Discussion 4
Kulah Love Massaquoi
Reading the Identity Terms passage, I could not really relate or find myself nor the
people around me in these terms except for maybe one. While others might identify me using
one of these terms when it comes to my race and county of origin, I have never personally done
it. Although black people here in the United States are often referred to as Colored, People of
color or even African American, I do not refer to myself as such nor do any members of my
community. I am originally from Liberia and take a lot of pride in my origins. I consider myself
African, Liberian to be specific nothing less and nothing more. It has always struck me that there
is even this need to separate people here into so many groups, that often instead of uplifting,
belittle them. Growing up in Liberia, I did not pay much attention to the color of my skin or what
it could mean somewhere else. I was just me but as soon as a person is here in the United, they
must fit in a box. Not a box that brings people together but rather marginalizes them. When we
categorize people back where I’m from, let’s say with tribes, it’s to highlight and celebrate the
difference in culture, never to bring one human lower than another. Before any separation, we
see ourselves as equal humans and African.
2. One of the theories of the “Critical work on language and the philosophy of language”
in the reading about the “ Feminist phylosophy of language “ that caught my attention is the
Metaphor. It is an aspect of language often without foundation that is constantly used to belittle
women and justify sexist behaviors. I have for the longest seen a post on social media, translated
in many languages, rewritten as a meme or simply a status, that has been widely accepted for the sexuality of women compared to men. Although without any logical sense, this metaphor encourages distorted views regarding women and the majority doesn’t even question it A lot of people find this as a justification for men to be promiscuous or it’s used to shame
women sexuality. Human genitals have very little to do with a lock and a key, how can we base a
conclusion about us from two objects I asked myself. Gendered metaphors are used daily by men
and women alike from more sophisticated discussion to the most common ones; direct or
indirectly. The take away from them is that they hurt us. They encourage bigotry and sexism!
