InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "beavers and ducks!"

Willow (the_willow) wrote,
@ 2010-02-17 18:17:00

Current mood:	loathing you arrogant sons of bitches
Entry tags:	#s is for survivor

Important Point
There are a lot of people angry and upset about Amanda Palmer's new act and her and her partner's treatment of disability. There are a lot of people angry at how casually she's dismissed concerns by not just People With Disabilities but Feminists With Disabilities.

But in all the hub-bub about her 'All press is good press, woo me!' personal masturbation PR campaign, I only learned about the supposed child sexual abuse of her made up conjoined twins now.

Someone doing performance art about child sexual abuse they have not endured, which includes performance art on being disabled which they also have not experienced, hits me harder. Survivorship of child abuse is not something someone who hasn't experienced it should be doing performance art about. When you're going to discuss this topic, you do your damn homework. You consider who it'll hurt and who it'll harm and what misconceptions you might be putting out there that can end up convincing a child that all they have to do is be strong enough to survive it.

I'm gravely disappointed that Neil Gaiman doesn't get that in the midst of his support for his fiancée. But I've no problem dropping yet another white male writer off my shelves. Less books to dust.

I just want to make the note that there are two communities being affected by Palmer and Webley's act. And I'm part of the community that's not as noisy in getting heard.

ETA: Link to a FWD entry on the topic.

(Post a new comment)

	kita0610 2010-02-18 12:53 am UTC (link)
	I've seen a lot of anger from survivors, actually. She's (and the press around her) is quick to dismiss them because she apparently has a history of sexual abuse. (Reply to this) (Thread)

the_willow
2010-02-18 01:02 am UTC (link)

I hadn't, this is the first I heard of any sexual abuse. And I'm still of the opinion that if she wants to parade her past and her experience in a carnival spectacle, vs being open respectfully, it's her prerogative.

But where the FUCK does she get off on becoming the abuser for publicity and money? She's not playing in the privacy of her bedroom working through her issues.

I guess it isn't surprising to hear she's told survivors her art is bigger than the fight for respect, understanding and prevention.

Makes me want to ask her though, should she ever be violated again, if it'll be ok if the violator says "Why so serious? I'm doing this for the ART!"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kita0610 2010-02-18 01:04 am UTC (link)
	Oh, I'm with you, obviously. I think she's being an insensitive ass at best. I did stop reading about this stuff precisely because sexual abuse survivors were saying "uncool, lady" and being told "too bad." So yeah, it is out there. It's just being as hideously handled as the disability aspect. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	kdorian 2010-02-18 11:56 pm UTC (link)
	For what it's worth (not much, I figure, not exactly being the first person to hear about these things) I heard about the child sexual abuse part of her act first. I don't care what she's suffered through, there is no excuse for what she's doing. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	the_willow 2010-02-18 11:57 pm UTC (link)
	It begins to seem likely that I was so turned off what I first heard, I unconsciously avoided further mentions and thus missed the child sexual abuse part altogether. Thanks for letting me know, though. hugs (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kdorian 2010-02-19 01:46 pm UTC (link)
	Hugs (Reply to this) (Parent)

	linkspam-mod.dreamwidth.org 2010-02-19 12:12 am UTC (link)
	Your post has been added to a linkspam round-up (http://linkspam.dreamwidth.org/23340.html). (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2010-02-20 05:41 pm UTC (link)

I identify as able bodied (though I just started thinking about it in some different ways minutes ago) and I have been assaulted (though not cronically abused). I don't have an OpenID, but I've commented on Jason Webley's blog as jackie, talking about the abuse part of the whole mess. What I wanted to say was that, reading lots of comments all over the place, I've actually seen a lot of people saying things like "I don't care about them being conjoined twins, but adding child porn is going too far" (several of them really said the I don't care part). So I kind of got the impression that the ableism between the fans was going on stronger. Except, what I really feel is that it's not a matter of what's the worse part, because all -isms are equaly wrong. And that in this specific case, the -isms can't really be separated because of the way abuse statistics get really high in the disabled community, and because of the recorded history of abuse in disabled people who worked in circuses.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

the_willow
2010-02-20 06:10 pm UTC (link)

Being on display / being a plaything for someone else's enjoyment or issues has echoes in both child abuse and 'freak show/impossible wonder' disablism. I also honestly don't believe that sexual assault as an adult prepares someone to understand the damage that happens as a child. Adulthood and childhood are two extremely different sets of worldviews.

My concern in the OP was that the voices of survivors weren't being heard and also that the voices and lives of those currently surviving, who might not even believe they HAVE a voice haven't been considered. I do not believe Palmer & Webly considered the damage they could do with a 'motivational / inspirational good cripple/disabled' performance art from song to stage routine to those currently being abused. IE, that they haven't thought of how they're contributing to the minimization of abuse; the minimization on the concept of self as private. That they haven't considered how they're reinforcing lies abusers tell.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2010-02-20 09:26 pm UTC (link)
	(jackie again): Yes... I don't know if you saw it, but there's a post addressing specifically the child porn part on the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. It's seriously heartbreaking, and triggered me badly. http://www.barcc.org/blog/778/ (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the_willow 2010-02-20 09:31 pm UTC (link)
	If it's triggering I likely shouldn't read it. I'm juggling spoons for other things. But I take it your point is that there are others; others who come with certificates and other authorities on paper which are more accepted than the authority of having lived through it - who are mentioning the same points. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

(Anonymous)
2010-02-20 10:34 pm UTC (link)

No, my point in the first comment was that a lot of people had a disconnect between the disability part and the abuse part, when these things sometimes are related (and that both oppressions are equally bad). The second comment was not about authority to talk about it coming from the fact that the post was from the BARCC. It's just that, between the comments and blog posts that talked about the abuse part of the mess, that post really touched me, so I was sharing it. And it talked about abuse from a survivor's perspective, which is why it was so touching (and triggering) to me. Definitely don't read it if you feel you shouldn't. I'm reaching the point where I have to stop reading everything about E&E too.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

the_willow
2010-02-21 04:17 am UTC (link)

Ahh. I tend to think about the fact that sexual abuse can lead to psychological disabilities and thus the exploitation is joined.

The BARCC link came up in linkspam just tonight as well. I suspect at some point I will read it - but definitely not when I'm low on spoons. And yes, if you're at your limit to discussing E&E, no worries there at all. I understand. In fact I didn't expect to get into conversation about it, because it's just so draining, at least to me right now.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

fire-fly.livejournal.com
2010-02-21 02:25 pm UTC (link)

Not disagreeing, but I want to point out that women with disabilities are disproportionately victims of sexual abuse and assault. Sexual abuse is part of the apparatus of ablism, and yet another means of taking away the autonomy of PWD (along with stereotypes about helplessness and uselessness that are codified in laws & practices). So, not two separate communities, but two that heavily overlap.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	the_willow 2010-02-21 02:33 pm UTC (link)
	I'd meant to point out that it wasn't just one group that was reacting or had cause to react. But you're right, it's two communities that do share heavy overlap, including the fact that sexual abuse can lead to psychological disabilities. (Reply to this) (Parent)