Bernie is Jewish. Please don't minimize his minority status by calling him "another white person"

[frazzled]

147. Your identity is not defined by your clothing or hair

I do not feel I have to wear markers of my identity: they are in my inside, and in the actions I perform in the world and in my beliefs. I reject those sorts of trappings (be they Hassidic or traditional Muslim or Sikh) precisely because of my religious upbringing: Judaism was about leading a life of justice and tikkun olam, and your religiousness was not measured by the number of ritual trappings observed. Or as my mother used to say: God doesn't care what you put in your stomach; he cares what kind of person you are. I regret that this kind of progressive Judaism (and that goes for all the other religions I respect) barely exists anymore. Blech back at ya.

PS: I asked whether you wore these things because you claimed that people were constantly reacting to your being Jewish. I wondered why it would even come up with "all" people. It's not like being black, where the color of your skin immediately marks you in the eyes of society.