Empowerment. Engagement. Authenticity.
The Abstraction of Identity
Identity” is, perhaps, one of the most prominent abstractions used in modern discourse. As populations become more heterogeneous, the need to belong to a group has increased, both in public and academic circles. In Charles Cunningham’s article, "To Watch the Faces of the Poor": Life Magazine and the Mythology of Rural Poverty in the Great Depression”, he speaks of middle-class citizens wanting to be seen as “the pioneer” as opposed to “white trash” or “blacks” due to images presented in the media. Cunningham describes how the segregation of Americans into socio-cultural groups coloured the citizens’ attitudes towards each other and towards their ideal standing. Tom Delph-Janiurek discusses the masculine-feminine distinction in “Sounding Gender(ed): Vocal Performances in English University Teaching Spaces”. Delph-Janiurek comments on the impressions conveyed through voices and the further labeling which occurs as a result. Cunningham and Delph-Janiurek approach the abstraction of identity from different angles; however, both articles operate on the same definition of identity, that is, the publicized societal assignment of labels to groupings of characteristics for taxonomical purposes which, in turn, acts as a concrete indicator of public perception.
Charles Cunningham’s article, "To Watch the Faces of the Poor": Life Magazine and the Mythology of Rural Poverty in the Great Depression” examines the portrait of the “pioneer” versus the portrait of “white trash” and “blacks” presented to readers by Life Magazine. During the Depression, when no one was immune to economic hardship, regardless of race or wealth, readers are encouraged to discriminate between the worthy and unworthy victims of poverty. The magazine ensures that middle-class readers strived to belong to “the population of good old American stock handicapped only by geographical conditions" and not the white trash “whose destiny is inherent in their inbred genes or in their profligate ways”. This example personifies the desire to perceive oneself, as well as the desire to be perceived as, acceptable. Life Magazine presents an additional layer of discrimination with their presentation of blacks as “beneath justice.” The magazine’s ranking of economic status clearly demonstrates the creation of “identities” open to readers’ sympathy or disgust. These identities are ranked with “Negroes” being the lowest. It is human nature to categorize oneself when looking at such a ranking and it is astonishing that the identity of “poor” is seen in a better light than that of “Negro” although the economic gap is very narrow. Readers of the time would rather be perceived as “poor” rather than “Negro”, however, whites who failed to meet standards were often ridiculed as “blacks.” This desire is compounded by contrasting photos of the strapping pioneer in front of his cabin and the condemned black man belittled in the picture captions. Cunningham, similar to Delph-Janiurek, demonstrates the need to gravitate towards classification as opposed to distinction.
“Sounding Gender(ed): Vocal Performances in English University Teaching Spaces”, by Tom Delph-Janiurek looks at identity as determined by voice or, as he terms it, “vocal performance.” The article has two purposes: to introduce the voice as a channel for physiological and discursive information and to demonstrate that this physiological and discursive output varies depending on geography or the space where the discourse takes place. Delph-Janiurek contends that “voices are used to perform gendered and sexualised identities,” and that voices are interpreted by both speakers and listeners. Voices relate far more than verbal content; voices reveal information about the speaker’s age, gender, sexuality, race and class. Delph-Janiurek comments on the accepted notion of women’s voices being higher and more emotional, while the masculine voice is associated with logic. From these deep-rooted perceptions stem the labeling of effeminate male voices as “gay” and male-sounding females as “butches”. Delph-Janiurek notes that, in certain spaces, women will lower the pitch of their voices to sound more authoritative and confident. In other cases, the association of the feminine voice with maternal support and emotion is beneficial. Again, we see identity as a vehicle for self-evaluation and as a means of acceptance by others.
The two articles, "To Watch the Faces of the Poor": Life Magazine and the Mythology of Rural Poverty in the Great Depression” and “Sounding Gender(ed): Vocal Performances in English University Teaching Spaces” present the abstraction of identity, the publicized societal assignment of labels to groupings of characteristics for taxonomical purposes which, in turn, acts as a concrete indicator of public perception, as an abstraction of which everyone is fully aware. Cunningham discusses identity as being cultivated and nurtured such that readers of Life Magazine are acquainted with the various identities with the expectation that each reader will find his place. Identity, in Cunningham’s view, is a taxonomy designed to divide a population and to discourage fraternity. Cunningham regards identity as static. Once a person is labelled a “Negro” or “white trash”, it is difficult, if not impossible, to shed this assignation. For Tom Delph-Janiurek, on the other hand, identity is subject to geography and audience. A woman may choose to sound soft and sympathetic during a Women's Studies seminar, but will lower the pitch of her voice and use a brisk tone when chairing a business meeting. A man may soften his voice in an effort to sound more compassionate and emotionally-responsive when he speaks with his wife, but his voice will assume extra coarseness in a bar setting which he believes will enhance his masculinity as befits his audience and geographical space.
The abstraction of identity, as presented by Cunningham and Delph-Janiurek demonstrates that, despite the movement toward individualism, there is a desire to be grouped and to belong to the accepted group. Life Magazine shifted its focus from economic hardship in general to a racial portrait of the Depression. While the struggle is a romantic one for whites, “Life's "Okies" become "a bedraggled leaderless horde," "scrabbling about the State to look for work, fighting each other for jobs," "in all their stink and misery." A distinction is implicitly drawn between the magazine readers and the people being portrayed. Identifying themselves as separate from those in the magazine becomes important to readers. In the article written by Tom Delph-Janiurek, identity is a product of space and audience. An instructor and a drunkard can be the same person because, according to Delph-Janiurek, a person consciously adjusts his identity depending on where he is and with whom.
Works Cited
Cunningham, Charles. “‘To Watch the Faces of the Poor’: Life Magazine and the Mythology of Rural Poverty in the Great Depression” (pp. 200–212)
Delph-Janiurek, Tom. “Sounding Gender(ed): Vocal Performances in English University Teaching Spaces” (pp. 258–280)
