Stick To The Status Quo

“Gentlemen, start your engines. And, may the best woman win!” –RuPaul Charles

I often hear people say how culturally rich our society is. What’s strikes me as funny is that our society is rich in the cultures we want to accept. When someone or something new breaks through our comfortable walls that we’ve built, things change. I’m not saying that our society isn’t culturally rich; it absolutely is. But, we rely very heavily on this idea of the “status quo”; or, for those wordplay-challenged, the “existing state”. What’s normal in our worlds, in other words. When something isn’t normal, people freak out. The picture above is of Sutan Amrull, or “Raja”. Sutan is a world-famous makeup artist, who’s worked with people like Dita Von Teese, Adam Lambert (he just so happens to be his best friend) and, for a number of years, Tyra Banks. For those of you who have followed America’s Next Top Model all of these years; do you remember that adorable makeup artist whenever the girls did photoshoots? That’s Sutan. The man is also a drag queen. More importantly, he’s an artist, but there’s a very specific reason why I chose this picture:

Most people are uncomfortable with drag queens.

This is because it’s not exactly in our status quo for a man to dress up as a female-impersonator. Whether they’re doing it as a career, for fun, or for any other reason, the moment a drag queen walks into a room, everything changes. Personally speaking, I love drag queens. It’s an art form that fascinates me very much and I’m shamelessly addicted to RuPaul’s Drag Race on Logo. This picture, for the most part, receives only one reaction: shock. It challenges our existing, “normal” state of living. But, why? Is it because the men in America aren’t comfortable enough in their own skin to be in the same room as a female-impersonator? Most people I’ve talked to find it uncomfortable and repulsive. They think drag queens shouldn’t do what they do. This is the problem.

We’ve been led to believe a certain way; through societal norms, propaganda and so many other avenues of discrimination. We read, specifically in chapter nine of Exploring Language, that we’re allowed certain rights. Eleanor Roosevelt speaks very eloquently and very strongly about this in her speech “The Struggle For Human Rights”. We’re allowed certain human rights; doesn’t this include our right to dress, act and be whoever we wish? For me, there’s something extremely amazing about a man being bold enough to go “where no man has gone before”. There’s no denying that drag is eclectic and uncommon in our society, but in my opinion, all of the best things in life has some level of discomfort.

Sutan is currently a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race and is, quite frankly, the fiercest queen there. I’ll tell anyone that I want her to win because she’s got the “charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent” that any good drag queen needs to prevail. Do I think that this picture in particular will do things to break the silence of the status quo? Maybe not. But, do I think that Raja will do something positive to turn our thoughts around? Absolutely. Man or woman (or man-impersonating-woman), we’re all human; even if we’re not treated like that all of the time. Lady Gaga says, “Don’t be a drag, be a queen”. I say “halleloo” to that.

Free To Be Me

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." -Helen Keller

There's this constant struggle for freedom. Whether we're fighting for it physically or emotionally, it's going on inside all of us. No one is exempt from escaping the urge for freedom. Do we want freedom from prejudice? Or inequality? Do we want free from ourselves or the lives we put on for show? What is it that we yearn for; for freedom’s sake? Why is it that we yearn, but hardly ever obtain? For those who do obtain the freedom they so badly strive for, it’s a relief, an almost palpable “weight off of the shoulders” feeling. But, the question is, how do we obtain this freedom? Do we fight for it? Or do we simply write about it, causing the freedom to flow through the pen and into our lives?

Helen Keller writes about how language set her free. She talked about how knowing language gave her remorse; feelings. Malcolm X talks about the same thing. How his “hustler language” provided nothing for who he really was. These two are perfect examples of how language affects people. How it can provide freedom; even when you’re not expecting it to.

For me, it came at an unexpected time. I’ve always been rather interested in language, but the best memories of how language has affected my life have been when I’m not expecting it. I guess I learn better way. This moment in particular happened in high school for me. I’ve always been an avid reader, but language took me by surprise one day and I’ve never been the same since. You know those moments in life when something you’ve always known about, you suddenly think different on? Language changed for me when I read Harry Potter.

Now, I understand that for some, the series belongs in sci-fi and it’s kind of cheesy, but what people don’t understand is that Harry Potter was my childhood and he taught me a lot. The author, J.K. Rowling, taught me a lot about language and subsequently, myself. She introduced language to me in a way that’s never been before. Vivid imaginings of moving staircases, mountain trolls, good defeating evil because love always conquers; these are the things that language showed me. And, in this revelation, language freed me.

I was allowed to believe that anything is possible. It freed my mind to allow me to believe that language isn’t just how we see it our entire lives. Language is constantly changing; in how we see it and how we perceive it. Language is freeing in several ways. We can express how we feel through language and be empathetic towards others as well. We can change our entire minds about one thing through language. Language is powerful and if we learn to harness that power, it becomes freeing. People may claim that Harry’s just a mundane story about a down-and-out kid and his rise to victory. Harry’s much more than that. He’s freeing for the one’s he’s touched. He’s given language an entirely new twist on things. And, that’s freedom if I’ve ever heard it.

An Ode To Thinking Critically

I ask myself often if I'm a smart person. And, even though that's a bit on the "off the rocker" side, I'd like to believe that I am. I completely fail when it comes to math and sciences, but I enjoy writing immensely and I think reading is something that everyone would love if they give it a chance. Thinking ciritically, for me at least, goes along with reading and writing. To me, thinking critically is a constant thing. You need to be very aware of the material you're reading as you're reading it. To be critical of something (I'm really very good at this) is to question as much as you want. Is the source credible? Do I buy into what the author is selling? This is thinking critically. Now, I did not always do this when reading and I'll be honest enough to admit that I still don't do this whenever I read.

Normally when I'm reading, I'll read through it once at a leisurely pace, not really thinking too hard on it. Then, I'll read it a second time, making myself aware of the text. Maybe I'll take notes or write questions; I'm a big believer in writing in the margins. I think that thinking critically is just being aware of what you're reading; knowing that just because someone wrote it, doesn't mean it's true. You don't have to believe it if it's not something that you can be convinced about. I think this is very important. Because so often people will let others be critical for them. This isn't what critical thinking is about. Critical thinking is different for each person and we've become so accustomed to taking other's opinions as our own that we've forgotten about how we feel altogether.

As for other areas in my life, I'd like to think that I'm a critical thinker there, but my best friend, Heather, often says that I'd miss everything unless it was pointed out to me. Which, is probably true. However, I'm not a complete idiot, so I'm going to say I try. :) When things are right in front of my face; like big-scale media stories or politics, I'm very critical. I've got opinions and, when it's important, I'll open my mouth only when I'm educated enough on the topic.

Ultimately, I'd like to come out of this class with an awareness on being a critical thinker that's higher than what it was before I enrolled. If that made any sense. I can be pretty clueless when it comes to certain topics and genres in my life that thinking critically just flies out of the metaphorical window. I'd like to achieve an awareness in all aspects of my life; even if I'm not too particularly interested in certain said "aspects".