Do our differences define us?
We are defined both by our differences and by our similarities. These elements are co-dependent on each other, and serve to make a rounded identity of ourselves.
The role similarities play in defining:
Although "every person is unique", there are aspects that everyone has in common with someone else. One's age group, ethnicity, career, nationality, gender, hobby (alongside other attributes) will unite them with other people through similarity. Both personal examples and moments from movies and television support this idea of identification through similarity.
I, for instance, am identified due to my common characteristics with different groups.
1. My age links me with other teenagers.
2. My ethnicity groups me with other Eurasians.
3. My "career" connects me with other students.
4. My nationality identifies me with other Japanese/English citizens.
5. My gender puts me with the female population.
6. My hobbies and interests group me in with Potterheads, bookworms, Whovians etc.
Because I have aspects in common with certain groups, I become identified by them. "That girl's one of the students from EARJ." "She's a teenager, they're all crazy." "She's an older sister, they're all bossy." Because I have similar characteristics, that group and their respective features define me. (This links into the issue of prejudice: http://akwatts.weebly.com/how-are-prejudices-formed.html)
Being part of a group also plays a huge role in the identification of characters in "The Breakfast Club". In the film, five individuals from very different social groups interact, and they initially identify one another using the groups they belong in. Andrew, who is athletic, is grouped through similarity with the jocks and is identified by them. In the same way, Brian's intelligence and academic ambition group him with the "nerds", thus becoming defined by them. This tendency of being part of a group and having traits associated with them is extremely clear in the film, and demonstrates the role similarity groups have in identity.
Similarities also form groups (and by extension, identities) in popular TV show "Better Off Ted". In one episode, the boss of international company Veridian, Veronica, is informed that her employees are unhappy. She responds by allowing individual workspaces to be decorated, and the themes the workers choose result in groups. Some workers, including protagonist Linda, get a "cat" theme, and their common thread results in a clique. They give this group "cattributes", making their decorations a part of their identity.
Similarities clearly play a huge role in forming groups and identities - but differences have a monumental role as well.
The role differences play in defining:
To a certain extent, similarities to certain groups make up our identity. But it is the "escape" from the group - your personal attributes that differ from the usual "teenagers" or "women" or "students" - that play an immense role in defining you. Real life examples, coupled with films and literature, confirm this.
A particular instant can be found in Veronica Roth's Divergent. The protagonist in the novel, Tris, leaves her family and her community, Abnegation, to attempt join the Dauntless faction. While going through the initiation process, she is grouped with other teenagers due to her age similarity. She stands out, however, due to her background and family. Tris is quickly defined as "the Stiff", a slang word for people of Abnegation.
In the same way, Chihiko, from the animated film Spirted Away, gets defined by her unusual characteristic of being human. Chihiko works in a bathhouse, and her job groups her with other bathhouse workers. However, she is different from all the others due to her race. This aspect of her becomes an integral part of her identity; for much of the film, she is simply referred to as "the human."
The identity of Guy Montag, protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, is also influenced by how he is different from his respective “group”, the firemen. His career links him with them, but he stands out due to his unique behaviour of reading. For the second half of the novel, his difference transforms his identity into “fireman gone sour”.
The final example is Jack Andraka, a freshman living in Maryland. He has his age/gender/background/hobbies/religion and other aspects that link him into several groups. His difference from them, however, is what makes up the bulk of his identity - namely, his scientific accomplishments. Andraka, at the age of 15, has invented a cheaper, more accurate, less painful, more efficient form of diagnosing the often fatal pancreatic cancer. Previous diagnosis techniques have proved to be inadequate; they only recognize the tumour when it is too late to solve the problem. Andraka's amazing new strategy, however, yields results in 5 minutes. His immense achievement obviously sets him apart, eclipsing the similarities he has with his respective groups. Some of his schoolmates, as a result to his unique feature, refer to him as "his Jackliness", alluding to "his Fordliness" from Brave New World.
Conclusion
"Do our differences define us?" Not exactly. Real life examples, alongside television shows, books and films, demonstrate how it's the constant interaction between our similarities and our differences that build up our identities.
The role similarities play in defining:
Although "every person is unique", there are aspects that everyone has in common with someone else. One's age group, ethnicity, career, nationality, gender, hobby (alongside other attributes) will unite them with other people through similarity. Both personal examples and moments from movies and television support this idea of identification through similarity.
I, for instance, am identified due to my common characteristics with different groups.
1. My age links me with other teenagers.
2. My ethnicity groups me with other Eurasians.
3. My "career" connects me with other students.
4. My nationality identifies me with other Japanese/English citizens.
5. My gender puts me with the female population.
6. My hobbies and interests group me in with Potterheads, bookworms, Whovians etc.
Because I have aspects in common with certain groups, I become identified by them. "That girl's one of the students from EARJ." "She's a teenager, they're all crazy." "She's an older sister, they're all bossy." Because I have similar characteristics, that group and their respective features define me. (This links into the issue of prejudice: http://akwatts.weebly.com/how-are-prejudices-formed.html)
Being part of a group also plays a huge role in the identification of characters in "The Breakfast Club". In the film, five individuals from very different social groups interact, and they initially identify one another using the groups they belong in. Andrew, who is athletic, is grouped through similarity with the jocks and is identified by them. In the same way, Brian's intelligence and academic ambition group him with the "nerds", thus becoming defined by them. This tendency of being part of a group and having traits associated with them is extremely clear in the film, and demonstrates the role similarity groups have in identity.
Similarities also form groups (and by extension, identities) in popular TV show "Better Off Ted". In one episode, the boss of international company Veridian, Veronica, is informed that her employees are unhappy. She responds by allowing individual workspaces to be decorated, and the themes the workers choose result in groups. Some workers, including protagonist Linda, get a "cat" theme, and their common thread results in a clique. They give this group "cattributes", making their decorations a part of their identity.
Similarities clearly play a huge role in forming groups and identities - but differences have a monumental role as well.
The role differences play in defining:
To a certain extent, similarities to certain groups make up our identity. But it is the "escape" from the group - your personal attributes that differ from the usual "teenagers" or "women" or "students" - that play an immense role in defining you. Real life examples, coupled with films and literature, confirm this.
A particular instant can be found in Veronica Roth's Divergent. The protagonist in the novel, Tris, leaves her family and her community, Abnegation, to attempt join the Dauntless faction. While going through the initiation process, she is grouped with other teenagers due to her age similarity. She stands out, however, due to her background and family. Tris is quickly defined as "the Stiff", a slang word for people of Abnegation.
In the same way, Chihiko, from the animated film Spirted Away, gets defined by her unusual characteristic of being human. Chihiko works in a bathhouse, and her job groups her with other bathhouse workers. However, she is different from all the others due to her race. This aspect of her becomes an integral part of her identity; for much of the film, she is simply referred to as "the human."
The identity of Guy Montag, protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, is also influenced by how he is different from his respective “group”, the firemen. His career links him with them, but he stands out due to his unique behaviour of reading. For the second half of the novel, his difference transforms his identity into “fireman gone sour”.
The final example is Jack Andraka, a freshman living in Maryland. He has his age/gender/background/hobbies/religion and other aspects that link him into several groups. His difference from them, however, is what makes up the bulk of his identity - namely, his scientific accomplishments. Andraka, at the age of 15, has invented a cheaper, more accurate, less painful, more efficient form of diagnosing the often fatal pancreatic cancer. Previous diagnosis techniques have proved to be inadequate; they only recognize the tumour when it is too late to solve the problem. Andraka's amazing new strategy, however, yields results in 5 minutes. His immense achievement obviously sets him apart, eclipsing the similarities he has with his respective groups. Some of his schoolmates, as a result to his unique feature, refer to him as "his Jackliness", alluding to "his Fordliness" from Brave New World.
Conclusion
"Do our differences define us?" Not exactly. Real life examples, alongside television shows, books and films, demonstrate how it's the constant interaction between our similarities and our differences that build up our identities.