José Esteban Muñoz
José Esteban Muñoz’s book on dis-identification, there is a passage from dissing identity, the passage breaks down what identify is. They start by addressing identity as fiction, that is accessed by the majority with ease. And the minorities aren’t able to access this identity because they do not align with it culturally, they think of themselves as outside of that identity and they need to find themselves outside of society. However just because the majority of society believes in this false idea that no one questions, that they themselves aren’t structured. The “social contrast” of the norm for the majority has structure yet a lot of conflict that no one questions. José Esteban Muñoz’ continues to this idea of conflict for the majority by critiquing capitalism.
Now analyzing the text and overall, the title of the book, dis-identification is the idea of breaking an idea, stereotype down to understand it. Identity was created without the thought of minorities and others that don’t fall into the mundane ways of the majority. Hence the writer claims it false and how its accessed with ease for the majority. Which made sense to me because it shows for instance me identifying as a male, who is heterosexual, I have ease accessing my identity without ridicule from society. However, my question is now being 2022, I would like to think that in liberal cities like Atlanta, being colored, a different gender, and not conforming to the norms of the old school majority can be eased to access can it not? Or perhaps the privilege that I have doesn’t allow me to see the lack of access some have to there identity.
Overall I think the Idea José was trying to convey is that minority have a harder time fitting into society and finding themselves due to certain strict ideas being practiced in some societies if not all, in one shape or another.