I truly find it interesting how a gender or race can be "performed". Ultimately, every single individual is born the same (despite the obvious anatomical differences). In order to categorize our society, we are taught and conditioned to become a certain gender, race, being, etc. Society expects us to perform a certain way and basically require us to accept normative standards. This is why I feel that performance art is important. It is a medium that allows an individual to give up their body for expression in order to become something totally new. Within social identity, this can be important for discovering your own identity.
I think that this is displayed within Cloud 9, especially in Edward's performance. He attempts to break the typical bonds on the construction of gender. I feel that he is truly attempting to discover who he is and what gender that he is. When he is involved with Gerry, he attempts to be the woman within the situation. This is negatively accepted and obviously Edward does not know what to do or how to respond. He then reverts to being a man within the relationship of two lesbian women. So does that make him a lesbian as well? Ultimately, Edward truly represents the idea of utilizing your body to discover identity. Although in Cloud 9 his situation is not completely resolved, we still see that he disregards the social norms in order to accumulate perception on various identities.
Joshua is also a good representation of this idea within the constructions of race. Because Churchill is attempting to portray him as a black man played by a white actor, the audience gains the sense that he is equal to the rest of the actors. In reality he is not simply because of the predetermined knowledge that society has upon race roles. Ultimately, it's just really interesting to me that if society didn't have predetermined norms, then we as individuals could be completely different thanks to utilizing performance art.
2 comments:
I'm glad you brought up Edward's lesbian line. It made me laugh because I have a gay male identified friend who often says he is a lesbian.
I know that isn't a constructive comment.
Lauren, I like that you say, "every single individual is born the same". I have a friend who claims to be or at least have been raised "gender neutral." When I first met him, I did not believe him when he would try to convince me of it, but both you and he are correct. Society is what makes us different. When you think about it, that is a really strange idea, but as you say, it is important. At first, my thought it that it is bad that society changes us so drastically, but then, I think it is good because something has to make us change and be different, otherwise we would all be really boring.
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