Modes of Passing Lina MedagliaMiller Ph D The

Modes of Passing Lina Medaglia-Miller, Ph. D. The Great Pretender: The Art of Passing GSSC 1073 May 2010

There are many different ways that living things pass as other creatures and things

Anti-predator adaptations n n Antipredator adaptations are evolutionary adaptations developed over time, which assist prey organisms in their constant struggle against their predators Animals avoid detection as prey They avoid being attacked by predators They avoid capture by predators

Batesian mimicry n Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry typified by a situation where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a common predator. It is named after the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates, after his work in the rainforests of Brazil.

Camouflage n Camouflage is, perhaps, the most common form of passing among all antipredator adaptations. A camouflaged Orange Oak Leaf butterfly

Many species, like the flounder, seen here, can blend in against features in their environment, to avoid detection

Cephalopods Particular cephalopods, such as cuttlefish and octopus, can actually change their texture and appearance in order to be virtually undetectable on any environmental feature

The Possum, and other species, have even mastered the art of ‘playing dead’ (apparent death) in order to avoid predation The undisputed master of the art has lent his name to this activity: “playing possum”

Humans and Passing Many humans try to pass, when they can. There a variety of ways in which human beings have chosen to ‘pass’ as other human beings or other types of human beings.

Human modes of passing n n n n FICTIONAL NON-FICTIONAL In literature In mythology In fairy tales In religion In theatre In opera In movies n n n n Racial passing Gender Passing Class Passing Sexual orientation passing Disability passing Everyday passing Job passing Criminal passing

Fiction

Literature In The Odyssey, Athena disguises Odysseus as an old, ragged beggar so that he can return to Ithaca to confront his wife Penelope’s suitors– the disguise is so effective that even his wife does not recognize him

Mythology The God Zeus poses as a swan in order to seduce Leda

Fairy Tales The predator/wolf, in ‘Little Red Riding Hood, ’ poses as LRRH’s grandmother

Religion The Bhagavata Purana describes Vishnu's avatars as innumerable, though there are ten incarnations (Dasavatara, Sanskrit: ten avatars) that are widely seen as his major appearances. Krishna and Rama are the two mostly widely known and worshipped avatars of Vishnu, with their stories told in the two popular epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Matsya, fish avatar of Vishnu

Gender passing in the arts A remarkably common theme in theatre, opera and movies is ‘gender passing’ (e. g. the following 3 slides) Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire

Theatre William Shakespeare made substantial use of cross-dressing for female characters, who take on masculine clothing to carry out actions difficult for women. In Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, Portia and her maid dress as lawyers to plead in court on the merchant's behalf, and are quite successful in their ruse.

Opera n n An entire cross-dressing genre of operatic roles is called "pants roles“ or "trouser roles. ” These are male roles performed by women, typically mezzo-sopranos. Some female opera singers specialize in these roles. A major artistic reason for "pants roles" was that some storylines required young boy characters, but the actual performance required an adult's vocal strength and stage experience in addition to a high, boyish voice. Women were thus better suited to these boy roles than actual boys. Tess Altiveros as Cherubino in "Marriage of Figaro. "

Movies Among the most common of all comedic plots in Hollywood is that of a person pretending to be of the opposite gender (gender passing) in order to get a job or position.

Movies “Class passing” is also a common theme in comedy. In “Trading Places, ” on a bet, two meddlesome moguls switch the circumstances of a hustler and a Wall Street trader. Each victim must then pass, temporarily.

Non-Fiction

Racial Passing Writer John Howard Griffin (Black Like Me) pretended for six weeks to be an African-American travelling on Greyhound buses (occasionally hitchhiking) throughout the racially segregated states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia

Gender Passing Writer Norah Vincent dressed as a man for an entire year, in order to understand better the male experience

Class Passing Writer Judith Rollins pretended to be a domestic in order to understand the relationships between the wealthy and their domestic help

Sexual Orientation Passing Latin music superstar Ricky Martin is just one of many LGBTQ entertainers who “came out” after many years in show business. Due to rampant homophobia in our society, many public figures are advised to disguise their sexual orientation for fear of discrimination.

Disability Passing Psychologist David Rosenhan and eight other ‘pseudopatients’ infiltrated 12 American psychiatric hospitals in order to prove that standard psychiatric diagnostic labels and patient diagnoses were often mistaken, arbitrary, or biased

Everyday Passing Online passing: A Moroccan man named Fouad Mourtada was arrested for pretending, on Facebook, to be the Moroccan king’s younger brother, Prince Moulay Rachid. The specific charge was “villainous practices. ” Justice is swift in Morocco. Mourtada was convicted, and sentenced to three years in prison and a $1, 000 fine.

Job Passing Ferdinand Waldo Demara (the Great Impostor) masqueraded as a civil engineer, a sheriff’s deputy, an assistant prison warden, a Doctor of Psychology, a hospital orderly, a lawyer, a child-care expert, a Benedictine monk, an editor, a cancer researcher, and a teacher. Most famously, he was a Navy Doctor who saved many lives.

Criminal Passing Christophe Rocancourt is an impostor and con artist who scammed affluent people by masquerading as a French member of the Rockefeller family

Without looking at the “Passers” page, test yourself…. Can you think of other types of passing, or of famous people who have passed under the categories of passing we have just covered? I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the next class.

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