In the movie Ever After, a prince who doesn't want to be a king explains his frustrations at his role by saying "to be so defined by your position. To only be seen as what you are, you have no idea how insufferable that is!"
In response, the girl who loves him, but is a servant so she has no right to love him says "You might be surprised!" and then goes on to give an example of a gypsy who is only painted as such.
Several times I have come across people who have said things to me, acting as if they understood who I was based on a life choice or position I am in. For example I have had several people assume that I am passionate about being a career person because I am in a master's program. This is false. I just kind of fell into it... While complaining to my sister (the stay at home mom of a big family) she said that people do the same thing to her, assume who she is because of a life circumstance.
It gets annoying, and yet, it isn't surprising because many stereotypes are there for a reason; they are accurate at least in most cases.
Being defined by positions just seems like a fact of life, but maybe just remembering that I shouldn't be too annoyed when I get pegged for a stereotype that doesn't fit is a start. Plus, it is good to ask questions before assuming. (I know that will shake some people.... it's not like that hasn't been said before).
No comments:
Post a Comment