The power of labels is seen so evidently in this example. Those that hold more power (white, male, heterosexuals) are displaying their perception of non dominant groups in what they believe is acceptable or expected of them. Here, the dominant groups are orienting with the aggressive form of behavior by confronting and attacking what they feel is "wrong" with the situation. We have such a tendency to view people only as or through the labels we attribute to them (Mexican/Woman/Homosexual). There are so many connotations that go along with the words and labels we ascribe. And so in this example, through Sebastions appearance and traditional choice of clothing, many people labeled him as "Wetback", "illegal immigrant", and "beaner".
There are so many implications that can be drawn from just this one scenario. Firstly, we can see that dominate "american" culture has a very narrow view of who fits into that group. We are governed largely by labels and the associations that come with them, and when the dominate group feels threatened or offended by who is considered "American", they tend to act out (some aggressively) by displaying that something is wrong, doesn't fit, is outrageous, etc. For example, one twitter comment was "what has the world come to" (Carrasquillo, 2013). It is so important to be aware of social positions in terms of language (both verbal and nonverbal) so that we can distinguish the cultural mentality. Is American really the melting pot it so joyously claims to be? What are the perceptions of the dominant American culture? It is also important to be aware these social positions so that we can distinguish racism and co-cultural communication power struggles. Awareness of these things shows us what we need to improve on and how we can better communicate with those from other cultures, even within the same country.
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Carly,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. I remember when this happened and could not believe how cruel some people can be. This kid knocked it out of the park with the singing of the national anthem. This was a good example of a dominant group bulling a non-dominant group through social media. These type of people are insecure and weak. You did a really good job of tying everything together in terms of labeling.
Carly, I don't remember this happening so I'm glad you chose to write about it! I think this is completely awful how this boy was treated. I really hope that he did not and will never see how these people reacted to his awesome performance. I think this is a perfect example of how Americans label Mexican Americans. The melting pot example you gave is so so true. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat work with this blog post. A relevant example indeed. It is a shame that adults would attack a 10-year old boy in such a vicious way, but this definitely demonstrates the power of labels. Excellent discussion of the implications. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
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