# data[].attributes.body
Summary:
Postcolonial theory is expressed in viewpoints in relation to similarities that would have been present with civilizations that were colonized. The idea of the theory is to present a lens to change a perspective of something when viewed through the eyes of someone that was under colonial rule. Colonization of civilization brings differences and those differences are unavoidable. Internal and external conflicts arise, which gives way for the themes of postcolonial theory. Some of those themes include; identity, race, class, oppression, and hybridity. These themes are obvious when contemplating the idea of colonization, however, these themes can be applied to all types of works of art that have nothing to do with colonization. The idea is to present a different way of looking at something through the lens of a theme most associated with that of colonial times.

# data[].attributes.headline
 Reflection:                            In my life, I have experienced many different cultures, and viewpoints. I have been a cop, and I now have a criminal record. Hybridity is a postcolonial them that I can definitely relate to with that regard. The culture, in this case, was the law enforcement culture and the criminal culture. Both of these are very conflicting viewpoints however they are and will forever be related to one another. Another postcolonial theme that I can relate to is identity. Identity is something that at its core is constant, yet on the surface is always changing. I was always taught to adapt to my surroundings. I have lived by this principle. I have changed my identity and how I viewed myself on many different occasions. Who I was in my youth is not who I am now.  I was in the army as a military policeman for 8 years. Upon the completion of my military service, it was a natural progression for me to continue with law enforcement after so I became a civilian police officer for the U.S. Air Force. During my time in law enforcement, I experience a variety of cultures giving me a keen perspective and understanding into society as a whole. One such perspective that I was not accustomed to was that of the legal system as a defendant or suspect. My entire 15 years was that of the enforcer of the law, not the one that the law was being enforced on.  One very bad day outside of work, I had a lapse in judgment and committed a crime for which caused me to lose my ninety thousand dollar a year job, and forced me to observe life through the eyes of a criminal. The conflict was internal immediately having known the right from wrong and having committed the wrong. My experience with both cultures was constantly in conflict. The most difficult time I had was with the court system and probation. This was when I realized that all my work in the past 15 years meant nothing. I was treated as a statistic, and as another number. I was not looked at individually, but as a person within the system. Court proceedings were very informal, contrary to any notion perceived by television and movies. My lawyer was a very expensive one and had a high standing within the local legal community. All he did was collect money, communicate via the prosecuting attorney, and made deals back and forth until we got the best deal that would keep me out of jail. Having experienced apprehending people, and charging them crimes, I finally saw the end results, and how they played out. I understood, the more money you had available, and the ability to keep a case out of the eye of public opinions, meant a better outcome for the defendant. While on probation, I was grouped in with everyone else who was on probation for various criminal offenses. This was my first offense, yet individuals I encountered on a regular basis were repeat offenders. Crimes ranged from assaults, driving while intoxicated, drug possession and distribution just to name a few. The people who I was alongside seemed to be more annoyed at the probationary restrictions, than remorseful for their crimes.  This was a hard pill for me to swallow as I was forced to hold my tongue because I had no standing anymore. I did provide guidance to those willing to ask questions, and who did generally seemed sorry for their acts. I worked hard and completed all 3 years of my probation without incident. I was not allowed to drink alcohol, do any drugs, legal or illegal, and I was to maintain a constant presence with a professional counselor and visits with my probation officer.  The three years were long, I had lost my job, had to file bankruptcy to keep my house, had two kids, and worked two full-time jobs. I did not shy away from my responsibility as a father, nor did I let any of my situations be an excuse to lapse and violate my probation. I stopped one job and began to go to school full time. I stayed home during the day to raise my children, while my girlfriend worked. We would pass off the kids, I would then go to school, and after-school work. I have done this constantly for the past 4 years. I have been a man of focus, and commitment. I have been able to work through all these situations due to the fact that I was trained well in law enforcement, but more so I have also experienced the opposite side of that culture. I use both as influences and a guiding basis in my future. The postcolonial theory that is very present in my life is hybridity, this mixture of cultures that are conflicting at times has helped shape my identity. 

# data[].attributes.subject
 Reflection:                            In my life, I have experienced many different cultures, and viewpoints. I have been a cop, and I now have a criminal record. Hybridity is a postcolonial them that I can definitely relate to with that regard. The culture, in this case, was the law enforcement culture and the criminal culture. Both of these are very conflicting viewpoints however they are and will forever be related to one another. Another postcolonial theme that I can relate to is identity. Identity is something that at its core is constant, yet on the surface is always changing. I was always taught to adapt to my surroundings. I have lived by this principle. I have changed my identity and how I viewed myself on many different occasions. Who I was in my youth is not who I am now.  I was in the army as a military policeman for 8 years. Upon the completion of my military service, it was a natural progression for me to continue with law enforcement after so I became a civilian police officer for the U.S. Air Force. During my time in law enforcement, I experience a variety of cultures giving me a keen perspective and understanding into society as a whole. One such perspective that I was not accustomed to was that of the legal system as a defendant or suspect. My entire 15 years was that of the enforcer of the law, not the one that the law was being enforced on.  One very bad day outside of work, I had a lapse in judgment and committed a crime for which caused me to lose my ninety thousand dollar a year job, and forced me to observe life through the eyes of a criminal. The conflict was internal immediately having known the right from wrong and having committed the wrong. My experience with both cultures was constantly in conflict. The most difficult time I had was with the court system and probation. This was when I realized that all my work in the past 15 years meant nothing. I was treated as a statistic, and as another number. I was not looked at individually, but as a person within the system. Court proceedings were very informal, contrary to any notion perceived by television and movies. My lawyer was a very expensive one and had a high standing within the local legal community. All he did was collect money, communicate via the prosecuting attorney, and made deals back and forth until we got the best deal that would keep me out of jail. Having experienced apprehending people, and charging them crimes, I finally saw the end results, and how they played out. I understood, the more money you had available, and the ability to keep a case out of the eye of public opinions, meant a better outcome for the defendant. While on probation, I was grouped in with everyone else who was on probation for various criminal offenses. This was my first offense, yet individuals I encountered on a regular basis were repeat offenders. Crimes ranged from assaults, driving while intoxicated, drug possession and distribution just to name a few. The people who I was alongside seemed to be more annoyed at the probationary restrictions, than remorseful for their crimes.  This was a hard pill for me to swallow as I was forced to hold my tongue because I had no standing anymore. I did provide guidance to those willing to ask questions, and who did generally seemed sorry for their acts. I worked hard and completed all 3 years of my probation without incident. I was not allowed to drink alcohol, do any drugs, legal or illegal, and I was to maintain a constant presence with a professional counselor and visits with my probation officer.  The three years were long, I had lost my job, had to file bankruptcy to keep my house, had two kids, and worked two full-time jobs. I did not shy away from my responsibility as a father, nor did I let any of my situations be an excuse to lapse and violate my probation. I stopped one job and began to go to school full time. I stayed home during the day to raise my children, while my girlfriend worked. We would pass off the kids, I would then go to school, and after-school work. I have done this constantly for the past 4 years. I have been a man of focus, and commitment. I have been able to work through all these situations due to the fact that I was trained well in law enforcement, but more so I have also experienced the opposite side of that culture. I use both as influences and a guiding basis in my future. The postcolonial theory that is very present in my life is hybridity, this mixture of cultures that are conflicting at times has helped shape my identity. 

# data[].attributes.body
When I think of the postcolonial theme hybridity I think of the movie, The Departed. "The Departed" is about two men trying to live public lives that are the radical opposites of their inner realities. Their attempts threaten to destroy them, either by implosion or fatal betrayal"(Ebert, 2007). In this movie, Billy Costigan ( Leonardo Dicaprio) plays a man who grew up in South Boston and joins the Massachusetts State Police. He is recruited by a special undercover division due to his family background, to infiltrate the gang of an organized crime leader Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Costello takes under his wing Colin Sullivan(Matt Damon) and gets him into the Massachusetts State Police to be his informant.  During the movie, Costigan struggles with the complexity of being a law enforcement officer and working undercover experiencing the mayhem first hand of Costello. Billy Costigan: "I'm going [explicit] nuts, man. I can't be someone else every [explicit]' day. It's been a year of this. I've had enough of this [explicit]!" (IMDB, 2006) He is having to hide who he is, and go agains all that he knows is good and decent, in order to help build a case against Costello. While the police have an informant inside Costello's organization, Costello has his own informant in the police department. Sullivan works his way through the ranks and gets assigned to Special Investigations. He is assigned to help find the rat inside the police department who has been reporting to Costello. In a conversation with Costello, Sullivan explains his new assignment, "Hey Frank, I gotta find myself. I gotta find the guy you got in the department." (IMDB, 2006) Sullivan is working as a police detective, on the surface yet he is actually working for the guy he is charged with compiling a criminal case against. Costello also has a secret that he is keeping from everyone. He too is an FBI informant and is how he has been able to get away with his criminal activities for decades. Each one of these characters has conflicting identities. One is a cop posting as a criminal, the other is a criminal posing as a cop, and the final one is a criminal fooling both. The postcolonial theme hybridity in this movie shows the conflicting mixture of cultures that eats at the characters. The conflict has internal and external repercussions in their lives and contributes to their end.

# data[].attributes.body
I am a Backstreet Boys fan, I have been to their concerts, and know almost every song by heart. They have grown over the last few decades, and it is present in their music. Being a celebrity that is celebrated all over the world can be taxing on a person. With so much cultural diversity exposure a person can lose their identity.  I have seen the Backstreet Boys' music grow, and it has grown with me. Coincidentally, relevant times of my life, have paralleled releases of BSB albums. That has remained constant over the past ten years, and the release of their new album DNA is no exception.
A song on the DNA album, No Place showcases the change in the identity of the Backstreet Boys.
One can imagine being in a boy band come with special privileges and perks, that at a young age shapes a person's identity. The Backstreet Boys have toured every major city in the world for the last few decades. They have set up a residency in Las Vegas and performed shows for the past 2 years on a weekly basis. Their music has changed from signing about getting girls, heartache, sorrow, and now to family.  In No Place, the Backstreet Boys sing:
"I've been all around the world, done all there is to do
But you'll always be the home I wanna come home to
You're a wild night with a hell of a view
There ain't no place, ain't no place like you
There ain't no place, ain't no place like you" (BSB, 2018)
In the music video, they are all shown singing with their wives and playing with their children far different from the days of old.
In postcolonial areas, people develop a postcolonial identity that is based on cultural interactions between different identities. This identity theme can be present in every aspect of life. The Backstreet Boys identity is based on cultural interactions between their different identities that have been shaped by their experience. Where they have been and what they have experienced leads them to realize that what they have now, their family is where they want to be. "Wherever you are, baby, that's where I wanna be..."(BSB, 2018)

# data[].attributes.body
References:
No Place [Recorded by Backstreet Boys]. (2018). On DNA[CD]. Steven Solomon. (2018)

Backstreet Boys [Digital image]. (2019). Retrieved April 23, 2019, from https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Bg72ZCrmjrRV5TW69qaFe58mBEr5T-sEqJY7U6we2DT6hTD8CWFGqsQP30-QiMZMLwY_pw=s151

Ebert, R. (2007, July 05). The Departed Movie Review & Film Summary (2007) | Roger Ebert. Retrieved April 23, 2019, from https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-departed-2007

Imdb. (2006). The Departed. Retrieved April 23, 2019, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/characters/nm0000138

The Departed [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2019, from https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/the-departed/images/b/b4/Departed2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130401170252