Identity in Various Aspects of Contemporary Society
Identity grows out of a distinction between the true inner self, governed by social rules and norms that inadequately provide leeway for freedom and expression of the true inner self. Hua Hsu is a writer at The New Yorker whose work centers on inquiries of various immigrant cultures and their experiences in the United States. His article, ‘When White Poets Pretend to be Asian’, explains several instances of cultural poaching in poetry and passionately expresses his distaste with the incessant imitation of Asian culture for personal gain. On the other hand, is Kenji Yoshino, a professor at Yale Law School, and a firm believer in the ability of liberty to allow full expression of identity. In the article, ‘The Pressure to Cover’ Yoshino details the ideals of assimilation into mainstream cultures and how these demands affect the authentic building of identity. The two authors identify identity sabotage in different aspects of society in hoaxes in poetry submission and assimilations demands leading to coverage. Various non-mainstream covering practices and identity conformities bear covert similarities to identity performances of mainstream cultures with differences cited mainly in the motivations.
According to Yoshino, there exists two clearly defined society classification, mainstream and non-mainstream, where mainstream cultures dictate the identity of the minority. In his article, “The Pressure to Cover”, Yoshino details Goffman’s observation as “persons who are ready to admit possession of a stigma…may nonetheless make a great effort to keep the stigmas from looming large. He calls this behavior covering” (Yoshino, p.2). Covering, in the context of social uniqueness, refers to the evident concealing or changing of unique characteristics to conform to a widely accepted social standard. These standards result in extreme efforts to keep the stigma inconceivable, build an identity similar to that of the majority, and if possible, avoid discrimination. Unfortunately, since one cannot change their true inner self, they opt to change mutable characteristics, which leaves them vulnerable to new elusive forms of discrimination. Nevertheless, Yoshin does not discount the pressures associated with rising concern for minority predispositions, and this is evident in Hsu’s account of identity theft in poetry. In Hsu’s article, “When Poets Pretend to be Asian’, he says “Maybe Hudson, somewhere within his heart, actually felt less empowered than the imaginary rival he spun into reality, a fictional creation whose Chinese name would deliver him places his own could not.” (Hsu, p.7). Hsu’s account shows evidence of Yoshin’s opinion on the existence of covering practices conforming to non-mainstream identities. Hudson, a white poet, submitted his poems to the Best American series with no luck. However, when he changed the author’s name to a Chinese name, he gets one a feature in the acclaimed anthology. Hsu adamantly terms this a hoax and shows how a mere name attached to a certain minority complex increases the ‘owner’s’ edge although through deceitful means. It is understandable when one conceals their identity to fit into the majority but it is particularly baffling when the majority tries to cover their perceived shortcomings. However, a significant difference lies in the motivation behind the need to conform or assimilate with either side, one is escaping sheer discrimination in society while the other is looking to make a profit off the disadvantage of the other.
In contrast with Yoshino’s account, Hsu narrows down the problem of identity diffusion to a smaller observable field of poetry. In his article, Hsu gives an example of a middle-aged white poet who deliberately falsifies and identity to attract attention to his poems. Hsu writes, “A poem titled ‘The Bees, the Flowers, Jesus, Ancient Tigers, Poseidon, Adam and Eve’ by someone named Yi-Fen Chou. A biographical note identifies Chou as the nom de plume of a middle-aged white poet from Indiana named Michael Derrick Hudson” (Hsu, p.2). Owing to his confession, he had no artistic reason for the deceit, indicating the drive for the decision to be profiteering. Hsu’s example indicates the misuse of a minority opportunity for selfish gain even though there is little to show for these opportunities. On the other hand, Yoshino explores deep-rooted issues stemming from civil rights and justice system failures that promote practices of covering. In his article, he details for instance “Robin Shahar was a lesbian attorney who received a job offer from the Georgia Department of law…. Her Supervisor, on learning she had married a woman rescinded her job offer” (Yoshin, p.3). A critical observation of Yoshin’s example on Robin Shahar and the other examples shows a rights-based approach to tracing the effects of assimilation and the extent of covering practices. Robin Shahar challenges her employer’s decision to recant their job offer citing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and loses the case. Failure of the civil and justice system to protect the minority population forces them to fade into the majority and downplay their true selves for fear of disadvantage. To a considerable degree, the examples in Hsu’s article bear a striking resemblance to the concept of covering to conform to a certain standard perceived to be superior to one’s identity. The poets use different cultural identities and self-images to create for themselves a mask over their true self, one which they consider to be a barrier to equal opportunity in the industry.
Beyond the performance of non-mainstream identities, the majority of the privileged individuals in the society exemplify the image of an ‘angry straight white man’. In his article, Hsu writes “…That’s why Hudson’s blasé attitude matters. It makes a mockery of whatever ‘life story of a Chinese American poet’ the name Chou might have stood in for” (Hsu, p.7). Hsu’s portrayal of Hudson shows a man fed up with the high regard held for racial minorities and figures if there are no considerations for their experiences with covering, then he uses the minorities’ disadvantage to his advantage. Hudson’s character personifies Yoshino’s ‘angry straight white man’ in an almost perfect way. His repeated attempts to get his poems featured increased his anger and may have fueled his choice to get the feature through deceitful means. The ‘angry white straight man’, in this case, Hudson, has little regard for ethical practice or justice and is almost entirely motivated by profit. In the article, Hsu posits that “spoofing the Chinese struck Hudson as a relatively safe masquerade, likely to provoke less generalized rage…” (Hsu, p.5). Hudson found it easy to facsimile the Chinese culture because of the incessant imitation and mockery of Asian culture in the United States. Although the poems are Hudson’s original works, the obvious lack of consequences for Hudson shows the privilege associated with being a member of a majority group. The availability of these easy ‘covering’ alternatives to achieve success are indicative of the existence of the phenomenon in mainstream groups and their discontentment with the little attention they get. As minority groups advocate for their concerns, mainstream groups fail to recognize their privilege and continue to brew newfound hatred and motivation for racism.
Individuals conceal their true self and conform with a group’s values and norms that they perceive to be superior to theirs without concern that it is mainstream or not. Hsu and Yoshin describe a common phenomenon among minority groups that for them is a survival tactic but to others is just another inconvenience. Hsu’s article analyzes the susceptibility of the Chinese culture to profit-seeking white American poem writers and details his aversion to the practice. Yoshin explains a newer concept of covering, evident in different practices to change or conceal mutable characteristics unique to various minority cultures and their effects in identity formation and expression in assorted societies. Minority groups will likely remain in the disadvantaged position for as long as the majority fails to realize their privilege and continue to undermine the concerns of the minority. They begin to express their discontentment with different social processes and inadvertently start a potentially dangerous racial competition. Subtle forms of discrimination against minority communities promote ‘covering’ practices, undermine the true expression of self, and pose a threat of extinction and complete dilution of authentic cultures. Collaboration between the law, civil rights organizations and mainstream cultures create the ground for better social expressions for all cultures and bridge the gap between minority and majority groups.
Works Cited
Hsu, Hua. “When White Poets Pretend to Be Asian.” The New Yorker, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/when-white-poets-pretend-to-be-asian.
Yoshino, Kenji. “The Pressure to Cover.” Https://Www.Nytimes.Com/#publisher, 15 Jan. 2006, www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/magazine/the-pressure-to-cover.html.