When 'he' could be a 'she'

BY ADAM GIULIANO

This weekend, one of the most popular and enduring movies of all time, Star Wars, returns to theaters. As a childhood fan of the movie, I will make a pilgrimage to Milford to re-experience the show, as I expect many other nostalgic movie-goers will do as well. As you settle in and watch the story unfold, imagine that Luke Skywalker has cinnamon-roll hair and a long white skirt. That is, imagine that he is in fact Princess Leia--a woman.

This image, though perhaps at first unsettling, is not so outrageous after all: according to a recent New Yorker article, one of the early drafts of the script reversed the genders of Luke and Leia. Instead of the male Jedi knight rescuing the imprisoned princess, the heroine was to save a kidnapped prince.

This would make Star Wars a different movie. Not because the story, plot, or characters would be fundamentally altered, but because our cultural perceptions would lead to a different interpretation of those elements.

The above example illustrates a common problem within our society: our tendency to unconsciously overemphasize gender roles in our perceptions of people. This distorts how we view individuals in the "real world." It limits our understanding of people by focusing on group classifications such as gender rather than the more important intricacies of individual character. Luke can be just as defined by his maleness as by any other aspect of his character.

Think about how you use the personal pronouns "he" or "she." Unfortunately, English does not easily accommodate references to an individual whose gender is unspecified or unimportant, so many of us tend to use one pronoun or the other. While "he" has become a cultural reflex, a growing number of people are using "she." Few go out of their way to question the principle behind always specifying an individual's gender. However, in many of its contexts, gender carries little significance.

While some argue that gender conflicts stem from the underlying prejudices in our society, the problem is not so much prejudice as basic cultural attitudes and values. Even children experience these cultural attitudes at an early age and internalize this system of perception. During the recent holiday season, Star Wars tie-ins proved some of the biggest sellers among boys, while Barbie remained tops for girls. Does this reflect a difference between the sexes, or an attitude that gender and not individual preference is the most important factor in gift-giving? Giving boys and girls different toys sends a message that such differences are inherent in "the way the world is." I would argue that "the way the world is" develops largely out of how we interact with our culture. If we raise men and women differently, then not only will there be differences among us but there will also be a general acceptance that gender is more important than
individuality.

Such attitudes can come to haunt us, in the ways we relate with one another and in the lessons that we teach those younger than ourselves. We should not be striving for a world of political correctness, but should aim for a greater appreciation of individuality above group identification. It is a simple question of awareness: if we are aware of how culture affects our impressions, we may see past what people are, to who they are.

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