Yoshino, Video 3/30

What does it mean to “modulate your outsider identity”?  Discuss examples of situations where you or others might experience pressure to “modulate” or “surrender” parts of their/your identity.  You might also discuss the reverse: not feeling pressure.

Modulating your outsider identity means altering the parts of yourself that you share with others. While a person who does this is not truly changing their identity, they do change the parts of it that others see. This is done so that a person’s outward appearance fits in and appears to be more mainstream. Some parts of a person are harder to hide; certain disabilities, race, gender, and many other aspects of an individual are completely visible or, at the very least, visible enough to allow people to make assumptions. Certain quieter traits can be hidden but, even with those that are visible, people can highlight other qualities that distract a person from noticing or discriminating based on something that a person wants to be covered. People can feel pressure to “modulate” in the workplace, in social situations, and pretty much anywhere in between. Modulating can help people feel more comfortable and valuable. If a person has a disease, even if it does not show on the outside, they may want to hide that fact so that they do not seem weak. Additionally, if somebody has a cultural or religious affiliation that is often subject to stereotyping, a person made want to cover that aspect of themselves. This is similar to the issue that we discussed after reading about names; by choosing to change the name that you go by, or even choosing to give a child a mainstream name, people are modulating and separating themselves from stereotypes. I think people are willing to modulate parts of their identity as an alternative to surrendering it fully. You can hide parts of yourself at work or school but then act as yourself in safer or more comfortable situations.