Wearing a Costume To Show Who We Really Are

So . . . Boo!  It's hallowe'en tomorrow.  Candy, kids in costumes, pumpkins, and of course normally modest women dressing up like whores.  Okay, the last one is a bit harsh, but we all know that hallowe'en is one of those times of year when people allow themselves to behave in ways that they normally wouldn't (such as actually speaking with neighbours).  But is the excuse of "I'm not normally like this, this isn't who I really am" that true?  Who are you people, really?  The answer may be after the jump, along with some literary spoilers.

In Kurt Vonnegut's book Mother Night (is a spoiler alert really necessary for a book that came out decades ago?) one of the key themes is the question of true identity: are we the person that we think we are, based on our attitudes, justifications, beliefs etc?  Or are we who we are based on our actions?  The protagonist of the book, an American, has a radio show in Nazi Germany denouncing and ridiculing the allies, intended to demoralize their troops.  But in actuality, he is a spy sending coded messages over German radio.  So is he a good person helping the war effort?  Or is he a monster, helping the Axis powers spread propaganda?

So, back to lascivious hallowe'en costumes.  If a person is usually modest, dressing conservatively, but on hallowe'en decides to cut loose, which is the real person?  Willingness to dress like a whore (either literally as a prostitute or figuratively as a prostitute-witch, a prostitute-vampire, etc) on one day of the year means willingness to do it, period, right? 

(Not that I'm complaining that women are willing to dress provocatively sometimes, or even passing judgment, despite my use of the term whore.  I just think it's an interesting phenomenon)

It's the same as saying that I can do things on vacation that I won't do at home.  The compartmentalization allows us to rationalize our actions, but if I do something out-of-character while away (e.g. go to a nude beach, eat food I normally wouldn't for religious or ethical reasons, etc), then it must be part of my character that I would be willing to do those things.  And it would be false for me to create a self-image that includes an unwillingness to do those things.

Here's a neat little experiment you can try at home. First, a question: if you had to pick five songs that best exemplified your taste in music, what would they be?  Any five songs will do; mine would be something like Bell Bottom Blues by Derek and the Dominos, Still the Same by Bob Seger, Your Time is Gonna Come by Led Zeppelin, I've Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash, and Crazy by Gnarls Barkley.  Of course, if you thought to yourself "depends on who is asking," you have already proven my point.  But this list I just thought up off the top of my head is likely flawed, because I want to present a certain image of myself.

Okay, step two in the experiment: open up iTunes (or whereever you have your music on your computer, if you do), go to iTunes DJ and click refresh. What five songs come up?  (full disclosure: What About Us by the Coasters, La Elima by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Candy by the Astors, She's Leaving Home by The Beatles, and Patience from the Dreamgirls soundtrack).  I would argue that this random list is more representative of one's true musical taste than the self-conscious list we created.  Even more indicative: what are the five most-played songs in your iTunes?  Mine: Hear Me Lord by George Harrison, Home Again by Carole King, Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers,  Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad by Derek and the Dominos, and School of Rock from the movie of the same name. 

(I wrote this post on my laptop, which only has about 25% of my music.  Had I written this at home the lists would be different but the point would be the same.)

I think we are who we are based on our actions, not based on how we choose to think of ourselves or how we present ourselves.  So maybe the costumes worn on hallowe'en remove masks rather than put them on.  Feel free to share your three music lists in the comments if you want!  Happy Hallowe'en!