Karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
boy george
a lesbian holding an equity inclusion and culture position and representing that she was part latin, asian and arab was recently outed by her mother. her mother revealed that her daughter was “white.” dailymail.com
close in the news’ cycle, the racial controversy surrounding ben stiller’s comedy classic “tropic thunder” movie was revisited on social media and news accounts. in the comedy, robert downey, jr.’s character performed in black face. mr. downey portrayed a character, a method actor so devoted to his craft that he had melanin injected into him so he could portray an african american. the movie’s real problem was and is the world is filled with a number of people who do not understand the concept of “parody.”
thus, we have two stories striking at the heart of identity and culture. mr. robert downey, jr.’s character, eventually, would return to his normal white self. mr. downey, likewise, would do so as well. the character’s exploration into african american culture was on a limited basis for a limited purposes. on the other hand, the woman outed much like the famous imposter ms. rachel dolezal, apparently lived her life within her adopted culture. she became part of these groups, their community and their culture. one must wonder whether she was so immersed with it that she lived that existence in her very home. did this culture became her life? was she a convert?
in the real world, many individuals affiliate and become incorporated with other races and cultures. married individuals often participate in their spouse’s culture. while they do not put on a costume or alter their looks to disguise themselves, many are adopted by the group in a meaningful fashion.
in the instance of the outed woman who was outed, from the accounts, she fooled all those around her. absence the outing, only dna results would have possibly shaken her identity.
in sum, while societies fixate on race, gender & identity, one must question as to whether the whether culture is the greater issue. if it is possible for someone to fool group members, it is fair to say that the concept of culture can override that of race, gender or identity. with this, can we judge individuals by which cultures they attach to? there are dangerous street drug cultures, violent crime cultures, and homeless cultures which are negative to society. the question that which society struggles with is the willingness go accept that some cultures are harmful and scrutiny and condemnation should be considered acceptable.
be well!!
if you enjoyed this post, please “like”
if you would like to read more posts, click here
if you find this post meaningful, please share.
The Ten Commandments Project 