There are those that will disagree with me, but after hearing the freaks speak out on the Discovery health channel show, I say that they have every right to earn THEIR OWN LIVING showcasing their different physiotypes. I do not use the term "freak" disparagingly. This is what they call themselves, and this term describes anyone who doesn't fit the "norm." Although I look "normal" on the outside, I too am a freak. More on this in a moment.
999 Eyes is a sideshow in the old style tradition. But let me borrow this paragraph from the home page because it says it better than I can.
The 999 EYES Authentic Freakshow explicitly celebrates real genetic diversity by showcasing amazing feats performed by LIVING HUMAN ODDITIES! The freaks share real stories of what it is like to be born truly different from the average 10 fingered and 10 toed genetic blueprint for humanity – giving folks from all corners a chance to realize that what is different in beautiful. We present as guests Human Marvels and Sideshow artists, such as the Leopard Man and the Human Blockhead for their fantastically adorned bodies and wondrous sideshow skills. In this show, one must be born physically and obviously different from the vast majority of humanity to be considered a true freak. The 999 EYES freaks are performers who choose by their own free will to celebrate their medical anomaly on stage. The 999 EYES supports rights for differently-abled people, and we play only in wheelchair accessible venues.
Thank you for doing it! It isn't only the so called "beautiful" people who should be able to excel in this world. Why not the truly different? Why not the "handicapped?" I usually hate P.C. terms, but these people are true illustrations of what it means to be "differently abled." I hate the idea that the world has to be a place enslaved by a very constrained definition of beautiful and those who do not fit this definition should do a favor to those whose eyes and delicate sensibilities would be offended and hide away.
My handicap is not obvious from the outside. I have a mental handicap and I do have a physical handicap which isn't obvious. I have bipolar disorder. Often I can function "normally," whatever that may be. But at other times I wrestle with a mind that seems hell bent on killing me and although I take Lithium to control my mood swings, nothing is perfect and, in the same way that a diabetic's medications sometimes fail them, Lithium sometimes fails to do the job for me. Before diagnosis I was at the mercy of my mood swings. I know that I'm different from other people and there are those who want a "perfect" world who would say that a person like me should keep away from "normal" people. But I have the right to make a living and maybe even make an impact.
I also deal with fibromyalgia, which while it does not in any way distort the limbs can occasionally be, if not crippling, physically compromising. I have a relatively mild case, but sometimes it makes me very tired and I have difficulty concentrating. The muscle soreness is of the low grade variety, but it is from head to toe. It was worse when I was working a job that was very physically demanding. I would be sore and tired for days and missed a lot of work. I was ashamed of how "lazy" I appeared to be.
I am not ashamed of my handicaps but most of my co workers still do not know that I am bipolar. They know about the fibromyalgia and the hypothyroidism. These are "acceptable" diagnoses. Mental illness is still shrouded in shame. Which is why the world needs a freak like me to tell it like it is.
So, far from saying "those poor people" regarding the side show performers, I say "let them speak out! Let them tell it like it is! Let them show off their unique body types, their unique abilities. Right on, Freaks!"
Besides, for fuck's sake, they're a hell of a lot more interesting than Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan on their worst day!
This freak is trying to make an extra buck or two with some affiliate marketing. I find programs I think that people really might be interested in and insert them at the bottom of my posts. No, I won't come to your house in the middle of the night with a gun and make you order anything. But I might send Axe Man to your house naked. So...the choice is yours!
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