In a remote parking lot not long ago, I heard the last half of a conversation about a new mutual acquaintance...
Kim: Well, I met a woman 2 weeks ago and I think she might be a good connection for you.
Mo: Who are you talking about?
Kim: Shona, she has the experience, both here and internationally and her educational track will be helpful as well. In fact, I think you met her already!
Mo: I did??
Kim: Yes, 2 weeks ago, we were talking to her at the luncheon for about half an hour, remember?
Mo: When? What luncheon?
Kim: Two weeks ago, at the seminar on human rights.
Mo: Really? I don't remember...
Kim: The one at our table, the african woman.
Mo: Oh!! Yes, I remember.....
Before I continue let me disabuse you of the notion that this entry is about racism. It's not. This time, I wanted to write about identity. About the way we identify people. About the way we identify each other.
The above conversation illustrates one common approach. The initial speaker, Kim, tried to convey the identity of a person by her talents first and their possible benefit or connection to Mo's needs. Secondly, Kim stated the woman's name and continued to illustrate her talents and qualities. Finally, Kim identified her by race.
Mo could not recall the individual by talents, qualifications or name. Only Shona's race triggered Mo's memory of who Shona is.
So, who is Shona?? I suppose it depends to whom you talk. There are some places in the world today where a person is recognized by their name, and that name may be inherently attached to the character of their person. Some cultures and societies answer who a person is by where they are from or what they do. Sometimes we identify them in relation to their significant other, orientation or ethnicity. I am not an author who is in a place to say whether an approach is "wrong" or "better" than another. However, I really challenge readers to think hard about HOW and WHY we use identity to relate to people and how much our presumptions and assumptions affect our relationship (or lack thereof) with them.
Because, even a name comes with certain presumed identities. For example, consider the conversation above... Kim is the most common name on planet earth. Depending where you are from, Kim may be female or male, Korean, American or South African. Mo could be a nickname or real name, elderly man or teenage girl. Maybe you think you can tell by the way they spoke? The words they used?
Which identity did you give them?
Either you had in your mind an image about the characters in the conversation, or maybe you read the whole blog with one of a few questions in your mind the entire time... "Who is Kim, and who is Mo?" Well, all names and circumstances are changed to give anonymity to all characters. So, forget Kim and Mo, it does not matter who they are. Instead, start thinking about your friends and acquaintances. Who are they? Who do you think they are? How do you identify them? How do you identify with them? How do you identify them to other people?
....Would they identify themselves the way you do?
One final thought: Every new person I have met self-identifies with a name... and a smile.