personal stories
Unreality and the politics of experience
Have you ever been in this situation? You share something that happened to you, something that affected you, something that you can’t get off your mind, and the person you’re telling your story to sits back with a pensive expression. And you start to feel a minor dread. And then… ‘are you sure they meant [...]
...read moreInvisible Identities, Part 3: The Privileges and Pains of Passing
Previously: Invisible Identities, Part 1: Invisible to Whom? Invisible Identities, Part 2: The Default Human Note: I’m told that in the American context, when speaking about race, the term “passing” is most associated with black people due to a pretty loaded history. This is not the case where I live, simply because that’s not the [...]
...read moreInvisible Identities, Part 2: The Default Human
So, I’ve talked about how the notion of the invisible identity is problematic, particularly through the framework of my personal experiences of being “invisibly” disabled and non-white. Now to the flipside of invisibility. Certain characteristics exist in the societal consciousness as default traits. That is, a person is a man unless they’re pointed out as [...]
...read moreInvisible Identities, Part 1: Invisible to Whom?
Before I begin, I’d like to make a note on policing and culture. I’m going to go ahead and assume many of you are American. Please keep in mind that American experiences of race don’t apply everywhere. (What I’m particularly concerned with for the purposes of this post is that I’ve encountered a lot of [...]
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