Identity Politics matters-it changes a way that we get use to see through people or how society labels them. By defining who you are and what culture influences you so that you can introduce yourself to the world. There are lives for majority/mainstream lifestyles which is also how society considers as normal, usual lifestyle. That’s why Identity politics matters because in this way, you will let other people know besides the mainstream lifestyle, there are other lifestyles; besides straight women and men, there are gay, bisexual, queer and lesbians. And by defining us more clearly, can give us the power also take back the right to label ourselves.
Aleichia Williams’ article “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black to be Latina” reminds me of HAPA group. HAPA is a hawaiian word to refer to people who are mixed races and ethnicities. Among the HAPA reddit forum, I read their experiences like they feel like either of the races group don’t consider as their people since they only have half ethnicity and the race group doesn’t feel like they are pure enough, always think they are different. HAPA kids feel very confused when they were kids because they don’t know why people don’t hangout with them. Certainly once it is becoming common or a city is international enough to see people with different backgrounds and races , HAPA kids would know that they are welcomed too.
For the coming weeks, I do like to learn more economy about feminism, and how society discipline women and other minorities.
Hello Yin Lin. I would like to mention that I agree with your statement regarding labels, “And by defining us more clearly, can give us the power also take back the right to label ourselves.” I have never been a fan of labels, but when we think about the power we have in our lives, and how uncomfortable people get when we speak on identity politics, it sheds light on how labels can actually allow us to take our power back. The topics that are uncomfortable for some are the topics we need to talk about more loudly and more often.
I also did appreciate you mentioning that it is our way of introducing ourselves to the world.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Yin,
This would definitely be my first time hearing about said HAPA group. I feel as though people of different identities or even mixed identities may end up feeling left out one way or another, due to the simple fact that they aren’t hold the many “known” features of any other black or white person. Continuing to shine light on these facts may be what pushes us to look more into accepting one another based on who they are and not based on what they may look like.
Hi Yin,
I’ve never heard that word HAPA, but very much relate to the feeling you are describing. I’m bi-racial and relate to the HAPA kids feelings of “not being (insert race/ethnicity)” enough, and being socially excluded because of it. The discrimination, invalidation and exclusion can come from outside and within your own racial group
Hey, I have also never heard of the word HAPA. I have had friends who have had similar stories where they are judged based on their race. Some of them told me that they sometimes felt that they were too white for a Hispanic and too Hispanic to be white.
Yin,
Thank you for sharing about HAPA. I hadn’t heard of it prior to your post but it certainly applies to this content of identity politics. Dylan expressed it very well when saying the discrimination, invalidation, and exclusion can come from outside and within your own racial group. I also would be interested in your topics of interest.
Thank you Yin for the information about HAPA because I never heard bout until now and yes I know people that are mixed like Dominican and American and some people discriminate them because some of them don’t know how to speak Spanish well or English and that feel like they are not worth it enough.
Identity politics is very deep and has many levels too it. Its almost scary to me how it can be a gender or racial problem. It also sound like a problem of being inconsiderate and not being mindful that people dont have to be held down to what is seen as normal.