tolerance for homosexuals. The negative attitude towards gays is shaped from the society norms, religious beliefs, parental teaching, and lack of education. I was brought up in a society where:

• Most homosexual become an outcast by their family as the family will disown them, saying the individual has brought down the rest of the family and is an embarrassment to the family.

• Family values helps to define the society values, as such homosexuals also become outcast in the society.

• Heterosexuality becomes the norm and along with that comes the negative attitude towards gays, and become outcast in the society as well.

• From a Christian perspective “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” as such homosexuals are seen as sinners.

• Intolerance to Homosexuality is also demonstrated in our reggae music, to the extent where a reggae artist was banned from the UK because his music promoted violence towards homosexuals.

Initially, I had missed judged Tom for all the reasons I just explained. I judged him for who I thought he was and not who is as an individual. Getting to know him has changed my perspective of homosexuals, but also puts me in a hypocritical position. I still find it hard to accept the idea of homosexuality, however I don’t believe that homosexuals should not be discriminated against; a person has the right to choose they love; their sexual orientation is not mine or anybody’s business; and no act of violence should be brought against a person for their choice of sexual orientation. Education matures your way of thinking and having someone as a friend who might be… changes your way f thinking. You wouldn’t want anyone to mistreat them and as such you view people in a similar position as your friend differently.

*Not real name

Personal Norms and Values

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The personal norms and values I have maybe different from someone else’s. This does not mean we will not be able to socialize or work with each other. Personally, I try to treat others the why I would like to be treated. I believe the key to treating others fairly is: RESPECT, not compromising or understanding. I may listen but that does not mean I will understand an individual’s norms or values; however I can respect their choice. I do not need to compromise with anyone’s norm or values as I may feel very strongly about my own; however I can respect their perspective. Out of respect for their norms and values, I won’t force mine on them:

Show respect for others norm and values

Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

This is not to say we could not have a conversation about the difference between our norm and values. We could critically examine each others norms and values but there is a difference between being passionate about your opinions and being blatantly rude. We don’t need to attack each other. We can respect each other’s values and norms while being true to own.Although, sometimes one must consider the individual’s level of maturity, if I know they are not mature enough to have an honest rapport on our difference, do not discuss it with them. This is a demonstration of respect for both our norms and values. Regardless, they are humans just like me and there is no reason I shouldn't be able to work or socialize with them. Respect to me as an individual. Everyone has the right to choose.

To me everyone will be treated fairly, if people show respect t to each other despite their differences and treat others the way they would like some one else to be treat them.

Personal Values

Courtesy and respect towards elders

There are times my personal values contract with Canadian societal values. In my country we are very friendly with our neighbours but I have noticed that it is not the same here. People just go about their daily lives oblivious of others around them. In Jamaica I was taught that I should always be courteous, meaning it is not polite to pass people on the street without saying “Good morning” or “Good afternoon”. However when I came to Canada I realized this was not the case here. I greet people on the street and in the elevator but they would not even glance in my direction or acknowledge my greeting. I was quite annoyed and embarrassed but over a period of time I realize it was just how the culture is here.

My first time in a Canadian school was quite challenging. My family taught me to be respectful to other especially my elders, and the high school I went to back home also drilled this into me. I am used to calling my teachers “Mr/Ms/Mrs So-and-so” or Sir/Miss but here I was allowed to call the teacher by their first name?? How rude!!! Needless to say habits are hard to break and I continued to acknowledge the teachers the way I was taught, until a teacher pointed out that they didn't like it. In Canada it is as if you are the teachers “buddy”…weird but I have learnt to accept it.

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Preserving the environment and privacy

However there are also times when my personal values align with Canadian societal values. A city doesn’t have much trees but I can see where Toronto tries to preserve their environment. I do believe it is our responsibility to protect the environment and I am glad to see that the city has established ways to accomplish environmental awareness and environmentally-friendly practices. Everyone, even the few who are not so “green” does their part.

I value my privacy. In Jamaica I was not able to have this much privacy, if I went to the shop when my mother was at work … she would know what time I went and what I brought before she came home from work or even if I am walking home from school she would probably know that I am on my way home before I get home. People in Jamaica don’t mind their business and they make your business their own. However, in Canada I am able to have some level of privacy, no one is running around telling anybody who, what, where, when or why of anything about me. I do tell my mother most of everything but living in Canada- where people don’t pay attention to other people business as they do back home- she listens to what I have to tell her instead of saying “Oh! I heard.”

Reflection

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Writing this exercise was quite challenging, it proved yet again that sometimes the simplest task can sometime be the hardest. The process was interesting and the layout from the text book helped. However, there were times the answer I gave to a question was more suit for the next question. I had to really think about what the question demanded of me and sometimes even rethink to question to pin-point exactly what the question was asking. The exercise made me feel a little expose. Sometimes it feels like I am writing a tell-all book, especially the part where I had to write about discriminating against someone. I wouldn't really say the exercise has really helped or hindered my relationship with anyone. Nothing has changed between the time I started the assignment and now, however the entire assignment gave me some time to think about my how my identities contribute to my global citizen identity.It has helped me to see myself and other as a global citizens and a more visual understanding of my role. I have always had respect for myself and others but this assignment has helped me to realize more how the different pieces of our identity could help or hinder us. When I read over my blog, I was especially proud of the “Judging other…” section. I am glad to know that even after I had wrongfully judged someone, I was able to look beyond my bias and saw him for the wonderful person he truly is. I am proud to know that able to make the right choice by breaking away of my society's ridiculing homosexual. However, since I am asked which section I like the most, I think it is fair that I mention I didn't not like the “How I am viewed by others…” section. I understand that people may take one look at me and form their own conclusion without knowing who I am as a person, but the bottom line I really don’t care if some one sees me as a “black girl”. That is exactly what I am and everyone can see that however that does not limit my potential to achieve anything but I also understand that people may judge me based one someone else who fits the description of a "black girl"... I still do not like it. The area that I would have changed would be the “Putting the pieces together” section. I thought that was more for people in junior high not even high school. I even complained to my parents about it but after finishing the blog I realized that it contributed overall to the assignment, so in the end I don’t believe I would change anything.