Summary Of Freaks And Queers By Eli Clare
In the article “Freaks and Queers” by Eli Clare, the author discusses the origins and history of freak shows where “freaks”, “savages” and “geeks” were essentially the cause of big entertainments and businesses. Four main groups of people were categorized into “freaks”, which included disabled people, both white people and people of colour, nondisabled people of colour, nondisabled people of colour from the United States and nondisabled people with physically visible differences. Many were oppressed, marginalized as well as exploited not only by the public but also by the show managers and doctors. Freak shows entertained and brought a better sense of self-esteem and superiority to audiences. In addition, Clare describes the issues he has with
certain words such as “freak” since it perceives as well as defines a person as a disabled, monstrous and abnormal “thing”. Towards the end of his article, Clare concludes by stating how it can be difficult and even impossible to redefine specific words or symbols, especially when the meaning has oftentimes been associated and used in a derogatory way.
Furthermore, I agree with the author when he states that he identifies himself more with certain words than others. As he mentioned in his article, Clare feels empowered with the word queer since it gives him a sense of pride and self-worth whereas the word “freak” unsettles him since the word makes him feel weak and worthless. However, as Clare mentioned in his article, many of the disabled people during the mid-1800s to mid-1900s were identifying themselves as “freaks” and were comfortable with the meaning it held. Many were able to make a living through shows, since it was most often the only job available to them and sometimes became rich and famous. This demonstrates how our society has socially constructed the identity of disabled people, influencing them to identify themselves as “freaks”, allowing others to not only exploit but also objectify them for profit. Moreover, I believe that in the recent years, an improvement has been made for the disabled and the LGBT community since they are not only becoming more common but more awareness as well as acceptance are beginning to arise.
certain words such as “freak” since it perceives as well as defines a person as a disabled, monstrous and abnormal “thing”. Towards the end of his article, Clare concludes by stating how it can be difficult and even impossible to redefine specific words or symbols, especially when the meaning has oftentimes been associated and used in a derogatory way.
Furthermore, I agree with the author when he states that he identifies himself more with certain words than others. As he mentioned in his article, Clare feels empowered with the word queer since it gives him a sense of pride and self-worth whereas the word “freak” unsettles him since the word makes him feel weak and worthless. However, as Clare mentioned in his article, many of the disabled people during the mid-1800s to mid-1900s were identifying themselves as “freaks” and were comfortable with the meaning it held. Many were able to make a living through shows, since it was most often the only job available to them and sometimes became rich and famous. This demonstrates how our society has socially constructed the identity of disabled people, influencing them to identify themselves as “freaks”, allowing others to not only exploit but also objectify them for profit. Moreover, I believe that in the recent years, an improvement has been made for the disabled and the LGBT community since they are not only becoming more common but more awareness as well as acceptance are beginning to arise.