Identity is More Than a Label

I mention in the previous post that what what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable epithets can change. Likewise, identity can change, not only with time but with context. 

A Numb3rs episode delivers a scene where David and Colby walk into a bar filled with Asian businessmen and scantily clad Asian women serving drinks. 

Colby says, "We're the only white people in here." 

Alimi Ballard's David chuckles and says, "Yes. Yes, we are."

Identity is more than a box on a survey form. In this context, the two FBI agents have more in common with each other than with anybody in the room. "White" isn't a slur or a brag; it's an acknowledgement of a culture--for good or for bad--tied to a particular institution.