Powerful words! I've been asked that question, using the
same order of words a couple of times in
my life (once, they added a two-word ‘qualifier’ after the word Who) and, even though at
first it felt challenging and insulting (and worthy or an ‘appropriate’
response), in both cases when the dust settled it ended up being a source of
self examination, a source of ‘search and rescue’ for something I had clearly
missed, and eventually a source of learning…
These words could be used (and often are) to either question
somebody self-appointment to a position of ‘authority’, or to challenge
directly that ‘authority’… This situation usually comes about when there is a
radical unbalance between one person’s perception of their own selves and how
others perceive that person; or it may be a product of a marked difference
between what a person imagines they are and what reality says about that
person… It is also commonly found when people try to exercise some judgment or
action that is, clearly, beyond their known and/or apparent capabilities.
On these days - and the actual focus of this lines - it refers to a TV Program in which celebrities
(or pretenders) are brought in and their genealogy examined by experts.
Eventually they have all sorts of reactions, both positive and negative, to the
results… I remember vividly one in which Harry Connick Jr. was told his
great/great/great grandfather had come from Scotland in the mid 1850, settled
in Louisiana, and took arms with the Confederates… He could not hide his shame
and disappointment! In the same program, Delfeayo Marsalis was told he had 9%
of White blood and he said, with a chuckle, “I always knew something was wrong with me”…
There’s been lots of interest in the last 20 to 25 years
(that I am aware of) to look into one’s ancestry. The reasons are varied and
all valid. I've never let that bug bite me - I think - due to a pseudo ‘sour
grapes’ type of reaction. “I am from
South America; my ancestors did not land on Plymouth Rock or came through Ellis
Island; researching my ancestry with the current data available (mostly related
to US bound immigration would certainly be an exercise in futility” has
been my excuse. But some weeks ago, in a casual conversation, a friend who is
actively involved in populating their genealogical tree assured me that the
data available in sites such as Ancestry.com is worldwide and encompasses the
globe.
So, I am thinking about trying to learn a little more about,
not who do I think I am (I been put in my place enough times for me to have that down!), but more about who my ancestors
were, where did they come from, and what I can blame them for!
Has anybody in "Blogland' done any research on this and, if so, what results did you come up with?
