On Monday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. in the Susquehanna Room, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Richard Newton delivered a lecture on the politics of identification cards and scriptures in America. Newton currently teaches three courses at the College. The Department of Religious Studies, Office of Diversity and the peace and conflict studies minor sponsored this event.
The room was full of members of the Etown community. Refreshments and dinner were provided before the lecture began. Newton opened his lecture by asking, “What is signified by identifying America as a Christian nation?” To answer this question, he utilized several pop culture examples where the use of ID cards was prevalent. His first example was from “Star Wars” where a Storm Trooper asks Luke Skywalker for his identification. He then began listing instances where you need an ID If you want to drink, drive, smoke, vote, shoot, fish or marry you need an ID card. Newton even showed places at Etown where you need your student ID: in the The Body Shop, the Marketplace, checking out a book from the library and to get access to your dorm. If you want to do almost anything on campus you need an ID.
Newton then posed the question, “What does this say about Etown?” Newton spoke about how Etown and America are both examples of what Michel de Certeau calls a “scriptural economy,” which is an argument that says what is written defines, delimits and articulates our bodies. Newton said the Bible offers many examples of writing your beliefs on your body, such as in Psalm 119:9-11 and Deuteronomy 11:18. Newton spoke of “The Scarlet Letter” and the movie “Easy A” as further examples of branding and labeling your bodies.
He said that forms of identification were very important in history as well. Christopher Columbus, for instance, made the people of Hispaniola wear metal beads. Following that, Newton discussed how slave masters branded slaves to show to whom they belonged. He explained the Moorish Science Temple of America created IDs to show they were “not children of slaves but the descendants of enlightened African American people.” They used them to show human worth.
Newton brought these facts back to life today, asking questions such as, “How are you being marked; how much are you worth; are you really free?” He showed images of religious symbols, passports, restrooms and handicapped logos to reinforce the different ways people are being identified today.
Newton described what “identity politics” is and what the problems facing America going forward. “Identity politics are about how we create a world that enables people to be who they want to be and become who they want to become. The problem is that all too often we’re going to step on others on our way to realizing our best selves.”
A powerful part of the presentation was when Newton asked everyone to take out their cell phones. He first asked the audience to finish this phrase, “I don’t want to be known as…” He then asked people to text their answers in six words or less. Dozens of anonymous text messages from the audience showed up on the PowerPoint. “My political party,” “my sexuality,” “my father,” “awkward,” “a loser,” “my weight” and “my color” were just some of the answers. He then asked the audience to send in answer to, “As a human being, I want to be known or identified as…” Copious amounts of responses came back. Texts popped up every second. “A kind person,” “a good person,” “extraordinary,” “someone who makes a difference,” “a college graduate,” “a life changer,” “inspiring” and “someone who did what was right” were some of the responses. He finally asked everyone to text in answers to “for me to do this, Etown needs to become a place where I can…” Again, dozens of answers came though. Some read “be comfortable with who I am,” “join more support groups,” “be colorful,” “get involved,” “discover who I am,” “not be judged or outcast,” “find out who I am” and “share my faith.” One of the most repeated answers was “be myself.”
Newton’s presentation was met with high praise from students. “I was very exciting about the presentation, just by the way it was advertized. Dr. Newton definitely met that expectation. I really enjoyed the fact that it was interactive. I thought that it was intriguing, interesting, thought-provoking and challenging all at the same time, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I think a lot of dialogue can come out of the discussion that happened here today,” senior Taylor Luckenbill said.
Newton said he hoped students left his lecture with a new outlook. “Who they want to become matters. It matters not just to them, but to a larger community — certainly to the religious studies faculty, but I think also their fellow students. That’s what a college community has to be about and when it’s about that, it’s a beautiful thing,” Newton said.
