Are we just who we think we are, or do we always represent something – some group; some nation; some identity? There are things we would like to say, but then we remember that as a “privileged white male” or as a citizen of a former colonial power, or something else, it is probably better to keep our mouths shut. That’s what I’m reflecting on now, with regard to that Israeli film director who raised a furor at the Goa film festival (see my previous post). What he said, regarding the “vulgarity” of the film (“The Kashmir Files”) may (or may not) be true. On the other hand, if one is a foreigner and, on top of that, speaking about a highly sensitive issue – well, maybe there are places you might not want to go.
But besides even those aspects, there is a question of one’s own identity. The director, I assume, sees his podium to be that of a filmmaker, given the honor to chair a prestigious panel of judges. His professional credentials are the source of his courage in speaking out. However, those who hear him are no doubt aware of other aspects of his identity – perhaps more aware than he?
Being an Israeli Jew carries a certain excess baggage in the world, that is added to the baggage of just being a foreigner. Among its sources are, on the one hand, the history of persecution against the Jewish people, including the Holocaust of the last century; modern-day antisemitism, and, on the other hand, the perpetration of terrible injustice towards Palestinians today. These heavy bags cannot easily be left behind.
No matter which group we belong to, even when we are eager to rid ourselves of this group identity, we can’t, because this does not depend on us. We will always represent more than ourselves to the other. If we disavow, say, imperialism, or chauvinism or Zionism or whatever identity we want to disassociate with, we cannot shake off the attibution. So we had better be aware of it in our speech and our behaviour, and do our best to compensate.
Our sense of identity has to include both what we see in ourselves and what other people are likely to see too. This is only fitting. We are speaking about persona, whose original meaning was “mask” (the mask that was worn by actors), yet we cannot function in this world without one. It’s a Greek tragedy, but still just a play. The error, and the source of our confusion, is in taking the play, or our role in it, too seriously.