Identity of One's Self

Everyone in this world comes from a different background. Everyone goes through different circumstances, some are harder than others. But the things we go through shape the way we feel about our own identity and the way we portray ourselves. Identity is something that we go to in order to define who we are in this world. Not everyone that we come across may think of us that way though. For example, coming to such a diverse and credential college my identity of myself felt completely different from the rest of my peers. I thought of myself as a hispanic Catholic, female, who came from a middle class family, with not as much intelligence and school accomplishments as the rest who went to UT. But my friends would describe me completely different from the way I described myself. Another thing that may influence our identity is the injustices and unfair treatments we endured throughout our own lifetime. Some may have not experienced that but most have. Like Therborn mentioned in his writing, “How do we distinguish difference from inequality”(Therborn, 2006, p.12). Most differences between one another are differences that we cannot control. That may be the town we are born in, it may be a town that is very low income with not a lot of educational opportunities. Another factor we cannot control is a very important one which is the color of our skin. Some are born as hispanic, white, African American, or any other race. That is something we do not have control over so when we are born that way depending on the skin color we may receive unjust treatment or racism(Adams, 2013, p.23). For example, African American because the way they are born get treated unfairly. Some may not get equal job opportunities, or may get looked at more by the police rather than closely following a white male. Another way I identified myself was by my gender. Gender is something we also cannot control and are born with. Sexism is a huge issue today and something that may go unnoticed(Adams p.25). Just because I was born female I may not get the same pay or equal opportunity at a higher job position as a male. However, there are injustices we face that have to do with religion(Therborn, 2006, p.24). Religion can be something we are born in or something we can choose. Whatever we choose to follow should not be the reason we receive an injustice for but that is not the case. For example, those who are Muslim are often faced with unequal treatment. There are many other religions that face oppression and antisemitism(Adams, 2013, p.23). Lastly, identity strongly has to do with the class we put ourselves in or have lived in. Those who come from a lower class may view themselves that way even when that is not the case at all. This is an internalized stigma that says, “Poor people somehow deserve and a responsible for poverty”(Adams, 2013, p.23).  This is an injustice that many face due to their own economic situation. Those who are born from a lower class family do not have the equal opportunities as those from an upper class family that has all the money to spend on resources. This is something I can relate to very much. I did not come from a wealthy school and family that provided me with many resources in order to prepare me for college. So these are injustices that are everywhere and many people face. These are stigmas that I hope everyone can realize and soon change.


Sources
Adams, M. (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. New York: Routledge.
Therborn, G. (Ed.). (2006). Inequalities of the world: New theoretical frameworks, Multiple Empirical Approaches. Verso.