Comments on: I’m Not Supernatural, I’m Disabled http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/ FWD (feminists with disabilities) for a way forward Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:29:21 +0000 hourly 1 By: meloukhia http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3930 meloukhia Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:07:45 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3930 Yes, extreme sensitivity to odors and sounds is definitely not a superpower for me! Yes, extreme sensitivity to odors and sounds is definitely not a superpower for me!

]]> By: Norah http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3929 Norah Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:41:10 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3929 Ah, well, sometimes it can be totally awesome and useful, like that time I learned there was chocolate in the house because my partner was breaking off a piece and I could smell it from all the way across the house. But yeah, usually it just makes me, for example, totally overloaded and want to gag and run away in public transport because too many people smell way too strong in all kinds of different, interesting (disgusting) ways. Ah, well, sometimes it can be totally awesome and useful, like that time I learned there was chocolate in the house because my partner was breaking off a piece and I could smell it from all the way across the house. But yeah, usually it just makes me, for example, totally overloaded and want to gag and run away in public transport because too many people smell way too strong in all kinds of different, interesting (disgusting) ways.

]]> By: Kaz http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3925 Kaz Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:52:22 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3925 You know, I'd never thought of telepathy as a disability before, but it makes total sense and makes me wonder about other fantasy/supernatural disabilities. It seems like most people think "disabilities = LACK of ability, supernatural stuff = EXTRA ability, = omgsocool!" when that's... pretty wrong. (Sometimes the supernatural abilities actually go towards things people actually have in real life - anyone ever seen the TV show Sentinel? It operated off the premise that there were these people called Sentinels who had amazingly awesome senses! and could do all these things regular people couldn't - somewhat simplified. And, uh, a lot of the peole on the autistic spectrum *have* some degree of hypersensitivity in various senses, myself included, and somehow it seems to mainly cause a lot of confusion and pain and being told off by people for acting irrationally afraid of loud noises. I, at least, somehow missed out on the Totally Awesome And Useful Abilities part of the package.) It also occurs to me that this is one of the things that's always bothered me about the "person has unusual ability which is Feared and Hated!!!" trope in sf/f, because the way it's treated often rings so untrue to me. The way society deals with people who are Different isn't to Fear and Hate them in ways that make clear they think this Difference is totally awesome and powerful and worthy of respect, it's to... yeah, maybe fear and hate them but mainly feel *contempt* for them, and maybe pity. Different people are constructed as *lesser*, not greater. I can't help but think that a lot of the time the unusual ability <em>should</em> be treated as a disability by their society. ...[/digression] You know, I’d never thought of telepathy as a disability before, but it makes total sense and makes me wonder about other fantasy/supernatural disabilities. It seems like most people think “disabilities = LACK of ability, supernatural stuff = EXTRA ability, = omgsocool!” when that’s… pretty wrong. (Sometimes the supernatural abilities actually go towards things people actually have in real life – anyone ever seen the TV show Sentinel? It operated off the premise that there were these people called Sentinels who had amazingly awesome senses! and could do all these things regular people couldn’t – somewhat simplified. And, uh, a lot of the peole on the autistic spectrum *have* some degree of hypersensitivity in various senses, myself included, and somehow it seems to mainly cause a lot of confusion and pain and being told off by people for acting irrationally afraid of loud noises. I, at least, somehow missed out on the Totally Awesome And Useful Abilities part of the package.)

It also occurs to me that this is one of the things that’s always bothered me about the “person has unusual ability which is Feared and Hated!!!” trope in sf/f, because the way it’s treated often rings so untrue to me. The way society deals with people who are Different isn’t to Fear and Hate them in ways that make clear they think this Difference is totally awesome and powerful and worthy of respect, it’s to… yeah, maybe fear and hate them but mainly feel *contempt* for them, and maybe pity. Different people are constructed as *lesser*, not greater. I can’t help but think that a lot of the time the unusual ability should be treated as a disability by their society.

…[/digression]

]]> By: meloukhia http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3881 meloukhia Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:50:50 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3881 Hrm, I probably won't be getting into those aspects of it too much, just because there's not enough room and I really want to focus on the disability aspects in the TV show, but I can talk about it here, I suppose! I do like that Tara and Lafayette are much more fleshed out, real people in the TV show with complexities, personalities, agency, and their own storylines. They aren't subsumed in service to Sookie and used as devices for plot advancement. And I agree, Sam is much less of a Creepy McCreeperson on the show. Not having seen the second season, I don't know how things develop, but it seems like Ball is also veering away from the creepier/more upsetting characterizations for the vamps, as well. Sookie is also given more autonomy in the show; I don't see her taking the kind of shit that she does in the books. I think that Alan Ball is a genius with characterization, and he took some characters who were a little troped and flat and played with them and expanded them in a way which I really love. I'm not totally happy with the way Sookie's disability carried over, as I discussed a bit above, but other than that I think he did a really great job with making something much more complex and intense out of those books. Hrm, I probably won’t be getting into those aspects of it too much, just because there’s not enough room and I really want to focus on the disability aspects in the TV show, but I can talk about it here, I suppose!

I do like that Tara and Lafayette are much more fleshed out, real people in the TV show with complexities, personalities, agency, and their own storylines. They aren’t subsumed in service to Sookie and used as devices for plot advancement. And I agree, Sam is much less of a Creepy McCreeperson on the show. Not having seen the second season, I don’t know how things develop, but it seems like Ball is also veering away from the creepier/more upsetting characterizations for the vamps, as well. Sookie is also given more autonomy in the show; I don’t see her taking the kind of shit that she does in the books.

I think that Alan Ball is a genius with characterization, and he took some characters who were a little troped and flat and played with them and expanded them in a way which I really love. I’m not totally happy with the way Sookie’s disability carried over, as I discussed a bit above, but other than that I think he did a really great job with making something much more complex and intense out of those books.

]]> By: Lake Desire http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3880 Lake Desire Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:21:36 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3880 meloukhia, I look forward to reading your article in Bitch. Maybe you'll help me figure out why I like the TV show a lot more than the books (only read the first two). Perhaps because the Sam is less of a creeper on the show and Tara and Lafayette get to be real people (see comments on this post on Feminist SF - The Blog: http://blogs.feministsf.net/?p=1287). meloukhia, I look forward to reading your article in Bitch. Maybe you’ll help me figure out why I like the TV show a lot more than the books (only read the first two). Perhaps because the Sam is less of a creeper on the show and Tara and Lafayette get to be real people (see comments on this post on Feminist SF – The Blog: http://blogs.feministsf.net/?p=1287).

]]> By: meloukhia http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3879 meloukhia Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:16:02 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3879 Renee, I'm actually working on a piece for Bitch right now about the characterization of Sookie on True Blood, and how it differs from how she's handled in the books! I am really intrigued by the dichotomy too. Renee, I’m actually working on a piece for Bitch right now about the characterization of Sookie on True Blood, and how it differs from how she’s handled in the books! I am really intrigued by the dichotomy too.

]]> By: Renee http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3878 Renee Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:10:26 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3878 This is a very interesting piece. I have not read the Sookie Stackhouse novels yet, I have only watched True Blood. In the show you can see how overwhelming her power can be sometimes but they never actually call it a disability. I wonder why this element was cut out of the show? I am even more encouraged to read them now. Thanks for sharing. .-= Renee´s last blog ..<a href="http://www.womanist-musings.com/2009/11/my-skin-is.html" rel="nofollow">My Skin Is….</a> =-. This is a very interesting piece. I have not read the Sookie Stackhouse novels yet, I have only watched True Blood. In the show you can see how overwhelming her power can be sometimes but they never actually call it a disability. I wonder why this element was cut out of the show? I am even more encouraged to read them now. Thanks for sharing.
.-= Renee´s last blog ..My Skin Is…. =-.

]]> By: sanabituranima http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3870 sanabituranima Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:51:59 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3870 Ooh, ooh! Read "The Chrysalids" by John Wyndham. Telepaths and "regular" disabled folks (including someone with an extra toe and other really trivial things) branded as "deviations". Clever, interesting, almost enough to make you forgive his protrayal of blindness in "Triffids" Ooh, ooh! Read “The Chrysalids” by John Wyndham. Telepaths and “regular” disabled folks (including someone with an extra toe and other really trivial things) branded as “deviations”. Clever, interesting, almost enough to make you forgive his protrayal of blindness in “Triffids”

]]> By: meloukhia http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3847 meloukhia Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:22:00 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3847 Also, Gnatalby, I feel like Sookie's disability status is kind of downplayed in True Blood (I've only seen the first season because HBO apparently likes to wait FOREVER to release DVDs of its shows, so maybe this changes with the second season). I feel like they stress the supernatural angle more than the disability one, and a lot of the True Blood fandom kind of denies her disability status; putting "disabled" in quotes, etc. Also, Gnatalby, I feel like Sookie’s disability status is kind of downplayed in True Blood (I’ve only seen the first season because HBO apparently likes to wait FOREVER to release DVDs of its shows, so maybe this changes with the second season). I feel like they stress the supernatural angle more than the disability one, and a lot of the True Blood fandom kind of denies her disability status; putting “disabled” in quotes, etc.

]]> By: meloukhia http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/27/im-not-supernatural-im-disabled/#comment-3844 meloukhia Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:58:50 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1627#comment-3844 I do feel obliged to note that the books have a lot of sex stuff in them; they aren't quite romance level, but I know some people aren't into that sort of thing and like to be warned before reading! I do feel obliged to note that the books have a lot of sex stuff in them; they aren’t quite romance level, but I know some people aren’t into that sort of thing and like to be warned before reading!

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