Blog Post 1

Image @ http://photos.wingyounghuie.com/p709406511/h7960348f#h7960348f

The picture that I chose by Wing Young Huie was one of a young man at a bus stop with a sign that says "Equality for the Undocumented". This is from Huie's We are the Other collection of photographs. Similar to the other photos by Wing Young Huie that I looked at, this photo seemed very sad. This could easily be attributed to the boy in the photograph's expression, which is one that people would associate with sadness. The man is also sitting alone, which generally creates a feeling of pity or sadness in someone who sees that. The man in the photograph is Latino and based on his sign about justice for undocumented immigrants, the viewer of the image can generally assume that the man is an immigrant.

People are generally thought of differently if they are an immigrant, as opposed to a natural born citizen, even if there is no reason for the difference in status. This is definitely an example of othering in real life, like in The Handmaid's Tale, how Handmaids are thought of differently because of the nature of their situation, rather than their personalities or actions. I think it is interesting that othering occurs at all, that people feel a need to exclude people no matter what situation or circumstances they are in. Exclusion occurs all throughout life, and can be found in many situations like bullying, job applications, group memberships, or even simply purchasing items at a store. The Handmaid's Tale illustrates people's need to exclude others well, from wives excluding handmaids from drinking at birth ceremonies, or Marthas not being allowed to go out shopping for the ingredients that they are going to cook with.

Overall, othering seems unavoidable. It occurs through all aspects and ages of our societies, and does very little good for anyone, if at all. If people just relaxed and let go of what they believed was absolutely right, the world could easily end up being a much happier and more peaceful place.

Steven Kostello