Etymologically the term is simply a clipped form of the phrasal verb pass for or pass as as in a counterfeit passing for the genuine article or an impostor passing as another person. It has been in popular use since at least the late 1920s.
Race
Circumcised Jewish males in Germany during World War II attempted to restore their foreskins as part of passing as Gentile. (See also the film, Europa, Europa on this theme.)
Ethnicity
Passing as another ethnicity is a common phenomenon. Discriminated groups In North America and Europe frequently modified their accents, word choices, manner of dress, grooming habits, and even their names in an attempt to appear to be members of a more mainstream majority group.Social class
Passing as another social class is historically common.One example often used in the plots of fictional novels and movies is the poor young man pretending to be of higher class in order to woo the daughter of a rich man.
Gender
Ability
In the disabled community, Passing describes those with "invisible disabilities" who can pass for able-bodied: for example those with autism, hearing impairments or depression-spectrum illnesses, as compared with those who have facial disfigurements, motor impairments (cerebral palsy) or paraplegia.There is a certain amount of rivalry between passing and non-passing groups in the various communities. Disabled persons who can pass are viewed as having advantages that those who don't pass do not have -- less discrimination and public attention. This can lead to a view that they are not "properly disabled." Conversely, in many parts of the world, funding and care is less available for invisible disabilities. For example, Medicare in the U.S. provides much less funding for mental than physical disabilities.
Sexual orientation
Passing as a different sexual orientation has traditionally been an action taken by homosexual men and women who pretend to be heterosexual to avoid social bigotry associated with homosexuality. The phrase "in the closet" is typically used for a secret homosexual or bisexual; the word "passing" is not common in this context.Religion
Passing as a member of a different religion or as religious at all is common among minority religious communities, like Jews living among Christians or Shi'i Muslims living in Sunni communities. In an intentionally humorous echo of homosexual passing or "being in the closet" many Wiccans refer to the hesitance to admit their religion as being in the "broom closet".Footnotes
See also
- Disability
- Ethnic group
- Gender
- On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog
- Passing (gender)
- Passing (racial identity)
- Sexual orientation
- Social class
- Sociology
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Last updated on Thursday July 17, 2008 at 08:51:14 PDT (GMT -0700)
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