People are inquisitive by nature, and that inquisitiveness is arguably best reflected in the immediate desire to discern the various facets of someone’s identity. As surmised by Lisa Jones’ inclusion of the following quote: “Who are you, what are you, where are you from, no, where are you really from, where are your parents from, are your grandparents Americans?” This discernment is dangerous when it becomes linked up to structures of power and hierarchies that promote race, femininity, masculinity, and heteronormativity as the norm or in a marginalizing manner. That being said, the overarching theme of Lisa Jones’ Mama’s White and Is Biracial Enough?, as well as of Gina Mei’s Outgrowing My Mother’s Hand-Me-Downs is living up to the expectations
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This concept of validation manifests in Mei’s desire to imitate her mother and in Jones’ point that she needs the presence of white mother to validate her own whiteness. Validation of identity has been demonstrated visibly in the demand for Barack Obama to present his birth certificate for instance, or in the case of undocumented immigrants, to offer up documents authorizing an individual to live and work in the United States. Validation of identity is simultaneously introspective and judged by those apart from the individual. In supplement to the idea of validation, a point of agreement exists in the overlapping of the importance of choice in identity. Moreover, a point of contention exists between the three articles. It is worth noting that in Mei’s statement, “[M]y body is a reflection of my relationship with myself,” contradicts a point brought up in the Jones article regarding the self-esteem of children. While Jones does not directly condemn the census movement’s view that they are on a “crusade as a fight for the self-esteem of their children,” the tone of writing implicitly censures of the movement, such as her inclusion of rhetorical questioning. Yet, the juxtaposition of the Jones articles with the Mei article prove that there are instances in which the self-esteem of the individual is affected by the presence or lack thereof of commonality, whether that derives from a person or a community. As proven by Mei’s concluding line: “I know the truth, that I’d only just split the zipper again; but maybe just knowing that she thinks it could fit — that I could fit — is
This concept of validation manifests in Mei’s desire to imitate her mother and in Jones’ point that she needs the presence of white mother to validate her own whiteness. Validation of identity has been demonstrated visibly in the demand for Barack Obama to present his birth certificate for instance, or in the case of undocumented immigrants, to offer up documents authorizing an individual to live and work in the United States. Validation of identity is simultaneously introspective and judged by those apart from the individual. In supplement to the idea of validation, a point of agreement exists in the overlapping of the importance of choice in identity. Moreover, a point of contention exists between the three articles. It is worth noting that in Mei’s statement, “[M]y body is a reflection of my relationship with myself,” contradicts a point brought up in the Jones article regarding the self-esteem of children. While Jones does not directly condemn the census movement’s view that they are on a “crusade as a fight for the self-esteem of their children,” the tone of writing implicitly censures of the movement, such as her inclusion of rhetorical questioning. Yet, the juxtaposition of the Jones articles with the Mei article prove that there are instances in which the self-esteem of the individual is affected by the presence or lack thereof of commonality, whether that derives from a person or a community. As proven by Mei’s concluding line: “I know the truth, that I’d only just split the zipper again; but maybe just knowing that she thinks it could fit — that I could fit — is