We’re talking about culture, but I want to show you instances of it.  I can think of no better person to embody this than Anna Deavere Smith.  If you check out her work, you’ll likely end up using this somewhere–with friends, at work, in your academic career.  Also, I figure you’re seeing these TED Talk videos a lot in classes, so we could discuss whether they are effective.  This one, I think, you won’t forget. . .

Her “Four American Characters” TED Talk is wonderful in that it differs from most of those.  It’s also a representation of how she works, of America, and of how we are taught to classify people.  In each of these four vignettes, I’d argue that she’s redefining what it means to be American.  That she happens to do so while also bringing up the most difficult issues to talk about: Inequity, race, class, violence–is that much more amazing.  I hope this sparks something in you.