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Joey Abely
Dr. Drown
English 122
February 4, 2019
Hiding From The Truth
In recent discussions of identity, a controversial issue has been whether people have abused their power to hide identity. On the one hand, somer argue that identity can be whatever you make them and hidden when needed, however, others argue that identities should be kept true throughout one’s life. In the words off Appiah one of this view’s main proponents,”we have multiple identities and multiple points of contact with other people, and it’s almost never true that there is no shared ground at all.”. According to this view, people keep multiple identities some hidden some not. In sum, then, the issue is whether or not keeping your identity hidden is a good or bad thing. My own view is keeping your identity hidden in some purposes can be innocent.
Some people such as celebrities harmlessly hide their identities by wearing disguises in public and using fake names for anything they need when they’re out. Other people hide their identities because they are criminals or a minority depending on the time in history. And lastly the most harmless way people hide their identities is by remaining anonymous while giving any important information or donating money. There are many different instances where hiding part of somebody’s identity can be beneficial for the person. For instance if somebody was to be a criminal and then hid their identity they would benefit from avoiding jail as long as nobody knew who they were, but on the flip side they would be slammed with extra charges and longer sentencing (depending on the crime they committed). For somebody who is a celebrity who hides their identity from the public while out benefits from not being in the spotlight and flowing under the radar which is unusual for their day to day life, but if caught their image goes down and they may lose some fans. While donating money seems nice it is even nicer when you do it unanimously for various reasons; one being so if you donate a large amount of money nobody knows, and because some people may not be able to donate as much as you can so by donating it unanimously nobody feels bad about who can spend how more. But there is a whole different aspect of identity hiding and it’s not just names, hiding religions and race was and is still fairly common in our world today. A famous example of people who would hide their identity were those of the Holocaust. Most Jews in Germany (except the few German Jews that were given and accepted the opportunity to convert religions) tried to escape the inevitable fate of death by saying they they were not Jewish. A popular example of someone who did this and that is known worldwide for her diary is Anne Frank. Sometimes people have to hide their identity due to their race, back in the early 1900’s many people discriminated against African Americans making it extremely difficult for them to prosper in our economy. Society in my eyes gains nothing from a person hiding their identity over time. A society should be able to be lived in without people having their identity hidden for various reasons. But when people do hide their identity it definitely takes away from the society and speaks about the people living there. I have also came to notice you’re the true creator of your identity, “If you allow your identity to be totally shaped by your opposition to a dominant culture, as many racial groups have done because of the history of racism and xenophobia, you can become locked into that minority status. The first time a group becomes conscious of itself as an important social group, it is because they realize that they’re all being subjected to something. But if you define yourself through the act of opposition, then you’re letting the oppressors set the terms.” (Appiah).
I have come to the conclusion that identities are what shape the world. Without them we would be lost in a maze of people running around doing basically the same thing as everyone else: eating, sleeping, and keeping ourselves occupied and able to be self sufficient (work) during the day. Only you and your actions can shape your identity and how you’re viewed by others.
