The Masquerade

If there is one thing that is clear to me after reading the assigned articles on immigration and popular culture, it is that we are all on a similar quest searching for many of the same things: identity, validation, importance, and acceptance. It is not by way of accident that popular culture mirrors history through music, television, plays, especially during times of social upheaval. It is at times of war, during the Civil Rights Movement, immigration laws, that inspire all people to act in some way. It seems only natural that the artists, musicians, playwrights, and spiritual gurus would focus their talents on creating social, economic, and political change. It is in one way something that unifies a group or groups of people around a common purpose and serves for historians a documentation of that time period.

With that said, I do believe that change is sometimes needed. In order to assimilate our beliefs with that of another, we sometimes need to participate in the masquerade. From our birth until our death, we are trying to find our niche, our place in this world. It is a constant struggle, a constant journey where we are trying to find out who we are, what we stand for in all facets of our lives. This is when we may also experiment with masking our identities to try on the identity of another. In many ways this might be looked at as a form of escapism or teenage angst or rebellion. The same cultural quest that began in the 1920's with gangster films to the cultural search for acceptance by the Puerto Ricans in the West End Story is still ever present in society today. Race matters. The way in which we learn about others cultural beliefs and life experiences that may differ from ours matters. It is truly finding that bridge between the two that many of the hippies of the 60's were trying to forge. We still see this 60's ideal in our entertainment industry today where people try to educate the public on issues like the genocide in Darfur with bands like U2 at the forefront. We see this with Madonna as referred to in the article we just read by using henna on her hands in one of her videos. We see it with certain actresses such as Madonna and Britney Spears wearing the red string on their wrist that symbolizes the Kaballah. These are very public figures that in a way are either on a spiritual journey finding out who they are or what they stand for or even another subtle example of cultural assimilation.

One of the many parts of the articles assigned that I was not familiar was that of minstrels. I have heard of the term "black face"before and only recently learned more about it in another class. I did find it interesting that Jewish people used this form of entertainment to assimilate with white culture. Again, just another example how we mask our true identities to fit in. What is clear is that every immigrant needed their niche to feel like they belonged in American society. Some associated with crime, opening their own store, and acting in minstrels. Being of Italian heritage and being very familiar with the mafia as portrayed by Hollywood (even though I am related to mafia members in New York) I was shocked that the Jewish mafia was so prevalent. I guess growing up when people referred to the mafia, I just automatically thought Italian.

Equally intriguing was the way in which movies were censored in the past. The control that certain organizations had over media and what was produced was mind boggling. The idea that the gangster "hero" was not allowed to be glamorized too much and must face a tragic fate seems too contrived or better yet too predictable. Even so, my love of mafia movies such as the Godfather, Scarface, American Gangster, The Sopranos comes from this fascination of this type of urban lifestyle that seems so far removed from my rural farm community I grew up in. More than that, I like to analyze the human character and the flaws we all possess. The masks we see the actors wearing in the movies are the masks we still see today. We see this with our students as they try to form their own identities many times trying on different cultural masks as a way to express themselves and find their niche. Instead of understanding that this type of cultural masquerade is a way for people, including young people to explore their own views in regards to culture, we tend to discredit the behavior as not being authentic. It is because of this, that I hope that through this racial masquerade it will give us the tools necessary to be more open-minded and tolerant to other cultural beliefs and customs. In doing this, I believe we will become a better and stronger country that our children and grandchildren can be proud of.