Becoming the other: But, failing to return to cultural origin
I really wanted to succeed in the legal industry and thought that becoming a successful lawyer meant hat I had to be good in my professional role playing, every step of the the way. These are the words of a successful lawyer who has become a partner in a successful white law firm.
In order to be successful in society one must be able to role play—act like the people who are already considered successful or the people who have the power. Hence, role playing can be a required path to becoming somebody or it can be a chosen path because you just want to be like someone else.
The evidence of racial role playing was quite evident in my early childhood environment. Blacks did things that white people did because this is what a normal society would accept. At my high school in Houston in the 60's, most of the beauty queens were high yellow. Back then, In a black person's mind, high yellow was the equivalent of being as closest to white as possible.
Trying to be like someone else is not an anomaly. As a matter of fact one many psychology and sociologists suggests that role playing is a healthy and natural path for children learning ho to become responsible in life. Often you hear mothers saying to the son 'you're just like your father' or the father saying to the daughter that 'you're just like your mother'. While this comment can be taken as a slight in some instances, it is more than not that they are true statements.
U.K. Early Years Advisor Brenda Casey says as much. In her article “The Importance of Role Play” she lists real life situations that can complement a child's growth. For instance she states or recommends some, like:
So role playing crosses many venues, styles and practices. In a racial reverse you often seen role playing as a smart move where you can find white musicians emulating the sound and style of his successful black contemporaries. White hip hop artists like Eminem shows the power of role play. “With the recent release of Asher Roth’s hit debut and Eminem’s long-awaited return, being white in the hip-hop world is no longer a joke.” writes Ryan McKee, a writer and comedian. It his Top 10 White Rappers article he goes on to mention how it's not that unusual. “There’s even an all-white hip-hop collective named Sweatshop Union making noise in Canada.”
So there's no argument that proper role playing,mimicking, copying have help many own the path of success, or, notoriety. There's no argument that it is advocated by many.
However one looks at it copying from others or situations is a universal requisite for living in this world. However simple one sees this for children, it becomes a little more murky in adult situations where one is challenged to either forget from whence you've come or become whoever you're with. Hence, many adults choose to emulate others at the expense of losing whatever it was that made them unique in the first place.
I would argue that this is often true in politics, the legal profession and many high profile positions. A suggestive list can include many who have learn their roles so well that you don't know whether they are black or white at times (Justice Thomas, President Obama, Tiger Woods). Moreover, it can be argues that more blacks have attempted to copy the European Culture than the other way around. White and black side-by-side one could probably observe that that sure an Enimem sounds and acts like a black rapper, but his white privilege allows him to naturally return to his base whenever he chooses.
Unlike a white person experimenting with role playing in other cultural ethos, many blacks have not only role played but they have gotten lost in the white jungle.
If one can visualize the stages that many of us are obliged to play on there may come a time when a particular stage becomes irrelevant or one is called to stop playing an just to be themselves. If that ay ever becomes a reality than we will have a new meaning of that successful TV show called “lost”.
In order to be successful in society one must be able to role play—act like the people who are already considered successful or the people who have the power. Hence, role playing can be a required path to becoming somebody or it can be a chosen path because you just want to be like someone else.
The evidence of racial role playing was quite evident in my early childhood environment. Blacks did things that white people did because this is what a normal society would accept. At my high school in Houston in the 60's, most of the beauty queens were high yellow. Back then, In a black person's mind, high yellow was the equivalent of being as closest to white as possible.
Trying to be like someone else is not an anomaly. As a matter of fact one many psychology and sociologists suggests that role playing is a healthy and natural path for children learning ho to become responsible in life. Often you hear mothers saying to the son 'you're just like your father' or the father saying to the daughter that 'you're just like your mother'. While this comment can be taken as a slight in some instances, it is more than not that they are true statements.
U.K. Early Years Advisor Brenda Casey says as much. In her article “The Importance of Role Play” she lists real life situations that can complement a child's growth. For instance she states or recommends some, like:
- As well as feeding the imagination and encouraging empathy, role play is a powerful way of developing social skills.
- Books make an excellent starting point for role play.
- Recall and extend special moments in your favourite stories by using them appropriately in real life situations.
- People are taught to learn their environment and to adjust accordingly.
So role playing crosses many venues, styles and practices. In a racial reverse you often seen role playing as a smart move where you can find white musicians emulating the sound and style of his successful black contemporaries. White hip hop artists like Eminem shows the power of role play. “With the recent release of Asher Roth’s hit debut and Eminem’s long-awaited return, being white in the hip-hop world is no longer a joke.” writes Ryan McKee, a writer and comedian. It his Top 10 White Rappers article he goes on to mention how it's not that unusual. “There’s even an all-white hip-hop collective named Sweatshop Union making noise in Canada.”
So there's no argument that proper role playing,mimicking, copying have help many own the path of success, or, notoriety. There's no argument that it is advocated by many.
However one looks at it copying from others or situations is a universal requisite for living in this world. However simple one sees this for children, it becomes a little more murky in adult situations where one is challenged to either forget from whence you've come or become whoever you're with. Hence, many adults choose to emulate others at the expense of losing whatever it was that made them unique in the first place.
I would argue that this is often true in politics, the legal profession and many high profile positions. A suggestive list can include many who have learn their roles so well that you don't know whether they are black or white at times (Justice Thomas, President Obama, Tiger Woods). Moreover, it can be argues that more blacks have attempted to copy the European Culture than the other way around. White and black side-by-side one could probably observe that that sure an Enimem sounds and acts like a black rapper, but his white privilege allows him to naturally return to his base whenever he chooses.
Unlike a white person experimenting with role playing in other cultural ethos, many blacks have not only role played but they have gotten lost in the white jungle.
If one can visualize the stages that many of us are obliged to play on there may come a time when a particular stage becomes irrelevant or one is called to stop playing an just to be themselves. If that ay ever becomes a reality than we will have a new meaning of that successful TV show called “lost”.
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