Thursday, May 6, 2010
Final Thoughts
I’m still very fascinated by the issue of apotemnophilia and semantic contagions. The idea that people identify with “always” being a certain way after they find out about a condition makes me wonder how much other “conditions” or “identities” follow that model. We discussed in class how apotemnophilia “developed” with the internet, and the possibility that people find out about it and then start to believe they have it….which then means they actually do. People then express themselves not as “I recently decided I need my arm cutoff” but “I have always needed my arm cutoff, recently I found a name for my condition”. How much does this relate to say, something like transexuality? Or eating disorders? People often express their desire to live as another gender (or change their body, or whatever–many different interpretations under the umbrella term) as “I have always been a boy”. How is the proliferation of individuals explaining their identities as an always already existing condition related to hearing more about those conditions? I did my very first post on this issue (kind of) about my identity as a lesbian. I still wonder how various components of who I am are actually based in the way I’ve heard other people express themselves. I don’t know if this idea will change how I act per se, but certainly how I think about the issue of identity in general. I think most people are a little uncomfortable with the idea that something can “spread” by hearing about it (I am as well–what if tomorrow I decide I don’t want my arm?!). Somewhat disturbing, mostly just continually curious
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hey laura! i was actually thinking about writing on this topic too, so I guess I'll have to figure something else out by tomorrow night. but yeah, i think body issues and the idea that there's a "self" that we are, one that might contradict what we look like on the outside, is interesting to me, I guess. like if I'm a girl but I feel like a boy, or if I have two arms but my "self" should only have one. I wonder if something like apotemnophilia is a condition that has always existed to some extent but wasnt always expressed because it wasn't possible until now, or if the internet actually spread it. or maybe a combination of both? i don't know, I'm kind of just rambling.
ReplyDeleteI also think that a lot of people are shocked or dismayed by the idea of someone choosing to have part of their body amputated, but we don't necessarily pass the same judgment on people who get other kinds of body modifications. it's just interesting.
-aniqua