put a lil hot sauce on that bad boy @caterpillarhunting - Tumblr Blog

damazcuz

Certain words can change your brain forever and ever so you do have to be very careful about it.

deadelated

indeed...

tumbwr

mourningkite

Underground is a weird place

tiktoks-for-dead-pope

holyfunnyhistoryherring

Transcript: Yesterday my cousin said that my rooster wasn't a real rooster. He said he's a Walmart rooster. *chicken noises* Does this not look like a real rooster to you? *chicken makes a sound again* Sure, he's small, but he has feelings.

feenyreadscomics

I love that the transcript here says chicken instead of rooster

ieafy

Lily of the valley, gouache 🌱

angelicdewdrop

counttwinkula

hey did you know that uhh

i. the monster's body is a cultural body

ii. the monster always escapes

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire

vii. the monster stands at the threshold… of becoming

counttwinkula

oh shit i didn't expect this to actually get notes lmao

these are all direct quotes from jeffrey jerome cohen's "monster culture (seven theses)" (full pdf linked) i highly encourage you to read it yourself!

that said, while i think cohen's writing is evocative, it can be a little dense, so while i'm here, here's my capsule summary (you can also hear me talk about this in the first episode of my podcast) (listen to @ghostswerepeopletoo)

i. the monster's body is a cultural body - The monster is a work of fiction to be analyzed through tools of literary and sociological theory.

ii. the monster always escapes - As long as the cultural fear from which the monster stems persists, the monster will reappear in retellings, reimaginings, and sequels.

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis - Monsters defy binaries and challenge easy comprehension or categorization.

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference - The monster represents the Other.

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible - Tales of the monster exist to discourage unacceptable or taboo behaviors.

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire - Subjects can vicariously participate in the disruption of the social order through the monster.

vii. the monster stands at the threshold… of becoming - Within the monster we find information about the self.

counttwinkula

i just want to say that i appreciate the love people are showing this post so much, and i also want to recognize that SO MANY of the people sharing this post are trans. i think that's so rad

cohen's theories are useful for analyzing propaganda, and we can recognize the way that transphobes monsterize transgender people in their rhetoric. monster studies has roots in the analysis of how gender deviance is punished; not only does cohen mention and dissect this in "monster culture (seven theses)", he borrows the concept of category crisis from majorie garber's book, Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing and Cultural Anxiety.

i've spent a decent amount of time researching the relationship between transphobia and monsterization. i implore that you read "my words to victor frankenstein above the village of chamounix: performing transgender rage" by susan stryker. here's an excerpt:

Hearken unto me, fellow creatures. I who have dwelt in a form unmatched with my desire, I whose flesh has become an assemblage of incongruous anatomical parts, I who achieve the similitude of a natural body only through an unnatural process, I offer you this warning: the Nature you bedevil me with is a lie. Do not trust it to protect you from what I represent, for it is a fabrication that cloaks the groundlessness of the privilege you seek to maintain for yourself at my expense. You are as constructed as me; the same anarchic womb has birthed us both. I call upon you to investigate your nature as I have been compelled to confront mine. I challenge you to risk abjection and flourish as well as have I. Heed my words, and you may well discover the seams and sutures in yourself.

and i would also like to turn your attention to the book Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, And the Rest of Us by kate bornstein:

So much violence is perpetrated in the name of that fear and that loathing [of gender transgressors]. […] Transphobia is one term in vogue with some transsexuals. Fear of crossing? Fear of transgressing? If this term were allowed that sort of breadth—that is including the fear and hatred of any kind of border-dwellers—then it might have some possibilities.

bornstein's book reads as an early nonbinary manifesto (one that predates terms like "gender nonbinary" and "cisgender") and so much of what they have to say connects to this topic of monsterizing trans people, i hope you consider looking for a copy

i'm thrilled (though not entirely surprised) that so many people on tumblr are interested in monster studies, even if it's just my summary of cohen. take this lens and apply it to the world around you. take note when you see the Other being turned into a monster—horror has its place, but monsterization is a dangerous rhetorical device

ancientson

If you want to learn more about monstrosity and monster studies, especially if you're also interested in trans aspects, I highly recommend reading the work of Jack Halberstam, particularly Skin Shows. Jack is an academic who is considered something of a pioneer in the field of monster studies. He also happens to be transmasc, and has done a lot of work on gender. Skin Shows is a fantastic study of monstrosity, what it represents, and its role in storytelling and media. He does quite a bit on transness in this book as well, e.g. the monstrosity of characters like Buffalo Bill and Norman Bates and how transfemininity is used as an indicator of monstrosity in film (as monstrosity goes beyond just things with teeth and claws).