Blog Post #2
Kenji Yoshino’s “Preface and The New Civil Rights”
- The author’s argument is about how we all have False Selves and True Selves. He talks about the different things that are the reason for having a False Self. Our False Selves are the selves we show before we know the people better that you’re around. Our True Selves come out when we are comfortable enough and are our raw identity. You should have an equal balance between the two. His argument is we shouldn’t let society force us to hide behind our False Selves which is covering. The social norms of society should not pressure us to cover.
- What makes self-expression difficult is the way we are pressured to be a certain way that goes with the social norms. People are expected to act a certain way and if they don’t then they are seen as social outcasts. They are seen as weird, not normal. But no one is normal and no one is weird. We are all our own people and have connections to different people. We all fit in somewhere and others may judge us for different things, but we shouldn’t let them force us to cover. What makes self-expression easier is surrounding yourself with people that you know accept you for who you are and who you are comfortable being yourself with. Being surrounded by those people can make your confidence in yourself grow and can help you express yourself more. Another way that makes self-expression easier is talking to yourself and just not allowing any negative thoughts to come into mind. Giving yourself confidence in yourself can help just as much as other people. I think Yoshino’s essay expresses all this. He talks about his own journey to revealing his True Self and the different things that make him cover. It takes time to show yourself and to feel less affected by the judgment. He uses his own interests to show how hard it can be to express yourself. He talks about the journey that he went through and it shows that everyone goes on their journey.
