I have found myself dwelling on the quote that was dicussed last class from pg 20 of Katherine Dunn's Geek Love "... a true freak cannot be made. A true freak must be born." In my opinion in order to be a freak one must be shocking and unsettling. Without those elements I would argue that someone who is different is purely just "strange" or "weird" but not a freak. A freak should have something about them that makes people who are normal feel uncomfortable. This opinion is partially based on what I have interpreted from our dicussions in class and from personal experience. I think that a person who chooses to become a freak is much more shocking than a person who is born a freak. A person who is born a freak can have the same shock factor with their outward appearance as someone who has become a freak, but the person who chose to become a freak has an extra shock factor: their mental state. I find that people who choose to become freaks like the Arturans in Geek Love much more unsettling than the born freaks, the Binewski children. The Arturans have chosen to purposefully mutilate their bodies in order to become freaks and the mental state that drove them to do this is much more disturbing than their outward appearance probably ever would be. Therefore, in my opinion, a true freak is someone who makes themselves into a freak. Their outward and inward state is disturbing and unsettling. A born freak is just freaky on the outside but can be a completely normal on the inside. However, a born freak can make themselves into a true freak by accquiring a disturbing mental state. Arty from Geek Love is a perfect example of this.
Even though I think that a true freak must be shocking and unsettling, I wonder if this is the goal of the freak. Are people who choose to become freaks looking to be shocking? Or do they simply pine for a need to be different and go to extreme lengths to do so? Its probably different for every case but I think for the Arturans it was probably more the need to be different and special rather than to be shocking. I think it is this lack of knowledge of this goal that makes them even more disturbing and freakier because it shows lack of self awareness and unattachment from what is perceived as normal. Perhaps to be a true freak one is not aware that they are a freak at all?
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I wonder if the Arturans were actually looking more for sameness than difference, since what Arty offers is the ability to be "like him". I saw this potential especially in Alma, who is already made different by her obesity and is offered the opportunity to have a connection based on physicality (looking like Arty) as opposed to the disconnection based on physicality she experiences in the rest of her life (being unable to meet her pen pals because of the way she looks).
ReplyDeleteI also wonder about the lack of knowledge or self-awareness of people who choose to become freaks. Is it possible that they intentionally and with self-awareness reject what is considered normal?
Interesting questions in your post!
Agreed, interesting questions. Indeed, there is a sense that the Arturans want to conform to a norm, but a new norm - that allows them to belong to a community.
ReplyDeleteI think it could be said that the Arturans were looking for both sameness and difference. I agree that the Arturans wanted to belong to a community which implies a need for sameness. But this community also separates them from the norms. Being like Arty means that you are different from others. I think Alma liked belonging to a community but I feel like she also enjoyed the power she gained by being different from others. Therefore, perhaps the Arturans wanted to belong to a community of those who are different. The circus is not much of a different concept. The circus is a community of freaks. The are the same in their freakiness but different from the rest of society.
ReplyDeleteI think some people who choose to become freaks do it intentionally and with selfawareness. I have met some people who purposely dress outrageously because they want to make it very obvious that they are different. However, I think those who are considered freaks by society and their freakiness is unintentional is more freaky. There is a fantastic quote by Nora Ephron "Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy". Perhaps this concept can be applied to freaks. People are not truly freaks if they are willing to admit that they are freaks.