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Re: Missippi Masala

Posted by blueberry on October 24, 2001 at 15:08:21:

In Reply to: Missippi Masala posted by Cindy Chan on October 23, 2001 at 20:14:52:

I agree with you. Identity is a relative word and includes the processes that you mentioned. However, note that poeple often confuse ones identity based on phenoytpe . This is clearly seen in the movie when someone makes the comment that if "you are not white then you are black" and also when Demetrius' brother keeps calling me a Mexican .Therefore, it is very difficult not to include all process when refering to someone's identity.

: Like we mentioned in class, there are economic themes but there are cultural themes also presented in Mississippi Masala. Identity is one issue for sure. There is this underlying theme of why makes identity? Is it the geographic location where one is from? Is it the phenotype of a person? Or is it the cultural experience of a person that defines identity. After careful contemplation, I believe that identity is made up of all processes combined. To limit oneself to one sole definition of identity is shut oneself out from new ways of thought. Identity is relative. Fortunately for Demetrius and Mena, they realized that. For others in the community, they still saw everything as Black and White. African-American and Indian-American. The whole speech about "uniting as one" is just a ploy to escape a law suit. Occurences like that diminishes the trust within minority groups in cities and so minority groups are marginalized with their already marginal existence in the United States.

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: I agree with you. Identity is a relative word and includes the processes that you mentioned. However, note that poeple often confuse ones identity based on phenoytpe . This is clearly seen in the movie when someone makes the comment that if "you are not white then you are black" and also when Demetrius' brother keeps calling me a Mexican .Therefore, it is very difficult not to include all process when refering to someone's identity. : : : Like we mentioned in class, there are economic themes but there are cultural themes also presented in Mississippi Masala. Identity is one issue for sure. There is this underlying theme of why makes identity? Is it the geographic location where one is from? Is it the phenotype of a person? Or is it the cultural experience of a person that defines identity. After careful contemplation, I believe that identity is made up of all processes combined. To limit oneself to one sole definition of identity is shut oneself out from new ways of thought. Identity is relative. Fortunately for Demetrius and Mena, they realized that. For others in the community, they still saw everything as Black and White. African-American and Indian-American. The whole speech about "uniting as one" is just a ploy to escape a law suit. Occurences like that diminishes the trust within minority groups in cities and so minority groups are marginalized with their already marginal existence in the United States.

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