Ziggy Stardust is a fictional character created by David Bowie, perhaps as a reminder to himself not to be lured into believing the myth of fame. This myth often kills entertainers faster than anything. Mr. Bowie had to kill off the character because it started to eat his brain.
I can relate to that with my character Itico, although I will never get close to the fame of someone like David Bowie.
This morning I was thinking about how we all play characters, though most people don’t acknowledge it that way and in fact some people get outright offended if you point it out.
What I mean is, and this especially fits people who are raised in western traditions, we identify as our roles or occupations. People identify as accountants, financiers, reporters, bloggers, homemakers, etc.
It’s not really all that different from people who identify as characters, or identify with characters from stories. Except, I think that we are having a little more fun with it.
Occupational identification is a simplification, a signal of a socially derived role which can help other people fit you into a slot. This can be used to your advantage or work against you, which is nothing new if you understand social signaling. For example, people might say that they are an accountant if they want to impress people, suggest that they are likely well educated and rich. This can work against you though. People come to you with accountant questions, want help with their taxes or other things that might apply to money even if you have no experience in it.
I’ve never liked this, even when I did have a job that had an easy title. It always seemed far too narrow, too limiting. I’m not just a standardized test grader, or a office manager, or a teacher. I might be that and a lot more.
I think that is why I have been drawn to characters more. A character could be an accountant, sure, but they could also just be a fox, a lamp or a foreign dignitary from a far away land. What you do as your current occupation isn’t as important to me as who you are as a person, what are your interests, your stories, your connections. Sure, you might have an interesting job and I might want to hear about that too but that’s only a part of who you are, or should be.
Characters can be very powerful. They can help us deal with life’s tribulations, but they can also drag us down. I think Bowie understood this from the perspective of the performer. When you go on stage you put on a show, you adopt a character, intentionally or not. For me, it was exhibiting more confidence than I felt. This helped me get into situations I was not normally comfortable with. It also helped me get through them. Then, after, I went back into my own space to be myself.
I’ve asked people, are you -really- the same person you take home to see your parents that you are when you’re hanging with your friends? While technically the answer is yes, the reality is that most of us show or hide different aspects of ourselves depending on who we are with and what we are doing. This is normal social behavior and it can save us a lot of time, explanation and even outright trouble.
We play the role of father, son, employee, subway passenger. These aren’t bad things. Of course, there are roles that may not be as positive, ruffian, thief, rebel, scoundrel, etc. Many roles have expected behaviors, affectations or even merchandise you can buy-anyone have one of those one-speed bikes with no brakes?
These posts are all about what I think about when I hear a song. I don’t really have a point, nor do I want you to go out and do something. If you think about how the songs I mention relate to your life, i think i have done something good. A role I have given myself, and that has also been forced upon me, is that of an educator and commentator. I want you to step outside of your normal life and reflect back on you, your life and your choices.
Maybe it helps, maybe not.
