Our Self-Identity By Kwame Anthony Appiah's Racial Identities

As human beings, it is our nature to group and label different items in our world. But how does one describe themselves? Our self-identity, in my opinion, makes us feel like someone. Self-identity includes our race, language, sexual orientation, culture, and many other attributes of ourselves including visual components such as body type. But according to Michael Hogg and Scott Reid, categorizing people holds them accountable to other similar groups and depersonalizes an individual person. Throughout the semester, the EN211 class has read many stories that talk about minorities whom are in the minority when it comes to how they identify themselves. Whether it is obvious that one is in the minority or not, scrutiny towards your self-identity can be very damaging mentally. In “Racial Identities” by Kwame Anthony Appiah discusses what a race …show more content…
Edward Said discusses in “States” about his hardships being a Palestinian who is often forced to move around the Middle East due to discrimination. Because of Said’s race he can no longer visit places of his youth nor does he have full rights in many other countries. His family and other Palestinians are continually looking for a place they can be long since Israeli invasions and civil wars. Said states, “Identity — who we are, where we come from, what we are — is difficult to maintain in exile. Most other people take their identity for granted (Said 8).” The quote stands out amongst the others because it makes one think that because of something as simple as race, who you are, and where you were born, one can be exiled. Fortunately, many places are more excepting than some Middle East countries and people will not become exiled because of who they are. No matter where one is at, there will always be an outcast; if one keeps fighting to be themselves, the more excepted in society they will