An individual’s understanding of self is sourced from communication with other people. Thus, understanding of self presents a multidimensional process in which the individual acts from different social perspectives. The identity can represent an intersection of different aspects, such as gender, race, socioeconomic class, and sexual orientation. This essay will center on discussing the different aspects of identity and intersectionality through the example of Amy Poehler’s character Leslie in the Parks and Recreation series. Thus, the essay suggests that people’s different identities can be easily studied through the observation of changes in the behavior of public figures, famous people, or politicians.
Firstly, in the specific case featured in the video, Leslie talks to the audience about her role as a politician’s wife and explains that this role represents only one part of her everyday life. However, politicians’ wives are often involved in public relations to maintain a positive image of their husbands. Thus, by making a statement about her social identity, Leslie asks the public to avoid social comparisons between her and other candidates’ wives (Leslie sets the world straight, 2015). The set of living rules and plots for identity presents an identity script (Wood, 2019). Leslie specifically addresses that politicians’ wives do not need to have a specific set of interests limited by cooking and parenting because diversity has more advantages for the development of society. Thus, Leslie denies the application of identity script in the public perception of herself.
Next, considering the aspect of intersectionality, the case from the video illustrates how complicated social identities can be in the modern world. Firstly, intersectionality is an idea that connects different social sciences concepts such as race, gender, and class (García, 2017). In application to social identity, intersectionality studies how different groups of people are oppressed in society based on their unique characteristics. In the video, Leslie is forced to make a statement about all of her concerns from the point of view of different social perspectives. Thus, Leslie points that she is sorry that the public’s attention focused on her instead of her husband. Next, she emphasizes that the topic of men’s rights is ridiculous in a male-dominated society. Furthermore, she addresses the fact that all working parents miss their children, even though parenting can also be difficult. Lastly, Leslie points to her role as a global citizen, suggesting that people can do more valuable things instead of judging each other. Thus, Leslie’s speech about her positions on the relevant topic as a wife, woman, parent, and member of the global community illustrates the idea of intersectionality.
Furthermore, the video interestingly points to the moment when Adam Scott’s character Ben confuses the importance of different social values. Firstly, Ben allows Leslie to make her statement; however, when he realizes how much Leslie’s speech can damage his political career, he refuses to let her continue speaking. Ben argues that his respect for his wife’s independence makes him prevent the continuation of her speech, which is disapproved by the public. In this case, the element of the story points to the concept of value contradiction in sociology. Thus, Ben’s identity as a husband values the support of his wife, while his identity as a politician prioritizes public support.
In conclusion, this essay analyzed the different sociology concepts illustrated in the video from Parks and Recreation series. The series’ depiction of the election process allows for defining differences between characters’ social identities and their intersectionality in different social perspectives. Thus, in her speech to the public, Leslie explains the different aspects of her identity as a candidate’s wife, parent, woman, and member of the global community.
References
García, J. T. (2017). Intersectionality. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Parks and Recreation. (2015). Leslie sets the world straight (episode highlight) [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Wood, J. T. (2019). Interpersonal communication (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.