4 ms·
I grew up very geek in a VERY rural area. I knew that there were places that I could be me, where I could be "country" me, and where I could be me "for adults".
by Loughla 4y ago
I grew up very geek in a VERY rural area. I knew that there were places that I could be me, where I could be "country" me, and where I could be me "for adults". I learned that the me what I was, was also super unacceptable once I entered the world of higher education. I had to be "smart" me.
Then in my undergraduate degree, I learned about code switching in the context of Mexican-American children of immigrants. And it hit hard.
I was code-switching, but within dialects inside of one language instead of within languages. I also learned in that class that EVERY student who grew up rural, poor, minority, or anything other than middle- to upper-middle class white had extremely similar experiences. It was absolutely shocking to 20 year old me.
To your point - this article absolutely reads like people who just never learned how to navigate different groups.
- clnq 4y agoCode switching is completely natural to me, I would not know how to express myself with just one language to some people. What did you learn about it that impacted you the most?
- Loughla 4y agoHonestly, just that it existed and was a common feature of some peoples' lives. I grew up feeling very outcast. I grew up in a town of less than 50, in a super poor, rural part of the US. My interests were outdoors related, but not guns and god like everyone around me. I was more interested in learning about natural systems and the interplay of wild plants and animals and humans in the world. I never 'fit in' anywhere. None of the school clubs, none of the classes, everywhere I went I felt that I had to 'be someone else'. Then I went to college and learned that, for many people, they literally get to do that every day, and that there was a name for it! It felt validating that someone else in the world experienced what I experienced (even if it was whole-language based instead of just dialect/cultural norm based).
- segh 4y agoSee also masking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masking_(personality) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masking_(personality)
- clnq 4y agoMasking seems to have a negative connotation. Usually, and indeed in the Wikipedia article above, it's presented as a boundary or defence mechanism against societal pressures. But interestingly, etiquette involves a lot of masking and the aim is to make interactions more pleasant for all parties.
- Ensorceled 4y agoThis is similar to masking but also very different. I just don't talk about geek stuff with family and friends back home because they are not interested. They do, however, know I'm a geek so I'm not "hiding" that from them. Nor did I suffer abuse or humiliation from classmates or coworkers that made me change my behaviour.
- clnq 4y agoInteresting, thanks for sharing.