Boxing Identity

Assumptions about identity can trap individuals into societal stereotypes based on disability, race, and ethnicity. These assumptions are often formed at a young age and can be damaging to a person's sense of self. It is important to respect and understand how identity looks different for everyone, and to avoid making assumptions. Negative assumptions about race and ethnic identity can lead to discomfort and feeling unheard, while assumptions about disabilities can exacerbate challenges faced by the disabled community. Each individual has their own preferred language and terminology for their disability, and it is important to approach them respectfully. Disabilities can be both physical and mental, and assumptions about disabilities should be avoided. The preferences for disability language are ever-changing and vary among individuals. It is crucial to have a universal understanding and respect for the disabled community. Overall, assumptions should never be the first resort when it c Each individual has their own identity. How each person views their identity is unique and personal. Through research and student intel, there is a discussion on how individuals label their disability and racial and ethnic identity. The way people label themselves should be respected and properly used. Sometimes when assumptions about someone's identity are made, we are trapping individuals into a box. Individuals feel lost and suffocated within their own identities. I'm Olivia. I'm Isabella. I'm Will. And we will be talking to you about how assumptions can trap individuals into a box within their own identity. Assumptions trap people into the societal stereotypes that have been formed. Assumptions are formed at a young age by influence from the media, influencers, and judgments because someone may not look or act the same way. A lot of times, these assumptions are built off of biases people have against others. They may be impulsive thoughts you have that cause more damage than you may think. Sometimes it can be easy for you to form an assumption about somebody, but it is so wrong to form conclusions about someone. For example, Melanie Funchase, a black woman, talks about how these stereotypes become engraved into our minds. They can turn into implicit biases we have against others. These assumptions about lifestyles, cultures, and identities are large contributors to societal labels out there today. Stereotypes about gender, race, and disability degrade and hurt people. Going off what Isabella discussed, assumptions can be very damaging to an individual's sense of identity. Isabella conveys this through the hardships that Melanie Funchase encounters with race. Stereotypes can really stick with a person, which can impact a person's well-being. While it can be hard to avoid making assumptions when meeting or hearing about someone for the first time, it is still important to have an understanding of how identity looks different for everyone. Taking the time to discuss and learn about someone's personal identity allows for more inclusivity and shows an individual's respect for others. Allowing people to freely express how they feel about their personal identity helps create a feeling of belonging. There's no harm in asking what terms they feel suit their identity because assuming can lead to discomfort and feeling unheard. Assumptions allure a false reality that is entertained by unsound societal norms. While these assumptions are flawed, it is difficult to isolate the truth from the media, local communities, and upbringings of various generations. Most of the time, assumptions are predicated on deliberate biases against other individuals. While it may be normal to assume something about someone initially, drawing your own conclusion can lead to arbitrary and discriminatory conclusions. Lack of awareness in regard to the mental and physical strain these preconceived notions have are the reasons why individuals get trapped into a box with their own identity. Samina Matani was only 8 years old when her peers judged her for wearing a hijab. She was hurt and shocked by how she was treated. She says, it can be damaging when we judge people by how they look. Our biases become barriers. Our words become our walls. Matani's story shows how our assumptions lead to issues that damage others. Negative assumptions about race and ethnic identity are large contributors to societal labels out there today. Race is such an important factor to how people identify themselves, but when people are labeled and stereotyped, it can damage the way they see themselves. It makes them feel uncomfortable in their own skin and possibly want to hide who they really are. Kiera Sincock, a biracial teenage girl, feels like she has to suppress her true identity due to the stereotypes she faces. She constantly has to put up with feeling like she does not fit in because she is biracial. Imagine having to worry about what people are going to say to you or how you will be treated just because of your race. People are having to live their lives fearing what might happen to them just because they are minorities. All of the stereotypes about race stem from the assumptions people have made about minorities. Race and ethnicity are not things people can change. It's their culture, identity, and heritage. Racial and ethnic identity are an essential part of identity but sadly face the most scrutiny from society. Since an individual's race is often determined by physical characteristics, many tend to assume someone's race. Ethnicity stems more from cultural identity. Bonnie Sweet, a writer and mother of biracial children, she expresses, I can't tell my sons what to feel. More white than Asian, more Asian than white, neither, both, other. I can only tell them what I think about my own identity and listen hard to what they have to tell me in turn. Much as I hate to admit it, what they choose to be won't necessarily have to do with me because my sons are going to be the ones who say who, not what, they are. Sweet is parenting in a way that allows her sons to choose their identity and doesn't trap them. I feel this is a good way to let children feel comfortable and sure of themselves rather than forcing children into an identity they do not identify with. In the case of those who have a disability, the absence of lingual awareness has a massive impact on them. While it may not seem offensive, there are many terminologies that can exacerbate this particular community. However, seeking more acceptable terminology can be equally as challenging. For Holly Took, it's everyday life. Took is a lover of pop music, beauty, fashion, and quote-unquote all the usual girly stuff. She's also registered blind due to retinopathy of prematurity, an eye disease that can occur with babies who are born premature. Like many other people who are disabled, she withstands bothersome conversations with others who are unaware of proper language surrounding the disabled community. Be that as it may, she explains, quote-unquote, every disabled person has their own preferred language when it comes to disability. Considering that every disabled person has their own preferred terminology, it can be difficult to read the room, so to speak. The easiest way to approach this complication is to address them in the same way you would anyone else, respectful and cordial. After all, people with disabilities are individuals, too. Alice Kirby, an author for Now Then magazine and disability activist, writes, quote-unquote, Crips are purposely proactive with language for a reason. It serves as a constant reminder of the oppression of our community. Kirby's perspectives show us how certain vocabulary can lead to assumptions and hurt feelings. The way disabilities are defined is still evolving today. When most people think of a disability, they may think of a physical impairment. In society today, disabilities are both physical and mental. Assumptions are a huge contributor to how people view disabilities. Everyone has their own story and identity, so avoiding assumptions could reduce trapping people into labels. The topic of disabled language can be very touchy. The reality is, there isn't a perfect lingual properness. Due to the specificness of each disabled person's lingual preference, it's hard to say what's accepted and what's not. A universal understanding and respect for the disabled community can help change the world and uncover an often-overlooked community. The preferences of individuals and of what the acceptable disability language is is ever-changing. Many disabled individuals have preferences on how to label their disability. Therefore, two people with the same disability may use different language to identify with. For example, there are differences between saying a person uses a wheelchair and someone who is wheelchair-bound, have different meanings and connotations. Often people strive to find a consensus of a universal term that would fit specific disabilities, even though each disability or person with one is experiencing it in unique ways. People have preferences on terms they prefer and others that they don't feel suit them. The variety of experiences individuals experience proves that there should be no set terms that make someone's identity. Therefore, assumptions should never be the first resort because questioning or even jumping to conclusions about someone's identity is uncomfortable and disrespectful.