The chapter “That Sex Which Prevaileth” in Sexing the Body by Anne Fausto-Sterling focuses on the social and cultural stigmas attached to hermaphrodites. First focusing on the history of sexes and how two main sexes have been put into to place to define "normality" in our society and that now that we have MADE these categories it is difficult to see the world as being normal any other way. In fact it has become so important for one to fit in either one category or the other that there are numerous surgeries involving anything from changing the shape and/or function of everything involving sexual organ and outer appearance. If you really think about it, what makes someone more man or more woman? Is the typical girly girl less of a woman if she has a slighly larger clitoris or has a slight mustache? or the hegemonic male less powerful if his penis isnt large enough? these arent even situations of a male or female being hermaphrodites however we often treat them in similar respect with confusion and judgement. Therefore it only makes sense that we have come up with so many different ways to fit everyone into two COMFORTABLE categories, and it is even hard for me to say that because who is it comfortable for? We tend to focus on only the opinion of the majority and ignore how those decisions that we make affect ourselves or our society as a whole. Like Emma for example who is forced by society to fit into a world by ignoring her pleasure and happiness.
In book one of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides we see a greater inside on Cal's own feelings on being intersexed. After deciding to become a boy it was interesting to read about his search through his ancestory to figure out what mutations in his chromosomes lead to being born a woman with male parts. This idea is very disturbing to a lot of people and you see it on TV with celebrities or on talk shows and it almost seems unreal because ill admit that even i was conditioned to think that there is hardly anyone in the world who is both male and female. We are so sheltered to the truth because we are afraid of it and majority of the time these children are altered at birth. Even so many different doctors and psychologists have so many different opinions on how this should be handled, whether they should wait till the child is older, let them decide, let the parents decide, or just handle it at birth and we forget that these are actual human beings who are made to live that way.
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I agree with Amanda is saying that both of these readings had much to do with social gender constraints and how they are now locked in place by society's discomfort with anything else. I consider myself to be a very open-minded person, and even I have the inclination to look at someone who straddles the gender line and want them to choose one side. We're just programmed to think that way and because very few of us have the proper insight to truly understand what it's like, we can only base our thoughts about it on what we know, and what we know are social norms.
ReplyDeleteI think that both of these readings really make you consider taboo issues and how we view them as "right" and "wrong." In Book One of Middlesex, Cal's life as a hermaphrodite is surpassed by the history of his/her grandparents' incest. Both are issues that the "normal" person just isn't comfortable with. It's almost automatic to judge, even as you're reading this story about these two characters and see their lives and their struggles. It's very strange to have such issues brought out to the forefront and for you, as a reader and as a person, to make something of them.
As I was reading this material I felt the same way Amanda and Brittani felt. People with a deviant sexuality are viewed the same as any other deviance in our society. Whether it be a haircut, a particular style, or a strange personality, anything that isn't within the confines of what society sees as normal is usually condemned. I sometimes find myself drifting away from society's norm and yet I'm still guilty of judging people by their different appearance or sexuality. As impractical as I found Johnson's solution, I believe it still applies to this problem Eugenides and Fausto-Sterling discuss. Going against the norm and taking the path of more resistance is the only way to defeat the problem.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Amanda is saying. I agree that society puts many constraints on peoples sexualities. Although people are programmed this way im not. I have never confined myself to the gender roles played out by society. I never see myself as deviant in our society because I am me. If i wanted to act as everyone else then i would. Although Eugenides and Fausto-Steriling believe their is a solution I do not. There is no way to resist a society or system who has the control to program people without seeing and knowing their daily struggles. To me this sounds like people who have power are ignoring other cultures norms and making everyone adhere to theirs. To me that is not a solution at all.
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