Molly McLaughlin Blog post #1

                  Identity is something we are both born with and grow into.  Identity can be so many different things, but it is the concept of who we are (Martin & Nayakama 2013).  How we come to find our identity can be looked at through a communication lens. There are three perspectives that allow us to look at identity and communication; social science, interpretive and critical.  Breaking those down we see that the social science perspective is the identity that is created by ourselves when we are trying to relate to a specific group.  Interpretive is the identity we create when we communicate with others.  Finally the critical perspective which is when identity is shaped through social structures (Martin and Nakayama, 2013).

                    The article that I chose to look at is one from globalpost.com that focused on a South African women that is running for president.  She a medical doctor, an academic, a businesswoman and an activist.  She is more than qualified the job and part of the Democratic Alliance, so what is the problem? People of the ANC would say its because she is black or in their terms a “rent-a-black”.  Mamphela Ramphele is currently running as a Presidential candidate for the 2014 elections in South Africa but people are not happy because they believe her race is not meant for the party she is running for and that it is all a front.  This article pins whites against blacks, something that is seen over and over again, a battle of race and identity. Some claim that having a black female as the face of the DA is just an act, something to keep them popular and relevant.  While others see this as “a move away from race based politics” (Conway-Smith 2014).  The term “rented black” is something that sticks out the most in this article, it is both offensive to Ramphele and to the people of south Africa.  They are not looking at how qualified the candidate is but rather the color of her skin and whether or not it is a trick by a political party that is funded by a majority of whites. 

                  When looking at what connections can be made and what identities are at play in this issue we see things such as race, gender, region and political parties all budding against one another.  In a country that is overcoming so much while mourning the lose of their beloved leader Nelson Mandela, its crazy to see them still struggle with identity issues such as these.

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. 

Conway-Smith, E. (2014, 02 02). South africa: Where it's okay to call an opponent a 'rent-a-black'. Retrieved from http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/140131/south-africa-where-its-okay-call-opponent-rent-black

Images found on DA official website and global post.