Brittany Liu's Blog #9 Internal and External, Community and Nation

I relate private versus public with internal versus external.  Externals are usually associated with the formation of a community.  People are attracted to commonalities because it gives a sense of comfort.  Commonalities are usually found externally, which includes appearance, body language, and vocal communication.  As we have read in Anderson's Imagined Communities, language is a major unifying agent and I believe this includes visual and audible.  Something a little unsettling about communities is its homogenous ideal, which can lead to the loss of self identity.  I believe self identity is created privately and then is expressed publicly.  However, one's true identity is within themselves.  In the 2012   French film Tomboy, a young girl moves to a new neighborhood where she introduces herself as a boy.  Immediately the community of kids welcome "him," which encourages her to continue the facade.  Unfortunately, the truth comes out and the community of kids not only exile her, but also attack her.  This brings up the question of if a community can actually be damaging to one's self identity?  Externally, in the biological sense, she is a girl, but internally she is a boy and that is what she keeps private from her mother and father.  The neighborhood community she desperately wanted to be a part of forced her to be ashamed of her true self-identity.  My question is how much of our public identity goes into the formation of a community and how much of our private identity should be contributed to a community?

When I think of community I associate it with something smaller than a nation.  As Americans we have the right to a private life that is not interrupted or invaded by the government.  It is our freedom that allows us this privacy.  On the Internet, we are allowed to send emails that are protected and communicate privately on the phone unlike other countries where everything is screened.  We have the right to express our own opinions on this blog.  I believe this free communication, especially through technology, has given a voice to each citizen of our nation.  Anderson talks about simultaneous actions that unite people and the Internet is one of them.  I know that I felt part of this nation more than ever when I watched the inauguration (especially Beyonce) on the Internet knowing that billions of other Americans were watching it with me.  Ritual gives me a sense of nationalism because of its harmony and collectiveness.  The Pledge of Allegiance unites our voices, showing our strength in numbers.  We are made up of so many individuals, but we stand as one as we celebrate the freedom of our country.