Saturday, April 7, 2012
Self-Othering
The concept of the "other" popped into my mind the other day when I was discussing with him how someone can sometimes feel pushed to the fringes of society even though society is not doing that. I find that in a lot of places, when one is in thee vast minority, they instantly begin to feel alienated from the rest, even when the rest doesn't care. An atheist in a christian society, a man at an all woman's college, a homosexual in a school full of heterosexual people. This difference doesn't even need to be public knowledge. They all feel out of place even if the society is accepting of the difference. We keep on talking in class on how Beauvoir says that society and culture is the being that pushes people to the 'other' category, but I think she should have highlighted even more that society can do this just by being there. It can just passively exist and a person could still feel 'othered' even if he shouldn't.
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What are some ways that individuals to live a life of contentment and prosperity while still being painfully aware of the problems with othering?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure Beauvoir would disagree with you. She does say that society and culture push people to alterity, but she would not disagree that it can be passive. There are elements of society and culture that actively drive certain demographics into otherness. There are outspoken bigots, pay inequities, admissions criteria...etc...I hear your point that it may not always be so active; sometimes just the sheer numbers can be overwhelming. I wonder if a diversity of demographics then ought to be the object to which we strive?
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