The Public and Private Sphere, Blog 9, Jessie Dzura

Little these days is private in any community. Globalization and the advent of the internet, 24/7 communication, and an aggressive media have dictated a culture that is constantly in tune and hooked to streaming news. People's relationships, addictions, pregnancies, etc. all become fodder for an eager nation that strives to be "in touch" with the latest gossip and news. So that brings us to the question, what (if anything) is private in our community? Race, certainly, is not. Race is something at the forefront of our daily lives. Even if a person is of mixed race, their perceived race becomes a public persona that is transplanted on them by others. Sex, once again, not private. People are judged immediately to either be male or female, even if there are other categories. What about sexuality? Sexuality CAN be more private. But as of late, sexuality is something to be celebrated, rather than hidden. Consider the gay rights movement!

As a private person, I do, however, have some semblance of control over my public life. I keep my emotions relatively hidden, only share things with friends that I trust. So what becomes public for my community? It is clear that I am a young white female. I choose to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, and associate myself with certain people. HOWEVER. I do choose to hide certain aspects of my personality. For example, I have a very large tattoo, that no one can see unless I choose to show it to them. I also have several physical deformities from lots of athletics injuries. Clearly, I choose to hide these. So what role does the nation play in my life? Firstly, I have to admit that I do not really relate to any nation. I choose (that word again) to drift between identities. I am molded by the outside community, however. Through my friends I am exposed to different cultures, music, food, etc. So, to answer the question. The nation affects my personal life through the outside world and what I let in. Whatever is public becomes internalized privately and vice versa. Whatever I identify as or with in my private life becomes public in my mannerisms.