With 4 days to go until we vote the emphasis seems to be on the rehashing of facts and figures with each side promoting and entrenching their position. The last few weeks I have thought a lot about how we select and process this information, how we gage meaning from it. The focus, for these last months has been on economics and social justice things worthy of debate and discussion but has led me to ask what frames and informs our position on these topics. What has brought me to the conclusion of Yes and others to No? I, have declared that nationality has nothing to do with my decision, that I am not a nationalist, that being Scottish or British is irrelevant, but is this really the case? The idea of national identity interests me and the place it has played within the debate is important. My identity was shaped in part by my parents, by my economic circumstances, by my peer group and by the culture I consumed. All of these things are connected to place and historical context. I identify as Glaswegian first, not just because I live here and share a humour ( in my opinion Glasgow banter is best) but also because I have embraced this citys oppositional nature, the red clydesiders, the glasgow girls, james Kelman, Joan Eardley. This is the identity favoured and selected by me to inform my politics, my beliefs, my culture which in turn validate my identity ( you could go mad). At the root of this identity is an opposition to the prescribed image of British culture, which excludes my history, ignores my language, my humour, my sensibilities. It ignores my culture. Britishness seems alien, I dont know what it means, I cannot articulate it in a positive way. I associate it with imperialism, with an enforced will. Culture is not freely chosen, it is pushed and then unconsciously absorbed. As we grow we reject certain types of culture in favour of others usually to further validate our beliefs. We see this as a freedom of choice, as an act of consciousness. It is not. We categorise information as truth or untruth, as right or wrong. The way we organise information in this way is dependent on the identity we have forged. We must be aware of this. My culture and thus my beliefs/values/opinions- whatever you want to call them, are firmly rooted in sense of place, they are at once unique to me and collectively shared. They relate to the the landscape I see, the language I use, the jokes I laugh at. My identity will ultimately determine how I vote on Thursday. And yours probably will too. Something to think about.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 15:43:59 +0000
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