atural cts: Theorii the Perrmative eElen Case Php e san egh Fose he paonng of pemane no ogao appeaanes and s dsaowanes s a ompex soa ode assmed o e "naa nl een noons of pemav nmasked s opeaons Pemane paons s enfed whn adonal onepons of he as egond he geses of he dane gnoe hose of he ohesa plae assgn sg nane o he eoon eo on of he ao no o he eanes of he ad ene he al noon of pemav oh eveals hese paons as nnaa n naa and opens he wa he onsdeaon of al lal l al neose neose as pemane also exposes he omplso nae of some odes of pemane he oppessve eqemens of ssems ha ogane gende and sexa paes mak who ma wea he dess and who ma pem he kss he he fshon of he dess and he oong of he skn ha dons ae dspned ssems of lass and ae hese lal pe anes ae a ses sd he sees Unnaa U nnaa As enoages fhe neogaons of all all vae es of pemane oh n he adona sense of he em and fom he oade pespeve povded pefmav
Posthuman Bodies e dite d b y J udith Hal e erstam and Ira Li vi vingston NDANA UNVERSTY RESS Boomngon Boomngon and ndanapos
© 1995 by ndiana Univesity Pess All ights eseved No pat of this book may be epoduced o utilized in any m o by any means, electonic o mechanical, including photocopying and ecoding, o by any inmation stoage and etieval system without pemission in witing fom the publishe. The Association of Ameican Univesity Pesses' Resolution on Pemissions constitutes the only exception to this pohibition he pape used in this publication meets the minimum equiements of Ameican National Standad Inmation Sciences-Pemanence of Pape Pinted Libay Mateials, ANS Z39481984.
@™ Manuctued in the United States of Ameica
Library of Congress Cataloging-inPublication Data Posthuman bodies I edited by Judith Halbestam and a ivingston p cm.-(Unnatual acts) Includes index Romanied ecod. SBN 0253328942 (alk. pape)-SBN 0253 209706 (pbk. : alk pape . Body, Human-Social aspects aspect s 2. Body, Human-Symbolic aspects 3 Body, Human (Philosophy (Philo sophy)) 4 Body B ody image 5 Sex symbolism 6 Sexuality in popula culture culture 7 Humanism-20th Humanism-20th centuy. centuy. 8 Postmodenism I. Halbestam, Halbes tam, udith, date I ivingston ivingston Ia, date I. Seies. GT 495P67 1995 45934 94-459 3916-dc0 1 2 3 4 5 00 99 98 97 96 95
Contents
Prece
vi
Acknowedgments
x
Introducton: Posthuman Bodes Judth Haberstam and Ira Lvngston
1
PART I
Multiples Identty n Oshkosh Aucquere Rosanne Stone ONE
23
wo Two Lessons om B urroughs Steven Shavro PART I
Som e Gender Ge nderss The End of the Word of Whte Men Kathy Acker
57
Cass and Its Cose Reatons Identtes among Women Servants, Se rvants, and Machnes Mach nes Alexandra Chasn
7 3
THR
FOUR
v · FIVE Sof � �ctons an a n d Intmate Documents Can F e m 1 s m B e Po Po sthuman? . P a u l a Ra b i n ow i tz six
97
Reprducin g he Posthuman Body:
Ecog ogenet1c Feus, S rogate M Mo o th er,
Pr eg n a n t M a n
Sn M. S
13
Contents vi PART II
Quring The Seductive Power of Science in the Making Maki ng of Deviant Deviant Subectivity Jennifer Terry
135
Phantom and Reel Proj Projections ections Lesbians and the (Serial) Killing-Machine Camilla Griggers
162
Death of the Family, or Keeping Human Beings Human Roddey Reid
177
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
PART PART I V
Trmina Trminall oi oi Reading Like an Alien: Posthuma� . and Davd Identity in Ridley Scotts Alen Cronenberg's Rabid Kely Kely Hurley Hurle y ermi natin ingg Bodie B odies: s: To Toward a Cyborg ELEVEN Terminat H istory of Abortion Carol Mason TWEVE "Once They Were Me , N w Theyre Landcrabs Monstrous Becomgs Evolutionst Cinema Eric Whte
TEN
Contributors ndex
203
225
244
Preface·
Posthua Bodes is a collection of essays that takes up, in a mostly afr mative way various challenges to the coherence of the "human body as a gure through which culture is processed and oriented. In the essay that opens this volume we argue that a posthuman condition is upon us, and that nostalgia r a humanist philosophy of self and other human and alien normal and queer is merely the echo of a battle that has already taken place This argument is not a truth claim but, like the title of the volume itself, an open invitation to engage discursive and bodily congu rations that displace the human humanism, and the humanities As we will assert, such engagements come om the experience that the authorization that these identities seem to oer comes at too high a price; at the price of rendering unintelligible much of what matters to us The us of tis pronouncement and what is at stake in it will be constantly under revision in the essays that llow. Like us, most of the contributors to this volume come throuh the humanitiesdiagonally as it wereneither quite beginning there nor quite leaving them behind The essays cluster around lm and literary studies, cultural studies of science and science ction feminist and queer studies, but multiple other resonances and disjunctions characterize rela tions within and among volume sections and essays. Typically these do ot yield the limse of soe utoan nterdscl i a r y ace or Prora n the Posthmanities instead they share a commitment in practice to ybridites tat resst reducton to sinle principles a perversity that is ofn enacted rough diagonal eitanc to sanard academic discouse. Wl ths mny sem n annoyanc o evn a f i l ure o oraniza
ree
rhw sme gay men and lesbans rggers n the ther hand s nterested the mass medas mage f the devant lesban bdy ntns as a dentve l t ase r pstmdern and psthman tehnlges f v lent sbetvty Frm the death f a past femnnty ed shfts the
sene t the Death f the Famly" as a narratve that has bth seeded and led n Keepng man Bengs man ed nverts the sare tats f nservatve dsrse n the mly pardyng the gth magery f dene and apalypse t state deathfthemly narratves nt a psthman ntext Th essay that mprse the nal setn Termnal Bdes empha s ze emat pst m�n bemngs n whh Termnal sgnals nt a smple end bt termat0n as an ngng ndtn as well s ndatng the plae where hman and mahne ntere wth npredtable reslts Kel y rley s eadng Lke an Alen psts alternatves t psyhdelgal theres f the hrrr lm that nderstand ts ntn as the negtatn f ltral repressns rley arges that whle the hrrr lm wrks wthn tradtnal ltral narratves f the hman nldng thse psyh�nalyss t des s n rder t rptre and exeed them generatg new mages and narratves f the hman as psthman n t e ess In Termnatng Bdes Tward a Cybrg stry f Abrtn Carl Masn hallenges the messan stran n reent theret al nstrtns f the ybrg as a symbl r pltal mbdment arng t at hstr dvsns between lass rae and ender ena ted mat espeally the lms apparent elebratn f whte fem nty at the expense f lak maslntymprmse the lberatry ptntal f the ybrg E Whtes Evltnst Cnema tends t pst bd y fres as anmatns f hthert latent aspets f hman natre Whte traes several lm narratves n whh the hman bdy be mes mnstrsly ther by emanpatng the menagere wthn We hpe ths vlme wll fntn as a knd f pgrade a pee f very sftware that en �ts and ena les vars nteratvtes deswthngs and ther ptentally vral dsrsve nvlvements Whle we wat r a sel fhelp k t tell s hw t get n th wth the menagere wthn ths_ abgsly regnant set f atns and exhrtatns wll have t stand r a ser s manal rth and mltply r atal mleage may vary Objets n mrrr are lser than they appear. dth alberstam and Ira Lvngstn
?
:
I
�
�
Acknowledent
O thanks g t Kelly ley and E hte the pat n nept alng ths vlme and t SeEllen Case Ssan Fste hlp Bett and thes at Indana Unvesty ess helpng t mateale t F gant ng sme f the tme and spae t wk n ths pet Ia Lvngstn thanks the det ete Cpek and staf f the Oegn State Unvesty mantes Cente e thank Ves ess pemssn t pblsh ala abnwts essay a vesn f whh appeaed n he bk n dmen tay lm. e thank Gve ess pemssn t pblsh Kathy Akes essay The End f the ld f hte Men a sbseqent vesn f whh appeas as the pee t Puss Kng of t Prats nde the ttle One Upn a Tme, Nt Lng Ag O"
POSTHUMAN BODIES
Introduton: Postuman Bodes Judith Halberstam and Ira Livingston
I the tme shld ever me when what s nw aled sene ths mlarsed t men shall be ready t pt n as t were a rm lesh and bld the et wl lend hs dvne sprt t ad the transgratn and wll weme the Beng ths prded as a dear and genne nmate the hsehld man Wrdswrth 38) Nw that Wrdswrths entreprenera speatn tre lsn between sent and tra prdtn has pad repeatedy the bnd matred and the stk splt and renvested agan and agan t the prt ts stkhlders the yaty empyees and stmers the hman mnply Natre/Cltre Systems Inrprated) an n lnger be assred Sene and ts pet sdekk have mantaned the hsehd man thrgh exlsns sbrdnatns extzatns pathlgzatns rmnalzatnsths garanteeng that the transgratn that s pn s annt leave ntat any Wrdswrths nter dependent ters nether what s nw alled sene nr the rm esh and bld' nr the hsehld man sthmantes emerge nt n the happy nterdspnary mly bs ness magned by Wrdswrth bt eqpped wth eaked serets and em bezzled pwers) t a dsenhantment that s bth antaesthet and antsent It s n ths vatle market that the medal/aesthet ds pnar mnply n the bdy s ben halenged he annnement the dsvery that the bdy has a hiory has beme nven tnal the eld that t narates has ny ben t be establshed Even s the emerne te dy n stry and thereby ts parta rea
Intrdtn
tn and relatvatn als pens a spae r psthstral bdes t es tablsh themselves ere all nneted" rned a reent a d ampagn r ew r Telephne: that was the k n d f th ng W hd d The [ � v:r e ast slgan perrms a mstat the mant as nternalatns and depl ta f dmnant materal nterests and ther p ern w ad ns the heavl la ndered mant magatn s gane the rprate d The ld hmanst part lne s sblated n the pstmdern par !e 0gma mtated nt a latng mltple n versatn ?p t ; l n rward t an peratr j er perfe eedm and the ess netwrg ple state whh as 1 am Brrhs remnds s has n need t n mnatratn and rss s
! ':
�
:
/
1
; �
� ' !;e�e : �;, , . : d trl strateges and the are the has ·
.
eetvel be magned n terms f a sveregn lal manshmeshs astle bd The pre f ndlgng n t a r the mmeda ede naedness r r the spntane s an l nt f the revltnar rwd s t gh The rgen nds f tns and atns s and blgatr daspras s t mpeln an age f The nstrtnst bd s nt eqal t the tas f t s merel a m pensatr r reat nar ppnent t the hm as t bd The prletar anatn r atmatat f th e bd wth respet t dsrsvt" s an atnm that was t an anxs re�tnrmat t h self an exlsve tn st n s are nt slaves t masterds rses bt emerge at n es e bdes bdes f dsrse and ds rses f bdes nterset t relse an eas dstntn between atr l emessa e ntext st and stage bet een se r/ eve hman embdmnt e araw bd ent then s nt abt xed latn a ee b female r therwse bt abt ndes n elds netns rentatns . Embdment s sgnant prsthess" (9)
. ! \ F
Sign Posts: Som Postuman Na ratvs
stlnalsm pstndstral ap stmdernsm pststr ral pstsms" mars smltanesl talsm the prlratn aa the neessar r regrettable lre t a n whats next and the re ntn that t st alwas appea s t nnamable whh s pr
k "
ntoction 4
been. e stgge instea to aticate a pesent aen with the ebis of inet pasts Posthman boies o not beong to inea histo. The ae of the past an te ive as pesent cisis. This pesent this cisis oes not gie sooth aong a oneiensiona timeine but epts o coaesces nonoca acoss an on patia tempoiabe ea of meaning. Potuman oe epesents attempts to keep up with the pesent an to pocess the ientities that b p against the bo an then issove in the maestom we ca postmoenis posthmanis poststctais postcooniaism postinstia capitais. The essas in this vome wok to engage posthman naatives that have a but epace pevios astenaatives abot hmanit its boies its sbjects its pains an its peases. These naatives show how the bo an its eects have been thoogh eimagine thogh an inaiscipina inteogation of human ientit an its attenant ieoogies. Out Posts Som Subcuturs wtout Cutur Pais Is Buig
Posthman boies thive in subctes withot ctue thee ae on sbctes. Cte pocesses an appopiates a sbcte on as qick as the sbcte becomes visibe as ctue the magina of oinant cte is awas on a cmination of appopate ms an pagiaie ics (if a io can be sai to appopiate anthing). Voguing now a mos instance of the signifing ance of the hpestie bo began as a peoinant back an atino tansvestite sbcuta enataiation of hatecute gene pemance bee being ainsteae b a ve white Maonna). Bt to ientif voging as paasitica on Big Cte eg. ne the heaing of pao") wo be as euctive as to t to unestan voguing as Romantic Ceativit. nstea voging an othe sbctua pactices wok to unemine the oneee pami of geneic hieach to toube the sooth owchat of cta cication soewhat ike ms that pecee noveiations seqes that pecee peqes aa bosses that moe themseves on ovie maa bosses actopesients TVoctos who enose pis pos that pit sittng vice pesients against the TV chaactes the enonce in mecias ocaas, an so on an on. Maonna mimics back an atino ga postitte cte an tansates it into a miionoa stage act he peances ae attempts to oginate the ms she has appopiate. This is exact the pocess b which soe peances ae given the weight an athoit o eait whie othes ae eeate to shaows an iitatons Bt if toit n oii
Introucton 6
To "walk the ball s to compete n one of a huge range of categores against "Chlren of other Houses r tr phes. Categores nclue Butch an Femme Queens Realness Bangee Grl an Boy an so on In Realness Chlren smulate a socal role to the pont where they coul pass r real. For exampe Executive Realness nvolves ressng as a busnessman with sut te an attach case. The Realness category allows poo r gay often black or latno men to untangle r a moment the economc an socal rms of oppression that stan between them an the socall "real worl' It also allows them however to recreate that real worl ? ther own mage to repeople t an to challenge n an ntensely artstc way the conventons of omnation. . Whle many of the Femme Queens are satse to stke poses of fm nnty others n the ball scene have ha actual transsexual opera ons Boly operatons suggest that "Realness may n ct have somethg to o wth physcal organs whle the rag shows suggest that on the contrary the most Real woman s one who passes on the streets rather than between the sheets. This tenson between "real anatomy an real gen r s artculate by several Femme Queens n the ocumentary. Pepper Labea an Doran Corey offer accounts of what they perceve to be the nuance stance between perrming realness an wantng to be real. Corey says that the Chilren hunger too much or somethng beyon the "small me of walkng the ball Labeja cautons aganst taking realne s r real he never wante the operation because he knows that smply havg a pussy oes not mean you wll have a bulous l' La eja wryly ple that becomng a woman means cing a new oppresson: to be a real woman s simply to ce "real sexsm On the other an enus trav ganza wants the operaton an longs to be "a spole ch w te grl livng n the suburbs' Whle ths kn of sentment rew �e responses from some liberal crtics who marvele at the wllingness of people to embrace ther oppressons t s a ntasy that actual y b gs t be rea wthn the context of the balls an ther coe of s cato Venus's ntasy functions as ntasy precsely because ts real zat n wll always be ustrate The "real of her ntasy of course has lttle f anything to o wth spoile whte grls n suburbs. The posthuman elemnt of this ntasy lies in its nonrelaton to real hten ss an ts expresson of the ntasy function of whte realness. Whteness ther wors unctons n ths ntasy as a limit of the real an as a esr category only because it s unattainable or impossble Not because whteness cannot be smuate but because Venus Xtravaganza r one wll neve reap the rewars of even a successful sulaton of whteness Real whteness however the other en o ths euaton beomes eual vunerabe sor as
_
ntrouction 7
enuss ntasy makes vsible the ines of power that colie in the cate gory white an which alow it to slie into the category "human! Madonna perfrms the rea hiteness that voguing exposes as rag m order to stablze the categoes an make her whiteness and reaness ork r her in a way that Venus never can Whie Venus an the other queens it te whiteness they n in shion magaznes Madonna imi orer to recaim an resecure voguing r super tates the mtat0n tars Maonn s p �rrmance and her blon translation of voguing make her a real mlionare; Venus dies bere the lm project is complete a
h
urer victim This is not therere merey a moral esson about t e angers of thinkng realness is mutabe Instea Madonna an Venus are exapes of t e power of stable real whteness versus the rsk and inse utes of tryg to perrm white reaness These are not aberrations of e ovectors that dene the structure of cutural spacetime but ini tors of the poverty of teleoogica and hierarchical narratives to account r cultura trafc T e griock of signiers an signies at the juncture of gener cass, n the night wor of voguing is a trafc jam of an sexuaty ncty >sthuman proportions where the drivers may as wel abandon their ve ces The Human waners lost into a maze of sex changes wardrobe hanges makeovers an cover versions that imbricate human reality o posthuman realness As e nitions of oies an their acts proiferate within subcutures I ey shnk p oport0nately in hat we cal culture. One exampe one of Wooy Allens meancholc autobographica fessons egsters the oss of a sexual vocabulary within normatve erosexuaity Juy Davis pays a ustrate an fig ivorce who ugges to n the right sexual combination the rmula she hopes wil After a ate with a caring hansome man she seems to ock her esre ! kc but not esire she is reduce to thinking of couping as the union of ge ogs an xes a union that sgnies the impossbiity of compe taty Bt the mode r bary compementarity in Aens m is a erosexualty that here seems stuck always n a mode of either/or with no tenatves in sight Davis's character lacks a way of understa ing dese r ference an the esire r sameness; where they overap, ee t ey c where they come to blows Hedgehogs an xes? wle ty sexual cultures generate eaborate an proiferating N x u n vocabures: s any ords so any acts so dscrete ident t o ony a ny entities as there are boies and ten soe Hedge d xs hs n o rer he pathos of normative hetero y ke 11to roov ontnty eatin nrratves of
�
? lwnds d Wiv s,
Hus-
Inocion
8 enimen an omance o cove ove he obvio conion an ac of ih ha age a aem o mae ife. Sss
Sex on ha cenc when i become a channe omehing beie i own ive eae Tnon ae no exa exai i a iee eaion beween boie an hing ome boie ch a mae ebian femae cockweae bab bche geneaionai aoihi women wih gn) an ome hing ioe io vegeabe ATM ca come hone book hone book) Soe non women in i ooing ike bo women in i weaing ioe ooking ike an being men men wiho ick ick wiho men via bo a ineacive na. ha i boi abo ex? ha i exa abo ex? ha i genee? Ae ohman boie ogene? I anhing o anmoe o i hi he beginning? The each oigin o hee becae we ae he oigin a which imagine eai via eai gohic eai ae a gab. Yoe no hman ni oe ohman Yo wee neve hman ha wo haen if ingaiie ceae o ancho he wa in which we hin? o The Pohman Bo b boie. The ex which i no one" i he a aaigm he ecie which ae neve one Deee an Gaai evie he aaigm of he bec ng ie a maionee o ece he maionee bo an he eee min o moe ca cae of nevo be e of ineecing biochoocia conain ha make he noa bo {8). Thi i no o eace a ck minbo aim wih a heeogeneo monim b o ini on he ome ne of eve aembage Pohmani canno be aee b a in of gene ffage each eon hei own gene) becae he icoe of innie ivei j a he goo co" o he ba co of ingai an ai o he enenc o e one (em of gene) an wo mf gaaigh gaebian) Fo Haawa cbog one i oo few b wo ae oo man" ( ) Homi Bhabha ocoonia hbii" i e han one an oube" ; Deee an aai aembage" i enmeae a n min one In h i i no enogh o a Long ive he mie ifc a i i o aie ha c. o ogahica exica o even nacica cevene i enogh o mae i hea The mie ust b a no b awa ain a hihe menion b ahe in he ime of w in of obie wih he nmbe of imenion one a h vbw n inu on (6
Intoducton 10
ton and eng den ather than arazed the doue osstes o the detached otowe") and the u engaged oganc") nte ectua The huan has een congued as a ta crce gatheed aound the re ad the oong dakness o a dangeous wod as the at o e ees sequesteed o the ague, as the excuse cu o the Huan coete wth a the ghts and eges etanng thereunto ex ae, the ght to eat noneers o the cu and the ege not to e eaten It s on ata our eesh n the cu that enaes us to contest the ues, to eg to de on how one ust assue the os ton take u the arous cosses o dentt owe gender, authot) It s aso ecause the darkness oos wthn the cce n a oe uent , ecause soe o the soe that we are hae een excuded t s though ute atcuatons aong the consttute oes o these othes Because otheness s not addte n the tadtona sense there s no est" eesentate o the osthuan Posthuans hae een ut coonzed, nteenetrated, constructedas we as aadoxca eow eredut nethe rtue nor ce attaches autoatca to ths ute oston The osthuan does not necesstate the osoescence o the huan t does not reresent an eouton o deouton o the huan Rathe t artcates n redstutons o derence and dentt The huan unctons to doestcate and heachze deence wthn the huan whethe accordng to ace, cass, gender) and to asoutze derence e tween the huan and the nonhuan The osthuan does not reduce deenceoothers to derenceose, ut rathe eeges n the attern o resonance and ntererence etween the two The addte othe who s suordnate n seera sstes at once) s not necessa the geo etca othe o the osthuan, who a we e etween etween" n a snge sste As a end o ous kes to sa, I' a nst at a hea eta concet and a eta adocate at a enst eetng" Famil?
The huan te can nee agan e Posta odes ceeate the end o HsandHe atchng theoes that ndess eoe aound the serae agned unt the agned count o an agned knsh n an agned house wth an agned dog and two on) agned chdren St, the sto o the cto o the dde cass and the hegeon o ts , dscne, and atonat as unaked un esas s as exaggeated as the o o ther nent demse he sht in he nce o ower o the c e c e t the icilinr not o
r
ntroducton
n practce as we as paradgm, sperm and egg unons have been repo stoned There are n an case multple was to brng about ths unon (tax ncentves, n vtro fertlzaton, deooges o ml, turke basters, etc), or nhbt t condoms, operatons, tght eans, abstnence, queer practces, etc), and none o them are entrel reversble or rreversbe How can an Arstotelan herarchzaton of causes separate the role o the bod n reproducton o that of econom, technoog, deolog, shon? bologca reproducton s mere one possble ncton o one possble knd of uckng as we as merel one o the an knds o re producton requred to perpetuate the code of the human, then there s a curous ack of specct n the ter fuckng, a ac o coherence among ts connotatons, ts varable assocaton wth pleasures and pans, wth reproducton, wth specc penetratons or ottages, wth rhthmc ctons What s aowed to be fuckng? the dssocaton of mae or gasm om generaton that Laqueur locates n the ate eghteenth centur (8 s what eventuall allows femae orgasm to sgn the unspeakable oussance) and unlocazabe mster and the unrelablt o sgn ers, whle ale eacuaton as n the cum shot o masculnst pornog raph) comes to guarantee the sel-evdence of desre and truth n the bnar o es-or-no ths bnar axologzaton never could drect the trcs among power, pleasure, and bodestracs whch nclude but are b no means exhausted b mae eaculaton, sex-wthoutorgasm, or gasm-wthout-sex, sex-wthout-eaculaton, eaculatonwthoutorgasm, reproductonwthout-sex, sex-wthoutfuckng, practces n whch gen taa can become etshes or second-order metaphors a process mpossble b denton n the onewa law o Freudan dsplacement and condensa ton), and so on t becomes possbe to assert a nonrelaton between fckng and reproductonthe relaton upon whch patrarcha humant s pre dcatedpart because o the dverst of sexua practces, partl be cause o technologcal optons, but man because the pont where the converge s no longer an adequate anchorng pont r a eanng or workable sstem. Lkewse, responsblt r concepton and contracep ton, no less than r postnatal care, s not gven but assgned The cmacterc of the human dnosaur s a dangerous tme, but no more than an other The dng dnosaur stll thrashes hs tal, takng out hundreds of thousands n the process Some of us cannot resst the rsk that gnawng ts scal esh entas; others strve to go about ther busness n dscursve ecosstems n whch the dnosaur could never compete, but all of us lve n hs shadow The nous m values debate of the 199 U presdenta eec ton wl b reemrd th durv nt n whh onvtve t thr hld h n l h wht n the hmcy f po1todrls-h th
ntoduction 16
Of couse, Wojnowicz s witing is lso technology tht etends the body beyond deth nd beyond the disntegtion of the body echnolo ges tht emke the body lso pemete nd m�dit� ou eltns to the el the el is litelly unimgnble o only mgble wthn tech nologicl society: technology mkes the b dy quee, fgm�nts t, fme t, cuts it, tnsms desie the ge of the mge cetes dese s seen the V sceen is nlogous to self, sceen tht poJects nd s poJected onto but only gives the llusion of depth he imge of n D-elted deth beng cptued on lm etuns us ll too quickly to U2s wold of Zo V nd ts invttio to the ede to wonde which side of the lens she s on Whle connecton between U2, n intentonl megbnd, nd Wojnowicz, quee tist dying of D, my be bity nd coincdentl, n odd mg� bind the two to gethe On the ZOO V tou, U2 sold shits tug slksceened photo by Dvid Wojnowicz tht ppes s the cove of Close to the Knives. he photo shows buflo stmpeding ove clff, nd on the 2 -sht the Wojnowcz ption, mell the lwes whl YU cn,s scwled undeneth he buflo jumping to the doom, sppg off the edge of the eth nd leving thei pe zoo, esembles he medcl z o poduced by the D pndemc his zo cges Dfeted bodes nd then dves them ove the cf mellg the owes whe you cn mens not simply hedonistic bndon but stvng off oclyse wth lesue nd then mking you poclypse one tht equ7s wtesss m cying this ge like bloodlled egg nd thees th le between the inside nd the outsie thn line between thought nd c, tion nd tht line is simply mde up of blood nd muscle nd bone (Wojnowcz i6 Wojnowiz ips ove th� line between inside nd outside he nds the menng of hs slow deth the nge tht ets y t the humn nd the body nd sks not f vengence but mssve chnge nd ecognition tht nothng s th sme when ou e dyg politicl eth he self dsnteges n ths quee ntve to post humn ge dsode nd uncvl dsobednce o the quee nto, ge s the dffeence between beg nd hvg t s cll to ms, de sie tht the humn be oughly shoved nto the net centuy nd the net bo n tht we become posthumn wthout nostlg n becuse we ley e ·
Quaks T At Sck
Bodies depend on netwok of signfyng eltonships Followng the n Fnisco ethquke of 990 thee hp ise n the tteing of w y th hnd d ynd T p nd hle uf
PART : MULTIPLES
0 N E
dentty n Oshkosh Allucquere Rosanne Stone he name s the end of dscorse.
Focat
om e San Frno Chrone O Jly 23 199, a 27yeaold woma led a comai i Oko Wicoi cagig a Mak Peeo a acqaiace aed e i e ca Te woma ad bee evioly diagoed a avig Mlie Peoaiy Diode (MPD ) Se claimed a Peeo aed e afe delibeaely dawig o oe of e eoaliie a aive yog woma wo e og wold be wiig o ave e wi im C o e micial bildig comle i Oko Wicoi O de e cooe gleamig wie media va ie e ee oe o ai e a od of eigeao i A e of bilig aeae eace ywad ad eeage i bigly cooed od ivey come ad go eaig boe ad bag; e local izza oi ae doig a ladofce bi e keeig e cew lied Te i vey big ad we blik a emege om e adow of e cooe Jim Cliod wold ave ved i" comme wode wa e Maee cooe looked e dig e ia e wa eeacig" Wee' Maee?" my ied ak New Eglad Te ow of Maee wa oigialy a dia vil e Te Maee dias deeded ome lad o e sele ad e e s eeay oo ove evey A few yeas ao e svv Mas il ies ed e ow of Masee o e ei ad back caimig ad be n tk o th lgly. We i aly came o ia gove n g ht th c vlv rou d e sse of wee
Allcqee Rosanne tone 26
Ross sed the Osiis myth as a specic theapetic model He main tained that the MPD patient seed om an Osiis complex athe than an Oedips complex His abandonment o the Oedips complex as a se l explanatoy model stems om his eading o Feds intepetation o the case o Anna 0 and Feds epdiation o the sedction theoy l lowing the pblication o Stdie in teria Rosss atonale is patly one o explanatoy economy; he points ot tht the Oedpal mdel s what haces wold call a lgea complex nweldy and aesthetcally nsat isctoy patch that has the singla vite o gettin the job donea nd that the Osiis model (not to mention the accompanyng Iss model whch wold eplace the Eleta complex povides a mch simple and moe elegant explanatoy famewo mltiple pesonality Thee ae cetainly enogh vaied opinions abot what in hell is going on hee to spply a vey lage nmbe o theoeticians The . not o po essionals o vaios stipes engaged in mted o heated dscssons call to mind the gedanexpeiment o setting an innite nmbe o moneys to the tas o witing the complete wos o haespeae. One o the psy chologists obseving the tial commented Thee' an awfl exc�s o .at tention being paid to MPD these days Yo . now may wys t eng gossly ovediagnosed And people ae beg channeled nto t ts e yo most ecent designe disease" Clinically speaing does MPD have any postve spects . Well it can be a way to get attention becase o t shonab1ty some theapetic cicles . Thees no dobt that aa? s a peson who s not well. Bt shes leaned to channel he illness so t gets attenton O maybe she gets attention Bt that way o dealing ith a psychological poblem has its own diclties. Its also seldamagng Pat o he way o expessing it is to bn hesel with cigaettes Then he othe peson alities wonde how she got bned" Is thee a possibility that she was acting To get attention" He shoo his head looing thoghtl I she was acting it ws a hell o a billiant job. And i she wasnt acting then thee was somethng else going on that was qite scinating ;e voablay ad demeano instance ove time and place they e consstent wthn a pesonal!t How can yo e se that a paticla peson eally has MPD and sn t ing it some eason" In many cases it's teibly had to say eqently dclt to mae the call Most MPDs ae vey intelligent I d th the moe ntellgent yo wee the bette yod be able to e somethin lie that I yo wee en tally ill nyway and new it theed e ellnt easons to et a esne iss Yo it b woe ot ttig ot I th stte hosptal s
.
Allucquee Rosnne Stone 0
situated. Ross is interested in making a strong case r legitimizing MPD as a recognized medical phenomenon, and in so doing he seems to feel that he must explain away the poblem of why many of the cultues he mentions in passing do not themselves pathologize MPD. Ross c �n pehaps be excused pathologizing MPD tout court, because he evnces a genuine inteest in assisting the indivi ual he has observed w? ose accommodation to buried trauma causes, n hs words, moe suffeng than it pevents I am pimaily concened hee with how the phenomenon of multiple personality ts into a broader amewok of cultual developments in which the abstract machine of multiplicity (in Deleuze and Guattai's wods) is ginding ner and ne. Among the phenomena at the close of the mechanical age which are useful to note is the pervasive bur geoning of the ntic and epistemic qualities of multiplicity in all thei ms.
It s the moment eveyone n the courtoom has been watng r. Peope had been standng n ne snce bee aw ? to asure themsees
of seats in the courtroom. A few had brought ldng chars to use while
they wated n the predawn ch Some sat on beach bankets wth ther mos jugs of steamng coee. The composton of the cowd was extao dinarily diverse the sa e wth r othe each to Afte an agonzng wat whe peope chatted vey anmaton I assocated wth watng r the st�rt of a ongantcpated m, the baf caed the room to orde The s�ence was nstantaneous "A se;' the ba cae d, and Hawey stode n, owed by the court stenographe.
, squaed somethn g Hawey sat down n the hghbacked eathe cha
on hs desk and ooked down fom the bench at the packed coutoom, hs gasses � atchng the ght The sound of peope gettng seated ded away, and a hush agan ove the oom. For the most part Hawey had not sad very much ?eyond what ws
requred of hm as pesdng magstrate, but ths m?nng �e clea:d hs throat and made a bref ntoductoy speech. Hs voce aed well n the
room It was a cam voce, not too nected. o and Bere we proceed any rther, I want to make sure a the vde m equpment n ths room s turned o and that a the cameas are down out of sght He scanned the room sowy, more eect than survelance, then contnued n the same cam voce There has been an unusua amount of attenton suroundng ths case The ssues we ae con sdeng are of an unusua natue But I want to make t cear to eveyon hee that this s not a ccus This s a y snstve case Thee may b some bz bhio tht you h
not
tne bee But nothn
Identity in Oshkosh 33
ality of childhood seual abuse This which Ross refers to as Freud's un rtunate metapsychological digression" was the theory of the Oedipus and Elektra complexes Returning resolutely to his poit, Ross asserts that the Osiris complex more clearly describes what happens in the etiology of MPD than the Oedipus or Elektra complexes can and it does it with a minimum of escription; if economy of representation counts r anything the Osiris complex wins hands own. The trouble with the Osiris myth in a modern clinical fame as Ross comments is that in our culture the original agent of the agmentation of self does not always receive ivine retribution " From the point at which Freud repudiated the seduction theory and continuing frward almost to the present psychoanalysts of Freudian persuasion considered patients with dissociative disorders of traumatic origin to be suffering fom unresolved unconscious incestuous ntasies This state of afirs has been treated at length by feminist scholars (e g ivera 1987, 1988; Sprengnether 1985, among others) We are till looking at traumatically produced MPD here still using the _ that the thing is a disorder and nothing more Just what nal D to dcate s it then that we are looking at and why is MPD so important to an examination of communication technology? More to the point is there y oom r nontraumatic multiplicity in any of these clinical accounts? t on� point Ross r example answers this question almost dismissively nd wth cplete selfcondence: The term (multiple personality) sug gests that t s necessary to debate whether one person can really have ore than one personality or put more extremely whether thee can eally be more than one person in a single body Of course there cant " (41). And here Ross misses some of the most crucial implications of his study Multiple personality (without the stigmatizing nal D) is a mode that esonates throughout the accounts present here Rosss research both rms and denies that mode in a complex way He has a clear investment afrming te reality of a clinical enition of multiplicity and his ews concerng Freuds problems in coming to grips with the probable ology of clinical multiplicity (with the D) are usefl in studying the uence Freud has had on the eld of psychoanalysis For reasons that I d not entirey clear he dismisses out of hand the idea that there can be re than one person in a single body. At that point he appears to ll c on receve socal and cultural noms concerning the meanng of on ad body Lke th sreons at te Stanrd Gender Dysphoria ct f w m I have writtn lwh oss still acts as a gatekeeper lo an wth1 n larr clul fnmc, nd n o n hi stakes and n bc clarer.
t
Aucquee Rosanne Stone 34
In this context the context o utipicity and psychoogy it is useu to conside the wok o Shey Tuke. In he study Contrction and Recontrction of the Se in Virtal Reality pesented at the Thid Intena tiona Coneence on Cyespace Tuke notes The powe o the (vitua) ediu as a ateia the pojection o aspects o oth conscious and unconscious aspects o the se sug gests an anaogy etween utipeuse doains (MUDs) and psycho theapeutic iieus MUDs ae a context constuctions and econstuctions o identity they ae aso a context eecting on od notions o identity itse. Though contepoay psychoanaytic theoy which stesses the decenteed suject and though the ag ented seves pesented y patients (and ost daaticay the in ceasing nues o patients who pesent with utipe pesonaity) psychoogy cononts the ways in which any unitay notion o iden tity is poeatic and iusoy What is the se when it unctions as a society? What is the se when it divides its ao aong its con stituent ates" o avatas"? Those udened y posttauatic dis sociative syndoe (MPD) sue the question inhaitants o MUDs pay with it In Tuke's context, the context o vitua systes the question that Ross disisses as, to hi oviousy senaey, can utipe seves in hait a singe odyis ieevant Copaed to ea space in vitua space the socioepisteic stuctues y eans o which the eanings o the tes se" and ody ae poduced opeate dieenty. Tuke seies upon this and tuns it into a psychotheapeutic too. Moeove Tuke shows how the uses o vitua space as an adjunct to theapy tansate acoss doains eyond the vitua wods and into the ioogica What in this context ight e caed the utiate expeientpugging a pe son with MPD into the MUDshas yet to e peed Tus we have not yet oseved one o its possiy hope outcoes: heaing taua ut peseving utipicity o pehaps oe petinent ceating discu sive space a possiy tansative egitiiation o soe s o utipicity. The answes to the questions posed aovewhy is MPD so ipotant to an exaination o counication tehnoogy and is thee oo nontauatic utipicity in cinica accountsin ne ae ound up with the posthetic chaacte o vituaity The technosocia space o vitua inteaction, with its iuptive Judi quaity its potntia expeientation and eegence can e a poeatc ad hopeu do ain o nontauati utipity Tuk nd oths ys inudd
Identity in Oshkosh 35
ae waiting to oseve how the diaogue etween nontauatic utipicity and cinica accounts eeges in a new theapeutic context Do you eee what you taked aout whie he was thee? Most o it was sa tak I eca teing hi that we wee any, thee wee any o us in the ody I said we wee utipe, that we shaed the ody I tod hi aout soe o the othes" How did he eact to you teing hi aout soe o the othes? He didnt see supised" Athough eveyone had thei own eason eing thee, noody coud qite expain what thei scination with the coutoo scene was I tied to ke a ew enta odes and it didnt wok The coutroo audi ences ehavio, though was its own giveaway. Its attention was on the oent o uptue conjoining the saced and the idden I a cetainy not the st to ae this oent the oent o inteuption, when the seaess sce o eaity is ipped aside to evea the nuts and ots y which the stuctue is aintained Saah was a iina ceatue aked s epesenting soething deepy desied and deepy eaed. In the sae cot an ax udee wod attact a cetain ghouish attention, ut nothng ike the scination we wee seeing hee On the pincipe that whee e nds a cicustance which is a cus o the ost intense eotiona egy coped with the east undestanding o why it is such a cs hee is the pace to dig, then it seeed cea enough that the oent anny appeaed was that oent Mutipe pesonaity, as it is coony epesented is the site o a asve execise o powe and its ateath, the site o a ashaing o physic poo that identityo whateve aises in cisis It vividy de st�es te con�ection etween the vioence o spitting o a sting o ent�es to the v10ence o epesentation unde the sign o the patistic od m a cot o aw In ode the posecutions stategy to wok the ct st aniest a coection o identities, each one o which is ecniae to the jy as a ega suject We ae witnesses to an execise o we to an eot to x in position a paticua sujectivity Having thus n dawn to the grotesqein this case, to the spectace o the aied sonawe ight eect on how we got hee and whee we wee going en ou attention was aested st s he spectace o vioenc t the a s at the ons o sect tuct0 To ake t dsedited ov o the oca to the nive l the voenc y wh up sct s costitted in the d sydo w ·o n y which tioa detities
Aucquere Rosanne Sone 36
have raiionally arsenhe consoliaion of a sense of conscous au onomy n an ac of violence emporally an physcally a he sie of s appicaon We are winesses o a specacle ha as cvlze beings we wou prefer no o acknowlegea sie a whch he apparaus of pro ucon of subjecvy is ai barean he sa course s o view such a se as an aberraon as pahology engenere by an unrunae encoun er wih a sick auhor(y) We il o make he encaon when con one wih a paricuar narrave of passage ha of recognizng he pro agonis as onesef We miss he esson of how we came o e capable of beng consruce as winesses origine mss comprehenng our own voen origin The rial ens wh Peersons convicion This oucome is a mxe grl r he varous neress surrounng he rial Whie here are severa pons on whch new law mgh have been wren wo in paricular are ineresing n connecon wih he Peerson ria One concerns he conlaion of muipe personaly wih mena l ness Anoher concerns he ega saus of each member of a muiple per sonaiy Boh of hese reae o ssues of how cuura meaning s con sruce n relaion o boes an selves Ruh Reeves Sarahs ownsars neighbor s a woman wh no paricu ar nvesmen in much of he ebae Ive me mos of hem (he per sonaies) an heyre real she says Is no ieren realy han alk ing o a room of people" Do you hnk shes sck menaly il I mean muipe personaliy as a isease We her personaiies mosy jus seem o lve her lves Is no lke one of hems a murerer or goes aroun busng up he furniure Some of hem aren heahy r her hough I hope herapy can help her so she oesn have o o hings like ea crayons or burn herself Bu She ooke houghful r a momen searching r wors You know she sa f he herapy urns ou o be effecive Im gong o mss he personaiies Theyre a wonerfu bunch of lks The veric uphols exsng Wisconsn law Th law saes ha s a crime o have sex wih a menaly ll person f he person s so severely impaire ha he or she canno appreciae he consequences of heir be havor an if he oher person knows of he lness Because he ria mae no aemp o separae he issue of MPD om issues of ena ill ness he verc reinrces he generl on of muipe eroaliy wih ena iless Thi see nl o h r mjoriy al
Ieniy in Oshkosh 37
heah professionals who vewe he ra A few who perceive he opporuny o ecrminaize" MPD are isappone Muiple personaliy" covers a broa range of phenomena which ncues whin is specrum such hngs as spir possession Mulipe personaliy isorer" is he ofca erm r a coniion whch incues among oher hings backous Tha is ony one personaiy is ou a a ime an if here s a ominan personay sufers memory gaps uring he me he oher personaies are ou You n cohes n your coses ha you have no memory of having bough an worse ye hey aren he cu or coor you woul ever hink of buying one mupe says u ge cour summonses abou rafc violaons you in comm you wake p in he morning an n you have burns an bruises an you have no 1a how or where you go hem" In genera he omnan personaiy s rghene an roube by hese occurrences The ominan personaiy may aso have ifcuy copng n he wor an i is his maausmen or he fear an isorenaion cause by he backous ha generaly brings he person ino he ocors ofce A he oher en of he specrum are persons who also consier hemseves muipes bu who o no suer backous an who cam o reain awareness of wha he aer personaliies are oing when hey are ou These persons n hemselves in a ifcul siuaion If hey asser heir uipiciy hey fear beng pahologize so hey en o ive in he cose" ike oher margnaize groups They ve argey canesine exsences hoing reguar ay jobs an occasonay socazing wih oher uliples of simi a ype They wory abou being iscovere an being rce o q he obs or abou beg ecare isable or menaly in compeen They have no common ieraure which unies hem; he muipe equivaen o The Well o Loneliness has ye o be wrien Their ccusome moe of exisence sharing a snge boy wih several quasi epenen personaiies is embemaic of a ir percenage of everyay a he cose of he mechanca age
T W 0
Two Lessons from Burroughs Steven Shaviro
Seatte, 1993 Don't beeve the hype I nd myself stranded n ths obses svely heathmnded, purtanca, routnzed, and reentlessly cheerul cty, lfelnes cut, lost wthout my vtal supply of counteractng stmu lants Yes, some of the bands are stll great, despte the nsdous pressures of me: Nrvana, Mudhoney, SevenYear Btch But otherwse, nothng I stran to hear the echo of Burroughss slent scream "What scared you al nto tme? Into body? Into sht? I wll tel you the ord" But does anyone even remember? These prebrcated combnatons of words, and these carefully crafted, HWP bodes, are all I can nd, perhaps al there s Or gancsm s a myth Our bodes are never ourseves, our words and text are never reay our own They arent "us;' but the rces whch crush us, the norms to whch we have been subjected It's a reef to realze that cu ture s after a empty, that ts mposng edces are sound stage cades, that bodes are extremey pastc, that cal expressons are masks, that words n ct have nothng to express Bodes and words are nothng but exchangevalue commodtes or money Al we can do s appropriate them, dstort them, turn them aganst themselves All we can do s borrow them and waste them spend what we havent earned and dont even pos sess Such s my denton of postmodern culture, but ts aso Ctbanks denton of a heathy economy, Jacques Lacan's denton of love, and J G. Balard's vson of l n the postndustral ruins. So dont be good ctzen Don't produce, expend Be a paraste Lve off your Vsa card, or scavenge n the debrs Wth al ths n mid, I want to popo bool pproac to post modnm tooy raer tn too As w kow om olt
Steven Shaviro 40
organs are parasitic upon one another; the organism as a whole is parasitic upon the world My "innards are really a hole going straight through my body; their contentsshit and tapewormremain rever outside of and apart om me, even as they exist at my very center The tapeworm is more me than I am myself My shit is my inner essence; yet I cannot assimilate it to myself, but nd myself always compelled to give it away (Hence Freud's equation of feces with money and gifts; and Artaud's sense of be ing robbed of his body and self hood every time he took a shit) Interiority means intrusion and colonization Self-identity is ultimately a symptom of parasitic invasion, the expression within me of rces originating om outside. And so it is with language In Burroughs's mous dictum, language is a virus fom outer space Language is to the brain (and to the speaking mouth and the writing or typing hand) as the tapeworm is to the intes ties Or even more so it may just be possible to nd a digestive space ee fom parasitic infection (though this is extremely unlikely), but we will never nd an uncontaminated mental space Strands of alien DNA unfurl themselves in our brains, even as tapeworms unfurl themselves in our guts Burroughs suggests that not just language, but "the whole quality of human consciousness, as expressed in male and female, is basi cally a virus mechanism This is not to claim, in the manner of Saussure and certain olish poststructuralists, that all thought is linguistic, or that social reality is constituted solely through language It is rather to deprivi lege languageand thus to take apart the customary opposition between language and immediate intuitionby pointing out that nonlinguistic modes of thought (which obviously exist) are themselves also constituted by parasitic inltration Visual apprehension and the internal time sense, to take just two examples, are both radically nonlinguistic; but they too, in their own ways, are theaters of power and of surplusvalue extraction Light sears my eyeballs, leaves its traces violently incised on my retinas Duration imposes its ungraspable rhythms, emptying me of my own thought Viruses and parasitic worms are at work everywhere, multiple outsides colonizing our "insides There is no reuge of pure interiority, not even bere language Whoever we are, and whrever and however we search, "we are all tainted with viral origins Burroughs's rmulation is of course deliberatel paradoxical since vi ruses are never originary beings They aren't selfsufcient, or even fully alive; they always need to commandeer the cells of an alreadyexisting host in order to reproduce A virus is nothing but DNA or RNA encased in a protective sheath; that is to say, it is a messageencoded in nucleic acidwhose only content is an order to repeat itself When a livin cell invaded by a vir it i copelled t obey thi order Here the edium
Two Lessons fom Burroughs 41
really is the message: r the virus doesn't enunciate any command, so much as the virus s itself the command. It is a machine r reproduction, but without any external or referential content to be reproduced A virus is thus a simulacrum: a copy r which there is no original, emptily du plicating itself to innity It doesnt represent anything, and it doesnt ave to refer back to any standard measure or rst instance, because it already contains all the inrmationand only the infrmationneeded r its own urther replication Marx's mous description of capital ap lies perfectly to viruses: "dead labour which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks
eprodu ction (sexual or otherw ise) is often sentimentally considered to be the basic activity and fundamental charact eristic of life. But it is arguably more a viral than a vital process Reproduction is so r om be-
ng straight rwardly "organic, that it necessaril y involves vampirism, arasiti sm, and cancerous simulation. We are all tainted with viral origins, ecaus e life itself is commanded and impelled by somethi ng alien to ife The life possessed by a cell, and all the more so by a multicellular organ
s, is nall y only its abi lity to carry out the orders transmitted to it by
DNA and RA It scarcely matters whether these orders originate om a us, or om what we conceive as the cell's own nucleus For this distincon is only a matter of practica l conven ience. It is imposs ible actually to olate the organism in a state bere it has been inltrate d by viruses , or
ered by mutations; we cannot separa te out the dierent segments of I >NA, and determ ine which are intrinsic to the organi sm and which are eign Our cells' own DNA is perhaps best regarded as a viral intruder I t has so successlly and over so long a stretch of time managed to nuate itself withi n us, that we have frgotten its alien origin. Our es' "purposes are not ours. As Richard Dawkins puts it, our bodies d minds are "survival machin es programmed r replicating genes, gantic lumbering robots created r the sole purpose of transmitting l >NA. Burrou ghs describ es language (or sex uality, or any rm o f con s ness) as "the human virus." All our mechanisms of reprod uction ow the viral logic according to which life produces death, and death in I 1 r lives off li And so remember this the next time you gush over a n l c nnt . "Cry of newborn baby gurgles into death rattle and the crys kl, Burroughs writes, "THAT IS WHAT YOU GET F OR FUCK
1N(."
Lg ge is one o these mechanisms o reodu ton. Its uroe i o lo i n dca t e or comunicate any partcu lar content, but merely to per p�tuol e nd repl i ce tlf. The probl e with os versions of commu1 k ins teor y s tha ey g 1re th functi n, and vely present lan �UlHC n s means of t rnsm ting l fmr n t lo. Ye langua, l i k us
Steven Shaviro 42
or like capital, is in itself entirely vacuous: its supposed content is only a contingent means (the host cell or the particular commodity rm) that it parasitically appropriates r the end of selfvalorization and selfpro liferation. Apart fom the medium, theres no other message But if lan guage cannot be apprehended in terms of inrmational content, still less can it be understood on te basis of its rm or structure, in the manner of Saussure, Chomsky, and their llowers These theorists make an eui valent, but symmetrically opposite, error to that of communications theory They substitute inner coherence r outer correspondence, differ ential articulation r communicative redundancy, and selfreference r external reference; but by isolating languages selfrelational structure or transrmational logic, tey continue to neglect the concrete and prag matic efects of its violent replicating rce. Both communicational and structural approaches try to dene what language is, instead of looking at what it does. Tey both il to come to grips with what J L. Austin calls the performative aspect of linguistic utterance: the sense in which speak ing and writing are actions, ways of doing something, and not merely ways of (con)stating or referring to something (Of course, stating and rer ring are in the last analysis themselves actions) Language does not repre sent the world: it intervenes in the world, invades the world, appropriates the world The supposed postmodern disappearance of the referent" in ct testies to the success of this invasion. Its not that language doesnt refer to anything real, butto the contrarythat language itself has be come increasingly real. Far fom referring only to itself, language is pow erfully intertwined with all the other aspects of contemporary social re ality. It is a virus that has all too fully incorporated itself into the everyday li of its hosts A virus has no morals, as Rosa von Praunheim puts it, talking about HIV and similarly the language virus has no meanings Even saying that language is perrmative doesnt go r enough; r it leaves aside the ur ther uestion of what sort of act is being perrmed, and just who is per rming it. It is not I" who speaks, but te virus inside me. And this virus/speech is not a feestanding action, but a motivated and directed one: a command Morse Peckham, Deleuze and Guattari, and Wittgen stein all suggest that language is less perrmative than it is imperative or prescriptive: to speak is to give orders To understad language and speech is ten to acknowledge tese orders: to obey them or resist them, but to react to tem in some way. An alien re has taken old of me, and I cannot not respond Our bodies similarly respond with symptoms to in fection, or to te orders of viral DNA and RNA As Burrough reminds us: the symptom of a virus are t attmpt o te body t dal with t
Two Lessons om Burroughs 43
irus attack. By their symptoms you shall know them . f a virus pro uces no symptoms, ten we ave no way of knowing that it exists" And o with all linguistic utterances I interpret a statement by reacting to it, ich is to say by generating a symptom. Voices continually call and re >pond, invoke and provoke other voices Speaking is tus in Foucault's ense an exercise of power it incites, it induces, it seduces, it makes easier r more difcult in the extreme it constrains or rbids absolutely; it is everteless always a way of acting upon an acting subject or acting subects by virtue of teir acting or being capable of acting. A set of actions pon other actions" Usually we obey orders tat have been given us, vis erally and unrelectively but even if we selfconsciously reuse them, we re still operating under teir constraint, or according to teir dictation Yet since an order is itself an action, and te only response to an action is nother action, what Wittgenstein ironically calls te gulf between an order and its execution" always remains I can reply to a perrmance ony t another perrmance; its impossible to step outside te series of acions, to break te cain and isolate once and r all te true" meaning of an utterance. Te material rce of the utterance compels me to re spond, but no ermeneutics can guarantee or legislate te precise nature my response. Te only workable way to dene meaning" is terere to say, wit Peckam, tat it is radically aritrary, since "any response to n utterance is a meaning of that utterance Any response watsoever. is accounts both r the scistic, imperative nature of language, and its innite susceptibility to perversion and deviation. trands of DNA plicate temselves ad innitum But in the course of tese mindless petitions, unexpected reactions spontaneously arise, alien viruses inuate temselves into the DNA sequence, and radiation prduces ranm mutations. Its muc like wat appens in te childrens game Tele one" even when a sentence is repeated as exactly as possible, it tends t cange radically over te course of time. We all ave parasites inhabiting our bodies even as we are ourselves asites feeding on larger structures. Call this a rmula r demonic or mpiric possession Te great modernist project was to let te Being of guage sine rt, or some suc grandiose notion If the I" was not I speaker, the modernists believed, tis was because language itself ske to me and through me Heidegger is well aware tat language con ts n giving orders, but e odiously idealizes the wole process of com n d and obedenc. We postodensts ow bette. We must sa, ont y eideer ad Lcan, tt u speaks itself as language i lwys so ptilar paait wit i w iss nd perspectve, hn ' suin t d r W di iuises a
Seen Shaio 44
ius o paasie s peisely ha has no pope elaion o Being I only nhabis somebody else's dwellng Eey disouse s an unwelome gues ha sponges off me whou payng s shae of he en My body and home ae always nfesedwhehe by apewoms and okoahes o by Maians and polegess Language sn' he House of Being bu a i gound lled wh hukses and on ass hnk of Melille's Con dene Man; o Buoughs's innumeable pey opeaos all pullng he sams Mihel Sees in The Paraite, aes endless hains of appopa ion and ansfe subending all ms of ommuniaon (He plays on he ha n Fenh he wod paraite has he addional onnoaon of tatic he noise on he line ha nefees wih o onaminaes eey message) In hs inessan ommee hee s no Being of Language Bu hee ae always oies: oies and moe oies oies whin and behnd oies oies inefeing wih o eplang o apuing ohe oes I hea hese oies whenee I speak whenee I wie o whenee I pik up he elephone Mashall MLuhan agues ha ehnologial hange leally podues aleaions in he ao of ou senses he media ae aally geneaed paasies poshei ogans he exensons of man Conempoay eleoni eleommuniaions meda ae pau laly adial as hey don' jus amplfy one sense ogan o anohe bu epesen an exeoizaion of he ene human neous sysem oday we don' need shamans any longe sine modems and FAXes ae enough o pu us in ona wih he wold of ampies and demons he wold of he dead Viuses se o he sue and appea no jus in he dephs of ou bodies bu isbly sawled aoss ou ompue and ideo seens In Wlliam Gibson's Cont Zero, he Haiian loas manifes hemseles n ybespae: spiis aising in he neses of ou olleely exended neuons and demanding popiiaon In ean issues of he DC om book Doom Patrol wien by Gan Moison and llusaed by ihad Case we lean ha he elephone is a medum hough whih ghoss mgh ommuniae"; wods spoken oe he phone ae a onuaon a summoning he dead ae unable fully o depa fom he eleon wold hey leae hei oies behnd esonaing emply afe hem he buzzing o sa ha we hea on he elephone lne s he sum of all he in mumuings of he dead blank oies of mssed onneons eho ng o nny hese senseless ueanes a one fed upon and see as he peondons my own aemps o geneae disouse Bu suh paasii oies also easily beome dde enazng appaauses of powe lke he miliay's C3I sysem (ommand/onol/ommunaion/ inelligene) Doom Patrol eeals ha he no is renlly nagam a sp ap a lens o us eney h "astal u1k1 of h ded apped n s dphs d o he o ci u s Telepn Avn, nd p t
Stvn Shvro 46
bowls, mrks th pproch of th rdclly Othr It's n sch trms, pr hps, tht w cn bst rspond to Gorg Clnton's hortton Fr yor mnd, nd yor ss wll llow" Te Isect epe iau
W ll hv or totm nmls, or mlrs, or sprt gds hy r slly othr mmmls, somtms brds, occsonlly vn rptls or mphbns bt thy r lmost lwys vrtbrts of on sort or nothr Or rltonshps wth nscts, on th othr hnd, tnd to b strngr, mor ncnny, mor dstrbng Fw of sSpdrmn sdwllngly ccpt ntmcy wth th rthropods Insct collctng s hobby w cn shr," s Shonn Knf gntly lmnts rroghs ws lyrcl bot cts, bot lmrs, bot sbls, rccoons, mnks, ottrs, sknks nd snd s" bt h cn only pproch rthropods wth n obsssv, s cntd rplson Hs novls r lld wth hllcntory vsons of th nsct nd cntpdrddn rlms of Mnrd nd Esmrlds, plcs of sl tortr nd scrc Ecptons to ths horror cn prhps b md r th bty of bttrs, nd r th svornss of crtn non nsct rthropods, lk crstcns t lmost nobody noys or n rcd promty to bdbgs, cockrochs, nd hoss Is or dsgst smply th rslt of bng conontd wth lf rm so ttrly ln Or lng sprtd om thrs mor thn 600 mllon yrs go, vn br th Cmbrn ploson h nscts mods of fdng nd uckng, thos two most crcl bologcl functons, r rrtrvbly dfrnt om ors Lookng cross th vst voltonry gp, w r sd by vrtg nos shddrs of gstronomcl ns nd sl hystr W hv ll sn ntr lms n whch normosly mgnd nscts nlngly dsmmbr thr pry hr glttrng mltctd ys str t th cmr whl thr compl mothprts work bsly, mnchng throgh stllstrgglng vctms W cn mpth wth or closr rltvs th lons, who t lst sm to noy thr bloody work t whn th fml mnts bts th hd of ts mt n ordr to rls ts copltory r, t dos so t th bhst of n nstnct tht sms to hv nothng to do wth lov, ht, or nythng ls to whch w cn rmotly rlt (Chrstophr Wlls, The Widom o the ene
Sch n nthrlld dsgst s crcl to th potmrn prnc of lmts h nrrtor of Clrc spctor's h odn to s ptvtd by th sght of wond kr tpp n drjmb s whtsh nd thck nd slow ps zea l1 t bd
Pssion
wo Lssons fom rroghs 47
ftr pgs of obsssv contmplton nd dscrptn, sh rtlly dors th cockroch, ndng n t th mpossbl mbodmnt of pr storc prsymbolc, csttc prml dvn mttr" Cmllo nn) t ths fort t commnon ncssrly ls h sh of th sshd g s sared, s tll mght pt t bcs t s prmordlly mbv nt t ross both dsgst nd dsr t onc dmndng nd rpllng or ntmt contct W cnnot toch mch lss t ths dbsd mttr nd yt w cnnot stop orslvs om tochng nd tng t nsct lf s n ln prsnc tht w cn nthr ssmlt nor pl rofssonl trmntors know ths wll, nd so do th bst thologns nd phloso hrs Mch nk hs bn splld rcntly plorng homs Ngls ston wht s t lk to b bt?or mor ccrtly s t possbl r s o know wht ts lk to b bt? t th whol dscsson looks ssp osly lk rply of th old phlosophcl cnrd rgrdng th llgd nknowblty of othr mnds only trckd ot ths tm n postmod rn drg nd n ny cs th bt s stll mmml, rly clos rltv f ors ht mks t ll mch too sy Woldnt t b mor rlvnt nd sfl to pos th ston of rdcl othrnss n bologcl trms n d of pstmologcl ons? t wold thn bcom pblm not of tphorclly ntrng th mnd of bt bt of ltrlly nd physclly trngor mtmorphosng ntoth body of hosly nd rsolvg sch problm wold nvolv th trnsfr, not of mnds, bt of DN ts mportnt s not to ntt wht t mght b lk to b nothr sps, bt to dscovr prmntlly how ctlly to bcom on ch s mport of Cronnbrgs lm The Fl. rroghs cts Rl On of th bsc bologc lw rgdly nrcd by ologc olc Hybrds r prmttd only btwn closly rltd cs nd thn grdgngly th hybrds prodcd bng lwys strl nnovt mns to volt ths lw to ntrodc ln gntc mtrl ssm th rsks of bologc nd socl chos t thn vrss nd ctr r dong ths ll th tm hrs nothng nw bot gntc nrng s Lynn Mrgls ponts ot hmns r only now doptng nqs tht prokryots hv lrdy bn prctcng r bllons of s s r vrss thy sm jst to b trnsposbl lmntssch s n nd n ny gnomwhch hv rvoltd gnst th tyrnny of rgnsm, or othrws gottn ot of hnd From moss to symbotc gr vry gntc rcombnton s nw throw of th dc No sch cn b controd or dtrmnd n dvc n Cronnbrgs lm ape mts Mc oeia ony y th shrst contngncy tsmton f S Bunll Jff db) nto an nsct r sl no h moou hbi dlys sttstcl n rb bl cc fu t u 1 ncounter, n o o
Steven Shavro 48
ducbe, snguar event That's why Seth never qute comprehends what's happenng to hm at east not at the moment that t happens Hs sc entc conscousness ags perpetuay behnd hs ceaseessy mutatng body Hs theores about hs condton are out of date by the tme he utters them Cronenbergs humanturnedy s the postmodern reaaton of Netsche's prophecy of the Overman man s somethng that shoud be overcome" or the Ubermench s not the hgher man," nor s he any sort of xed entty Rather he s a perpetua becomng, an ungrounded projec ton nto unknowabe futurty The snguar hybrd Brundey s just such a body, wthout stabe dentty, caught n the throes of transrmaton Dd Netsche ever suspect that hs great metaphysca ongng woud be most compengy reaed n nsect frm Any scentst can make obser vatons about how es (or bats, or humans) act n genera but even Seth Brunde never no om the nsde what t's ke" to be a y or what t's ke" necessary nvoves the rreversbe othering of the knower the gongunder" of the Overman, the contnua becomng" of Brundey The pursut of knowedge, as oucaut puts t, shoud resut not just n the acquston of thngs known," but above a n the gongastray of the one who knows" Insects are we ahead of humans n ths regard Radca becomngs take pace routney n ther own ves Ths s especay so n groups that pass through pupa metamorphoss Ther bodes are broken down and com petey rebut n the course of transmutaton fom the arva to the ma ture stage Is the buttery at one" wth the caterpar Is ths housey bung around my head the same" as the maggot t used to b One genome, one contnuousy repenshed body, one dscretey bounded or gansm and yet a radca dscontnuty both of ved experence and of physca rm The surpus vaue accumuaton of arva edn gves way to avsh expendture the extravagant cooraton of the butteres, the co prophc copuaton of housees and others Insect fe cyces contnuay arm the possbtes of radca dferenceeven f ants and bees woud coopt ths derence nto the homogenng mod of the State Every n sect s a snguarty wthout dentty' n Gorgo Agamben's phrase The fnge boogst Donad I Wamson even goes so r as to argue that arva stages are remnants of symbotc mergers between rmery nde pendent organsms But whether or not ths be tery the case, Brunde's hybrdaton certany opens the door to yet stranger metamorphoses The body of an nsectr more radcay than the mnd of a daect cans perpetuay other than tsef" The hgh ntegence and adaptve eb mmml usua attrbuted to our premature brth, u onsequct g pe i grwth utsde the womb G ne t c i upp y mlll laing
Two Lessons om Burroughs 49
nd parenta gudance We lay down numerous memory traces, and build p compex persona lites Learnin g doesn't pay such a role in nsect de eopment: not only because they have too few neurons to store al that nrmaton, but more crucaly because memory traces cannot survive ntact through the vast physoogca change s of pupal transmutaton We gher mamma s ke to congratulate ourselves on our supposed abiity to ter our own behavor adaptivey n the span of an snge lfetme But hs complacency may well be exaggerated. Innovaton is harder than t eems Insects u sually manage to adapt to changed environmenta crumsances a lot ster than we do, thanks to ther greater propens ty to enerate mutations and ther r hgher rate of genetc recombnaton ver the course of much shorter reproductve cyces. In humans and other :ammals once memory traces are rged and renrced ts nearly m Ssble to get rd of them And as f that weren't enough, we've also nttuted traditions and norms of critical reection, the better to polce our dentte s, and to prevent our mnds a nd bodies om gong astray. Edu aton after all s just a subtler and more sadstcaly rened mode of •)perant condtionng than the one provded by dr ect genetc program ng. As Eas Canett remarks, no totalt aran despot can ever hope to omnate and control hs subjects so utterly as human parents actuay o ther chdren. We accept such discplne largely because we feel comensated r t by the prospect of imposng t n turn upon our own decendants. Our mammaian talents r memory and selfreecton serve agely to oppress us wth the dead weght of the past. Morse Peckham s ght to nss t that only cutura vandalism"th e aggressve under mng of establish ed values throug h random, mndles s acts of destruct on �an ree us om ths weght, and stimulate socal nnova ton. We humans eed to push ourseves to such dsruptve extremes; otherwse we have no ope of match ng the insects' astons hing abty to adaptvely ater ther so ogy and behavor n a relatvely bref tme. Unburdened by mam aan scruple nsects efortessy pract ce the Netzschean vrtue of acve forgett ing: the adut y doesn't remember anythn g the maggot once
ew ostmodern boogy s ncreasngy orented toward what mght be ed an nsect paradgm In postmodern botechnoogy accordng to na Haraway no objects spaces, or bodes are sacred n themseves component can be nterced wth any other f the proper standard pper code can be constructed r processng sgas n a common uage" Te organcsm of romantc an odernst thoughttogether its potca coreat th dsc ry bioo ics" so powerfuy de �rbd by oclths giv n w w ol f rocesses Post de bdis ehe "villl " ec l l s i hy struc
Steven Svio 50
ted tog pinciples of odl intecngebility nd seil epetition tey innovte not on te bsis of ny pegiven citei bt expeien tlly by continl tils of ntl selection Atopod body plns e especilly postoden bilt s tey e on ltiply epeted segents wic cn be sed o lteed to genete new difeentited stctes (Te ognic etpos o te nineteent centy in contst e ideli ztions of vetebte body plns) Genetic engineeing wete cied ot in te lbotoy o in nte" eqies jst sc odl lexi bility. Stepen Jy Gold electing on te stonising viety of to pod s discoveed in te ssils of te Bgess sle sggests tt te initil Cbin divesiction of lticelll life pogessed pecisely in tis wy Cbin evoltion sees to ve tken te o gb bg ixing nd tcing bdy segents in pocess c like con stcting el fo gigntic oldstyle Cinese en one fo col n A two o B wit ny colns nd long lists in evey coln" ( Wonerl Lie Tis kind of ting doesnt c ppen in coevo ltion ny longe bt its still ccil on te oleclgenetic level s Cistope Wills ges in The Wiom o the ene Cetin ietic bttelies instnce ve linked spegene coplexes" tt llow te ltentively to iic ny one of nbe of vstly difeent odel species Segented epetition wit odl vition eins te bsic ognizing pinciple of ll insect genoes: ence te eqency of oeotic ttionsltiplied wings nd legs ntenne tnsed into legs dded o sbtcted segentsin lbotoy stins o Droo phila Melncoly old consevtives like Jen Bdilld fe tt post oden odl coding leds to pepoged stellitiztion of te el" nd nlly to its totl exteintion" Bt even te sligtest c qintnce wit insects will convince yo ttconty to Bdillds cliste ypeelis of siltion" llows gete explo sion of cnge ltiplicity nd see exbent wste tn tditionl ognicist odels o podction nd cicltion eve did Hwy points ot tt ecent developents in postoden biology involve dicl pobletiztion nd dentliztion" of ll notions of te ognis nd te individl Witness ynn Mglis on te sy biotic bsis o ekyotic cells icd wkins on sels genes" p sitis nd te extended penotype" nd eo Bss on te ltiple vi nt cell lineges o lin ine systes Wen we look t t oleclgenetic bsis o life ll we cn nd e difeences nd sing lities ltiple vitions copeting lleles bent pticle distib tions neseeble seqence tnspositons Ts ltpcites nev dd p to nyting like distinct spis ni Pom n ilg ts dels nt wit d ntitis an p but i rrrng parn
Two essons fo Bogs 51
nd sttisticl cnges in lge popltionswete tese be popl ions of genes o popltions o ogniss It tends to epsize noos penoen like etovil inections nd oizontl gene tnss n sc encontes ltetion ceses to be eedity litive evoltion ecoing conictive o contgios" (eleze nd Gtti) Postoden biology oves diectly between singlities witot identity nd popltion ltiplicities witot ving ecose eite to inteven ng editing tes o to ovecing stctl odes. It ejects te olis" ely ttibted bot to te individl ognis nd to te ge ecosyste. ook t te ttions nd tnspositions nting ny enoe o obseve te beviol qiks o te cockoces invding o ptent Yo will nd wt eleze nd Gtti cll olecl intensive ltiplicities coposed o pticles tt do not divide witot cnging tei nte nd distnces tt do not vy witot enteing note ltiplicity nd tt constntly constct nd disntle teselves in te cose of tei conic tions s tey coss ove into ec ote t beyond o bee cetin tesold (A Thoan Platea Te obsolescence of tose old ognicist nd olistic yts opens te y to stnge new socil nd politicl ngeents. In o postoden old, te discip liny powe" nlyzed by Foclt is continlly being isplced into oe sbtly insidios odes of oppession. Te biqitos odes o an inrmatics o domination" (Haraway) are initially deployed y government bureaucracies, and then privatized" as the prope rty o ultinational corporations. Such exible and universal codes, insinuating emselves within all situations by a process of continual modulation, are e hallmark o what Deleuze, llowing Burroughs, calls the postmodern socie ty of control." Cybernetic regulation is the human equivalent of the eromone systems that regulate all activity in an ant colony. But lets not sume that this new arrangement o power recloses all possibilities o ista nce and change. As Deleuze says, there's no need to ear or hope, t only to look r new weapons." Seth Brundle speaks o his paradoxical sire to become the rst insect politician' suggesting the possib ility of n alternative insect politics, dierent om the totalitarianism o ants bees. Consider that ies, like midges and mosquitoes, tend to swarm; nd tat locusts periodically change rm, and launch rth into mass no ,r.dc r�mpage uc insects r? immense crowds without adoptin t'IHtdly 1erarchcl strc turs Thr oos aggregations ofer r more att v prospecs r posmdn soliy ta do t State organiza t ions of th Hy opt ct wam s r to in cotin ual Hx, distr bu ting thselvs nl o u v1t tit oy. hy l-
Seen Sho 54
Rhd Lewonn ogehe wh he soldeemns lles meel pepeue msse nd que donl delon of humn ul ue one h hs long eled deluse nses of edempon nd n sendene nd h hs seed s n lb ll sos of onols oe people's les nd mols mnpulons of ul humn beho Edwd . Wlson o he on mde onl one el mske when he me o sseme he dsplne of soobolog hs ws hs hoe of ns he hn housees o okohes s n mpl eene pon exmnng humn nue" Be hs s m enomologl nuons onnue o be moe llumnng nd pooe hn nowl humn s ones Mure Meelnk well epessed he unnn snon of nse l nel enu go The nse bngs wh hm soehng h does no seem o belong o he usoms he mole he psholog of ou globe One would s h omes om nohe plne moe mon sous moe dnm moe nsense moe oous moe nfenl hn ous. Wh hs hnged n hs pue n he ls one hunded es Onl one hng. We posmodens he ome o ele h suh len splendo s pesel wh denes he uel nd beu of our wold
ART II: SOME GENDERS
THREE
The End o the World o Whte Men Kathy Acker t as the days he me ere ttig their oks o ad ome ere pttg o strap os . . .
Te Mue oete r tee low aut ter ot atg attac et rtaud peak We wa a youg grl above all e wated a a to take care o er er drea, te cty wa te repotory o al drea cty wc away decayg te ceter o t cty, er ter ad aged el T cat be true tougt, becaue ve ever ad a ter t drea e earced r a ter Se kew tat t wa a dub tg r er to do becaue e wa dead Sce e wat dub, e tougt e ut be tryg to d o at e could ecape o te oue wc e wa lvg, wc wa n by a woa wet to a prvate detectve He caled a dae lookng r y ter e prvate eye, wo oe realty wa a ed o O, repled tat te e wa a eay oe ked tat e wa ey d o tey ben Frt orn to tructon 0 told al t e kew bout t ytr t to er evera day to recout all dtal t tt t t w serime I n llw
Katy Acke 58
didnt emembe anyting in o about te st peiod O e cild ood Ate not emembeing, se emembeed te ewels en e mote ad died, a ewel case ad been opened e case, consisting o one tay eld insides o ed velvet knew tat tis was also e motes cunt was given a ewel wic was geen didnt know wee tat ewel was now at ad appened to it Hee was te mystey o wic se ad spoken e pivate eye pusued te matte A couple o days late, e came up wit e tes name Oli" e name meant noting to e You tes name is Oli utemoe, you te killed you mote" ats possible, tougt, as i tinking was dismissing e detective continued to give e details about e te e was om owa and o Danis blood All o tis could be tue because wat could se in all possibility know en woke up out o e insane deam, se emembeed tat e mote ad died eigt days bee Cistmas Despite te note lying be side te dead body in wic te location o te mily wite poodle was evealed, te cops wee convinced tat te mote ad been mudeed By a man unknown Since it was now Cistmas, tese cops ad no intention o investigating a mude ate tan etuning to tei milies, Cist mas wamt, and oliday O ealized, te st time in e li, tat e te could ave mu deed e mote Accoding to te only membe o e tes mily wom se ad eve met, a olypoly st cousin wose daugte picked up Bowey bums sexual puposes (accoding to im), e te ad mudeed someone wo ad been tespassing on is yact en, te te ad disappeaed became scaed e te ad killed e mote, e could slaug te e Peaps tats wat e lie ad been about Duing tis peiod o time, lived and stayed alive by deaming On o te eveies concened te most evil man in te wold t was at a ncy esot tat was located in te county, om te city stood on one o te disks, as i on a giant ecod, wic utted out o a uge cli Subbey was coming out o pats o te ock Eac ecod lay diectly ove and unde anote ecod, except the to and the bottom e one on wic was peced tust ute into a ky wic wa empty te ecod was a stage n te st act o tis play, lean that evil had e1ered t lan at te ate, wo is equivalnt t evil, ppp or vng l
e End o te old o ite Men 59
o is sons possessions wit success Bot te te and te son wee standing beind . e te began to incease and deepen is evilness b totuing is son He inicted pain solely pysically actually saw te ode man point at e tee dieent macine guns, eac o wic was dieent om te ote two undestood wat tis man was saying to e e wanted to scae, ate tan to soot e en e lauged 0 ated te man o evil as muc as it was possible e to abo anyone Eite te net day o an unknown numbe o days late, wile in e classoom was doing wateve se did, wic, accoding to e con tact wit te univesity, ad to be called teahing, but teacing was some ing wic se didnt undestand, se noticed tat e students wee no onge paying attention to wateve se was doing and wee wispeing o eac ote ose, tey wee staing at wat se didn't know n te cente o e classoom, tee was a cat casing a at e at, , was in te cente, was almost toucing e en te odent leaped taigt up it was close to e couldnt undestand wy se wasnt eied y wasnt se jumping up on te seat o a wood cai and litg te ont o e skit up ove e cunt? Ataud wote we must get id f Mind as we must get id o all liteatue But instead o doing that hh she as sosed to do peaps because se identied wit cats, se icked tis wite at in te sins O couse, it was by accident As se was cking ad, se saw tat te animal was a smalle vesion o te uge tued wite cat wit wom se slept evey nigt needed to be eld by e cat in ode to ll asleep Ataud continued say tat Mind and lie inteconnect at all levels ould like to make a Book to distub people, like an open doo leading em to wee tey ave neve gone Simply a doo communicating wit aity saw tat te cat o at wasnt going to die en e eal seac began Se ad to nd te totue so tat se d get id o all te evil tat was in te wold His son and O ad be e patnes and mecenaies: it was e wo taugt tat se would able to seac only i se got id o e ea o evil For some reason unknown to
yting The
0,
she was ightened of everyone an d
ter o evil had lt th a clue to his whereaouts: DN. oody seemed to know whthr D.N. wee te initials of someone or 1tig or whthr th leers wr pnrt of a language nonapprehend1 by rason 0 nd t he 1c though hAl I>.N. w the na of a coffee
n . . .
hy Aker 6
There ws nobody o wlk wy I ws now hild: if I rid myself of hild hood, here would be nohing lef of me Arud undersood his Ler on, he girls eped me s whore As hey were Then I sred o wish h I would love mn who loved me In heir spre hours, he whores visied runeellers There were mny presiens in he slum Though I soon sred ompnying my owork ers, I ws sred o sy nyhing o hese women who hd one been in he business I would snd in hose shdows nd rrely sk nyhing r I didn wn o ell nyhing bou myself When I did inquire bou fuure, I sked s if here were no suh hing I only l s sking bou he deils of dily life, johns, nd defeion, ll h ws drem As if drems ren' rel Foruneellers wndered round he srees righ ouside he hounr The rune, mine, whih I remember ws bsed on he rd of he Hnged Mn: The womn who ws reding he rds sill ook riks Does h men h I'm going o suiide Oh, no, This rd sys h youre ded person whos sill live You're zombie" I knew better. The Hanged Man or Gerard de Nerval is my ther and every man I fuck is him. Like I said, rtune is dead whenever all the men
re hung My her is he owner of he house Hes siing in his relm of b sene nd he surveys ll h is no The rds lerly show me h I he him When messge rvels fom he invisible o he visible, he messenger is n emoion My n ger, his messenger, will led o revoluion Revoluions re lwys dn gerous The rds sid worse They old us, whores, h he revoluion whih is jus bou o hppen, due o is own nure or origin, mus il When i ils, when sovereigny be i reigning or revoluionry hs nlly disp pered, when sovereigny es is own hed s if is snke, when he srees re gin dus nd dey bu differen dus nd dey, ll my drems, whih re me, will be shered I's hen," he sluruneeller sid, h you'll nd yourself on p· re ship" Wh rds I remember od me my fuure is eedom Whll I do when here's no one in he world who lves me When l my exisene is his nooen or eedom The rds proeeded o give mgs st, ns, seae Whore e dised This i wh n on ov I nd w bn in
The End of he World of Whie Men 63
he house r monh W hdn' one visied me he hd never red bou me I ws whore beuse I ws lone Three helpers were going o show me how o beome ee They were ok who ws he lrges of ll os, he journey ino he lnd of he ed, nd Yemy I ws rying o ge rid of loneliness nd nohing will ever rid me of loneliness unil I suiide Arud speks: sid, I wn o go where I hve never been bere I ws living in room h ws in he slum I ws sill sne I ws jus boy. All I sw ws he povery of hose slums In order o ouner he povery h ws wihou, nd wihin me, I rn o poery speilly o he poery of Gerrd de ervl who wned o sop his own sufering, o rnsrm himself, bu insed hnged himself om rusy iure nil I hd no li I only loved hese poes who were riminls I begn o rie leers o people whom I didn' now, o hose poes, no in order o ommunie wih hem To do somehing else I wned o hng myself Der Georges, I wroe I hve jus red, in ntane mgzine, wo riles by you on Gerrd de ervl, whih mde srnge impression on me I m limiless series of nurl dissers nd ll of hese dissers hve een unnurlly repressed For his reson, I m in o Gerrd de ervl ho hnged himself in sree lley during he hours of nigh Suiide is only proes gins onrol Arud The lleywys were lying ll round me They rn every whih wy so phzrdly h hey sopped Here ly he hounr I would wh mn fer mn wlk hrough he doors Men wen o he rohel, no in order o hve he sexul inerourse hey ould hve on he side, bu o en elbore nd orurous nsies whih, one y, Ill ble o desribe o you Ill be ble when here is plesure in his world A h ime I did no ve lover nor did I now wh i ws o be body Dy fer dy I would look hrough one of my windows ino one of I eirs I ws here h rs sw who ws ned My eye would llow r, s muh s i oud, so i oul er wa ll h ws bere nd her woud de r her Whve a hg self, his o beomes imms ha h rs im h knw s a ok Oe dy ge fr bl'. w dge of
t
Kathy Acer 70
T heres heres oly gloo or othig oth iges esss arod arod what whatss risi ri sig g ot of of e ot of the othigess ot higess the gloo is everywhere everywhere the streets ade p of o f pov erty erty shadows shadows of rev revoltioar olt ioaries ies I Atoi Ato i Artad have have pt dow the lagage lagage that spoted ot Ive writte writ te to bt this th is lagage lagage ist e speas I have a tasy tasy a seal desire which ist a ddrea rea First of all there there has to be a a The T he there there has to be se betwee betwee e ad the a These Thes e are y prereisites prereisites r desire desire First the t he a reects y se With reectio absece desire awa awaes tha t I becoe sic st eed eory or desire toret y body so badly that ad a o the edge of death Jst hen almos all is los (the world world this t his a retrs to e Ta Taig i g e i i his h is ars ar s he restor restores es y life life For the th e rst tie ti e I ew that th at W wold wold ever ever lov lovee e I was stil st illl livig i the whor whorehose The Th e dier die r with hi ad his hi s rich girlied was ove ove W wold ever coe bac bac to e wrap wra p his hi s ars arod arod e ad tae e e ot of the bothel bothel Kowledge that he wold ever love e was recogitio that he ever had Sice Si ce I was o loger safe safe i the brothel i i this th is real of tasy tasy I be be cae ca e very ver y sic sic I ho hove vere redd at death It was at this tie ti e that tha t the stdet rev revoltioaries oltio aries ared ore pros sioally tha ay of the cops arod the brst ito the th e Eglish ebassy which was located i the sectio sectio et to to the sls sls Payig i violet i
ilding. ent bu building. ernment he gov governm lated t the anni hilated successfully annihi death, they succes an d death jur ju ry and
Whe y health retred I leared that W partly owed the cathos cath osee had ow ow that he was was rich r ich I didt care what he had felt felt or wold l abot e all I wated was r hi to be abset o e I wated wated W to reai abset o e I wated wated othig othi g to chage I leared that it had bee W who had rst give the terrorists th oey to by by the weap we apo oss Perhap Pe rhapss he had ha dtt o ow w wh why Perha Pe rhaps ps ther was a eed i hi to disrp dis rptt ad to destro dest royy I didt ow W ad I do do Whe the revol revoltio tioary ary raid o the Eglish Egl ish had had scceeded red probably probably becoe ighteed ighteed For he rs ime in his lie he had realied realied tha he had becoe to be rich ad white is to be vlerable He der derstood tood that he was vl erable erab le So whe the rev revoltioaries oltio aries had h ad retred to hi hi ad ased ased ore fds he had refsed. They bega to beat beat hi p They alost illed h h As soo as I leared leared that this had h ad happd I tpp hti h tigg W r retrig retrig y love
The Ed E d of the World World of White Wh ite Me 7
I the sirish prior prior to the eplos eplosio io of o f the Eglish ebass ebassyy the o o gg boy who had h ad r r gs to the revolti revoltioaries oaries had oe of o f his h is ars severely severely ired. ired . With the other had holdig the oey that he had eared eared by worig worig r the terrorist terroristss he etered the brothel brothel He d the th e ada ad a ad gave gave her the the aot sh shee had h ad reeste as the price of y y prchase. prchase . I ew othig abot abot the prchase of eedo eedo.. he de deenera en erai ion on o all my m y ork
Behi Be hid d bedroo door door Artad said that he had coe bac to e. I replied stil st illl sic: I do't do't wat to see ayoe. ayoe. I writig wri tig the way way oe dreas. he he rced hiself ito y roo so I h it hi h i.. He fell fell dow to to the oor o the ar that had h ad bee broe. broe. Whe he cried crie d ot I was srrised. Yo Yore re st a boy so how cold yo be hrtig so badly? badl y? He told e that he h e had broe his ar i i order to to get the th e oey to be able to by e. His ar was bet the wrog way r a ha. h a. derstood that soeoe cold hrt ore tha e. e. I reached dow dow d lif li fted p his body body oto oto y thigh thigh as ch as I was able. I oly wated wated o c hi. hi . At that poit poi t pai pa i was the sae r r hi hi as seal pleasre. pleasre. or e every every area area of o f y si was was a orice orice ad each eac h part of o f his body asrig ito a istret cold do do ad did everythig to e. We wodered wodered at or o r bodies. bodi es. tad tad wrote i aother letter I etered etered ito ito seality ad three ties ti es I becae a hole throgh which ids ids rshed the the pored. hree ties tie s I was plged ito the water waterss of blivio. Afterwards whe I saw s aw , I wated to protect protect her becase she worsh worship ipss r ct.
speas
I ever saw Artad agai Weaeed eaeed ot oly by the beati be atig g bt the by the desertio d esertio of his h is rich lied W st have beg to go ad. e leared that the yog boy ad ad I had lle i love. He He bea to ow ow Artad throgh throgh th sls sl s st whc wh chh ow ow reee reeedd of ore ad a d o evotioaris evotioaris ito it o llyw llyw wh wh w w bi. bi . I oe of the he h yo yog pot l
Kathy cer
here wer weree too many dead dead bodes n those tho se days days r r there to be sch a thng th ng as a s mrder. mrder. When Wh en I heard hea rd ths th s I no longer cared what happened happened to W I departed from the th e whorehose whorehose For me there the re were no no more men left n the th e world I had been searchng r my my ther n a dream and nd a yong yong and nsane boy who was was then lle lled d Now I stoo s toodd on the edge ed ge of a new ne w world. world.
F 0
Class and Its Close Relatons Identtes among Women, Servants and Machnes Alexanra Chasin
Yo see we hmans have spent centres tryng to nvent ways to make all we have to do go by easer It robably started wth the wheel nd re Later there were tools nd servants of corse hen comtersomashof he athor of ths qote maes an mpct dstncton between we mans and the thngs we have nventedthngs that have hstorcally ade or wll someday make or lves easer We lve w have a hard ime w nvent thngs Bt what abot hem the tools? What llows om e mplcaton that there s some class of thng that cold releve those o s who are hmanby contrast to those obects we sbectsof all e have to do? What llows om the hstory and pervasveness of the elef that some knd of thng wll lberate s om the perpetal actvty labor that actvty throgh whch we have tradtonally dented or eves? Is t the prposethe beng or dongof those maerals that are cted pon to enable s to cease laborng? nd what abot the ersstent ssmpton that there s a clear and stable ontologcal derence between s and them? he servant n the lst above s troblng hat servan trobles the ds li cton between wehmansbectsnventors wth a lot to do on the hand) and themobectthngs that mae t easer r s on the her) Is the srvant one o or oe o tem hman or thn sbct · oect Or does the sert t d of body that onts ast or valates betwen po l binr sm nd what abot the l lemn n th i ab n a pns past the pont pt o van an luly o //i lne
Aeandra Chasn 74
What about the omputer If the subjetobjet opposton has aways been an nadequate mode r understandng soa denttes and rea tons there have aways been bodes that eposed ts nadequay In the S today omputersspeay n ther tendeny to engage n work and n ther magned apaty to repae" human workersare the atest sort of body to gve the e to the od bnary Beause denttes derve om dong rather than om beng work serves a dentve roe n the dstntons between humans and our Others Contemporary bodes that troube those dstntons do so n and through abor a we have to do or abor may be the atvtes n and through whh suh bodes dentfy themseves as posthuman
The trouble" is the denaturalization of the conceptual basis r distinguishing between Subjecthood and Objecthood. These categories are, of course, culturally constructed, rather than given by God or nature, but also, their construction has historically empowered the individuals and groups and kinds that inhabit the position of the subject "Subject here borrows the meanings given it within the modern Western philosophical tradition that comprehends Descartes and Althusser. "Object refers to the things that have been designated, within the same tradition, as stati and stationary, passive and inert Can posthuman bodies do more than
1
embody an epistemological crisis, more than point to the internal contra
dictions of the binary schema through which we dis-identify with them?
Can they help suggest an alternative to this Westerntraditional model? Other miliar dichotomies align with the opposition between subje '
1
and object: male and female, masculine and feminine, white and non white, rich and poor, normal and deviant, mental labor and manual labo
developed an d underdeveloped, strong and weak, active and passive A great deal of work, especially recent feminist work, has gone into the •
jection and/or dismantling of such distinctions One way into this pro· lematic is to ask how objects are not passive, or how they act soially. How · ,
do objects participate in social negotiations, i n the evaluation and con· stant transvaluation of the categories-such as gender, race, class, sex orientation, and nationalitythat are implicated in human identities the contemporary U.S., and in the practices that produce, re-produce, an deconstruct those categories? In particula r, how do electronic ahn
do so
My rst consideration of the deconstructive properties of electron llowed om an exchange with my Automated Teller Machine. I noti years ago, that when we had completed our transation , and the mah J
spat my card back out, the terminal screen disl he llowin m• sage: "Thank you, Alexanda Casin, it ws pleure e r v n you I wa shoked; I wanted to sk the hin "Plsre?! What do ou knw bout
Cass and Its Cose eatons 75
easure? My rst thought was that the referene to peasure onsttuted he mahnes am to have human eperene a am that t aready m ty makes by speakng n natura anguage But amost as mmedtey noted that the mahnes am to take peasure n servng me aed t n a ertan ass poston f not n a ertan gender poston as e To appear to take peasure n servng has been tradtonay an dea r women just as t has been r workers espeay servants and often <r saves There are two mportant ponts to make about the ATM The rst s at the mahne to the etent that t represents tsef as human oud ot hep but represent tsef as a assed gendered speaker of standard meran Engsh (the ofa natona anguage of the S; ths nev be markng of a representaton of anythng human then ponts to the mpausbty of a unversa human dentty that magned dentty that s underwrtten bera humansm In other words the perrmane of anness entas the atvaton of suh dentty markers as rae ass nder and natonaty at east (Ths entament n turn suggests that h features rm a weak undaton r dentty The seond pont s t the mahne n makng ts am to peasure n servng eaes the enaton that so often attends abor just as n ts very operaton t efes rea human abor that went nto ts perrmane of servefom k personne to software programmers to the thrdword workers who often make the hps (OConnor 249) n dsabng the myth of a unversa human dentty eetrons onnd the boundary between human and mahnes Therere the ee ns aso ontrbute to the negotaton and renegotaton of yet another ary that agns wth the subjetobjet bnary; that s the opposton ween human and nonhuman or more speay human and mane Eetrons partpate n those negotatons party by eeedng dentona norms of both ategores; suh eesses then eet hanges e onstruton of the ategores themseves etron mahnes emphatay deny the dstnton between mate ty and dsourse f r no other reason than that the materaty of ron mahnes s so eusve; eetron deves seem to be nothng representatons Its as though theres no there there To dentfy the t and past boes n whh og boards are so often housed as the gsnqueston msses the pont even though the most ommon pra teratons wth eetron deves onsst n human manpuatons t and meta On the other hand to dentfy an eetron as mate s somwhat unsatsyn sn s v s parte rarey at rest ee mn by v rge Moreover n s n v v n prene of
eanda Chain white women, but a the centuy pogeed and immigation inceaed, houehod woke wee inceaingy bon aboad. Engih, Scandinavian, Geman, but epeciay Iih women compied the popuation of eign bon dometic woke In the decade owing the Civi Wa, a ican meican moved, in age numbe, out of the econtucting South, and a ctoy, ceica, and ae wok became inceaingy avaiabe to white (USbon and immigant) women, ican meican women began to the ank of the dometic wok ce in the oth and epeciay in the Midwet. Lage numbe of ican meican women ao emained in the South, at wok in white houehod one of thee women epoted about the town in which he ived, in 11: Moe than twothid of the negoe of the town whee I ive ae menia evant of one kind o anothe, and beide that moe than twothid of the nego women hee, whethe maied o inge, ae compeed to wok a ivinga nue, cook, wahewomen, chambemaid, eamtee, huckte, anitee, and the ike . . Tho today we ae enoying nomina eedom, we ae iteay ave. (Katzman, 4) David Katzman epot that, in 180, 4 pecent of femae evant and aundee wee ican meican by 10, that gue had gown to 40 pecent. The coeponding gue nativebon and eignbon white women dopped om 44 pecent to pecent and om pecent to pecent, epectivey (66). nd Judith Roin epot that, Thoughout the twentieth centuy, unti the 10 cenu, houehod wok ha been the aget occupationa categoy ican meican women But ince 140, the pecentage of empoyed ican meican women epoted by the cenu a pivate houehod woke ha been deceaing damaticay in 140, neay 60 pecent of a ican meican women woke wee houehod woke in 10, 18 pecent wee and by 80, ony pecent of empoyed ican meican women wee ti doing houewok (cit) They ae, of coue, being epaced by women om Latin meica, the Caib bean, and ia (6) Thee demogaphic hift indicate what age nu mbe of dometic woke have aid about dometic wok, which i that it i etemey undeiabe wok, both by vitue of it dicuty and by vitue of it ow, pehap owet, tatu among type of wok It dicuty nd it tatu ae, of coue, mutuay epoducing it ow ttu d o the ct that the wok i dity, the hou ae on the benf• r n l y non eitent futheoe peodic e o notwthandng, knd
Ca and It Coe Reation f abo ha away been whoy unpotected by govenment o union eguation The ow tatu of the wok i ao a cayove om avey, n intitution that woud cetainy have cemented the aociation be ween ubodinated abo and houehod wok Racim, and ao eno hobia, mut to ome degee account a ow vauation of houehod ok whee uch age ppotion of peope peming it ae ican meican o immigant The ct of it ow tatu, togethe with acim nd enophobia, appea to have icened the inhumane teatment of do etic woke b thei empoye a dometic woke inteviewed n the eay 60 aid, I woudnt even mind the meay pay and a the emand and the bad woking condition, if ony I wee teated ike a uman being (Gatz, np) Thi teatment, moe than anything ee, ha iven women to nd atenative empoyment wheeve poibe, and of oue the poibiitie have dieed accoding to the ace of the woke In the at coupe of decade, the demogaphic of the occupation have hifted again once moe, woke have come om the eat enanchied ecto of US ociety Roin point out, ince ian and Hipanic mmigation ha gown, ian and Hipanic have moved dipopotion atey into dometic evice poition Thei teatment ha been itte bet e than that of thei pedeceo o eampe, in outhen Cainia, n 18, whee Hipanic contituted 60 pecent of a dometic, a white, emae, empoye pubihed TeaMaid a 8page memo pad of key hae and cipout pinted memo in Spanih and Engih commu icating with the etimated 00,000 Hipanic dometic in the Lo ngee aea (Home) Thi, coutey of Peple magazine Hipanic eade in Lo ngee . denounce TeaMaid (and it companion TeaGadene) a inuting, demeaning and acit Citic ay the memo ae dehumanizing I know it i a mean of communication but it eiminate that human contact and ceate itte bot, ay Goia Moina, whoe L ditict i heaviy Hi panic (Home) The pokewoman om 1 peak of being a ave, the dometic oke inteviewed in the mid16o peak of not being teated ike a uman being Speaking in the 80, Congewoman Moina equate the nhumane teatment of dometic woke with the ceation of obot Whie man cto no doubt inuence the hift om ave to non eci nonhuman to obot it may ao eate to concuent techno ogica cage It ao b u bc, qey, to the pace of eectonic Te tf chanewch v t oftn ben decinein the e t popton mve e ny ile-c wt woen in the at cen y o coml n o n "srvn p1·bl. em been
leada Chai 82
both the uavaiabiity ad the poo quality of dometic woke. Thi phae wa coied at eat a eay a 186 whe Catheie ad aiet Beeche wote about it (CE 68 The declie that ha occaioed thi pepetua lamet coicide, hitoically with iceaed pevaece of elec tic ad electoic machie the houehod Wheeve ad wheeve the eiue ca ude capitaim, gow it gowth obviouy deped o tuctual iequaitie that poduce, ad ae epoduced, though paid (ad alo upaid) houehold wok. Such gowth may ao deped o the deploymet of machie a houehold woke which i to ay that it deped o a evice ca of beig. I othe wod the ocial iequaitie that pedicate the epaio of the huma middlecla i thi couty may deped o the eveiceaig utilizatio of machie a peme of wok of ow ocial tatu. Pehap ice the ocalled idutial evoutio it ha bee iade quate to dee poductive labo a the wok that a huma laboe pe m becaue machie appea to pem wok that i iditiguih able om huma wok, it i impoible to aume that the labo cogealed i a commodity i ecluively huma labo By the ame eaoig it i o loge adequate to dee evice a a categoy of abo a that which i povided by a huma. If howeve it i til poible to dee commodi tie by thei cogealmet of ome kid of labo it i poible to decibe evice a the kid of labo that eit cogealmet altogethe. It i alo iadequate to dee a kid of abo accodig to the tak o motio ivoved i it eecutio eampe epetitive motio may chaac teize eithe productive o epoductive abo o doe the ocial cla of the peo pemig the evice (i thoe cae whee it i a peo) detemie whethe labo i evice eampe membe of the maa geial ad poioa claedocto awye bake teache bu eaucatic woke of public ad pivate employuppy thei labo i the m of evice, a do ue ad houehod woke Coveely, evice, pe e doe ot deigate a kid of labo that eceaily caie with it low ocia tatu It i equally impoible to dee a cla of abo o the bai of whethe the employe i public o pivate ititutio o idividua Whee ad how do machie occupy thee meaig? Mumd ad od both ugget that machie ca do ad hould wok, ad that thei ideal oe i to elieve people of abo. Reig to a taditioal Wete taoomy of labo, Mumd goe o to wite, But wok i the m of uwillig dudgey o of that edimetay outi whch the thei a o popey depiedwok i thee ddn frms ls the te pov ice of achie (279). gai the dn r1 of whh Mumfd
Cla ad It Coe Reatio 83
ite ae ud i productive labo m a wel a evice, but whee �evice t the deciptio of uwillig dudgey o edimetay ou ie machie may be a eaily iducted ito the pemace of abo they ae ito the pemace of ticty productive labo I wil puue he kid of evice that t that deciptio akig how electoic pa iciate i the egotiatio of the meaig of uch wok a well a the egotiatio of the idetitie of the beig who pem it Retuig oce moe to the TM ait thi puuit avig i aly obeved the chage i the peech of TM ove the pat to ecade, D Be Sheidema ha decibed the owig ted i the evelopmet of ueitece ytem I thei ealy m, accodig to eidema, TM had ame uch a Tillie the Telle o Havey Wall ake ad wee progammed with phae uch a How ca I help you Beyod 6 Thi phae, which he deigate a a momet of atho omophic tay peoie the machie by givig it a huma I ould ay meicagih) ame, by efeig i that ame to the uma that ued to pem (ad, i aothe ocatio til pem) the aactio which the machie will pem electroically, by pitig i efeece to itelf) the tpeo igua proou, ad by oeig, epicitly, to act like a huma, that i, to hep If the t ad athopomophic wave of TM ueitece deig umaize the machie i ode o attact ad iitiate a keptica public he ecod phae coute that humaizatio by amig the electoic medium I thi phae, till accodig to Sheidema, Thee deceptive image apidy gave ay to a fcu o the compute techology with ame uch a The Eectroic Tele, CompuCah, Cahmatic, o Compu ak (Beyod 6 I thee ame the emiotic pedulum wig to he othe ide; they eithe imply o ife (o both) that the techology itelf attact, ad eve addict, ue Ove time, wite Sheidema, the emphai move towad the evice povided to the ue Cahow, Moey Echage 4 Hou Moey Mac ie llight Bake, o Moey Move Beyod, 6 While the athoomophic oftwae deig emphaize the itetioal agecy of he compute ad the ecod phae emphaize the medium that make oible the appeaace of the compute itetio the thid phae de ephaize itetioal agecy altogethe Thee ame educe the ma cie to it fuctio ad hetoically emove the machie fom it ite ediay oitio etwee he u ad the acia ititutio; although e machie may codu some ctio a eve, it ame litealy cib it a o puly l'lcn us pps to itetioal) aget i thid e o mes ref lhe tl01 h h bk telle e
Ca a I Coe Reao 87
he mache a poby of he coume f o ao he pouce bee The a pcue a hwahe a hee he ouce hmef (g e 4 ) Th a ee o pevae ope of mae/eva o ca e ao a kewe e a Cha oy aug mo pomey ome of ceao a ace poceao whch u vove aoa coguao of gee eao The Cha cogua o of ubeve woma paeoma ube he capa co guao of pubc poucg ma a omec epoucg woma Heo The e of h 60eco po So of eep whch eo ae wh boh ame of eque vaou popua cuue m a ao wh Jeu So of Go he embome huma m of Go I h a begg hee wa he wo a he wo wa beep A beep bege beep I he ame hee oy he ghwhch away he move of pme move ke Go a Ga he beep The gh a he beep gfy he eecoc mache bac aguage whch bay a he coveo om ha aguagehe aguage of o o o zeo o oe a o ceay of obec a ubeco aua aguage a hu he mache ca commucae wh he huma vewe Heo Th ame beep ao cooe he aboaca echque eeg expeve; h way a ge of abece o of eaceme The beep heee he pmay u of he expeo of ambvaece ha eec hoe exua oe mome whe he e ef efe o he vey hg eace o a ea o he c of he efceme Rgh away he hwahe eabhe a ey whch oy pa ay a o geecay huma He peak a peak gh He macue ("son of beep) bu ve hee h magce ef The hwahe aouce h egece a e oce moe o h cea o a efeece ha ua he Cha ube of he a He bo ex ho of a e bh mache om mache whou he appae coamao of huma abo macha e eu H humae e goue h ba a h peech whch ou ke a euco a ave a hough he a eve ewage ma who hep wh he cea g a moe M Rgh He ca make you po he you cya pake The he cam o hep you ave eegy by whch he mafey ea eeccy a/o ga a/o o bu h oe of hoe mome ee he mach bays f th poe oo much Aga Cowa a eoe h wn w r ua houewok fume her o o 198, cay fewe hou of huswrk wk t h pdco of 0 (he avege e o or r wk y dpr o ) )
eada Chai 88
The dihwahe the aouce that he ca be pogammed to tat himef he e to the coummatio of the eua eatiohip he bee eadig up to makig the move om ceatio to poceatio ikig the eua ad eigiou ative. t the ame time that the big voiceove i the ky peak the machie appea it up iide a though thee wee a ghot i the machie, pehap a hoy ghot the ige add the choa touch G' motto we big good thig to ife aociate the copoatio with God oce moe eve a it make epicit the pemea biity of the bouday betwee ivig ad oivig etitie ad betwee huma ad machie. The abo ce i amot competey effaced i thi ad Howeve the combiatio of aative of Chitia ceatio ad gedeed eductio featued i thi ad uppot poceatio, o the epoductio of the abo ce, mateiay ad ideoogicay. The potabiity of copoate poduc tio deped o a of thee act, o pocee of epoductio. If the huma abo behid thi pemace of machie abo i ot competey efced becaue of the cameo appeaace of the ica meica mae evat gue at the G we Cete, it i oy becaue he act a the iafe mechaim behid thi machie She i the vey pictue of a cy bog i oa Haaway' ee, hooked up, pugged i, ocated o the itegated cicuit. The ioy i that he i i thi ame ee a doube o the machie, whoe pofeed idetity i ao cybogia. gait a backgoud of beep poke by beep he i amed by a umbe whe caed thi umbe, the cicuit wee buy. I the et ad, the dihwahe wecome the eectoic eigeato to the kitche (igue 4.). The diaogue betwee them big to th egoud the miitay theme that wa jut hited at i th at ad, a eaboate ayeig of iafe ytem. The idge e to hi mooth op eatio to a iafe backup ytem ad to the igoou tetig poce due that oud ike boot camp, ad which the dihwahe ha ao be though. Havig haed the tetig pocedue ceay afod the a cetai camaadeie o fateity. Whe the idge ote that hi it io i igeiouy deiged eciet ue of pace he betay the e tie age of Geea ectic' opeatio (idicated by thei age o pubicatio opeatio which age fom meteooogica eeach to X· ay tudie om the ie pace of the body to the oute pace of out pace. Thi i aothe of thoe ioic momet whe the machie peak of that which it hide, i thi cae, the ct that appaety beig hou hod appiace epeet oly a factio of G' tota poductioa that, at the time that thee advetiemt ae on tvio the buk o G' poductio activity paced it ao t t w on tacto i th S
Ca ad It Coe Reatio 89
eada Chai 90
The auace of the iafe featue mimic the auace made to the pubic by miitay epet to coute the theat of techoogy u amok teeviio viewe ae aued that the machie ae backed up by peope that they ae utimatey ude huma coto. The boy ete the ia huma i thi cae ad peak to the machie. Oy a chid ca peak with the machiequaevat (we wi ee i the et ad that the adut woma caot peak with the machie) thi behaviouociaized a it iwoud be iappopiate i a adut Shey Tuke eeach o chide behavio with eectoic toy evea that chide peak vey diffeety to machie tha adut do. The ad impie coecty that a ap peciatio of ca dieece ad of otoogica difeece i omethig that ubect matue ito The uiteded miitay aociatio ae made gaphic i the boy paama o which the oy egibe wod i dee a i Stategic Dee Iitiative Sta Wa the popoed US defee pa miitay coto of oute pace Thi machie i o advaced that it peak itef ideed ad ao peak GE ivovemet i the miitayidutia compe mao appiace moe mao tha dihwahe ad eigeato. Fiay thee i the ad the eectoic cookig cete with mico wave tove age ad efceaig covetioa ove (Figue 3) Thi ad i tuctued a a damatic pemace hee abo i damatized a ae abo eatio To the audiece which i cotituted by the die guet ocee the woma i the ad appea to pem the abo o pepaig die ad deet. He pemace them ivove e tace eit ad appaue. Simutaeouy the machie pem the tvviewig audiece both by peakig to it ad by eveaig though that peech it covictio that it ha eay pemed the abo of pe paig die the ame abo that the woma appea to have pemed he die guet. If it peech humaize the machie the the cookig cete eem to pem ike a evat The cookig cete code to the viewe that it i the ea aboe i the pictue it eve make a miia compait of aboe a compait which i of coue a commoee aayi that the bo o owe i potig om it abo ad without ecompeig the aboe adequatey Moeove it code to the viewe it abiity to peak. It keep thi abiity hidde om the woma (it top beepig whe he wk i) ad thu the cookig cete appaety agee to eface it abo (by ot itei with he pemaceofabo he guet) ad it a eace it ow peudoaieatio (by ot makig the ame compait to he that it e vea to u) The ad ak the viewe to idetiy doy y wh t achie whoe codce aout to a kid o onpl1y wh h viw. th
a ad It oe Reatio 9
l• X:
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GJtST
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g 4
eada Chai 9
viewe udetad the copait ad aayi of the achie if th viewe accept the achie' cai to be aboig thi i the t poit f ideticatio Secody the viewe ut idetify with the woa peuaby by apiig to pe the guet a he doe a we a by apiig to coto the abo of oe othe etity hee, the achie. Udeeath it poie that the achie ave abo, the ad poie th popective owe of the cookig cete a aie i ca tatu becaue the achie poie to pe the evice of a evat. I ct the ev ice" of the cookig cete wi ot ave it owe appeciabe aout of tie o wok. I the fae of the woa peace he guet, the woa ay be objectied but the ad obcue that objecticatio by keepig that peace ocee The tvviewig audiece i ot pivy to the etwok of gaze that he; the tv audiece i iited to the ae withi which the achie, appaety wiigy objectie itef I eect th subjecthood which the machine ofers to the woman it oers through its own objectication. On the other hand, the tv viewer is also made the voyeur of the woman since she is evidently unaware of the tv audience as well as she is unaware of the communication between the machin and the tv audience The tv audience sees her achieve a feminine ideal-a
iddeca feiie ideawhe it watche he appea to he die guet a ot havig aboed The achie appea a a idea evat by appearing (to the woman) not to have minded laboring. Put together, th
woa ad the achie give a peace of the ideoogy of abo e atio, to the etet that the achie cheeiy i to epeet it aiea
tion. As in the ad in which the Answer Center woman appears, th real
abo behid thee achie a we a thee ad i efaced The ae way that the we Cete woa i obcued withi the GE appaatu, th ea hua abo that goe ito thee cooditie ad advetieet i obcued. Hee oce oe the ight i the ove ha that eote divi quaity abo i educed to it ghoty afteiage The eectoic appiace hee eact the peace of doiat ide oogy accodig to which owehip ad coto of cooditie ca with the iceaed ocia powe whie it ao ituate the beakdow of taditioa epiteoogica boudaie betwee hua ad oth thig. Thee achie oe to ubtitute evat eacty to the tet that they epeet theeve a huaike obectad/o ob ectied hua Nueou ocia obeve o itote to the autho of the TieLi book o Machines have pocaied th deocatizi fuctio of achie Howeve, to the ett th iteace of capitait ca eatio deped o o b
Ca ad It Coe Reatio 93
achie ee capabe of haig uch abo with hua, the oe o he oe huaike they act evea pheoea eut o thi dyaic. o oe thig becaue e poductio ditibutio, ad ue of eectoic equie utipe evice eatio, the iceaed ue of eectoic device ay efce the heoeo, ad poo wokig coditio, of hua evice aboe, athe tha obviatig the eitece of a evice ca o aothe i, ad owig the ea of Reagauh ecooic i which the midde ca a actuay huk, ad the uppe ad owe cae have poaized, the be of eectoic houehod appiace ha ie withathe tha caued a diiihet ithe umbe of dometic woke I thi ciate, eectoic tabiize the idea that a evice ca of be g) i pope ad eve eceay; hee eectoic paticipate i ad heeby eice, the uequa ocia ad pychoogica dyaic upo hich the yth of a cotaty epadig midde ca deped iay, ith eectoic the boudaie betwee huma ad ohua ae eegotiated if ot atogethe diitegated I ode ca eatio to chage daaticay, thi at popoitio ut be fuy udetood Eec oic i geea occupy a iia pace chaegig covetioa a ptio about the difeece betwee peope ad achie, a we a etwee ivig ad oivig etitie; uch chaege eceaiy etai ethikig the categoie theeve, the deitio behid them It i cucia, i eetig the epiteoogica chaege peeted by eecto c to avoid the eductive uggetio that oethig ut be eaved ode that oethig ee ay wi eacipatio Wie ) How ve tage it ay ee the te of wokig peope i ieticaby iked ith the te of achie I thee time, iceaigy we wok ad ive a the eectoicite; et u be idu of the coequece of auig at oe beig o othe ut eve to ake it eaie to ive ad to wok If wok i a cope of pactice that goud, quiteetiay the ob evatio that hua ad achie idetitie ae had to ditiguih it i t oe et of pactice that doe o Nevethee, hitoica chage i e techoogie of abo woud cocu with otoogica chage i the detitie of woke a we a chage i the eatio aog wokig d)etitie Eectoic aie i, a we a i a hitoicay pecic a cotepoaycofuio aog idetitie If I have ued the ocutio f the pothua tetativey, that i becaue the cotepoay tech oo that ae vib ytca iufciecy ad the oitca eiabiity o a chic itio betwee hua ad thig d hc ita it y ctoay occaio tici h h ll l w vi ot e
anda Chan 96
oles Maria Sith the Moey People May 198 Katza David M. Seven Day Week Women and Dometic Service in Indutri alizing America. 978 Urbaa: Uiversity o lliois Press 98 Mazlish Bruce The ourth Discotiuity Technology and ulture 8 (967 1-15 Murd Lewis Technic and ivilization New York: arcourt Brace & World 194 Natioal Coittee o ousehold Eployet Report of Developmental Proj ect: National Pilot Program on Houehold Employment. (Washito: Ma power diistratio U.S Departet o Labor eb 966-March 15 968 eb. 1966-March 15 968. O'Brie Robert. Machine. New York: TieLie Books 968 OCoor David C Woe Workers ad the Chai teratioal Divisio o Labor i Microelectroics Women Houehold and the Economy ed Lour des Beera ad Catharie Stipso. New Bruswick: Ruters Uiversty Press 987 467 Rollis Judith deoloy ad Servitude Sajek ad Cole: 74-87 Sajek Roer ad Shellee Cole eds At Work in Home: Houehold Worker in Global Perpective. Washito: erica thropoloical ssociatio 199 Sheidera Be Beyod rticial telliece: Overcoi The Obstacle o iis' Proceedis o Workshop o Lo Ter Social pact o rti cial tellece Oce o Techoloy ssesset October 1984 . Noathropoorphic Style Guide Overcoi the upty Dupty Sydroe. The omputing Teacher (October 1988 : 9-1. Toasho Crai Why We Make Lists. San Francico hronicle pril 7 99 D Turke Sherry The Second Sel New York: Sio & Schuster 1984 Wier Lado. Autonomou Technology: Technicoutofon trol a a Theme in Political Thought. Cabride: MT Press 1977
F I
Soft Fictions and Intimate Documents: Can Feminism Be Posthuman? Paula Rabinowitz
Queo # Do pohuma bode have hoe, gede o eua e pog h queo he edo of h voume haege ove oa eao bewee he huma ad gede he huma ad hoy, he huma ad euay mp eadg of he pohuma mgh ee a beyod ad bee me ad ype, ad oude he boudae hoooga ad paa ad geeha have hed humay ad humam Whe obvouy he pohuma ao am ef uh a uop pae he queo ao e a ea aby oo he o u of hoy ad gede ad ea f we kow peey wha hee hghy ud oeed ad maeabe m auay ae o have bee be e we poed hem wa o o og agoa Vga Woof oed he eah hough he h Mueum ahveha eaed me oud ak of wome Do you have hoy, gede eae you huma Doe ha make wome pohuma o pehuma Doe he em huma ave ay meag wome A may fem hoa have oed owg ouau, he e of he huma ee ome o he hee of he e of me efhog u amg pae he po uman ae we eag ye aga wome' ve ad oe am o agu g makg wom huma Who eed Rahe wa o ugge h wom o ccua apa om huma kowedge Quo #2 Can poumn ek Ad o wha hee o ay W Gaya Spvk askd h poocie uoca he ubae pekhe expose h poliic ihin oshuman cque of he subje. pek i ng is ly y o h ng done o u o r u by hs hos psn s , s nrrers or-
aua Ranowtz 98
powers ours even when one nhats the most prveged o postons that o the Western educated mddleclass prossonal ke mysel How can the stores o others r outsde the crcuaton o narratve capta goods and so rth e heard? Ther voces only accesse through vast networks o medaton prone to recuperaton and msnterpretaton at est more kely mperal slence and voaton osed etween acton and representaton posthuman odesvogung queens WAsare odes lvng outsde natonal seua economc orders They eceed and overrde orders y turnng odes nto acts and actons nto representatons Elmnatng the dstncton etween acton and artcuaton deed and word the posthuman ody s stll saturated wth the stores o humanty that crculate arund t t speaks through a language straddlng the orders etween health/sckness male/emae real/magnary It tes ts stores however through those aready told t rps o the past to re se the uture And so the posthuman alen and margna lke the sualtern proaly cannot speak ecause t s always spoken through the stores that someone ese aready tod Queston # Is there a posthuman woman? When women egan speakng tterness" n the conscousnessrasng groups o the 196s and 9s womens humanty was stl up r deate Femnsts sought to document women's struggle to e heard poltcaly hstorcally seualy through th mmedacy and realsm o testmony n lm women's studes courses poetry and cr groups These groups modeled on the Chnese and Vetnamese practces o crtcsm/secrtcsm whch cultvated anger and hatred wthn peasants and cadres where none estedhatred eng to some degree the luury o an ndvdualstc and moe cuture not one ased on mlal a ancestral tes to the andchanneled mosty) mddeclass whte womens anger nto poltcal acton and theory Basc to the cr groups was the unspoken assumpton that each woman told th truth Her story her secret her ury her memory perhaps her ntasy ecame the evdence rom whch to shon a theory o womens oppresson But what she were lyng or not yng then emroderng weavng a ulous story om odd encounters wth the world? Femnsm requrd sncerty r women to clam ther eperences as authentcaly human erhaps a posthuman emnsm develops om the evason o truthom ntasy eaggeraton and les In ths essay I want t epore ths poss lty and suggest some answers to the questons asked) y eamnng lttleknown lm y Calrna mmaker Chck trand Chck trands Sot Fition reveas secrets hs m sns raness n truth through varous cnematc dvcs t l to voc th ntases However the lms rentn esoglga, o n
ot Fctons and Intmate Documents 99
rape addcton ncest seducton nto tales o power and contro under mnes and etrays the mnsthumanst proect o truthtellng As n Bette Gordons Varety the ntasy and power o genre conspre to alter seual hstores Varety' herone who sells tckets at a 4nd treet porn theater egns watchng the lms; gradually they nhat her ut she ul tmately nhats them as she retells ther plots as recallng the days events Has she een made over y the mages she watches or have they provded her wth new ways to speak aout hersel s she n them or are they n her The orders etween words and deeds are permeale; acts and mages dwell n the same room Ths room may e the sae space o a ens home where one s ee to epose onesel ecause the thck vegetaton surroundng the yard shades the nterors ecause a end wll never etray a secret even though a camera s ed on you and at some pont everyone wll see you hear you When you tell a secret ater all you epect t to get around; t ecomes the sustance o gossp The echange o secrets s undamental to endshp ut also to powerjohns tell prosttutes state secrets nrmants tell ethno graphers local secretsthe echange gves away somethng ut gets some thng n return Control o the story The mundane secrets o mddleclass grlhood are dvulged over ktchen snks across telephone wres n pr vate emale spaces But what the rooms are ugged what a camera s there too Are the secrets stll secret Do the stores rng true sound real ardly And yet aden wth meanng as they are we stll want to eleve them More so perhaps ecause we know them not to e secrets anymore From ts ncepton emnsm has engendered radcal skeptcsm; once the ld was lown o and culture revealed to e hopelessly maledom nated who could take anythng serously Even womens authentc voces By speakng truth to power" women called nto queston oth truth and power But the joke was on those sncere elevers actng lke nave ethno graphers n the eld soakng up authentc culture who und womens voces pure The ct s that posthuman odes have een around a ong tme They do have hstores and these h stores wll e und n what has een let out o the ocal accounts o the margnal osthumans always le Can posthuman women speak O course Wll they speak to us ot lkely Orthodoes get estalshed very quckly and those out o ounds are made to dsappear kept slent even y those o us whose jo t s to lsten Femnsts talk theorze act ut n whose human) nterest As perrm my role s ostuman emnst m crtc want to su gest that ths process l c n m t c that s t s oth a spectacle and speculatve Te d o iiqu u l l u rl errmnce as posthuman ctvty cn perhp p u he olica msses tat oth
aula Rabinowitz 00
identity poitics and psychoanaytic theory construct r feminism A sense of the dynamic intersubjectivity of the perrmance of cinemao the bodies on screen enacting conscious perrmances and of the bodies i the audience taking up and remaking these perrmances (un)consciousy and coectivelymight open m to posthuman acts3 Something different happens in a movie theater om a dream or ntasy Other peope surround youcoughing, aughing, eating, kissingwho have also traveled to the theater, paid money, and expect aective resuts In short, the perrmance of cinemaon screen and in the audiencedees the boundaries of individuals and their psyches by recasting them into mass rmations, posthuman assortments Chick Strand's Sot Fition recircuates many of the cichs about women's erotic and sexua ntasies within its visual and sound tracks Bringing to cus questions about the range of mae sexuaity and ntasy, the modes of female address, the genre(s) of women's stories, the rm of the male body as visua spectace and narrative subject, Sot Fition dwes between the borders of ethnography, documentary, pornography, avantgarde and feminist countercinema4 Its title evocative of soft core, true romance, hard ct, Strand herself describes her beautifuly shot, back andwhite m as an ethnography of women In doing so, she places it directly within the realm of anthropoogical mmaking, where she began her career. Strand invokes, yet resists, the exotic cutura Other that rms the subject of much ethnography One of Strand's eariest ms, Mosori Monika (91), investigates the impact of a Spanish Mission on the Warao Indians of centra Venezuea through the diering narratives of a young Spanish nun and an eder Warao woman This m exposes the missionary project as an essentiay imperiaist one that teaches the Indians how to live a human i The i of a man, while demonstrating that the Warao cagily empoy a rm of resistance to the colonial presence of the Mission despite their apparen wilingness to be clothed, fed, and ted by the nuns Strand's narrow cuson the stories of these two womenand her evocative closeups o the bodies of men and women working, resting, eating, paying, break many of the conventions of the anthropoogical documentary by ref� sin . to present the whole picture of the body or the cuture In her JUstca tion of that lm, Notes on Ethnographic Fim by a Film Artist;' she cha lenges the conventions of whoeness which Karl Heider had estabishe as the mark of welwrought ethnographic cinem Aruin r the u of extreme closeups, fagmented ovement n he l tak daily i, she seeks to get a microsco view on of th trds tha makes up the tapestry of the whol e ulur," LocH ng l h purtin n th
Soft Fictions and Intimate Docuen 101
onditiona, her ms evove in the ed into works of art rahr h cientic textbooks. Since the mid96os Strand has been ming the i story of her frind nsemo an Indian om Northern Mexico who makes his lving as a street musician Because each m invoves a evel of perrmance that is selfconsciousy rendered to alter the purity of ethnographic rms, she describes the lms variousy as experimental documentary, expres sive documentary, or intimate documentary Her rst lm, Ansemo (1967) is a symbolic reenactment of a rea event" in which Strand tried to fulll Anselmo's wish r a double E at tuba She iled to nd one, but managed to locate a brass wraparound tuba which she smugged into Mexico and presented to him. Later, they reproduced the transaction r the camera. In osas de mi Vida (976), Strand traces ten years in Ansemo's life as he struggles to endure poverty. The lm is narrated by Anselmo in English although he does not speak the language. Strand translated the Spanish narration Anselmo provided and then taught him how to say it r the m. Again, Anselmo perrms himself as a subect r these ( in authentic) ethnographies. Her most ceebrated m, Mujees de Muegos (1976) presents a ke ethnography about the women who wear black om the age of 5 and spend their entire lives giving birth, preparing od and tending to houshod and rm responsibilities' by depicting their daily repetitive tasks as a rm of obsessive ritual 8 The idea of transrming the ethnographic m om an observational tool, one which records daily ife and/or ritua as data, into an expressive, intimate, experimenta documentary requires a sense of cinematic ad dress as perrmative. It aso presumes that cutural identities and ideas of the individual subject are constructed as perrmancesr the sef, r others, r the camerawithin various cutura arenas Perrming everyday activities as rituals r the camera undermines the concept of ritual as well as the concept of cinema. It suggests that t e images on the screen respond to the capacities of the actors to take up one position eve it and take up another in a styized shion. erhaps this same sense of moyo movng n an ou o a perrmanceoccurs as we r he spectator, who rather than being locked into a unied, or even spit gaze is always calling up various perrmative aspects of identity which cho, refuse, confont or merge with the screen perrmances To give aother exaple, toward the end of Trinh T. Minhha's lm about Sene gaese omen, Reas1a ( 1982), he mmaer remars: coe w t h e de t h t I woud 1ize sa by catching the ron unawar T h 1· M bttr wy o 1tl. Wth he others cos. ftr si me 1b h h crn, wom invt me I
Paua abiowitz 104
tion but whose ow renderig of it chaleges us to read resistace i her very acceptace of the nun's oerings, the wome te stories of icest, addictio and Nazis which are potent tropes r wome's victimizatio Yet the women's voices, the images they costruct to accompay their tales and the sequencig of these images counter precoceptios of femae powerlessness by substitutig in its pae the power of actig The chalege to poiticay correct minism has a rgotte history Log bere Camille Pagia ad Katie Roiphe were condeming femiism embrace of femae victimizatio, Strand ad her irmats were exporig, even ceebrating, their politicaly icorrect desires, tasies ad experieces As the seated woman begis her story, iitiated by rubbig the curvig baister of the Pasadea Art Museum, her desire to become this rai igbecome this piece, invites us to questio the very terms of represetation that obectify women's bodies That the pay o the word piece is deiberate, we hear i her sow, precise laguage We see her ips, oe ad eyes peering directy into the camera ciematic covetio tells u she is revealing truth The camera eaves her as she asks, Have't you eve wanted to live withi black fur? The tactile trasvestism of this woma desireto ihabit curved aoyed metas, black ur, to tur her body ito a obect of touchdestroys the sesatio of iside/outside r us as it extends the body ito ew spaces, ew desires It also transgresses both cultura feminism's ad psychoaaytic feminism's rigid resistace to (yet ironic isistece upo) woman's obectication The speakig subect of this sequence desires obecthood Aother woma appears itety studyig a piece of paper with a mag ifyig gass bere she begis to read a letter addressed to trad e countig the story of a photographer whose escapade at a rodeo she had gone to shoot ends with her giving a series of blow obs to anoymou cowboys i a dark dormitor room The incidents seem ievitable to the letter writer; her oss of cotro at the rodeo becomes visible to the ette reader i her handwritigshe ils to capitaize her I''s Aready med ated o several evels (the woman's story appears as a letter writte t Chick but read by a gigging woman through a magifyig gass to the camera), her story is deeply ambivalent Has she bee coerced? Is thi case of gang rape? Or is it a stagig of a tasy which oscilates betwee her poweras voyeur, as photographerand theirsas exhibitionits, sexual cowboys? After she and her camera esape uharmed frm this e· counter, she picks up yet another cowboy to shoot He tke her to a st where she photographs him naked except h t h d ootth regalia of s/m scenesad where agi h glve1 hli I blow jb whie h buddie wtch H r is counterd her excltem1, whch 1 mdiated
Soft Fictions and Intimate Documets 05
rther by his nal remarks of comrt: It wi make a good story to te our grandchildren" In a bizarre reorderig of the male ora traditio, exua peasure exists r the man i his lated orgasm, but r the woman, who never quite gets off herself, it is deferred, avaiabe only n the verbal recreation of desire through memory, narrative, and per mane 12 In this story, Strand and her inrmat manipulate one of the privi eged scenes of hardcore porn, the bow ob, evoking visera reations om audiene members about the woman's status as a vitim"3 Linda illiams has argued that the gowing popularity during the 1970s of feature ength porn ms, such as Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones (Damiano, 972), Behind the Green Door (Mitchel, 1972), signaled that there was an audience r the visibe evidence of desire as a tishized commodity and hat mass media coud produce it These ms invoked women's demands r more and better sex thrugh ntasies that ued mae desire, thus resisting the threat of minism by costruting womens desire as a turn on r men Like the radical feminist Anne Koedt, Deep Throat reets the myth of the vagina orgasm," but, as it orhestrates its sexual numbers" arund the ejaulation of fellated penises ito Linda Loveae's estatic e, its ultimate audience is male Stil, the narrative appeal to a broader audiene (one that presumably incuded heterosexual women) reacted the messages of softore melodramas, suh as Looking for Mr. Goodbar (Brooks, 1977), whih aso assumed women's independent desires r sex ual adventure, but provided cautioary tales about the dangers of arous ing male sexual aggression r their largely female audiences The soft ore lms looked back to the 940s woman's m genre, and to the popular woman's romaces und in True Confessions where transgressive sex uality in a woman always resulted in shame and punishment 6 But in Soft Fiction the photographer returns to her pleasure and her power In her ironic reply to us, not to her handsome owboy, she asserts, Wel, photography is a power to be reckoned with," reveaing that after she prits his photo she discovers his ame on his bet, traks him down, obsessively llows him home, and delares I know where he ives now s Strand says of al her inrmants," they take responsibility r having had the experience. It's ot that they take responsibility r the experiene happening but r having had' it" The caim of responsibiity" hal enges women's victimiation in/by narrativeby asserting that their stories a re cosous eenctmnt h ces occurs as a tansationa e shioning of the expeiene into n n a a tve and visual sequene This ecurs at various i ms hrughu he flm which cntinues to switch cde we he xprlnllc fm o the wmans quet (f plea sue?) n< th duty,llk 1tl' women but the
Paua ainowitz 106
ea and ntasized causes and efects of these questsstoies of pain violation and desie. he net shot eveals a sundenched kitchen We watch a nude woman ente he ody stong she is unselfconscious of it as she ips on the adio ee she stats pepaing a heaty eakst of uice cofee eggs ut teed toast he show Grand Centrl Station, egins with the sounds of a tain ove which the naato intones this is a ove stoy" eminding us that the doo to the geat white way is usualy though the ack aley" At this point we hea a voiceove as a woman descies a sensuous mem oy of swimming in a pond as a childdiving in and up and down" unti tied she an to he gandthe waiting with a towe She descies waking ack to thei cain watching the dops of wate spashing in the dust hen matteofcty states I was young ony seven We would make love on the couch the ed couch I tusted gampaeven fell into enoying it She descies how he kissed he and undessed he noting that only once did she see his penis . like a snake a pink velvet snake . he used it on my clitois . he wanted to teach me how to make ove . how to e sensual" By this time she is eating. he camea no onge dispays he whoe ody ut again is etemely closeup Cutting into the egg yolk with the side of he spoon and smeaing it ove the whites she ememes how it scaed meit was too cose and too stong I ust wouldn't aow myself to e alone with himump out of ed feign sleep al the typical tactics of femae avoidanceI leaned them youngnow I'm a maste Pusued and captued eally captued cause thee's no wa out' she decaes as she ehales he afteeakst cigaette Again amivaence is cucial to the pemance of this scene Hes the ony ody we see whole peming a whole act he stoy distance y the osceen naato He voice is stong ionica yet vuneae Sh is angy but the cicumstances she has constucted to dicose he sece imply that she has powe ove them Hes is cetainy Not a Love Sto and the esponsibiity" is cetainly not hes yet he image and he stoy its disembodied naation unning ove he ea time actunpacks th ciematic aggage this stoy of female poweessness hods us an pehaps he. he m now cuts to a clichd image of feminine eoticism as a nu woman dances to Sidney Bechet's endition of Ptit Feu" and we the play of light and dak as he ody and hai eak the sun's ays h divesion momentaiy beaks the tension of captivity encoded in the womaninthekitchen's stoy and in the evou ue of the xtrme closeup in the womanattheuseum and roeo torles But the n woman tels aout ein ealy hoo Again, lips, brw a1· promi·
Soft Fictions and Intimate Documents 07
ent in eteme closeup as the woman chainsmokes dinks wine and escibes he plan' he pogam" to ecome hooked st on a man hen on the pain he caused then on heoin to escape the pan Utimately he kicks despite wondeing why It was so good so clea so ea so pacious. But I did itthat was the pan and I eocized him" he eo ism etends into the lmmaking pocess Stand claims that the most ncedibe pat of making the lm was my elationship to the women hen they wee talking and eing on camea and doing it knowing the esult knowing that they would e on this big sceen and a lot of people tanges would see them . them telling it on camea acted as an eo sm . " 1 8 In othe wods the infmants ecame sefstyled pe mes an audience who was both distant om yet intimate with the connections" in these stoies. he complicity etween stoytelle lmmake and audience in the oduction of a voyeuistic ntasy continues as we watch a dog aanging tsef into a comtale position on an amchai. he sound tack is of oud voicesa tain station pehaps no an audience at a pemance ho eaks into applause when the dog stands eveaing that it has only hee legs hen a white ce and white hands emege om the ackness he woman begins singing Schuets Death and the Maiden whose ly cs evoke the longing deams" sleep" In caling th the roman ic vision of desie as death the conventional eading of women's maso ch sm is einseted as a commentay on the women's stoies so Yet by dog so through a sopano's endition of the lieder the female ody as a emative tool is easseted Although each stoy has been painfulwe ee thei ces contot hea thei voices cack as they speakthey have all een humoous as wel. Each woman has estaged he tagedy" into a �y of pow� nd pleasue y the styles of thei teling and the compo tons of the mages. Stll these topes of captivity ae the stuff of fe ale masochism thei tue confessions" the stoies of suende and de e that ueled my politicaly incoect peadolescence As if to conm secet complicity with the mechanisms of ponogaphic suende te the leder we nd the taveing woman again Watching he epat th house he suitcase opens eposing yads of coth and a sequined ddy. he nal segment ames a tight nevous ce Okay" she says this is oing to e a litte it dicult" e stoy is set duing the wa in the of he chidhood whe h ys t was emnded of me tht I Nl_'� quiet peope we aft yu t i n ot ce whethe he mily was n Jews o we hccv Jw in hiding, t te a neighbo in s o h h Gsp vll r m. Sh eb[ s] beg put .
Paula Rabinowitz 08
on a Gestapo ocer's lap to divert is attentionI understood tat wat my job was . . I remember iring wit im" Her ltering voice coninues wit a memory of being awakened by er moter wen se was 3 1/2 and walking at nigt r miles: It was necessary r me to be very brave. I remember tat I liked tat and I remember tat I like tat nowat I was brave en And I remember a ill wit re and explosions of all sorts. I remember ow figtened everyone was and my ter carrying te bird cage wit te kitens And I remember feeling proud tat I didnt want to be carried. And I remember tat ill and tere was someting very bad going on on e oter side, and ten teres a blank. Unlike e preceding stories of sexual adventure and surrender, wic emerge as coerent, welploted naativeste stuff of conventional melodramatese memories of istorical necessity are actured, disrupted, and lack clariy. Yet, even ere, te sensation is of control, of te power tis young girl experienced despite, or rater because of, knowing se was an object of excange in a larger transaction. Te last images of te lm return to more clicd images om soft core porna woman's abandon as a sower of clear water washes over er, a woman walking bareot along te sore, two naked women olicking on orseback Tese also are te clics of Calirnia independent lmaking of te 96oste sensuous display of te body at play in natue Like te Scubert Lieder, te train journey, or te solo dance, ey reconain e stories of female transgression and pleasure in te ce of mascu line power witin te limits of conventionalized depictions of male desire. Yet te stories undercut tis containment, violating boundaries, just as te excesses of te extreme closeups explode te documentary con enions of te alking ead by oervaluing e parial elemens of te celips, brows nostrilsand bodyands, legs feet. Tese agmented cuup icons of femininity tat appear commodied in advertisements ave been recarged by te speakers By allowing movement in and out of ame, te stationary camera enables e speakers to take contol o and produce teir images Te stories in Soft Fcton low ou of eac otere way one mig reeal secrets to a stranger on a train Tey are inensely private and pe sonal, ye by orcestrating em witin te compositions of avantgarde cinematograpy documenary address etnorapic lmmaking and softcore porn Strand wants us to begin questionin ow male ple sures are experienced and represented in patriarchnl culture. e l etnograpic inquiry sees o ask, what are th nrr iv n n d visual co· ponens of wite iddleclss won (hor)HXL1lc ow re h
Paua Ranowz 1
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E/Couter Cesorshp est Trasressos at the 99 S Co veto New Orleas at whch preseted a verso o ths paper Chck Strad at the Ceatheque nemanew /4/ 98: . e Koedt The Myth o the Vaal Oras Note fom the Second Ye New York Radcal ests 97 See Lda Wllas Had oe: Pleaue Powe and the "Fenzy ofthe ble Berkeley: Uversty o Calra Pres 989 r a ull aalyss o the ere o eatureleth por ls See Stow Mass Market Roace: Pororaphy r Woe s Deret Powe ofDee ed Stow Stasell ad Thopso New York Mothl Revew Press 98 4-6 See Stow Mass Market Roace: Pororaphy r Woe s Der et Taa Modlesk Lovng wth a engeance New York: Methue 986 ad Jace Radway Readng the Romance Chapel ll Uversty o Nort Carola Press 987 Chck Strad at the Ceatheque nemanew bd bd 4 dea Rosar The Powe of ene Meapols: Uversty o Meso Press 987 owever the questoadaswer sesso ater scree Soft Fcto Strad outed the woa the ktche say Shes e shes a lesba ow Publc lecture rbor M Noveber 979 See Kaja Slvera o the sophstcated st ls o the avatard Soft Fcton s ot ao the The Acoutc o Blooto da Uversty Press 988:
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Reproduing the Posthuman Body Etogeneti Fetus Surrogate Mother Pregnant 1an Susan M. Squier Nte d lte e ewoked; the oe o oge be the esoce ppopto o opoto by the othe. Hwy Simians 9
our gur anord nnnnury proupaon w x a ob of xpr nowldg, aordng o Fouaul yr al woman, maurang d, auan oup, and pr r adu A paraon of xualy om rproduon apr o na omplon n pomodrn ra, w an a wa gur now or our undrandng of or rm n a opula now narly dr raur rproduon, now a oundar of pouman A way of bgnnng o map a rran, ay wl ra lnag of r mag undaonal o our onmporary proupaon w r roduon a obj of xpr nowldg and powr xraurn u, urroga mor, and prgnan man (Fouaul 0) T r mag r a ody r ponally oppr n /nal nrnon, y [r onruon of uman ng y dp no unrmly nga By rang om of na mag na n ulural magnary, I w ow a y play frn rol dpndng upon r nuonal and gnr po onng W mag quny xpr a durbng ndny o ard gndrbad ojaon, y an ao arula mor man aory mod of uman uj and uman raonmod a pa nary onruon of modrn pmoog (Haraway, a 7.
r nrny ppssv n n r l raory, ro of m mar pon wh ch -w h u o naur no longr po ib-poduv chn1 n oumn Wr rl l h mn x n oa lly op
Rproducg h Poshuman ody 15
h rag of mdcal praccs (acual and hypohcal) known as rpro ucv chology, such as D, IVF Gam Irallopan Transfr, ygo rallopa Trasr Zoa drllg, abdomnal prgancy on g, ad so on, ad hr rprsaons s maral praccs ha hav low succss ra, h poal r arogc halh damag, ad a prob lmac rlaoshp o a proaals culur ad socy, rproducv chology has b dcd by fmns socal scnss as unsuccss l unsaf, ukd ucssary, uwad ussrly, unws (San orh 909) ovcng as ha crqu has bn, ls o ak o f wo mpora pons ha h socal ad culural codos of hr s hav shapd h mpac of hs chologs, and ha rprsao as playd a crucal rol sg h socal and culural boudary con os r hr us rary guraos of h rpoducv body hav always bn op o a wd rag of mangs bcaus lraur fucos as o of h uos hrough whch human bgs ar shapd o h ds of hr ocy, hrough h procss of dny cosruco ha occurs ad uually mplcas, boh h symbolc and h maral ralms s ah r lsy has argud rprsaos hlp o cosruc wha w udr ad as our culural and soca xprcs, cludg our prcs of h body (lsy 93, 98) wll argu ha guraos of rproduco rary and onlrary sprrmd hr fucos h Ro ac ad modr prods all rlad o h produco of powr h ao of a maphorc brak bwn mohr ad fus ha abld hr drn socal posongs h rconsrucon of womas body o oduc or cosolda mal powr and h rcoguraon of h mal nd fmal huma body o srv dusral producon I wll rac hos r ways of poducg powr as hy opra n rprsaos of rag of chologcal rvos rproduco, om h hypo hcal, o h obsrcal o h bomdcal om h Romac ra, rough h modr, o h posmodr Whl rproducv chology shfd om a hypohcal o an ac al mdcal pracc durng h prod udr dscusson s o h rak n maral pracc ha cocrns m hr bu h conuy rsaoal srags nally rlcng h uropa co of ancsm, h rang of hs rproducv rprsnaons pads modr dusra ra o rc rsh and mrca concrs ad y h posmod momn, as c and hlp o cosolda h ba powr o l n onl l asm Ths rprsnaos boh vrg and dvr n p e, s a xamnao of ur ry x l n 1 dv chology
Susan M Squer 6
tree tons and one nonton report of a overnment ommttee w reveal Produn derent orn stores and onstrutons of dentty tese representatons funton to dene and dstrute derene wtn and aross a varety of temporaly and eorapay overappn power rds: vl soety psyoanalyss ndustra aptasm nsttu tonal sene and medne Mary Seleys Frankenstein nauurates te Romant moment wt ts mae of mae rt Wrtten at a tme wen female proreatve power was en oopted metaporaly to represent te rt of aterna ontra tua demoray Frankenstein ures as monstrous te mae monopoy on pota reaton Seley's monster as outast ontests te nusve eataran pose of te leral v state Yet te reprodutve rtque artuated y Seeys novel onded wt sfts n ontemporary med a sene tat enaed rater tan rtqued onon pota anes Around te tme tat Frankenstein was pused te elds of emryooy and ostetrs autorzed new representatons of te prenant woman and te tus armonzn wt te new potal arranements Lateeteent and earynneteententury emryooy afrmed te teory of epeness (te noton tat an emryo deveops om esser t reater oranzaton n te ourse of estaton over te earer teory of prermaton (te noton tat te emryo s a stat prermed mn ature entty somewat ke te omunuus Ts sft n sent know ede oned Rousseauean notons of ldrearn to produe an nd vua ttn te needs of ureos aptalsm As Andrea Henderson oserves Earlynneteententury epeness sketes us a pture o te Romant fetus [as] te perfet oureos suett makes tself an so s neter smpy te nertor of paterna power nor te ommodty ke produt of ts moters aor (Henderson 111) Paralel to te vtory of epenest emryooy was a sft n te rep resentaton of te estatn and dearn woman n anatomal en ravns and mdwfery manuas Empaszn te ony strutures of t maternal pelvs as oets to e manpulated y equaly rd ostetr nstruments tese lustratons artuated a trend to present rt as a meana proess avn antes wt meana produ ton ut wt te roe of te woman n te produtve proess n as aorer ut ony as a mane" (Henderson 1) Lke Frankenst tese nonterary representatons partpated n te Romant re]n• struton of reprodutve suetsman woman tus Tey resp te fetus as te state's dea oranaly devlpn auonomu ndv ual tey arnazed woan exn he pub re f t so ontat to te pvate rem of the xul ion 1· y
Reprodun te Postuman Body
117 truted man as ot ter and moter o f te new potal order ( Pate an 88) Modern representatons of reprodutve tenoloy ult on te ro ant separaton of developn fetus fom manelke moter to serve ends not poltal ut produtve and ultmatey ndustral Fueed y asm msoyny and lasssm te earlytwentetentury euens ovement aspred to te oenneern of a raay unrm (wte and enetally perfet" uman spees ntases tat aeved umnaton te Naz era Yet paradoxay tere were aso euens entusasts o were motvated predomnatey y ter elef tat te oloal su state of uman experene was not natural and unann ut on truted and ene suet to manpuaton (Keves Werskey For tese ermers euens spoke to womens dreams of esapn te restrtve ssentalzed reprodutve ody and workers dreams of upendn te e edtary dstruton of power (Brttan Hadane Te ratonalzaton of laor arred on n te early twentet entury Europe Enand and Amera amed at maxmum efeny y a entn te work proess Tese new ndustral metods lent te oal of ann euen ontro of te reprodutve ody a speay ndustral rm Tey treated te workers ody as a mane reakn down te or proess nto ts smalest possle unts usn te assemy lne to re a unrm externa sedue and arryn on onstant survel e Modern terature drew metaporaly on ts montored mea st reuated and amented way of fe usn t to ure not ust duton ut reproduton Drawn ter entra metapor om Tay sm and Fordsm su representatons presented a reonured uman dymae and femaeavalae r ndustral produton ust as te sefreatn emryo or fetus was entral to te Romant raton of reproduton (expressn ot te power and te rtque of new v state so te etoenet fetus s entra to tose modern eptons of reproduton Etoeness or estaton outsde te ody woman n an arta uterus ures n te most mar terary e of reprodutve tenoloy after Franknstein, Aldous Huxeys < tral ondon Hatery and Condtonn Centre of Brve Ne Wrd e an etoenet assemly ne of testtue aes emodes te pe of mass produton at ast apped to ooy" (A Huxley 4) w te dvne prnpe of Our Ford" ea otted emryo s d rom ts mater otext laed on a oveyor et stmuated ealy nd envronty ted nd eld to a normatve e ut te ftus r n ut dated as soazed n ( A . u x y Six befe Adus pu1hc ! s ode
Susan M Squer 118
roer Julan ook a reak om s zoologal sudes o wre Te Tssue Cul ure Kng" Ts sene on sor sory orgnally pulsed n The Yale Reve w e sule A Parale of Modern Sene' ells e sory of a Brs medal researer aken apve y an Aan re Dr Hasome nrodues e re o Wesern medal enquesmro sopy ssue ulureand omes up w a seme r expandng e power of e kngand ondenally s own power Hasome per suades e kng o donae a sample of s own ssues w s ulured n e laoraory and reprodued enalng e new doorpress o gve ea ral memer a of e kng's mmoral ody o revere endlessly Hasome also reaes a laoraory o produe eaks and rossreeds (meras r e ral zens o worsp In s play on e enques a would eome undaonal o onemporary reproduve enol ogy su as mrosopy ssueulure and gene engneerng Julan Huxleys sory emodes anoer e of e onlng sgnaons aaed o reproduve enology n e early years of e wene enury Sll anoer e appeared n e deae aou e soal sgnane of exrauerne gesaon aalyzed y J B S Haldane's popular Daedalu or Sene and the Future (923) w s speulave senaro r eo geness" In one of e mos srkng exanges n response o Haldane's ook a masulns and a passonae femns surprsngly agreed a e ogeness ould e pu o mns uses only o dsagree on e mpla ons of a Nezsean plosoper Anony Ludov glooml preded a wen exrauerne gesaon ame a realy rumpant Femnsm wll proaly rea s zen Men wll en e fankly re garded as que superuous" (Ludov 93) In onras novels Vera Br an saw eogeness as a emporary sage n e proess of sapng preg nany along femns lnes Se preded a wle eogeness would e welomed n ases were normal pregnany was exeponally nonven en o e wfe or would nvolve a long separaon rom er usand' parens would no sw wolly o eogene gesaon eause l dren us produed would e und no o rve Raer parens would nd means o make ldr panless and pregnany denely pleasur ale" eadng narly all wenyrsenury parens o reurn o naural meods of reproduon" (Bran 7778) Lke all ages a ave ul ural promnene reproduve mages serve no so mu o arulat sngle deologal poson as o provde a se on w osons an onesed e onras eween Bran's and udv' posons n e ogeness reveals e power of reprduv i s pss n nl power u also ressane (Pvy
Reprodung e Posuman Body 9
Te domnan feaure of posmodernsm s s allenge o e maser arraves of Wesern meapyss and plosopy w er ases n nary opposons mnd/ody male/female self/oer rs world/rd orld uman/nonuman Dependng on e denon of posmodern sm o w we susre e noon of an exausve and erere rue narrave s replaed eer y an emanpaon om narraves a lam o possess unversal ru or y a urn o e manpulaon and onrol of nrmaon n order o maxmze s efen ransr N Kaerne Hayles as argued a wle one denon sresses plo opal emanpaon and e oer enologal onrol o desrp ons of posmodernsm ave a er ener proess of denaurng or deprv[ ng someng of s naural quales" Ye a very oppos on eween naural and denaured s self mplaed n a moderns epsemology now undermned y wa Donna Haraway as alled e nrmas of domnaon " As Haraway remnds us We anno go ak deologally or maerally Ideologes of sexual reproduon an no onger reasonaly all on noons of sex and sex role as organ aspes n aural ojes lke organsms and mles" (Haraway Smans 162 ene and enology ave so rearranged e oundary ondons r e reproduon of uman deny a e oe s no longer e ween e naural ody and e ulurally onsrued ody u eween fferen elds of odly (reonsruon earng dferen soal and ul ural mplaons Te sgnane of posmodern represenaons of re roduve enology wll dfer dependng on e sraegy deployed r enaurng e uman eng weer ey all no queson e oalzed oon of a uman eng (odyandsoul e narrave of a l n order o afrm oer mulple denes and posonales or susue r a oalzaon an nsrumenal us on ody agmens as segmens of rmaon suje o manpulaon Tree posmodern lerary exs sugges e mplaons of e oe f a parular denaurng sraegy Ron Cooks Mutaton (989) lzae olleys The Sua Mothe (988) and Angela Carers The asson of Ne e (1977) gure mages of e eogene feus e surrogae moer d e pregnan man wll move om apparenly ompl o ressan presenaons of reproduve enologyoug n ea novel ere re gaps a gure ressane enea omply or aommodaon e nd rqueso I wll dsuss ese novels n reverse ronologal e Bu ee do so w o p ou wo analy axes parall elng a n llun denang proess enral o er sode reprs n tn tin of rproductive nogy loug ese lxes op d i o1lo, thy c erread r ey mea
Susan M Squer 0
sure te extent of resistance or capitulation to te operatons of power On te rst axs theoretical postmodernsm ams at emanpaton om al master narratves troug a onstant proess of undermnng totazng statements wle ts opposte poe technological postmodernsm works towardever greater ontro of nrmaton troug a proess of ontnua mappng of aot systems Utopian postmodernsm on te seond axs rtques te ommodaton tat s afrmed by ts opposte poe coopted postmodernsm To summarze ten te rst axs measures te ex tent to w knowedge produton ams at emanpaton or ontro wle te seond axs gauges te extent to w matera and pota prates are rta of or ompt wt exstng nsttutonazed power reatons Robn Cooks Mutation stands at one end of te ontnuum between utural omplty and utura rtque Dedated to Mary Seley and takng r ts epgrap er queston How dare you sport tus wt lfe? Cook's mass market trler Mutation (99) tells te story of Dr Vtor Frank a researer turned endornoogst wo uses in itro rtzaton onng gene terapy and surrogay to produe a genetay engneered genus babys own son VJ Ten n a reaptuaton and onservatve reuperaton of Seey's radal narratve te monstrous son beomes a monstrous sentst wo reates a rae of genetalyengneered etogenet tuses n s seret basement aboratory In a entra sene te etogenet fetuses are dsovered n te monstersentst's laboratory byand ts s a rua twstte monster' mother
On a ong ben bult of rougewn lumber sat ur ftygaon gass tanks Insde ea one and enveloped n transparent membranes were ur fetuses ea peraps egt monts od wo were swmmng about n ter arta wombs Tey gestured smled and even yawned Marsa tmdy approaed one of te tank and peered n at a boyd om loser range Te d ooked bak at er as f e wanted er; e put a tny pam up aganst te gass Marsa reaed out wt er own and ad er and over te ds wt ust te tkness of te gass separatng tem But ten se drew er and bak revoted Ter eads! se red Marsa stared at te tny boyd wt s promnent brow and attened ead It was as f uman evoluton ad stepped bak ve undred tousand years How oud VJ deberately make own broter and ssterssu as tey wereretarded vean rato nale made er sudder (Cook
Reprodung te Postuman Body
Dr Frank as deberatey boengneered retarded fetuses n order to reed a rae of workers to ep m n s grand plan: te laboratory rea on, troug in vitro fertzaton of a superrae of nteetuay supe or uman bengs Ts mage of etogenet fetuses purports to repre ent a tenologa breaktroug tat treatens Western vlzaton Yet e rea subet s te produton of pota, rater tan tenoogal ower: te sene yokes te unsrupuous metods of Maavel to te urportedly more legtmate metods of Rousseauean ontratual de oray, and rensrbes te res tat onsodated te bera state roug te metapor onstruton of te autonomous vl subet In arsas enounter wt te etogenet fetuses we see dramatzed: te eparaton of fetus and moter (as Marsa and te fetuses are kept apart y te seetroug wals of te mane womb; te onstruton of te etus as a mnature ndvdual (possessed of ageny and ntentonalty; ble to wat, gesture, sme even yawn; te onstruton of te moter s margnalzed mane (spt nto Marsaasobserver and te gesta onal tanks; te appropraton of evolutonary tnkng to te ends of oal reonstruton (emboded n H G Welss latenneteententury he Island Dr Mreau and reaptulated ere n te Neandertal brows f te delberatey retarded fetuses; and naly te dstnton between mly tes and ontraua or publ relatons Ts last s gured wen \arsa, explty amed as a arng woman n ontrast to er son an nstrumenta, ratonal man wonders: How oud V deberately retard s own broters and ssters?" As Londa Sebnger as sown n er study of gender and early mod rn sene, sent trut s tsef varable: asymmetres n soa power ave gven great autorty to te voe of sene sene annot be onsdered neutral so ong as sys temat exlusons om ts enterprse generate systemat neget (or margnalzaton of ertan subet matters and problemats 66) et atoug Cooks trler dramatzes a sent deontextuazaton n s plot of etogenet fetuses, t does so not to aenge exstng atego es of wat s natural," but to rensrbe tem Aeptng te noton of eutral sene apabe of representng reaty obetvey, Cooks vson repodutve tenology oludes wt te asymmetral power rela s struturng tat sene We ob Cook aeps e n of a natural word tat see oumet obevey b oly e te teme of surrogay n e r oher t a he noin h r s a aral word exst ing b r o beyod rpsntlon, Th1 evecy le of ow a
Susan M Squer 1
young grl uss t ruse of eomng a surogate moter to gan ousng suor and nanal assstane from a storan left alone y s ostetr an wfe wo s on overseas study leav mmeses us n a postHesen egan world n w sent ts ae saped y te very epstmo ogal and represntatona proesses y w tey ar dsovered and repoted Jolleys nove damatzes atour and Woogars nluental anayss of snt knowledg produton as a system of terary nsrpton an outom of w s te oasona onvton of oters tat sometng s a t (atour and Woogar 1) Argung tat Sent atvty s not aout nature t s a ere gt to onstrut realty atour and Woolga onlude tat sen s not ojetve t s projetve Instanes of realty under onstruton proferate n Joleys novel Te ttular tem of sur ogay s te domnant examp of su a represntatonal onstruton of realty ut anote s te ody day kept y Edwn radale (at df feent moments as postmoden permane/odyartastxt or a pato loga txtuazaton of a fullown as of ypoondra: Te ooks wee te extnal te nterna and te ntangl Te ook of t skn (te xterna ad separate pages r dfferent plas on te ody He panned at some stage to ave a seres of maps ke ordnane suvey maps (n setons of te uman ody s ody wt speal metods of markng wrnkles a moles ruses dry pates and t rater mor unusual mses Every page ad ts own legend and sale and oped utmately to make an aurate ndx H often magned Celas pasur at revng te op s andsomey ound at some tme n te futue after e was dead (Joley 8) Edwns ooks of te ody are moe tan meely osessve nteletual zaton and sexual dsplaement toug ty are tat Edwns us of n spton to gan ontrol over te ody lnks te novels temes of t tue relgon and surrogay As Jolley portays t suogate moterng jons two epstemoog systmst relgous and te sentony to ollapse tem nto trd te dsursv Joeys on epresntaton of ontemporary su rogate moterng lnks t to t mdeva lef n te Vrgn Brt ea ase a t (wetr sent or regous s reveaed to e n naturaly gvn ut soaly onstruted Joey sugests tat we nvnt te myt of te Vrgn Mary and te new snt medated ol surogate moter n oder to o wt a s f tnaes and n govnaltes te ndetrnay t h hear f hcrhd (tt pt·
Rpodung t Postuman Body 13
nty s always nvsl matrnty vsle and te ungovrnal natu of fmal ds and proatv powr Altoug ot lgon and s n am t autorty to asrtan natural raty o nd so aly onstrutd appaans n atua pate ty manfst t sap ng powr of rpsntaton Dnatung s fundamnta to Joys stratgs aatr aton n The Sugar Mother T ntal oup n t novl a pofssonaly nvolvd n t poss of t aton and dploymnt Edwn as an s toran and Cla as a osttran/gynologst and nftty spalst t Jolys naratv ontnuay undrmns t ts ty manpulat profssonaly as w as te ts aout tmsvs and ots tat ty y on day Pysal apaan gndr dntaton sxua onta ton vn t podutv apats and os a a undut Not ony dos dwn osssvy art n s t ooks f t ody vy ysa ang nsd and out ut ot dwn and Ca wa wgs tos oasons dmandng ang" and attnd pats [tat onsstd oftn of popl wo wr not ng tmsvs" (Joy 4) Sx ual dntty poss prolms r ot arats amvant and fum ng dwn gnrazs om s own xpn wn wonds aout Cas wok on nftty ow many of tm would ft f ty dd t tng poprly" (Joly 14) And Cas status as t tful wf s omatd y r san ratonsp wt a oagu Vorwk wt wom s s tavlng w on study av Evn t dog Pn s ad to not ma ut ot fma and pgnant Al of ts slyy dautorzd ts pont to t nta t" tat t nov als nto quston tat t young g a s a suga o suo gat mot dwn and Cas ld dout aout t ds antag and t dsr r patrna tanty rsonat tougout t nov n ausons to t Vrgn Brt to t Josp and May matnty ng of t ospta w Ca woks and to t pnsv and gnt s of t Madonna" y Hans Mmng Dur and Van Eyk w as Edwn muss nv asd to l m wt ndsal ongngs" Joly 67)
Wn The Sugar Mother nds, La as ascondd, not mry wt t uogay paymnt but wt te baby toot son s ad arr tund or to Edwn as speced n r surogacy contract. Edwn as com o queston ot s patenty and la's Madonnalk quaty": k J peaps e was no the thr of ts d . H tougt woud wte sometn a b. A uua aabe an ntry nw " ( oe 193 ). Wn own n urn aale Joy em sz h d f1· conlr lhn co nneds h cal noton of
Susan M Squer 14
mmauate onepton to te ontemporary noton of surrogate moter ng Se tus as nto queston not just te mrauous snguarty of te Vrgn Brt ut aso te medasent dstnton etween a natura" and a surrogate moter Yet Joey does not rensre te rmer y rtqung te atter Rater se reveas tat a su oppostons are te produt of soa negotatons r ntentonaty s as entra to sur rogay as n anent tmes te dea of terng was to paternty (Laqueur Stratern Joey's umnates te masune anxety produed y te nvsty of paternty Angea Carter's The New Ee responds to tat same mae anxety y magnng a reonstruton of te mae tat gves m aess to woman's ooga and sooutura pos ton and powers Yet te resutng vson may e more dsturng tan Joey's nefetua Edwn or Cook's semng sentst Joey's drama un ro s on te purey persona eve (sftng ony y anaogy to a myt or regous regster we Carter expty uses te mage of mae trans sexua pregnany to onnet te prvate ream of persona sexua reatons to te pu ream of te era v state Wt ts epgrap gesturng to te soa ontrat (In te egnnng a te word was "Jon Loke Carter's nove traes a journey to te enter of te sexua ontrat exporng ow prvate sexua dfferene s mapped onto an Amera wose pu spae s undergong an apoaypt unraveng Te protagonst a Brts man named Eveyn s kdnaped and rougt to te desert enter of Amera y Mama, te Great Parrde Ca tratrx of te Paoentr nverse n order to e made nto a surg ay reated woman, te new Eve" As te pan s expaned to m Myt s more nstrutve tan story, Eveyn Moter proposes to reatvate te partenogeness aretype, usng a new rmua Se's gong to astrate you Eveyn and ten exavate wat we a te utfyng femae spae" nsde you and make you a perfet spe men of womanood Ten, as soon as you're ready se's gong to mpregnate you wt your own sperm w I oeted om you after you opuated wt er and took away to store n te deep eee (Carter 68 Te nove's emanpatory narratve aenges te dentty stores fund· menta to te onstruton of sex and gender n ontemporary Amer and eause of Amera's utura domnane to mu of te rest of he word Carter's tae of reprodutve (reonstrutn paraeed y t of sexua (reonstruton r Eveyn n qu r t womn f his dreamste m str Trste h s qus umlns wn ug· ay reted new Ee dsovr h new A: 'l•�H rppd nake
Reprodung te Postuman Body 5
and unamguousy mae Te seret sexua reversa tat hs een Trst essas feong aompsment umnates ow desre s mpated n sex ua dentty, makng t not natura ut onstruted: If a woman s ndeed eautf ony n so r as se narnates most ompetey te seret aspratons of man, no wonder Trstessa ad een ae to eome te most eautu woman n te word an un egotten woman wo made no onessons to umanty (Carter 2829 Seeys unegotten manFrankensten's monsters joned now y Carters unegotten woman, as Carters nove rounds ak on te era v state wose egnnngs Mary Seey pumed n er ngtmare v son, to gve us a ngtmare mage of ts apoaypt demse New Eve not ony reas , ut antpates on Cook's pup rewrte of t, n nkng te themes of snge reaton and surga rt" to ryogens fertzaton, and arta nsemnaton owever, Carters nove nsstenty deonstruts a te nary dstntons on w Cook's pot s ased: mae/mae; pu/ pvate; sene/mag; natura/utura Rater tan preang geater sent ontro over oneptve tenooges, Carter urges us to nterro gate te egnnng' weter we onstrut t oogay (as te moment of fertaton, te orgn of sexua derene or potay (as te mo ment of te soa ontrat owever we dene tat pont of orgn Car ers ove suggests, t s not naturay gven, ut ony Otava Buter's trogy remagnes postuman poy exua, nterspees reprodutonn a pot ased not on ent proedure (ke Cook or te exporaton of dentty onstru t on n soety (ke Joey and Carter, ut on a tredandtrue sene ton rmua: te aen Knsp and derene te aen and te ar: tese oppostons onern not just sene ton, ut antropo ogy as we In er study of te antropooga mpatons of te new produtve tenooges Maryn Stratern as expored ter roe n apng our dferent oneptons of dentty and reatonsp, naugurat g a noton of reproduton not as a gven natura proess ut as te out me of an denttyonstrutng and/or onrmng onsumer oe m among a varety of dentty parenta and knsp onguratons If e stora understandn of knsp as te soa onstruton of r ts" a een det e y h new noton of reproduton as e etween vrou r oe reprodutve tenoo K doe no eer l h In y is no nger oogay J1 (Sa hi n U y ee n eee
Susan M Squer 26
ologcally ased dentty n an atomzed consumer socety or t can e te decson to afrm culturally constructed dentty and knsp as part of socal relatons Ts dstncton ecomes clearer wen we consder Butlers oxymoronc alen Akn n Adulthood Rites As te name slyly suggests Akn emodes a new sort of ologcally produced and culturally remagned knsp genetcally engneered osprng of ve parents: two umans te lack woman lt yapo and an Asan man two male Oankal and one oolo te sexually neuter rm of te Oankal Amalgam of alen/kn Akns orgns resemle tose open to consumers of te new reproductve tecnologes now tat reproducton may e dvded among ve dfferent parents: two genetc parents wo contrute sperm and ova r in itro rtlza ton te rt moter wo accepts te transrred emryo gestates te fetus and gves rt and te socal parents wo rear te cld Henn 1) Akn's ologcally ased dentty construced rater tan naturally gven parodcally represents and crtques tat leral noton of autonomousdenttyasconsumpton Yet Akn also artculates te posslty of a more poltcally engaged aflatve nonnaturalzed constructed dentty Despte s greater genetc tes to te domnan Oankal e cooses to onor rst s socal tes to dentfy poltcally and emotonally wt te margnal resster umans" tat s tose uman engs wo resst te xenogenc plans of te new socety He terey conscously cooses to construct s dentty n socopoltcal rater tan ologcal terms Wat s oscured y tese mages of te ectogenetc tus te surrogate moter and te pregnant man? By ter promnence n contemporary lterary texts as n te representatonal tradton extendng ack to Mary Selleys Frankenstein tese tree mages margnalze oversadow or re press te pregnant female ody n all ts messy oundarydefyng suje tvty We can see te mplcatons of te margnalzaton or represson of te pregnant male ody f we return to Carters The Passion ofNew Ee wc gures te most dramatcally denatured of te tree contemporary reproductve mages te pregnant man Altoug ts plot mgt e sa to concern a man wo gets pregnant te novel ultmately represents pre nancy as occurrng n and lnked to te male ody nlke Jolleys su uran parale wt ts deant suverson of t ons of Madonna an Cld Carters rewrtng of te ornl nrr ve ulture t myt of te Garden of Eden rervs n cnra me t
Reproducng te Postuman Body 27
female ody of Eve our rst moter tus mantanng te connecton e tween pregnancy and te female ody Carter does not represent tat lnk as unquestoned and natural ow ever; se renscres t Her protagonst Evelyn only ecomes pregnant after e/se as een surgically reconstructed as a woman. Carter uses te creaton of a new Eve" to gloss te creaton f te old Eve Gven Carters deconstructon of all seemngly natural categores we mgt well ask wy se mantans te category of pregnant woman Ts renscrpton of te connecton etween te female ody and pregnancy s ntegral to Carters crtque of te narratve of Western poltcal/cultural/socosexual ar rangements As Judt Butler as oserved te suect s consttuted y te law as te ctve undaton of ts clam to legtmacy" Butler 3 Carter uses te representaton of reproductve tecnology to callenge a parallel process of sujectconsttutonasnsttutonallegtmaton By retellng te story of Eve se llumnates ow te female suect as een constructed to autorze and legtmze te ourgeos cvl state wt womans capacty or vulneralty to pregnancy servng as te unda ton r ts socopoltcal structures The Passion of New Ee remnds us tat te male suect as at least snce te late egteent century een constructed n and troug reproducton as poltcally legtmatng ste of deep suectvty as oect of medcal scentc knowledge and power as macne as montored ndustral producer as coopted passve con sumer Reproducton s reamed as a constructed and denttyconrmng set of coces not only n Carters New Ee and Butlers Adulthood Rites ut also n te secton on Transsexualsm and Adomnal Pregnancy" pre pared as part of te dscusson paper Deelopments in the Health Field with Bioethical Implications, y te Australan Natonal Boetcs Con sultatve Commttee (1989) Wllam A W Walters mplctly accepts te noton tat dentty can e tecnologcally constructed wen e argues tat many reassgned transsexuals would feel t was an ntegral part of ter mnnty tat tey sould ear a cld and r suc people a domnal pregnancy ofers te posslty tat ter wses could e ful lled nkng natural" and constructed sexualtes Walterss argument epresents as a contnuum te coces consttutng ones reproductve dentty as well as specc edcal tecnques makng suc coces pos
[ If an adonal W' n a ologcal fe l m l b cc n n ologcal
Susan M. Sque mae wo as een eassgned as a femae . . It s envsaged tat te emyo oud e paed n a poket of petoneum n te omentum wee t oud e etaned n poston y sutung a ap of peto neum ove t (Wates C1 C20 Wates goes on to speuate tat mae adomna pegnany oud e jus ted on te gounds of a gt to epodutve autonomy tat ke te eteosexua mae and mae te tanssexua mae soud e ae to make an autonmous oe to engage n denttyafmng epodutve eavo Yet to Watess asseton tat epodutve oe funtons to afm an ndvdua dentty Reea Auy ountes tat epoduton s a matte te oetvty He dffeent pespetve suggests ow te postuman an seve to endose not autonomous ndvduaty ut espon se oetvty Auy aknowedges te onstuted aate of te tanssexua ody wtout aeptng ts entaty to te (eonstuton of te ndvdua dentty: te ody of te tanssexua s tsef a tenooga att w as een totay tansmed y a vaety of soa and tena pates angng om majo sugey toug te use of omones to makeup and dess. Seous questons need to e ased aout te aeptaty of nudng pegnany as an nse of mnne dentty on te mey mae ody (Auy 7) Auy tques Watess unnteogated nkage etween te mae ody and mnne dentty agung nstead tat sne gende dentty s a soa pate dentty s not a matte of ndvdua odes o nd vdua ntentons ut ate of soa odes soa ntentons soa on stutons (Auy C4 Sne ndvduas nse a (soa gende on te (natua odes te queston of eonstutng dentty soud aso e deded n te soa ate tan pesona aena It may e tat te ony posse appoa to te potenta demand adomna pegnany s to us n ot on te deses of ndvduas ut on te soa and pota questons posed y esoue ao aton and te eta questons posed y te appea to a tenoogca impeative. (Abuy C4 , C-8)
Postumanty s not ony oppessve (toug t an e tat ut an aso afm nkages: to ote psyes ote pee (anma and vege tae and ote agenes fom te tenoa t the tpe and n tapsy Pysoogst J B S adan wh cnptuliz te e
Repodung te Postuman Body togenet uteus n Daedalus or Science and the Future wote a sene ton nove ate n s fe tat mapped ts amatve m of te post uman Te potagonst of Hadanes The Man ith o Memories tan sends ndvdua dentty ontanng wtn m te fe expeenes and memoes of sevea peope Donna Haaway as mapped anote aspet of te postuman n e osevaton I ave aways pefeed te pos pet of pegnany wt te emyo of anote spees" (Haaway Primate 377) Contempoay epodutve wtng too an atuate not ony te oppessve postuman ut ason ts esstant dsouseste new m ages and ontexts tat w sape tese moe podutve and peasuae modes epodung te postuman ody
Ntes y thaks to Ia Livisto E. Kapla ad ee Coope oets o a ealie vesio o this essay ad to patiipats i "The Postode Body Heath Nusi ad Naative oeee LaTobe Uivesity eboue us talia Jue 1992, povidi the oasio its opositio 1 . The subjet o iue 62 is Stad Uivesity poesso D Cal Djeassi oe o the ivetos o the bith otol pill ad ude o Sytex Laboa toies s N Katheie ayles aalyzes it deatui has opeated i the postod e peiod st o lauae to eveal that "siiatio is a ostutio athe tha a atual eet o speaki ad witi the o otext with the esult that "otexts ae ieasily see as ostutios athe tha as ives ad ally o tie whih is peeived o loe as a otiuu but athe as a set o disete ad itehaeable peset oets The ul tiate olusio o this deatui poess will be the deatui o the hua ayles pedits with eithe libeati o epessive esults Develop ets i both eeti eieei ad epodutive teholoy suest that suh a deatued hua bei is ot i the utue (ayles 266-82) . 3 " its teoretal uises ultual postodeis hapios the disuptio o lobalized s ad atioalized stutues. I its tenologal uises it otiues to eet etwoks o ieasi sope ad powe (ayles 29) Both tes o the seod axis eat "a oveet o ultue ad texts be yod oppessive biay ateoies But utopia postodeis itiques while oopted postodes is opliit with "the ew stae o utia toal ultoot ou aptalis ad . the ew teholo ies this sta has spw hh] td a ew udiesioal ui vs (Kpl 4 y th to Lgs ouato)
Susan M. Squer 13
Walters Willia W Trasseualis ad bdoial Preay Deel ments in the Helth Field with Biethicl Imlictins Vol (pril 99 [us tralia Natioal Bioethis Cosultative Coittee C1-C76 Wells H. G The Islnd f Dr Mreu. New York: Siet Classi 1988 Werskey Gary The Visible llege A llectie Bigrh f British Scientists nd Scilists f the 1930s. Lodo: ree ssoiatio Books 1988 Woll Lisa The Effet of eiist Oppositio to Reprodutive Teholoy: Case Study i Vitoria ustralia Rerductie nd Genetic Engineering Vol , o 1 1-8 Yoe Edward The Gene Business h Shuld ntrl Bitechnlg Lodo ree ssoiaio Books 1986
PART III: QUEERING
S E V E N
The Seductive Poer of Science in the Maing of Deviant Subjectivity Jennifer Terry
s pat of a attempt to stuate te AIDS epdemc storcay ad cu ay muc of my work s devoted to makg sese of te dscursve socato etwee omosexuaty ad patoogy over te past oe u d years or so I am cocered wt wat te couece of tese two somosexuaty ad patoogymeas r te costucto of er sujectvtes partcuary te Uted States ow at te ed of a tuy ad a meum y metod s to exame ctcay medca d scetc pojects desged to ga epstemoogca ad soca cotro omosexuaty I do ot presume tat oe ca do ts eectvey y csg o scetc pactces ad dscourses aoe Istead my metod ead setc practces as ot emedded ad expessve of cu y ad storay specc codtos I sot I presume scece to tuated aways amogst competg meags ad expaatos ad to e a doma ee om potca ecoomc ad cutua poc s Fo ay eaders I am sue uderstadg scece cuture ad / ture s a st pemse o a gve of ay teget aayss of c c kowedge Lkewse te oto tat scece s ot emedded osttutve of dyamcs of soca powe s y ow eyod questo (o especay om te perspetves of may scetsts temseves dmostratg tese po ee portat ow at a tme we te of ratoaty oetvy d etc autorty cotue p ters y wc w mgn ouee our odes ad te " r n t we oupy I wu k o o sm f ng otporry rea p o n n gy m1 o ll wg y y g te
T Sutv Powr of Sn 137
g mo r sovrng Trut Wat ts spns av n ommon s tat ty gnray v (1) n t mportan of tstng ypotss oug ar tnqus of ata gatrng xprmntaton an o rvaton (2) tat trut s mpray masura an an rprou n an xprmnta sttng; (3) tat t sntst an mantan mpartaty n nutraty y owng rtan pours; an (4) tat wat sn sts n n tr aorators or troug tr qustonnars or troug r na osrvatons as som utty to umankn Prattonrs of sn am to ojtv, marta, nutra, an rtuous aus ty av p us to know mor aout t wor S n as n ra as a prmary mto r sovng soa proms k rm, povrty, an sas Howvr now n t t twntt n ury, aftr rvatons aout Naz mn, aftr t nvnton of t nu ar om an grm warr an aftr t ooga orrors wrougt y tnooga vopmnt, many of us av vop a vry skpta w of t otrn of ratonaty an ts prattonrs onay, oxstng aongs ts gnra utura skptsm aout n an out aout ts aty to sovr" t trut, s a prsstnt t n t sn, f not n sntsts n an of tsf, snt know g ontnus to sn as vrtuous On top of ts rsar rojts on gran sak t Human Gnom Projt, Star Wars, t Stratg omputng ntatv, an anr rsarar just n trms of tr ssnta mportan to t vtaty an surty of uman ngs So at n of t twntt ntury, t utop an ystop mags of s n xst onurrnty n a urous way t s wort notng tat skptsm towar sntsts an otors among om groups of popnamy womn, pop of oor, poor pops rsut of a ong story of aus an ngt But wr ar sans n gay mn stuat n raton to ts ontratory stat of orror an op aout sn? W av partuary ompat stors w ust rougt to ar on ts quston Lsans an gay mn an tank ntsts an otors r namng tm as patooga gnnng n t attr af of t nntnt ntury An r mu of ts ntury w av n rgar as anomas to xpan, f not patnts to at As a rsut many ar py amvant aout t tors an ppatons of sn to qustons aout sxuaty W, as vant sujts av a to aount r oursvs as anomas ar omp o ask rtan quesons o he se on t gnr uston of Wo Am In on w ask How om to ts ay?" How an wy renH s tr somtng wrong wt me?" s tr hing y grnl t wou xan my omo xuaty s r omehs dlf1r1nt ibu my m angr
The Seductive Power of Science 3
tally and phantasmatically to "nd the sources and traces of perver �n For it was both on the surces of perverse bodies and in their dark teriors that homosexual desire was presumed to originate and proli ate Fully implicated in perverse desire and behavior, homosexual bod i this history were gured not merely in terms of benig dierence, t as dyshygieic posed in opposition to the whole and wholesome or ic body of the "human (read: white, heterosexual gentleman). The atasmatic homosexual body, agmented concurretly through mea ig devices and homophobic precepts, became a text of telltale signs ich themselves unctioned a indices of moral character For the homo>ual subjects themselves, the body was both constrained by this moral est of science to nd perversion on the body, and always excessive to y such quest Historically deviat subjectivity is proudly boud up th contests about the roles, nctions, possibilities, and vioations per med by queer bodies Toward the end of the nineteenth century, physicians laboed to estab the visible stigmata of homosexual degeneracy. In this way, the clii study of perverts was linked with a larger scientic interest in ass i fyg huma cultural diversity i biological terms Bodies had become ritories r siting all kinds of dierences inside and outside of Euope 1d te United States (FaustoSterlig rthcoming; Gilman 1985; Gould 198; Green 1984; Marshall 1990; Proctor 1988; Russett 1989; Sekula 1986; cking 1976, 1987). Homosexuals were one of a number of " internal oth within the Westalongside criminals, prostitutes, and the feeble dedwhose bodies were believed to carry the germs of rui In nine nthcentury Europe and America, the belief that moral character and ychical features were fundamentally tied to biology came to the re th a vengeance at a moment of heated debate over who would enjoy the vileges of legal and economic eanchisement in a newly recogured blic sphere In the United States, anxieties about the abolition of slav y in 186 and the rise of feminist agitatio r the vote ueled scientic earch aimed at demonstratig that social iequality was merely a mat of biology and nature It was around this moment when the sodomite costructed as a threat to public hygiene and the mannish woma was racterized as a threat to the private realm of the milynothing short of a woman on strike against marriage ad motherhood Sciece and cine were installed as keeprs of the public trust, and a sciation w i l things modern mad h da f eeical engieerig of a popu luin's genetic stock complng r1 h poitca spectrum trestingly the early nia sudy f p c vc r s ad inverts engendered the rtat tradtn Mngm Hld o u e end of the nie t ntury begn ll hi own h1tol'e Inivial who o ·
Jennife Tey 140
unteeed to give accounts of thei own homosexuality (Hischfeld 1914, 1975; Nunbeg and Feden 1962). Hischfelds Institute the Study of Sexual Science in Belin used the idea as well as the textual conventions of the case histoy to document that those with contay sexual eling wee benign natual anomalies alicted not by biological defects but by the social hostility that suounded them It is inteesting to note that the methods Hischfeld used gatheing this inmation esembled the taditional medical case histoy model including a physical examination of homosexuals The secets of the self that Foucault descibed as cental to the moden clinical confession of psychoanalysis wee conveyed in the hopes that they would bing homosexual subjects a geate sense of self knowledge (1978, 1980) At the same time homosexuality would be e vealed as benign dieence athe than deviance and pathology In this ealy instance of what we might call (at the isk of being pesentist) gaypositive science Hischfeld and those who ofeed up thei stoies be lieved that scientic knowledge would bing social toleance, legal potec tion, and even pesonal libeation. Science was viewed as a poweful means gaining visibility and eadicating pejudice. Following the nineteenth-century clinical case history model, homo sexuality in the rst half of the twentieth century came to be the object of an array of behavioral surveys undertaken by biologi sts sociologist s and anthropologists often work ing in conjunction with psychiatric phy- sicians This kind of research did not wholly supplant the clinical case model because as we know, homosexuality continued to be seen as medical malady throughout most of this century. But this behavioral research used statistical methods to quantify the incidence and nature o homosexuality as part of a larger interest in constituti ng norms within the general population. These studies were tied to other normalization e rts linked to military recruitment in the First and Second World Was to public health campaigns related to venereal d isease and eugenics, an to maital adjustment suveys aimed at policing the institutions of a iage and mily (Davis 1929; Dickinson and Beam 1934; Kinsey 1948 19 Landis et al. 1940; Heny 1934; Heny and Galbaith 1934; Heny and Gos 1941; Stecke 1946; Stecke and Appel 1945; Teman 1938) A scientic ze to measure everything om intelligence to vocational abiliti es to rates sexual pleasure characterized the social engineering of the rst half this century. Anxieties engendered by economic depressions waves of i•
migration into the United States by Southern and Eastern Europeans, n ' internal migration of Arican Americans t norhen cities fuele t scientic r ationale to solve social plem throu cniques of qun· tication ne study of homosexlity rm thl1 pid com b l nd te cln
The Seductive Powe of Science 141
:ase histoy method with scientic methods i n a vey inteesting shon It was conducted in the late 1930s in New Yok City unde the auspices of the Committee the Study of Sex Vaiants a goup made up of twenty iological and social scientists and doctos om vaious specialty aeas Heny 1941) The subjects of the study included ty lesbians and ty homosexual men who volunteeed to be inteviewed and to be examined hysically in geat detail by all kinds of dieent doctos including sueons and gynecologists One of the most inteesting cets of the study my puposes is that it was lagely made possible by the voluntee wok of a lesbian named Miss an Gay who was a eelance jounalist and novelist and pat of the eenwich Village lesbian scene in the 1920s and 1930s Duing the 1920s ay taveled to Euope looking inmation about homosexuality In ddition to the many libaies she consulted an Gay visited Magnus ischfelds Institute and gatheed inmation about how to conduct a uvey about sexuality including what kinds of questions to ask She put e new knowledge to wok inteviewing some 300 lesbians in Pais Lon on Belin, and New Yok This sample suvey which was based on a uestionnaie she adapted om Hischld med the methodological asis the study conducted by the Sex Vaiant Committee duing the 930s The inteview questionnaie asked a seies of questions about the bject's mily backgound and ancestos childhood expeiences he dult expeiences sexual desies, and opinions about societys attitude to ad homosexuality In addition the potocol eseach included vaius physical examinations designed to detemine any physical atues hich distinguished homosexuals om the geneal population" How could the subjects have said yes to science in this way? It is impos ble to detemine with cetainty what specically motivated each of the ighty subjects to be inteviewed and examined by doctos But I do know at they wee not coeced at least not in any simple way They eceived 0 money no did they get any special vos in etun thei paticipaion This put them in a dieent position om involuntay subjects of the scientic studies example mental patients pisones paolees otential amy ecuits soldies, and em school inmateswho wee ced, moe o less to comply with the demands of pobing expets What ewad was ofeed the sex vaiant subjects if not money o spel vos and pivileges? Why did they talk to psychiatists and allow ctos to obe and esue he Thee ae seveal possible exlanans Caly an Gy ws cci in ettng the eighty subjects this dy because se was pt f hmsxual suculure in New Yok at the Mny of hs subjc w q1nncs nd friends of an Gay l s vor to h, grd l k 1,aL I n h tdy. yond that sile
Te Sedutve Powe of Sene 143
omosexualty was natual and wdespead n te populaton Tey used ase stoes of omosexual mental patents to ague tat lesansm and ale omosexualty wee ndeed mod patologal ondtons ( Begle 958 959 Begle and Koge 954) Symptoms nluded mmatuty de epton and even teason makng te omosexual ust as dangeous to e natons seuty as te teaeous ommunst Deeply omopo syatsts lke Edmund Begle wee moe tan wllng to onede tat omosexualty was not a ologally ased ondton ut a dseased lfe tyle tat sould e suet to psyoteapy n s ook Homosexuality isease or Way oLie Begle agued tat omosexuals wee a small psy ot goup of people and tat t was only eause omosexualty ad een glamozed tat tese maladusted and selfndulgent people gav ted towa t (956) Begle along wt Fank Capo and saa Bee oued wat we mgt all te xenopo Cold Wa texts attakng omosexualty as a psyologal ondton tat teatened te seuty te mly and te naton A ost f teatments and soalled aveson eapes wee devsed to teat te teaeous malady (Capo 955; Lon on and Capo 950; Bee 965 Soades 968) Even wle tey agued at te ody and ology a notng to do wt omosexualty tese en attempted to sngle out te omosexual as a patologal type of eson and tus to allay soal anxetes unleased y Knseys ndngs wdespead omosexual pate But t was aganst ts ostle and eulatve psyoanalyss tat Aled Knsey was ale to appea as a ae l unased and metodologally sound sentst among tose n te ly omople oganzatons n te eyes Knsey stood out as te eo and of ouse te ultmate ttelle ased on te elef tat statsts ddnt le and tat te umented equeny of omosexual eavo n te populaton meant hat t was ot natual and nomal n te emegent omople dsouse te late 940s one an ea te appeal of soal sent tenques tatstal analyss w endeed a oade andn te mnds of nya moe auate ptue of omosexualty Ts was aompane plt opposton to patentased psyoanalyt o medal studes ople atvsts n te Mattane Soety and Daugtes of Blts B) agued tat one tng te mous psyat stues of Be nd otes dew te onlusons aout omosexualty om mental nts o people wo wee n soe ote way maladuste to soety le atvsts agued tat sentsts sould stud omosexuals wo t patents and wo w dj used n evey ote way Of ouse rrid w t a v l o f n m ln and a dependeny 1po see tcun k r e toeane of oxlty.
t Jennfer Terry 144
Te omope emrae of soa sene promoted two man ponts Frst t sougt to argue tat omosexuas were not y denton sk In t t stressed tat omosexuas were average peope just ke everyone ese. Ovousy ts empass anked on soa onrmty and resuted n te omogenzaton of dferenes among omosexuas nto a mode of te perfet adjusted omosexua Seondy te omope nterest n sentay generated statsta surveys was reated to argung tat omosexuas represented a mnorty ut a sustanta one worty of some reognton r ts soa and utura ontrutons. Sent sur veys eame a strategy r vsty In t te Daugters of Bts stated one of ts undatona prnpes to e te gaterng and dssemnaton of autortatve and reae nrmaton aout esans For ts tey sougt te expertse of sympatet psyatrsts and soa sentsts Graduay y aout 963 t s posse to trae te emergene of a sp etween varous apters of te Mattane Soety and DOB over te queston of ow mportant t was to ave sent studes onduted aout omosexuaty t s nterestng to note tat no one was partuary n vor of ooga or meda resear on omosexuaty at ts mo mnt Ts onsensus ts wt tat of te genera pu at te tme we te orrors of az medne made eadne news and te woe de of ooga expanatons r soa nequaty were omng n r ars rtsm Frank Kameny a gay man and an astropysst wo ug aganst te omosexua purges om te S goernment durng te 195s argued n te pages of te DOB puaton The Ladder tat spendng s mu tme and energy on sent and psyooga resear was waste of tme r omosexuas (965 Kameny argued tat most of exs· ng sent studes aked rgor and reed on an unsuppoted asserto tat omosexuas were sk or detve. To ounter ts asserton e ssted on a mtant poston tat refused te noton tat esans and men were sk and argued tat t was tme to gt r omosexua r and r omosexuas to speak r temseves rater tan takng te mee poston of opng tat dotors and sentsts woud nd omosexu norma enoug Te ony sent studes Kameny ondoned were os tat eped esans and omosexua men to understand ter ow wo and ves etter not tose w were meant to persuade te genera p or oter experts tat omosexuas soud e toerated Forene • rad ar of te DOB resear ommttee ountered Kamenys edt argung tat esans and omosexua men needed to ave ter expe enes transated y sentsts so tat oter sentsts and te ayp woud sten wt nterest and e ersuded n y was oky Fo onrad mtant aon woud y Igo nd m anz omosexs nsd se commn u cou s of oop i o '
Te Sedutve Power of Sene 45
onrad ad a great dea of t partuary n te vrtues and poss tes of soa sent nvestgatons (965 Ten n 92, De Martn and Pys yon pused Lesbian/Woman tey desre as a subjective aount of esansm (92 n ter ntroduton tey expty set out to reuperate te experenes of es ans om te dstortons of most meda and sent aounts Mar n and Lyon amed to ave produed neter a true onfesson nor a ent ook ut one tat was wrtten om sujetve experene Tey frmed te ook as partsan not ony rejetng te dea of ojetvty nd sent neutraty ut aso makng te argument tat esans must peak n ter own terms not troug tose set out n te experts ame works But one of te tngs tat s most nterestng to me aout Les ian/Woman a undatona text of esanfemnsm s ow mu t n any respets resemes prevous soa sent surveys and eary psy at ase stores produed as a resut of vountary esan partpa One an dentfy a smarty n te dsursve struture on m studes f te sujets sefdesrptons reported n Lesbian/Woman and tose of e eary psyatr ntervews w were part of te Sex Varant study rom te 930s Agan we nd te artuaton of questons of te sef Wat am ?" ow dd I ome to e ts way?" ow and wy am df rent? s tere sometng wrong wt me?" ene esanfemnst ds urs� too on some of te same questons rased earer y meda and ent dsourses tat onated omosexuaty wt patoogy Ts me owever tese questons provded te means r expty generat g a ounterdsourse w repaed sent autorty wt a new utent tng aed persona experene" n order to am tat omo ex a ty was eaty Any patoogy surroundng t was aused y soa reude and omopo and sexst ostty
Whithe the Hsexua By?
at was appenng to te sent sear r omosexuaty n te dy durng ts tme? Earer studes om te 930s amed at determn g dstnt somat atures of omosexuas r te most part ed to rdue any su evdene Most of tem used on te overa pysa uture of odes measurng skeeta atures pev anges and tngs kc muse densty and ar dstruton Tey ypoteszed tat omo uas woud sow pysa ratersts of te opposte sex ut none rvde onusv vdc o s utermore endornooga es om te rs pr o cuy d on rude metods and y uuccu i mp k oosexuaty wt ormon u u y o ms t o est e
T Sdutv Powr of Sn ompans and mpoyrs wo woud k to a to dny ovrag to tos wo av prxstng ( gnt dspostons to dsass kws pop k Frdrk Goodwn ad of t atona Insttuts f Mnta Hat ar ntrstd n oatng t gnt and nurom a ass r von and propos t srnng of nnrty drn o smd to norrg" to s f tr ods ous t v sd nt xpanatons r soa nquats ar xtrmy attratv n a tm wn t wr stat s n dn and t rutaty of povrty d ss t f xptany of an ntr gnraton of drn of oor vng n our ts T promss of gnts ar grandos ot ony w t wor rd f dsas ut knowdg of gnts w p us to maxmz ooga sours at a momnt of far ovr goa agrutura sarty For Amr ans gnt rsar promss to do vn mor tan rtfy our uman n natura rsours t promss to sav our onomy n t of r oa omptton a ampagn add up y Dan Quay Botnoogy to t 1990s wat nuar wapons dvopmnt was to t 196ost utatv guarantor of Amras onom and pota nun ovr t stny of t pant vr mnd tat mtanatona orporatons ang otnoogy and gnt rsar w sng our gns ak to us ty soat and patnt ky agmnts mnton t maga sgn of t gn and ts pota onomy us ovr t past svra yars two snt tams av rportd a g t" ass r omosxuaty In at 199 psyoogst Ma Bay psyatrst Rard Pard rportd tat among t dnta twns y stu aout af dntd tmsvs as tr gay or sxua A ar gur of aout twntytwo prnt of gntay ratd rotrs y studd wr ot gay or sxua and an vn smar numr of out vn prnt of tos wo wr rasd as rotrs troug aop an tus wo wr not ratd gntay dntd tmsvs as r gay or sxua Evn wt ts magr nngs t ans c out Sntsts Fnd Tat Homosxuaty s Gnt" Bay and ards rsar was u of mtodooga proms too numrous to unt r But t most troung was tat ty gav no xpanaton as ow ty wr usng or masurng t trm sexual oentaton T tgors of omosxua trosxua and sxua wr takn on as t sujts dnd tmsvs as f w (or ty a agr on t nngs of ts trs Futmo t study was not as upon ran sapg tnqus ut recruitd ts sujts troug gay ws s tus ftvy wd n g en w gg n omosxu t t t u do n 1·cud guy mugzins r wud oat nswr h 1rh rqr t oop
Jennfer Terry 50
eratn f te gay sujets rters t als weeded tse men w were nt ut f te lset t ter fmles r w ame m m mles wt rters w wuld never agree t e art f su a study Usng te same rlemat metds te later study f female dental twns rdued vrtually te same statstal ndngs (Baley Pllard et al 993). But even wt tese rlems f metd and njeture t studes were tuted as evdene r a genet ass r msexualty eause te nrdane rate r sexual rentatn was ger n dental twns r tse w sared te same genet materal Ea ar f dental twns was reared tgeter and yet n metd was used r determnng te nuene f sal envrnment and mlal relatns n sexual rentatn T add t te metdlgal weaknesses f te study a gd alf f te dental twns dd not sw nrdane r sexual rentatn It s nterestng t nte tat neter f te researers nvlved n te salled gay twns studes were genetsts r mleular lgsts n ste f te meda reresentatns f tem Te twnstudes researers tk neter tssue nr ld samles f sujets t analyze te DNA r genet materal Instead t was n te ass f sujets' selfdentatn tat te researers determned tat msexualty was genet ut n n mre tan fty erent f te ases Te atual rertes f te artants' DNA dd nt even enter nt te dsussn Neverteless te mag al sgn f te gene was nvked t make sense f ts resear and t reresent te researer as an engaged sentst Indeed n te meda ltz surrundng ts resear syatrst Rard Pllard was atured n Newsweek ldng te magal jet f s study a mleular mdel mmkng te tradtnal ngray f great men f sene m Cernus t Watsn and Crk n ste f te t tat s study was nly genet" n te rudest sense f te wrd (Grman 1991) Peras t wuld ave een mre aurate r m t e ldng a y f a gay newsaer m w s sujets were reruted Wat else as gne n n sene and ulture n te last twenty yeas makng ts new resear n sexual rentatn ssle In 197 wen Anne Kedt made er massned statement denunng lgy as des tny n ne ad ever eard f AIDS Sne ten te AIDS edem as rundly and devastatngly transrmed te nature f lesan and gay lfe n te Unted States Our relatns wt ne anter ur under standngs f urselves ur sense f sexual ssltes and ur deas aut ltal mlzatn ave undern massv nsrmans te e f ts deadly vrus and te s d h temt tat ave amaned t r b u up i dl d urse and rts n n b l i m o ur w rn nd
Te Sedutve Pwer f Sene 5
.. ihd illd ih he feih f he lele deadly ndtns And tese new ndtns rdue new ways f mag nng te dy n relatn t sujetvty It s nt surrsng tat te rvleged dman f te dy were ur nnermst serets and sexual assns are tugt t resde s eng magned as a sure f meanngs n te e f ts sal atrty Tese days even as tey are teretally and materally dsntegratng we magne ur des as a nt f rgn r exlrng ntemrary and very ressng questns f te self Neu rsentst Smn LeVays wn stry f wat melled m t undertake resear n sexual rentatn s a tale f grevng f tryng t make sense f mself as a gay man n te e f dee deressn aut te lss f s lver t AIDS By s wn aunt LeVays sft n us m wrk n te neuranatmy f vsn t te neuranatmy f sex and sexual rentatn was a rual art f s revery ress (LeVay 1993; Dle 993).
And tere s a mre alale materal relatns etween te e em and mu f ts new resear Indeed ADS rvded LeVay wt e very ran tssue e used t ndut s resear n te ytalamus 99 t was en wh dd AS w nsttuted te verwelmng ajrty f h s s je pp u on as h autsed ran tssue h us pu e h sinn bwn h gres f msexual n hsxu un which hi f b. Wh was te ass L V y u iig whih lo homosa 1
Jennr erry 52
to eterosexual men? A sngle lne n te sujets medal arts statng s mode of HIV transmsson eame te grounds r lassfyng a man as eter gay or not ose ose arts ndated te mode of transmsson as maletomale" sexual ontat ere dened as gay and tose t oter modes of transmsson (IV drug use lood transusons et ere y deult reumed to e eterosexual Of urse tese oter ases mgt just as ell ave een men o oasonally engaged n omosexual sex ut o reorted a derent mode of transmsson r atever reasons In oter ords te journey of te uman mmuno deeny vrus as reled uon to aount r te omlexty of tese mens sexual sujetvtes n a masterul nstane of sent redutv sm Were t not r te early deats of gay men troug HIV nfeton togeter t te ensung edemologal rotool of doumentng modes of transmsson n ones medal art LeVays study ould not ave een onduted My man ont ere s tat AIDS rovded te atual odes r te yotalamus study and t rovded a ay to lassfy tose odes It also rovded te metus r Smon LeVay to reover rom s deres son troug te ealng oer of neurosent resear durng at George Bus (te resdent o rougt us Dan Quayle ofally ro lamed te Deade of te Bran AIDS also made ossle te nomous romosomal study reorted n July of 99 (Hamer et al 199 ) Researers at te Natonal Caner In sttute (NCI reorted te dsovery of DNA markers lnkng male omo sexualty t a regon on te X romosome te romosome oys get fom ter moters ( romtng te etous tsrt I sa at te gay ea n Provneton last summer Love you Mom anks r te genes nlke te tns studes ts one atually dd nvolve lood samles ut agan reled manly on te selfreortng of gay volunteers o reounted a greater numer of lesans and gay men on ter moters sde of te mly tan ter ters Altoug t as no dout olored y te t tat n general n Ameran ulture many of us kno mu more aout our moters mly tan our ters ts selfreortng led researers to look r te marker of omosexualty on tat gft om mom te X romosome s study lke te oters ere t as not ased on ran dom samlng so tere s no ay of knong o often ts marker exsts among men o rate omosexualty often or seldom ut ould never dentfy as gay But te relatons of ts study to te AIDS edem s orty of note e money used to fund ts resear ad een earmarke r NCI resear on Kaoss Saroma (KS n yoma to of t HIVrelated oortunst ondtons tt pp or often n en r gardless of ter sexual orentton tn I wom. lly te N tonal ner ntute orgny w n d fnd ou w r tr r
e Sedutve Poer of Sen 153
r n LeVy rn
Jennr Terry 154
genet tors nvolved n te suseptlty to tese aners y undng a study on te genet markers r omosexualty te NCI essentaly pre sumed tere was a ologal relatonsp etween KS ympoma and male omosexualtyrater tan ondtons suffered more often y HIV nfeted men of any sexual orentaton tan women In ts move te NCI researers reteratedperaps nadvertentlyte dea tat AIDS s a gay dsease tat afets partular types of people wo are genetaly predsposed to t As storan of medne Evelynn Hammonds as noted researers at te NCI and te Human Genome Projet ave money to study genet predspostons now tey are lookng r prolems to solve (993 KS and omosexualty are just two of tose prolems' Tere s yet anoter way tat AIDS gures nto ts new ultura and sent ontext and t as to do wt te nature of te urrent omo po aklas aganst gays and lesans Rgtwng Crstan funda mentalsts ave delared tat omosexualty s to te 990s wat aorton was to te 980s te enemy n a attle of moral leansng to determne te future of te world Reenty I attended a leture at Oo State Un versty sponsored y te Fellowsp of Crstan Students enttled Gay Agony: Can Homosexuals Be Healed? Te guest speaker es om an appearane on Pat Roertson's 00 Clu' egan s leture y sayng tat te ompulsve dsorder of omosexualty as rougt AIDS nto te world But t sn't too late to ange to reover om ts ompulson to turn to oters r fellowsp and gudane and to overome ts deeply rooted sexual addton Trougout te entre leture omosexualty and AIDS were vrtually synonymous* Te presene of su a leture lustrates a rual pont AIDS provdes a ratonale r ot ts knd of omopoa and a gay rgts opposton to t Indeed te good Crstan prolamed tat ontrary to at te leraldomnated meda says tere s no sound glandular [sic] or genet evdene of te mmutalty of omosexualty Beseengly e repeated you an ange you an ange It s n te e of ts ostle omopoa, dressed up lke Crs tan ompasson, tat LeVays and Hamer's NCI resear are eng pro posed as tools of poltal opposton But te mtatons of te gay rgts trougology dense are strkng Bology makes us at ts way We ant e ured We an't sedue your ldren. Talk aout surplus power lessness (Mnkowtz 993 In addton to a deade of governmental neglet and ndfferene aout AIDS we are now ed wt a growng grass roots akla of sgnant proportons aganst lesans and gay men Te pul sys of omopo a rng rewards tese days om Pt Bun self-Rsc omopo "Lcsbin were nowhe mentned u nH ntn f hxuly
p�. I ChrlNn Ptl• U' m •• 1· y, 1 1 d dc,
Te Sedutve Power of Sene 55
at te 992 Repulan Conventon, to te lly sntoned rutaty toward gay men and lesans n te mltary to te staggerng rse of o mopo asngs n ty streets, to te suspenson of ld ustody r lesan moters around te ountry, to te loal ampagns aganst es an and gay antdsrmnaton laws t s qute lear tat lesans and gay men are surrounded y growng numers of enemes And t s n tese tmes of defensveness and of feelng eleaguered tat our odes, pre sented to us troug te autorty of sene, appear to e reuges r stakng a desperate am r tolerane As f te knowledge of a gene r omosexuaty would stop te asers lu om rasng down on our eads An dosynrat readng of vl rgts law provdes te akdrop to wy ope s nvested n te ologal proof of omosexualty Now we ave gay sentsts and some gay leaders argung tat omosexualty s an mmutale araterst, lke rae, an tus omosexuals ougt to e proteted om dsrmnaton Wat a strange and sentally unsup ported noton of rae And wat a strange and lmted readng of te ur rent status of raal mnortes and of te gans of te vl rgts move ment w, after all, usng ts efrts on grass roots atons as well as pul mares and demonstratons, reled relatvely ttle on te ourts to demand an end to rasm and not at al on vaorzng te ologal mmutalty of rae Te vl rgts movement was most efetve n te streets troug valorzng ultural dversty, not y Afan Amerans eggng to e seen as ologally derent In te 1960s ologal argu ments aout rae ad long een seen as te andmadens of rasm, just as tose aout gender were dented to e a entral part of te arte ture of sexsm Te argument r omosexual mmutalty etrays a msreadng of te sent resear tself Notng n any of tese studes an fully sup port te dea tat omosexualty s ologally mmutale; ea study leaves open te posslty tat omosexualty s te result of a omna ton of ologal and envronmental tors, and severa suggest tat omosexualty may e ted to a predsposton n temperament tat ould manfest n a numer of ways (LeVay 993 LeVay and Hamer 1994 All agree tat ologal, soal, and psyologal tors nterat to produe and ange te sgns of omosexualty Furtermore tese studes annot omment effetvey on te eeny of omosexualty n te general opuaton No do h ey ofer much i n the way of understandn womens mpex retons t qus n o f sxuaiy i n general et alone sexual ntaton gown up 1 n clt w mt very sexual at s put ff l im otnty L n' fi ni n aton t s small wnd wy mny hi rl ab wn mexua desir are nt odd in rc n ntul 0· \f I n 1 � w hn y
Jennfe Tey 156
s ase e pvlege of exlusve peogave ove sexual expesson Moe ofen lesans dese e omosexualy as ognang n a po ess of femns polzaon o n e onex of an adul suaon wee ey egan o eognze a dese o dese oe women Somemes I nk s new any and ope nvesed n e ology of omosexualy s e swan song of eonomally omale we men (quely lpsyned y sag polally leal essenalss wo ae e only ones wo know e lys o ea vese and wo u e omosexual dese ave many easons o egad sene and soal ode w gea affeon Maye ology s a moe omng way o naae e deses an o make sense of em n ems of ulual and so al onadons onls and onngenes I wan o lose y omng ak o e queson of e elaonsp e ween sen knowledge and sexual sujevy I ave ed o sugges a ougou s enuy e naue of s elaonsp as een as polal as as een pesonal Ta s dfeen quee people ave oug aou sen knowledge n dfeen knds of ways some moe lkely o e swep up y s pomses and eassuanes an oes Te pesonal sakes ave vaed And ea of e epsodes I desed ee nludng e pesen sen nquy aou omosexualy s pol ally suaed n elaon o ulual anxees One way o soe up anx ees as een o nss a ee e a denve lne dawn eween no mal eeosexuals and dseased (o f we ae luky meely anomalous omosexuals Ts s e dynam n elaon o w devan sujev y as een lagelyu no oouglysoned Tus we an ead e een sen sudes podued pofessonal gay avss lke Le Vay and Pllad as expessons of a knd of sepaasm a nds poe oug lamng ologal unqueness (Pllad 199 Dole 199 Te dea of ology eng desny s less llng and peaps even leang o ese gay senss Indeed akng no onsdeaon wa Donna Haaway as noed geneally and wa Evelyn Fox Kelle as poned ou n efeene o moleula ologss I eleve we would do well o eog nze a senssgay sag o oewseave an nmae ela onsp o a newly magned naue n e laoaoy n s nal deade of e lae wene enuy (Haaway 199 199 Kelle 199 Paulaly n e genes laoaoy wee genes ae engneeed and odes an e elemenally eongued senss may el a naue eally s moe leang f only eause s moe mnpulale an eve ee Ts sense of anmaed and manpulated n r no dou aque some of s appeal due o s soal lon I to o te delne of e wele sae u a delne r I hf Aerma o an
Te Seduve Powe of Sene 157
soal ynsm aaes of e Reagan/Bus ea seves o unde soe a sense a e nuue sde of agumens aou ausaly and ameloaon s ee pass o moo Indeed wa LeVay and Hame ave n ommon w e sen s s e assumpon a ology and envonmen nea n a muually onngen and ansmng manne (And s mpoan o noe a e em envonmen s n lusve of eveyng om mundane eavoal smul o nepsy mly dynams o soolng paens o e omplexes of sooeo nom lass Tus w e new and neasngly popula inteactionist model smple ologal deemnsm as een eplaed y a mu moe lvely and slppey undesandng of naue and ulue as muually de emnng epesenng wa some ave alled a new wave of soool ogy e lae 1990s Among ose gay men wo ae eonomally and soally poweful n e wold onedng a naue makes em gay s appaenly less dam agng an mg seem o woknglass gay eenages A gay soal woke wo woks w sudal eens old me eenly a e ology sdesny lne an e deadly Tnkng ey ae aed w omo sexual dese as a knd of dsease o ologal defe ae an eng a dese ey someow oose s many gay eenages one moe eason o omm sude ae an o lve n a wold so osle o e deses (Aqueno 1993)
In The Epistemology ofthe Closet, Eve Sedg wck nvtes us to "denatu ralize the present and to call into ques tion any idea that "homosex ualty as we know t today s sngular, knowable, or unied. Instead, she s n terested n the "perrmat ve space of contradct ion in what could be our present understandings of homosexualty; she wants to bng out the mul tplcity of narratives of "homosexuality as we know it today (S edgwick 1990 ). What would t mean f "homos exualty as we know t today became reduced n the popular magnaton to a strp of DNA, or to a regon of he ran, or o a homonal condon? Wha would we lose n he defensve move to beleve scence to be our ratonal savor and to base our oltcs n bology? What does scence do for us? What does t do to us? And where can we turn new quest ons of the self and new ways of performing-as opposed o ologcally manfesngdevance?
Ar Thanks lo Jacqueine Ur1, Donn Hwy, n1 Pnn Evynn mmond Croe Vane ry �of Ky z ryn en Shon
Jennir Terry 158
Ullan Leslie Cahi Judith albersta and Ira Livingston r intellectual and personal insights that helped in the ration of this analysis .
Works Cited
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(94) 4222 I rscfed Magns. Die Ho11wcxltt ds Maes d des Wbes Berlin ouis rcs 9 4 Sx in H1 Rc<t/, ' l rn #, h lodkcr. New Yrk: MS Press 7 . &x A0lr P•·lom N1w Yk: lnmo House, 942. · .
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E G H T
Phantom and Reel Projections: Lesbians and the (Serial) Killing-Machine Camilla Griggers Lzze Borden took an ax And gave her fther rty whacks, When she saw what she had done, She gave her mother rtyone. Depredatory: destructve, consumng, wasteu, deeterous; that preys upon other anmals: creature o prey and ts organs o capture. Depredate: to prey upon, make prey o, to consume by waste. Depredation: the acton o makng prey o, punderng, ravagng; consumpton or destructive waste o the sub stance o anything destructive operatons Depredator: one who, or that whch, preys upon or makes depredatons, a punderer one who ays waste.
-0.D.
Deteitoializations of the feminine in postmoden cultual mation cannot be adequately calculated without some attempt to map the bak downs occuring in the contempoary collision course between th two concuent yet distinct cultual lows of becomin woman and becomin depredatoy Hee I map the dynamics of that collision in egad spec cally to the pocess of becominglesbian in the public sphee and to the coesponding pocess of the public lesbian becomin killinmachin Becoming killing-machine suggests th ways in which posthuman ma chinic assemblages oanize and egulate pedatory functions within c tue o between cultures I apply the tem machinic in fenc to Deleuze and Guattari's (987) notion of a posthuman machinic phyl in which abstact expression machines channl tuulent and slfoan izing behavio in social systems that inclu attow as wl a i· ow in the social pocess of subjctiviati The sxnd ystem onc provided exmptin r won fo im· mdiat paticiation in the stae uthorlHd k l l l l g- m c h l ne o rlt·
Phantom and an d Reel Reel Pojecti Pojections ons 1 63
ual sacice in ancient Aztec cultu cultuee to mlitay oanizations oanizations in o nityexce nityexcept pt of couse couse as victims o suppot mechanisms (such as prost pros t tution tut ion r R&R; intell intelligen igence ce gatheing, data pocessin, and computati computation, on, tc. ) am nt sugestin then, then, that that women women have have not paticip pat icipated ated indiectly in diectly in the th e kllmac e thoughout the centuies thouh all the ways by they provded component bodies r o complied with egimes of whch state power that depended upon egimes of violence in oder to opeate. Indeed the rst militay computes in the late nineteenth centuy were rooms ul l of women opeating calculatos, carying out the lagescale computatons needed ballistic analysis (De Landa 41) . But well into the twentieth century, the pedatory position itself was h1stocally thought thought of as alwa always ys ultimately ult imately male. Durin Duri n World World War War I I however, women began to be systematically incoporated within the wa mahine by US US . milit m ilitary ary ecuitment though the Wom omens ens Amy Amy Corps Cha after the Maoist evolution evolution also incorporated incorporated women women into the mili mili tay, tay, even even at the level of o f ground inntry innt ry,, as did the t he Israel Isr aelii state state in the 1948 Wa of o f Independence Independence and the Eritrea resistance in Ethiopia. I b�gin gi n then by noting hat the emergence of a lesbian seial killin. precsel mache s occurr o ccurr precselyy at a time when the state sta te is in content contention ion with women over abortion practices and combat status, while the mili tarys advanced esearch groups ae a e remo removing vi ng human hum anss fo fom m the t he decision deci sion oopp of o f adanced predatory weaponssystems. My openin prem aking !oo se here s that the stance of the lesbian serial kille is not an aberration of femininity but that it signs a new symptomatology of normative" emininity which we see emerging in postmodernity In an epoch maked by massproduced feticide and a militarized femi nine, its not suprising tat the cinematic screen screen machine mac hine is pro proecting ecti ng a symptomatc ghtmare mage public consumption: the woman who urders more �han once in cold blood The semic code oganizin this c1tural gue s hadly new however The myth of Lizzie Borden pro ded a prottype of the co?tempoay feminine feminine pedato pedato emein within with in e popula popula mage epet0re of late nineteenth nineteenthcentu centuy y Ameica While Wh ile Il actuality Boden as acquitted of o f mude mude chages chages (the case hinged hin ged on on th th posecution posecutionss inabil i nability ity to nd nd the muder weapon weapon and the appeal roment roment membes of the community com munity on Bordens Bordens behalf) behalf) the Bor Bo r n yth bot � p ouaized the .theat of a femininepredatory subect 1d• contaed ( ie, patrit w1tln th. bc o ilal cimes of hate (ie, 1d nd matcde) o wt t ruc of an asystematic psycotic break w wt tn n the ndivi ndiviual ual (.e, n sa n y) rminds u ht th n W e tltl odn my th rminds nn nee edato edatorr is not not a w � ure m US. oul c u l t u re, h io higlihts sn sn yn d d eernc 1990s Iterations f h l 1 l rp f us nntat
Camlla gg gg 164
df dfnc nc bng th t h aocaton aocat on of th th fmnn fmnn pdato pdato wth wt h a manft manft homootcm. t my pm h, howv, that th nw qu ma on th old pdatoy body cn a ptton that n actualty th mo tllng gn n th toy of ocal volnc and gndd dnt tya tya ptton that pont u tow towad a contagon of ocal volnc o vat va t that t thatnng, thatn ng, a t alway alway thatnng, thatn ng, to xcd xcd th contat v atonalzaton atonalzaton of ou noton of abtact utc Th xc of uu tc t c,, whch th th am a ayng utc utc lu, n gad gad to th lban' publc calty ymptomatz ymptomatz a lu to fy a ut what blatantly a accal xchang of ocal bod and ocal volnc n whch th lban channl volnc th communty. want to to tun a momnt mo to th htoy hto y of th th cn po pocton who bng ha bn nt, both to th lban I I and to th Oth, Oth, th long duaton dua ton of a tumultuou and volnt cntuy Th mapoducton of th myth of a fmal pdato wa dlvd nto th twntth cntuy by th tchnology and boadcat dtbuton of th popula cton nduty and lat th cnma By th 0, '0 and 40, th hadbold dtctv to and cm novl of th HammttChandlSpllan tadton t adton had ha d modnzd and Amcanzd th gn of cm cton mad mmnly popula by S Athu Conan Doyl n th Shloc Holm Holm whch pannd th tun t un of th cntuy cntuy f fom th 0 0 to th th 0 0.. On of of Dahll Dah ll Hammtt' tadma tadma nnovaton on Doyl Doyl clac mula mula n h Contnntal Op to publhd n th 0 0 and '0 wa th nton nto th naatv of a typ of mud mudou ou mal chaact who capacty to ll pcly xcdd th dcuv lmt of mlal hat cm. That h pdaton, ndd n cla uch a Th l wth th Slv Ey, Ey, xcdd tho of mlal cm of hat, hat , howv howv ,, only uggtd all al l th mo that t hat h h gu, gu , l Bodn wa gnfyng ymptomatcally th bakdown of a dyfunctonng nu cla cla mly mly Raymond Raymond Chandl Chandl n th 0 and '40 contnud to dvlo dvlo th th mud mud ou ou mnn m nn chaact typ, typ , placng plac ng h h n a ocal landca of cm c m and volnc n whch moal concluon w aly dawn dawn an n whch tuth and utc w manftly dtmnd by mony an pow, pow, ptomzd n h h t t novl novl The (3) . In I n th Amca Amca Th e Big Sleep Sleep (3). mlu of gn n whch th walth, tatu, and tadton of S Ath Conan Doyl ocal od w ovtund by gd, conomc nqu· t, oganzd cm, and vyd vyday ay mmoalty, mmoalty, th t h da woman woman of o f cton wa bcomng bco mng unanchod fom fom both th potton and moalt moal t of th domtc ph In th cton of My pllan, th dtctv aggvty aggv ty towa towadd th da lady of wns n n ovtly ovtly mu 0 and volnt In the Jury 947), r xn e tv M M H· m l tht th wom h h 1rn s lo h
t
Camlla rggr 168
ctng th volnt batngmurdr of a gay alor by h mat a an xampl of th dcplnary" problm that could ar fom rvong th ban By th nd of January thr marn n Wlmngton North Carolna pulld a patron out of a gay bar and racturd h ull houtng Clnton mut pay" (New York Tmes, Fbruary 2 1993). Th llowng w n th Bronx a young Acan Amrcan man urng om zur and a drug prob lm who had bn n and out of hltr pron and mrgncy room r yar bat an oyar old woman to dath wth a lad pp outd hr church (New York Tmes, Fbruary 1993 Fv month arlr n Clvland a lban had murdrd hr lovr ayng that th lovr' thr had harad h daughtr r bng a lban to th pont that h announcd wh wa dad" (Ponton) n h tudy of th ytmatzaton of vo lnc n th The Nervous System (992) Mc Taug rcount th tory of a woman who whn approachd by a ocal worr who ha arrvd to ta hr lat rmanng chld a a ward of th tat pull down hr pant and rval a tab wound n hr butt Upon ralzng what h'd don h pull up hr pant and laugh nrvouly. What 'm uggtng that w lv n an poch of contnuou vo lnc and n th our poch dr lttl om prvou on xcpt pr hap that today th rght to partcpat n mltary prdatory ytm ha com to gnfy th ull ocal tatu and cvl rght of th ndvdual ct zn, whthr that ctzn b lban or gay a woman or Acan Amrcan t om th pochal prpctv of th gnral conomy that th propr afct wth whch to approach th lban body whch Sharon Ston' projcton n Basc Instnct crn a body doubl That body whch could nvr appar uncrnd n th publc phr blong to Aln Wuorno who on yar br Basc Instnct' rla wa arrtd r murdrng vn mn on vn parat occaon along a rural hgh way n outh Florda, and who wa labld by th mda a th rt lban ral llr" Barng Wuorno' body and publc gn n mnd want you to rcall th mdatd outrag om th lban and gay communty vocalzd by Qur Naton Out n Flm and th natonal ay and ban Allanc Agant Dmaton (laad) n rgard to Basc Instnct' 1992 portrayal of th lban a ral kllr (New York Tmes March 29 1992) W all now that gay and lban a lmnal and margnalzd ocal bod ar partcularly ucptbl to th channlng of ocal volnc a ar othr mnorty bod Th proporton of psychofemme lban to apar on th lvr crn compard to th total numb of lbn n nral to a par on crn pa r tlf a to th tt of ut nd uvlnt r rntaton n th mantram cn and epitomzs h u of th ban body to chl nd thn scren a n otglo of voln
Phantom and Rl Procton 69
ruptng fom th bradown of th xgndr ytm n th ocalld halthy" htroxual ocal body But n ordr to undrtand th y tmatcty of volnc wthn th kllngmachnwhat Taug (1992) rm trror a uual" n th Nrvou Sytmand n ordr to undr tand th rol that lban bod play wthn uch a ytm w ut go urthr than th jut and tmly prott by Glaad, Qur Naton, and Out n Flm, and b wllng to puh on to quton th poltc of volnc and rtanc n th tor w tll about volnc n th lban communty a wll a n th mantram mda, n both th ocal and unofcal rp rntaton of volnc, and n our pronal and publc rprntaton of volnc (38). For a fw momnt, thn, want to prtnd w dont hav to tll th ofcal and utopc tory anymor n whch lban l US ctzn n gnral and l womn n gnral ar nonvolt ocal ubjct, n an argumnt whch attmpt to protct lban om th volnc of ocal dmaton and th phycal and motonal brutalty that go wth t by clamng thr own nnocnc om partcpaton n volnt ytm of o cal xchang Th clam touch u all th mor panfully whn w allow ourlv to know what vrywhr obvou, that all ytm of ocal xchang nown to mn and omn n our cultur dpnd upon ytm atc xchang of volnc Som of tho volnc ar acrd, lgtmat, and publc; othr ar crmnal, llgtmat and covrt And th rgula ton and bradown of that dtncton prcly th doman of th kll ngmachn t mak no mtak that th unfyng ctor n th dparat group of lgtmat" vctm of volnc thr lmnal tatu on th ng of octyth dgr of thr dntgraton wthn th lgtmatng dcour of th halthy ocu (rard) Bcau of thr margnalzd tatu, th xpour of th ocal bod to volnc ntal lttl rk of rpral fom any mpowrd ocal group Th contatv xchang truc urng th acrc thu an act of volnc wthout rk of vnganc t wthn th conomy of xchang whch th modrn jutc ytm uppodly rplacd that w can bgn to undrtand th manng of th lban ral llr ralzd and mdatd gnatur Onc protctd om acrcal ubttuton bcau of r of clan rtalaton, womn b com ubjct to ncrang ocal volnc wth th bradown rt of lo cl communt and latr of th nuclar mly A th ocal ln btwn and th rr county dntt womn, py l wo o wo ouside o t h cooy of htroxual x chn bcom ncrnl k f vin h ral kllgma h ypclly r n we wh w n tt by th tatu of h ocl c it w epou in wu1' m ucto. hu
Camlla gges 70
ngle women ae patculaly susceptble to seal llng, as exempled by the een Rves slayngs of posttutes n Washngton state Ted Bundy's ntestate mude spee of young sngle whte women and the anesvlle mudes of whte coeds at the Unvesty of Floda Detetoalzng lo cal cultual geogaphes of class and ace n ode to etetoalze them unde a egme of teo the seal lle s typcally tneant often usng tanspotaton technologes to bette pey on the dsntegatng socal tes of boendown communtes n whch neghbos dont vsually ecgnze o spea to neghbos and the comngs and gongs of stanges" can no longe be polced by communal socal bonds In the late moden cnemas pojecton of a lesban pedato the lue of the clan system to egulate socal volence towad women taes a new tun In Single White Female () the mudes ae commtted speccally to spte the clan, as well as the femnne postons of het' daughte and wfe that the nshp system authozes In Basic Instinct the mude ae aganst the clan If nothng else Basic Instinct pojects the beadown of the nuclea mly system: mothes who ll the chlden, daughtes who ll the paents glends who mude loves glends who ae lesbans male psychotheapsts who hate the male patents women who hate the dea of domestcty and chld eang phallc women who expose gaps n the law, emmes atale who mude the detectve Ths po jected nghtmae dves the ntasmatc naatve to ts nealy classcal esolutonthe detectve mudes the mudeous lesban double become the object of the emme atale dese, and eestablshes phallc ode ( almost) In the case of Wuonos, the mudes ae both aganst the clan and n and of themselves the evenge of the clan whch she has taen upon he self to executethat s they stand n the place of an absent clan evenge whle they aso stand n judgment aganst domestc volence wthn the clan In cout testmony Wuonos mantaned that she lled only thoe johns who deseved t Aleen Wuonos, as a homeless lesban hghway posttute s the lmnal body that should have consttuted the body of the saccal vctm Refusng that ole, she chooses nstead llegtmately the poston of the saccal pest the judge, and the executoneuntl she s caught by the polce and bought unde the judcaton of the leg system whee the powe of the act of volence whch she detetoalzed he own sgnatue s etetoalzed by the aw and edected towa Wuonos as a pope body socal volence n the m of the death sentence Seal llng teads the lmnal socl s b n cce nd mu· debetween the pe sace nd h lml nl I s n m of nony mous volnc ht l tbuo fom muy beming hn
Phantom and Reel Pojectons 171
ame of outwttng the state polce ce I t exsts n the space between he empted uncton of the local communty and mly clan n the late oden state and the state and natonal judcal system Its ntecounty o ntestate lght s counteed only by an ntastate and ntestate polce ata system In ths sense, seal llng s a game played wth an abstact achne (deductve atonal logc authozed as the law and nsttuton lzed as a computezed polce suvellance and datapocessng system) whch the seal lle tacs the dsntegatng o mssng socal lns hough whch the body poltc epoduces and atonalzes powe athe han an exchange executed though a body wthn the context of a specc ommunty In an economy of sacce, the dese to commt acts of volence towad ose nea us s channeled to bodes on the magns f socety theeby uellng a potental contagon of volences wthn the legtmate socus eal llng spus athe than quells a contagon of volence the moe t es nappopate and llegtmate vctms as ts tagetwhte coeds as e pvleged daughtes of the sng bougeos mddle class o noueau che n the case of the anesvlle mudes, example, o, n the case f Wuonos, whte heteosexual men Its not supsng that ths conta on of volence s then edected towad appopate vctms, just as uth Floda newspapes epoted that hate cmes aganst lesbans n ased dung the peod of Wuonoss tal ( Bownwoth) The machncally assembled seatue of the lesban seal llea m coned by Ronell n he eadng of Rodney Kngs assembled meda pesentaton n Haunted TV ()s the efect of a netwo of da epesentatons Ths netwo consttutng Wuonoss publc sg tue as seal llehe seatuencludes Hollywood pojectons of men who ll and meda coveage of Wuonos as the st lesban se lle n the m of news epots, coveage of the tal on Cout V and the madetv move Oerkill Ths netwo poduces medat wndows though whch the socus polces tself though the pepet theat of pandemonum om an magnay exteo The tempoal of atonal conscousness n tv then ames, ats, and factues s pandemonum whch t consttutes In the pocess, the ce of the se lle can only sgn n the publc sphee as manfestly posthuman n t t sgs as the concete m of expesson of an abstact machne dg socal volences In ths medaton whch now consttutes the shee the postatsan ody ss as I am because I appea on o es I n adv v n Wus soy exaple vn ult own cl o c docudama That h w u s n ly h iddn o vw uy bu n c cgng
Camilla Gigges 172
eplete with inteupting commecials onto the boadcast sceen o evening tvas the ugly scene o social violence embodied in the "obbing o a steet postitute i.e, ape and, even moe censoed because moe violently contagious the community revenge of the robbed prostitute who is both a lesbian and an incest "suvivo Overkill signies st and emost evenge athe than seldeense. Aileen Wuonos as "seiated kille seialized by he mediated signatue is the limnal scapegoat who euses to become the sacicial body she is maked to be by channeling social violence athe than absobing it, by eusing to eat the poisonous phamakon st as the phallus and penis o the incestuous gandthe and uncle, late as the hadon o the abusive and obbing tick by which she would be tansmed into the sacicial body as loweclass, lesbian, secondgeneation incest victim and steetwalke whose ticks oten enough don't even pay he i.e, in steet slang they ob he Instead o eating this poison o the socius, she becomes the poison that must in tun be eaten by the sick community in a blatantly sacicial exchange eied as an economy o abstact justice, in ode that economy and that community to be cued o the outcomes o its own violencethat is in ode to epesent to itsel the nomative "health o its eveyday social elations. This is the cicuit o mediated exchanges into which Aileen Wuonos sends he identity and has he identity sent as lesbian seial kille Wuonos's violence is the eect and the aect o an illegitimate socal identity that can only become legitimate as seial kille. In Eve Sedgwick s tems laid out in an aticle on quee pemativity (1993) the extent to which Wuonos doesnt have a legitimate identity is the extent to whic she has an identity o shame He pemance o he shame, and sham lessness, is the only way she has to legitimatethat is, to make visible and intelligible to hesel and to the othethe aect o ange which const tutes he identity as one who is unable to be as legitimate identity, but wh eses eithe to annihilate hesel though suicide o to be the mude body in the woods He seiatue is eteitoialized, assembled and egulated by an int· state police, compute database, boadcast media netwok. Even as s theatens the legitimacy o that netwok, she evokes the "justied use police ce, theeby poviding the body upon which the social syste unjust violences can be eied as abstact justice She both theatn to uptue the illusion o nonviolent social elations within the bo politic and povides the individuated body though which the body pol· tic can epesent itsel as nonviolent and just He tlemediatd idtit is amed and seialized just as hr mla ria ws being seial on "Cout TV Fo te televisi viw of Overkill wch cv vo· cious mil com pla in i g ha Wuono1 Wi reetd t sympah•
Phantom and Reel Pojections 73
ally, thee is an unanny ecognition o the milia in Wuooss biae docudamahe lie s docudama, bee the docudama o he li is eve podud. But moe than that, he docudama is completely mun dane and pedtable, he stoy makes the extaodinay a woman's mul iple mudes o men) completely odinaya homeless postitute with out a pimp walking the edge, she und it moe ewading to tun ticks than be a motel maid, and late und it moe lucative to mude and ob bad ohns than to fuk them $20 o to let them ob o mude her. M�anwhile the legal system and the dedutive ationalizations o popula cmesolvg want to make the odinay agments o Wuonoss dis membeed lie into an extaodinay, exotic, and exemplay naative o · ime and punishment But hat ae we emembeing in the stoy o Aileen Wuonos? Is it that lesbian bodies have eal elations to specic ms o soial violene? s it that sometimes its diult to tell the police om the bad johns, the onest men om the dishonest men, poblematized in the madetv movie by the unde cove cop who both beiends Wuonos and betays e, o by the dead ohns who tun out to be a ministe and a state soial oke? Is it that Wuonos is the embodiment o soial violenceas omless woman, inest "suvivo; ape and obbey vitim, highay posttute, and kille dyke? Is it the symptomatology o postinest pole in he toy: suicide attempt, selhated, ange, epession, mul pesonalites, loss o mily and the loss o economic stability that ple •companies loss o mily? Ae we emembeing the pimal sene o the bad john being shot 1 the heat, bain, and genitals by a highway postitute that he tied to ob killed in the Floida woods aleady signed by the deaination the Seminoles, by the economically condoned soial violene against gant labo, and by the ovet oppession o povety sticken Aian eians, Hispani Ameicans, Mexicans, Haitians, Jamaians, etc? Is i at Wuonos is the blonde white woman, the othe othe o Pars Is 1� ng (, poo white tash killing the ofending mily membes, h cestuous andthe and uncle, ove and ove and ove? Is it the sig e o epett0n and death dive, not nally inteioized as selmuti on an s uicide so common to emininitys ontempoay signatue, hut xteozed as the seiated mude o the othe? r we eembeing te coldness and cuelty she leaned om the nt mote ho abandond h and wo was also a vitim o domes l k oece, and om te t iprisnd child molestation who ed is in isow o g knowledge passed n � soc 0. syc holo gk nl pyslooglcn bdy o signs, body c, h t 1 IL t >pu of kll dyks
Camlla gg 74
povd a convnnt cn mmoy th mav wong of to and volnc of th llngmachn? O t that Wuono gnng h lf a th daught at th bottom of th bottom of th wht ocal hachy th lat whppng pot th plac wh th buc top nally a a tom of manngl volnc lght of dpaton alcohol outag alnaton and chzonoath lat ot of llgtmat dntty l th ba bang that nam wh Wuono wa nally atd (MacNamaa. A homl lban pottut Wuono byond th potcton of th nucla mly and th law. Wthout mn to thatn tbuton h ta vng nto h own hand but n dong o h ma alway and alady a th vctm th capgoat and th accal body Thotcally a ut lgal ytm can ll th gap of a mng mly naat but w now a do h that that blf only an abtacton n actualty Wuono alon n th wood wth h ohn byond th potcton of an abtact law that can only gn tlf though th cmnalzaton of h ocal body and h alon not h gandth not th bod of h buv tc and lw h h pat can only b nown a a vbl ntllgbl body wthn th publc ph by th cmnalzaton of h atu a not ucd and not acc. If h had bn th tt wal mudd n th wood by on of h tc o f h aly ucd attmpt had bn uccful Wuono gnatu would hav man v nvbl to th publc ph whch n thoy ba th pon blty mtgatng th volnc of nquvalnc wthn cvl octy and guaantng abtact utc all (Habma If th dfnc of Wuono accal gn bcom h lban n th popula magnay (whch t ha thn th contagon of voln wll pad (whch t ncang th lvl of volnc channld ont th lban ocal body at lag But lt u not gt that th al d nc dvng Wuono lf toy h povty h conomc oppo h alnaton though lo of mly typcal of adult womn ubct t nct a chldn h lmnal ocal tatu a hom hghway pot tutall that whch uncannly mla n h toy mundan co pltly odnay and undtandabl that h lftm xpou to u adultatd m of pu ocal volnc. That h ha a lban e th on tnd pot n a hobl an odd qunc of vnt th conttut th lmttxt of h lf toy t th on amoou act of O lton that tand count to h only oth act of wll that can contt a gnatu of h agncy a on who fu vctmatonth mu of th oth who would Oth h A h h banm not th ke but th tangntal dtal of th at aatv that mut b xot by th mamatd k ll- a h ne t , d xtaoay only a vn a t rl d 1 xd s a ee
Phantom and Rl Pocton 175
n th nd xptly wod ov by th tat polc c and ud t of cmnal chag th lov Tya Moo ld to ttfy aant Wu o n coutth nal btayal n a long lt of btaya by to w w uppod to lov hand th uccful uptu of any pttal collctv lban ocal dntty. Undtandng th mchan o Wuo o lflong alnatonth ytmatc caton of al h ocal la ton nto laton of volnc authozd by gm of patnal popty o commodty xchang on on hand and th au of h llgtmat and unofcal but lfdtmnd laton on th othAln Pall a tang who l Wuono wa adoptd a an nnt tat to th p th but by th gac of od would b and adopt Wuono aft h mponmnt thby ncbng n th pblc ph Wuono and all h doubl at lat th gn of a tangbl pmannt and lf dtmnd ocal laton that th aw can mpon but cannot nally a. Manwhl Wuono atuat th unctu of bcomnglban and bcomng llngmachn conttutng th cmnalzaton of l ban dntty tmcodd a fatu lm a fw mo hadln anoth madtv mov o ndpndnt documntay phap b th cha nd h naatv accodng to th cpt h hlf want o wtwth a olt of pu lctctyl th lctc ccut of tl on mulaton of Wuono lf toy That toy on that h nv ally had untl tv mad t up by gvng t at th am tm boadcat lf poal am and naatv cloutng fagmnt of a lf nto antam tv that wll nv add up to th a manngful toy o a t audcaton.
W Cte \wnworth, Vctora. "Kl r Lsbans. Vllage Voce vol. 37 no. 4 Octobr 3 1 992: 25 < ndr Raymon. The Bg Sleep. Nw York Baantn Books 97. > nda Manul. War n the Age ofIntellgent Machn es. Nw York Zon Books 199 I z Gls an Fx Guatta r A Thousand Plateaus: Captalsm and Schzoena. Trans. Bran Massu mi Mnnapols Unvrsty of Mnnsota Prss 987. I l rnrd, Ren. oene c e Sared. s atrck rgory. atmor Jons Hopkn Univ rty Press, 977. lu hc s, JUrg en. Te St l'C ural '�im1at o of P1/lc Spere: An Inqury n Cgoy ofBo 1-0/ /qt, '\·", h H Bugr. Cambr dge M:
99
t Camlla gg 176
Hamme, Dashiell The Continntal Op New Yok Vinage ooks 17 MaNamaa Mak "The KissAnKill pee Vanit Fai epembe 11 0-106 Pononi, Maha oman Kills Love a People Chonicle Clevelan Vol 8, issue 2, Augus 1, 1 1
Ronell, Avita! Haunte TV: Roney King/Video/Trau ma. Artforum , Septembe
1: 7174
Segwick, Eve "Queer Perfrmativity: Henry James' The Art ofthe Novel." Gay/Lesbian Quarterly, vol 1, no 1, 1993.
pillane, Mikey I the u. New Yok: New Ameian Libay 1 Taussig, Mihael The Nevou Stem New Yok: Roulege, 1
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((Death of the Famy;' or, Keepng Human Bengs Human Roddey Reid The mily is the most human the most powerful, and by r the most economical system r making and keepng human beng human. . Throughout modern industrial societies and across diverse cultures the dominant and most success ul mily frm has been the two-parent mily Indeed anthropoogists long have recognized the twoparent home as a common undation of human societies -Familie Firt. Report of the National Commission on America's Urban Families 993 The dirty little secret in place of the wide open spaces glimpsed fr a moment The famlialt reducton, in place of the drft ofdere n place of the great decoded ows little streams recoded in mommy's bed nterioriy in place of a new relationship with the outside Deleuze and Guatar AntiOedpu
Huma terest Stries
mlodamatc ttl to my ay a play o th d that aault a d y a w puch thoug th dgtal pt ad u o mot co l at hom o p though magaz th docto oc axouly tg t latt pot o what tapg o ad blow ou k I >rama poxmat ad away wl aoud ad pat u tllg tal o ly ud tat om muducd o mly mmb, cack dayca chld molt th HIV vu, ad wht upp moth udlad ata a to pat talg away om th chl a quck Mxc vto , vcou bbytt bxual hu o who smoke d n g f pgacy, ad dadbat oe keep yo on ece nxuly l ok g ov you ould momen nd noh in Ino he eyes of d gbo,
o lve wonden : w/ X
Roddy Rd Or rathr that quton should cro your mnd f not your lp r dont th tor ra your pul rat gt you n a cold wat hav you call your cty councl or US nator? f not wll thn thr clarly omthng wrong wth you. our dvod of lng you dont car you dont blong to Th Communty For t tm to dfnd Th Famly agant all comr and all nm Th tak ar hgh r not only our ery humanty at rk a uggtd by th rt pgraph but alo th vry futur of th naton Th Famly Strngth ndx at an alltm low warn th am govrnmnt rport publhd n 13 Th mly rnd of our tm th dnttutonalaton of mar rag and th tady dntgraton of th mothrthr chld rang unt Th trnd of mly fragmntaton rctd prmarly n th hgh rat of dvorc among parnt and th growng prvalnc of parnt who do not marry No domtc trnd mor thratnng to th wllbng of our chldrn and to longtrm natonal curty (Famles Frst: 1) Famly th alpha and omga of natonal l A org Buh put t n a commncmnt addr n 1 Whatvr rm our mot prn problm tak all ar rlatd to th dntgraton of th Amrcan mly (Famles Frst 13) t t Lv Da
t vrywhr and t catchng Faml and houhold ar dad an dyng all around u w ar told n th gothc vron of th tal ml ar dad but nvr qut: th undad Zomblk thy wandr acro crn bllboard and nwpapr dplayng thr gapng wound an rottng lh and t to d on our pac of mnd and nnr tranqull Onc thy gt to you you too wll to and turn at nght and bgn yo nomnac carr through publc and prvat pac n arch of nw bo and mnd to nour th rat Far Dangr lurk n vry corn hom acro town and abroad How can you lp whn you wath docudrama that rval that Calrna Famy of th ar n 15 wa hotbd of chld abu? (Shattrd Trut 13) Or that r on kd fty onthrd of that acrd trad MommyDaddyM may b n jil ay on tm? (Colman 13) And what lft of your pac of mnd youv rad th rmark of Dawn Stov th aocat drctor o the Portland Orgon grou calld Advo tall up th n th aboto battl t way T l ad hl
once: o•
Dath of th Famly or Kpng Human B
179
dad abortont and on woundd Stovr ad Wh i g the battl? Not th prborn whov not yt brathd th Pla r Protcton 13) Or nally whn th hadl ju t you that a proprou o Angl bunman wa ot d d bsi h mothr grav whch h vtd vry wk whl knl ad l a don ro (Corwn 13) Nothng acrd anymor
a
u
Sav t C
w all huddrd on th v of th ulf War at th ght of that motr
of all chld moltr Saddam Hun carng th had of captv Amrcan chldrn on CNN at lat th all brought th hotag hom and tok ca of hm On th hom ont thng ar qually worrom r c ldrn f not mor o Who can you ntrut car of your chldrn to outd th hom? Daycar cntr tm wth chld prdator who duc and abu thr young charg Somthng mut b don Jut a r r Scrtary of Educaton and Drug Car Wllam J Bnntt clamd hat w mut pak up r th mly W hav to ay t w hav to ay t loudly w hav to ay t ovr and ovr agan ( The Famly 187 24) o too mut pak up r chldrn r th bod and pch of th lttl on r no l agl an ndanrd than Th Famly Thy ar nans by t r wthout (crdbl) v0c Or o dclard an 11yarold grl who d at b th of th McMartn daycar cntr tral n o Angl h ch dd dadlockd jur vn yar aftr th rt charg wr ld agant Ray Bucky ttng of a wav of hytra n Manhattan ch and urroundng communt Thr wr ntally llgaton not only of rap odomy oral copulaton and othr x rm but alo of pornographc photography on nakd gam away om th chool r llct purpo anmal mutla d tp on thrat and atanclk rtual and acrc (Tmnck 10 A1) th cond mtral th young wtn wa
apontd and rally angry I thought thyd blv m and ay ul y ort of thnk t bcau wr kd and popl thnk l d But h drv to b n jal H know what h dd I ow h a bad pron (Tmnck 10 A) c ally om 183 to 10 th nhattan Bach parnt who clamd r ldrn ha bn abud l ban otd th courtroom that W l th hl u d ot Who gong to ll clln s Th Chlcfrn's ttut o o Anl?
; al? You M but 1
Roddy Rd Pancked parents of Edenton, North Carolna, who banded together as Citizens Aganst Child Abuse, red better. The case was featured in an ABC Frontlne" documentary as well as in another aired in July 1993 by PBS titled, Innocence Lost, the Verdict" The jury convicted Robert F Kelly, coowner of Little Rascals Day Care Center, of 97 counts of abusing 12 chidren, and he was sentenced to 12 consecutve lfe terms. 'The children were convincing " sad a juror, much to the parents' relef (Smothers 1992a: A8 and 1992b : A16 ) However, these days the anxety over abused children is such that the speaker's benet," as Foucault once put it (1980 : 113), of spea king r the slenced sn't good enough; greater voice and authorty can be had by clamng to be one of the voiceless Now w can clam the status of a fetus, even wer that of an aborted fetus, whereas all of us may have been abused during childhoo d This may account in part r the new wave of hysteria around child abuse. The appeal of that subject posit ion is so rresstble that dur ng jury delberations one juror in the Kelly case melodramatically revealed" to have been abused as a child (Smothers 1993a: B9) But he was not alone. Oprah Win fey, the natonal talk show host never known to be beh nd the tme s, had already preceded him. She had conssed on her nationally televised show that she had suered repeated abuse as a chld and had launched a national crusade that took her be re the Senate Judiciary Committee in No-
vember 1991. To the assemble d commttee she proposed a National Chi ld Protecton Act draw n up r h er by a ho tsh ot Chicago law rm she had hired declarng, I am committed to using all my will to llow through on this legislation, and on the issue of chl d abuse . I intend to m ake this my second career' " (M lls 19 91: A). A year later her crusade led her to narrate a documentary, Scared Silen t: Exposin g and Ending Chi ld Abuse," broadcast smultaneously on thre e nat ona l tv networks n Augus 1992 (Carter 1992 : C13) . The Abused Chl d has become shameless wanna· bes' object of choice, though those mily members suerin g om multple personalty disorders (MP Ds) or v ctim zed by secondary smok are not r behind The speec of victimhood (and ts benets) s one th
won't b dnid.
Opah campaign ound a waup call to Amica: l communi duing th Cold Wa, th nmi a not impy without th mily but alo within. Child abu i a mily affai, too, nd may vn puh chld to th ultimat cim: paicd Win th ty of two both twl and ftn in Ruh Sping hm who k led thir th wth whil h pt accuing hi o bHlng n o moln Toxic
Dath of th Family, o, Kpng Human Beins unn th tnyaold t Abu m to now no lt no y Wtl' ounalit hocd by pot of phycal and xu bs e but lmot a candalzd by th ct that h had epvd of o 1tonal conum cultu by connng thm to ho xct f s hoo : lan tht a polc ofc dov th boy to wtn, w ty connd n uvnl dtnton cnt, thy toppd t n r mal Th boy had nv atn on (Vhov 13: The t cm w uch that th good l of Ruh Spng, i i t e th wtmon capital of th wold, alld aound th boy and dd nothing btt than to gv and gt and tun to noacy That what w nd to cu ou attnton on now, watmon,' aid Jutn Jn, watmlon m (Vhov 13: 1 Evn mli n th bt ghbohood may habo th wot Davd and Shaon Schoo of an uppmddlca nghbohood of a town outid Chcago abandond th two mall gl a w vacaton in Acapuco ov Chtma nd upon thi tun w atd and ad only aft potng a $50,000 bond (avng Two Hom Alon. ovng pant a no guaant of afty Tddy Pchad of Wayn, Wt Vgna, too th lv of hi f nd two of th chldn bcu h lovd thm and ddnt want a cout od to ba th mly up, latv aid H ovd hi wf and d o much tht h ld thm, f you can ma n of tht am a an p on cant, ad Pchad bothnlaw, Evtt Hag (Dd Kll Wf th thtn th mili lf and lmb, pcially f thy a mo n antmong campagn bllboad in Southn Caln fatu th c of n AfcanAmcan man wth a lt cgatt btwn h lp nd d, Ec Jon put out a contact on h mly $265 And moth nt b tutd wth th acd ta of nouhng th chldn On oth wa cnty nt to al tampng with baby od (Moth o to Jl Toxic pant ndd Somthng alway o in th mily quation; f t not th pant, I n it' th chldn Fo xampl, you d may b ufng om tht t cncal ntty, tnag yndom, .g, bhavo that tnd to ng togth (mong, dinng, aly and qunt xual xpnc, th mo xtm ca, dug, ucid, vandalm, volnc, and , 1 n act (Famles Frs: 15 O, unbnownt to you, you d my t u r out to b a cotd ct Whn Jonathan Pton Hayn th hrd lgaton tht hi n, wo had cond to mudng San ncco mak-v rtis n a icgo pltic gon gvng popl "kc yan c w ni c:
Roddy Rid 1 84
th past sval yas, a agil, but impotant bipatisan consnsus has mgd among both policy maks and scholas on th cntal challngs of th Amican mily" (1993) H chos dictly th claims of th lagly noconsvativ pot, Families First Witnss aft witnssgadlss of ac, gnd, maital, o conomic status, o patisan afliationtold th Commission that ag mntation of milis poss a that to th nation Libal and con svativ scholas ag that th stngth of th nations mily lif is indicativ of th nation's halth and wllbing (Families First: 12) Th Nw Consnsus is of cous byond htoic, thus byond idology, yt still mly if gntly nomativ, basd on xpt social scinc Claly, thn quit apat om political aliation o idological sym pathy, cunt scholaship and bipatisan ndings stongly conm th impotanc of th intact, twopant hom to childn and to th socity as a whol. This nding dos not, of cous, dispaag o condmn thos who nd thmslvs in oth mily aangmnts, but is instad basd on caful considation of social scinc sach and th tstimony of witnsss gading th bnts of th two pant hom (Families First: 18) Of cous Th statling political possibilitis affodd by th Nw Consnsus w mad cla all to s aft Opah Winys stimony to th Sn at Judiciay Committ, whn sh mgd accompanid by Stom Thu mond, on of th staunchst southn consvativs Accoding to th New York Times, Stom Thumond, South Caolina Rpublican and s nio mmb of th committ lat intoducd Winy to th pss holding h hand, calling h a gat woman" (Mills 991 B1) E pluribu unum. Th fain tuns ov and ov again that mily" units us al and sts asid divisions of ac and class (and psumably, gnd) Th authos of Families First claim: No is th mily dbat a codd o indict way of dbating issus such as ac o povty t is not th sam as dbating th pop si of govnmnt o dbating libalism vsus consvatism, Rpubli can vsus Dmocat t is about th hath of th nations pimay social institution (Families First 1) All of us" a affctd: Family disinttion ffc l Aicans o uban to ual, om poo to ich one witns d h Comi
Dath of th Family" o, Kping Human Bins n 85
No mily is xmpt fom th kinds of poblms ta a going on in this county ight now " (Families First ) "Us and
"Them: Writing the Socia Body through "Family
o th din is dafning Familis a dad and dying all aound us gos th chous Of cous som mily housholds a dad than oths Dan Quayl and oth ntitld whit mn and womn b him hav mad su w undstand that All thos housholds hadd by womn in th Afican Amican community thos Black Muphy Bowns now ths th caus of th 992 Los Angls iots (Quayl Dplos")5 And whn Fdal Judg John G. Davis handd down light sntncs in Au gust 993 to LAPD ofcs Powll and Koon th Rodny King bating by way of justication h citd th ct that th accus policmn had milis" to ca whas King was simply a man chagd dunk div ing and sisting ast ( Nwton 993) Faily" has always bn an alibi if not a licnc visiting social oths with unmitting violnc uch acist thinking is th culmination of th vival of scapgoating Black mily housholds th povty of Aican Amicans. t statd up again with Bill Moyss tlvisd documntay ntitld Th Vanishing lack FamilyCisis in Black Amica" (boadcast Jauay 26 986) and hasonc againcast Aican Amicans byond th al of Amican nss and accptabl humanity Thn th is th wav of antismoking ds that inundatd th aiwavs of Calinia in wint and sping of 993 hn thy didnt tagt singl o wokingclass womn thy took aim at atinos as in th spot that atud a dullyd Latino man smoking con inuously in ont of th tv st oblivious to th coughing of th littl gil tting nxt to him. To no ons supis thn a comting consnsual us" givs way to an aggssiv us" and thm" A mssag ostnsibly bout halth tuns out to b always alady on about class ac and gn in th m of fmily" th wokingclass nonmilial intud (claly th lov of th gils moth) who thatns not just th physical ut also th moal wllbing of th hom constituts a waning ad ssd to th Latina moth who tolats his psnc and his psum by mal wokingclass indifnc to matts of halth and ca of chil n n th mouths of th dfnds of th Nw Consnsus mily" and ath" a th kind and gnt odwods of os and 90s socia con atism placing th stn law n od" slogan that punctuatd cs by o Wallac and ic on in th 6os and 70s Thes cnt xap tp us of o how ti discure as, namly
Roddey Reid 186
that hadwrigig ad expressios of alarm over the declie or death of The Family havig always bee a tactic r reiscribig ad protectig the socalled ormative humaity" of (straight) uppermiddleclass whites through stigmatizig social others r lack of mily' As Georges Caguilhem remarked about orms ad ormativity, The ormal is the at oce the extesio ad the exhibitio of the orm It icreases the rule at the same time that it poits it out. It asks r everythig outside, beside ad agaist it that still escapes it. A orm draws its meaig, fuctio ad value om the ct of the existece, outside of itself, of what does ot meet the requiremet it serves The orm is ot a static or peaceful, but a dyamic ad polemical cocept. (989: 239) Ad I wat to argue that while such a imperializig dyamic betwee self ad other, betwee the ormal ad the pathological has always lai at the heart of the milial discourse, it has rarely resulted i simple ad stable social geographies o the cotrary, I wat to suggest that this dis course of axiety ad fear has produced social distictios ad idetities oly isor as they are made to seem weak, permeable, ad vulerable to violatio or coloizatio by the outside" The them" is always pote tially lurkig withi us" Thus it should come as o surprise that sice its iceptio milial discourse has always costructed the humaizi mily" as uder threat ad i eed" of costat urturig, surveil lace, ad public ad private itervetio Genealogies: Culture Wars and "Keeping Human Beings Human
This discourse is actually a very old story (Reid 1993) It has a geealo worth tracig, if oly briey, that stretches back to the eighteeth cetur whe the ormative mily household was rst elaborated ad iscribe o the social body of Wester Europea societies ad their coloies. The as ow, therei lay the sese of what it meat to be huma," ad it w the doestic ily a its setietal arratives that grouded ad le meaig to all other social arragemets. As Theodore Roosevelt was to put it at a much later date But it is the tasks coected with the home that are the dametal tasks of humaity After all, we can et alo r te time beng with a irior quality of success i oter lne, potcl or busiess, or of ay kid becuse if there are faling1 in 1uch tters we an
Death of the Family," or, Keepig Hua es 187
ake goo i the ext geeratio; but if th e mother does ot do er duty, there will either be o ext geeratio, or a ext geeratio that is worse tha oe at all I other words, we caot as a Natio get alog at all if we have't the right kid of hoe li Such a life is ot oly the supreme duty, but also the supreme reward of duty Every rightly costituted woa or ma, if she or he is worth her or his salt, must feel that there is o such ample reward to be ud aywhere i life as the reward of childre, the reward of a happy ily life ( The Family: iv) As the eighteeth cetury rew to a close, ew milial ad sexual ide tities supersede other social ad political oes; boies bega to receive ieret iscriptios The questio was less, What is your statio?" or o what estate, cla, or social caste o you belog?" or Who is your as ter?" but rather What kid of ther or mother are you?" Are your chil dre healthy a wellbehaved?" Do you love your parets?" What are our earliest childhood eories?" Sexual practices becae a obsessio ad other questios bega to be asked What o you do i the secret f the ight?" Do you touch yourself?" What is yur sexual li like?" Who do you desire?" A culture war bega to be waged i the ame of the ew omesticity base o heterosexual oogay, love matches, ad setietal iti acy cused o chilre I ways ot dissiilar to presetday ilial iscourse, writers tried to obilize citizes by ucoverig eeies with t a? withi the household Now, i the late eighteeth cetury ad arly eteeth cetury, the rst group to il the huma test of ily" Europe ad North Aerica was of course the metrpolita ad colo ial aristocracies ad their willul midleclass iitators their wasteul estylestheir bodily practiceswere castigated as beig utterly iii
Roddey Reid 88
of how adiioal aisocaic sociey (especially is wome) blocked h uiio of ew domesic milies ad eewal of he aio. This ceuylog culue wa culmiaed i subsiuig he dis cedied oble body of suces he body of deph of he libeal subec. This ew body eclosed legible gede diffeece, heeosexualiy, ad milial seime ad ieioiy, uivesal huma qualiies pesumably available o oe ad all, povided ha oe adoped he impeaives ad pacices of domesiciy. I was ha body ha milial discouse a oce appealed o ad ied o poduce hough aaives of edageed domesiciy. Axiey, feas, ad eas became he hallmaks of a ew, emege milial sesibiliy ad desie, of a ew subechood ad ciizeship. I was hough mily" ad he middleclass ideiies i affoded a ew democaic imagied commuiy of posudal ad posevolu o ay Euope ad Uied Saes was ged. As Saah J Hale, Ameca auho of he domesic maual Manners or appy omes an Goo Society 1868 pu i, Wha composes ou couy, ad makes is life? No is wide paiies, wih hei billows of udulaig gee o is lofy mouais, wih hei ad iexhausible easues of oe o ou vas oceas, ollig ives, o swellig seams. ad as each ad all of hese may be, hey ae o he couys li, hough affecig ha life,o he couys powe, hough iceasig ha powe is ue li mus eside i he Home or it is he aggregate o homes which make up the
country an it is rom them that all goo must ow which goerns an regulates the nation Hece he impoace of makig ou homes he
cee of happiess, usefuless, ad ielligece. The highe he home sadad, he highe he iuece exeed by hose who go h om ha home. 17: 1116, my emphasis) I he ieeeh ceuy came he u of uba wokes, dise chised peasas, he eslaved, ad he coloized public healh ofcil social philahopiss, oualiss, ahopologiss, ad poliicias o suced hese goups ad hei bodies as disodely, biologically ms devoid of ay sese of mily life, ad, eveually, as ahologically de a. The eleless epeiio of hese culual aaves deed h b eal body of he whie meopolia ad coloial middle classes agi eveyoe else, ad he middle classes embodime of domesiciy s as he sig of hei exemplay humaiy, ad he absece of il amog he peasas, he uba wokes, h nslavd, ad he coloi desigaed hei social ad subeciv xisc bc Saah Hl " i eveyhig, was pcly clea b u . pen k <>f I "o
Deah of he Family o, Keepig Huma eigs Hua 89
mily of Adam ad Eve, she poclaimed ha he Uied Saes' Maifes Desiy wa milial u oe ace eais he Ede laws of love ad home ad i ha ace oly is he ih ad he woship of he ue od. Fom ha ace wee he milies ha seled ad made ou Ameica people I wo ceuies ad a half, his NohAmeica empie has gaied powe ad place i he gea mily of aios compaed wih he, hose old cadles of civilizaio ad cees of kowledge ad gloyAsia ad Aicaae ow oly blaks i he lo of humaiy (Hale 17 4 Howeve, because of hese abjec goups, i was udesood ha he ew mily li was a vey fagile hig. Middleclass pivae life was aely epeieced as secue bu ude cosa hea om wihou he see could lue husbad o adolesce away wih pomises of pleasue ad am iio, cowds could well up i evoluioay fevo ad swallow alive whole milies ad social classes; he uceaiies of he wokplace ad ake place edageed he wellbeig of hoes households, ad bio ogical coagio was boe alog upo he bodies of he uwashe Weak d vuleable as i was cosuced ad as i is sill poayed oday, he omaive mily ad is healhy bodies oeheless sood i he eyes of ay a poliicia, chaiy woke, ad pubic healh ofce as he pilla o sociey ad he sole baie sadig bewee social ode ad aachy aois uizo, LouisPhilippe's pime miise who was deposed alog wh his kig i he 1848 evoluio, dew he llowig coclusios om e poliical umoil i his eaise, On Democracy 184, which he woe wile i exile The mily is ow moe ha eve he s eleme ad las bulwak of sociey. Ou gea ciies, hei husle ad busle of busiess ad pleasue, ad he empaios ad disubaces ha hey spead ceaselessly, would soo how sociey i is eiey io a sae of me ad deploable laiy if domesic li eveywhee pese oughou he eioy, is calm aciviy, is pemae ieess, d is immuable ies did o oppose his peil wih solid baies 84 1383 my as.) Guizo, as may ieeehceuy wies, male ad female, he uative fmiy houshod provids an irreplaceable rege r the cull io of hua s 'ioiy-weapos of las eso w t bea boy: "Vi r tue 1boncl y ad good feeligs n hars. We hv h whwhl Lu fgh 11it he vi wic is de r
Roddy Rd voung u (84: 167). f you ubttut th 60 th 1848 Rvoluton, uzot' dcou cho ponouncmnt by Dan Quayl, og ld, and th Chtan Rght but alo by lbal poponnt of th Nw Connu of today Now, f th w many potntal nm tandng on th bod of th domtc mly, ut a many f not mo mgd tachouly fom wthn om th latt half of th nntnth cntuy and down to th pnt, pychatt, xpt of all nd, and th mda hav contuctd naatv of mddlcla houhold alo ndangd by way wad hytcal moth and daught, fmnat on, unmaabl coun, xual pvt, mancpatd womn, and manacal o mpo tnt th. Snc thn th domnant cultual naatv hav bn of mly lf duptd o dtoyd by all mann of cau, ntnal and xtnal A a conqunc, n vyday dcouland and populano on mly houhold, poon, ocal cla, gnd dntty, o poltcal a angmnt tand f of th dang of pathologcal dvanc o lap ung fom wthn o dcndng fom wthout. n th paanod un v of dyng mly houhold, nothng ttld, onc and all th ont btwn th nomal and th pathologcal man h ftng and poou nough uch that that to mly may upt anytm, any wh ood th may tun out to b woaholc o wo, bxual admd tach chld molt, dutful moth cly o n today' up datd von, mply a mo and a dn (dong dug n th omb ttld an LA Times dtoal) a vot daught may lad a doubl l a a pottut (th nntnthcntuy von) o on day b a pgna unaway (n th lat twntth cntuy) o a pomng on may b uff ng om tnag yndom Famly and th ocal and gnd dnt t that tun on t a alway alady n opady, on th vg of da pang good, and thu alway dd a an abnc t whl th ct of th to ha bn to dtablz th dom mly, on thng ha mand contant mly and t lbal bo hav mand th vy mau of th human' that to ay th bd of accptabl ocal and ndvdual xtnc accodng to th ta wht mddl cla. Th ha alo bn th doubl ol of pychoanaly mlalt ducton (Dluz and uatta 83: 70) wth pct bod and th d thy w thought to nclo a Foucault onc t, th nw cnc of d could u a call to th mddl cla to b& th chldn to th pychoanalyt' ofc, th pant could t • ud that what thy would lan wa tht t bttom what th wyw chldn ally dd all alon w My (oucult 80 3
Dath of th Famly, o, Kpng Human ng Ilunn Teces f Subjecvy a e Sca
So th cy dath of th mly a tmwon an almot two cntu old t bgan long b ma cultu cculatd though daly nw pap, tv, and phycan watng oom; t ha amountd to a lntl campa n to a and p human ng human though ncbng _ on and bnath th of ou bod But om b lac of mly ng th ndamntal condton of d and ubctvty (a Lacanan cul tual ctc would hav u blv), mly and lac a no mo than banal but tll powul dcuv mchanm and tactc atculat ng multpl bod, d, and ocal pactc n pcc way aound _ _ pol of domtcty n th hon do th d th utay, nomatv cou of th dcln o dath of th gulatv fmly houhold cont tchnology of ubctvty and th ocal tut a mav Howv, th moblzaton of bod and d mly ha bn o l pwul bcau of t dcuv contucton ndd, t pow dcuv to th co n mlal dcou th poducton of mly dabl nom ha alway qud a and outcat that nam th nom ndctly by vtu of th dpatu om t Th dhow of lal oth ha had two powfl, advantagou fct Ft, t ha al wd th nom to man nvbl, thu ndng th nomatv mly o _mp 0 to th vaga of ndvdual and collctv xpnc _ A a conqunc, catatophc pvat o o < to mpcal utat0n vnt ha tndd no o much to dcdt mly a to nw call l t potcton and vval. Scond, t mantan th nom ut out of ch, omthg v to b dd but nv qut alzd Thu, n ntant uvllanc of oulv and othwho nxt?w to our d of mly wth tal of t dupton o dcln n hop that day wll nonthl gt t ght n ou daly lv u mght ay t th way th ocalld modn domtc mly ha nv md ully wo th; ha bn alway alady n c, ntnally wa, c But aly hav naatv of c d opn to va0n by outd si bn tund aond n publc dcou to call th nomatv mly hold quton A ay ndana put t, pang of chld abu 1d th antaboton clmat,
�
Te connection is never made that the creation of a mily is not an �toa tic or desr able detn y o evry "noral person, that other k 1 s of ves c ould b qlly o mo re lllng, or that unwanted baie s ow up to becoe th ogymn of "cr because they wr vict s ci m fo I h n o h. Intd, Amercan
Roddey Reid 196
deah, one dvoe one blood es away om havng nohng Coon 2 230) 5 Even pesumably lbeal publaons lke he tlatc have len ample spae o wes who dend Quayle's poson n he name o he New Consensus see hehead 3 and mos eenly Healh and Human eves eeay Donna halala, one o he mos lbeal membes o he Clnon Admnsa on when asked whehe Muphy own was gh n beang a hld, e pled, "I don' hnk anyone n publ le oday ough o ondone hlden bon ou o wedlok even he mly s nanally sable ee Eaon 4 and he appovng Lo gele Tme edoal "he Insan Fomula Povey 6 he s wave o sapegoang aually began n 6 wh he publaon o he Labo Depamen sudy "he Nego Famly: he Case Naonal A on deed by he hen lbeal Havad soologs Danel Pak Moyn han On Moynhan's epo and sapegoang lak mly households see "apegoang and Coon 2 h 0 Moe eenly Newweek polamed ha a new onsensus among sholas now vndaes Moynhan's ognal hess was aued as a lenghy ove soy, "old whou Fahes he uggle o ave he lak Famly ha onaned wo ales, "Endangeed Famly pp 6-27) and "Poeng he Chlden pp 28-2) aompaned by no less han egt human nees soes; see "old whou Fahes Fnally Moyn an's evved hess s now emboded n he 4 Clnon wele em bll ha punshes epen mohes havng moe hlden even hough he households aveage ewe hlden han he naonal mean when he May· land NAACP voed o sudy Clnon's bll was nepeed by he um· phan Lo gele Tme as a longovedue apulaon o AanAmean leades o Moynhan's "s; see he edoal "Moynhan he Pophe I wan o hank Lnda odkey and Geoge Masal he aue nsgh no eadng hs ad 8. Fo he Uned aes onsul D'Emlo and Feedman 88 and Coon 8 Gea an see espeally eeks 8 and Amsong 87 Fan see Red 3 9 I wan o hank Nole onkovh bngng hs book o my aenon Fo a helpl synopss o mlal hnkng by he New Rgh n he U an UK onsul Abbo and allae 3 ee "Dong Dugs 2 ee Coon 2 oh o Coons books Coon: 88, 2) ae empl n he oosve empsm hey dspel one and all any smple, ln noon o mly household hsoy he Uned aes and he dea h any one mly household was embodd ass ll ommuns and sl lasses Nomalng naaves o pv l mply nn aun shee ompley and dvsy hhl nmns m ln mes down o ou day n mmn nd H dl w mm -W JI
Deah o he Famy," o, Keep Huma 197
mddlelass sububa. In my vew wha he aoun ms s how o have noneheless onsued a domnan nom ha hs nn usly a laed bodes soal elaons and subjeves n ms o mddllass do mesy almos 200 yeas In sho she ovelooks h dsn possbly ha "mly has always esed nomavely and even speally so whle daly paes wee a vaane wh s sues and mpeaves 13. Howeve he "seleseem movemen may oe new hope o wee av ss soal epes and govenmen oals despang o beng able o ds plne ens; see Cukshank 3. ome een sass on ape oe no eassuanes ehe A evsons sudy has lamed ha only 22 peen o apes ae ommed by sanges; 2 pe en by nonelaves known o he vms; peen by a boyend o me boyend; 6 peen by a elave no o he mmedae mly; u pe en by a he o sephe; peen by a husband o a me husband; see uvey hows'
Works Cited Abbott, Pamela, and Claire Walace 1992. The Fami ly ad the New Right. London:
Pluo Pess.
Abrahamson, Alan. 1993. "Lyle Menendez Admits Lies, Insists He Killed in Fear. Lo gele Time, 22 Sep 1993 A Andeson L auen 1987. "Popety o f Same -Sex Couples Towad a New Deni tion of Family Joua l ofFam ily Law 26.2 (Mar. 1987) 357-72 Amstong Nancy 1987. Desire and Dom estic Fiction: A Political Histoy of the Novel. New York: Ox rd University Press Baett Michle and May Mcntosh 1982. The A ntiSocial Family London
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Canguilhem Geoges 1989. The Nomal and the Pathological. Tans. Caoyn R. Fawcett with Robet S. Cohen. New Yok Zone Cate, Bill. 1992. "Netwoks Unite on Child Abuse. New York Times, 26 Aug. 1992 late ed. C13. Children of the Cult Newsweek, 17 May 19 93: 4850 . linto n Pesident Bill 1993. Pesidential News Confeence of Apil 20 1993. Weekly Compilation ofPresidential Docu ments 29.16 (Apil 26 19 93) 625. oleman Benda C 1993 "Study Says 1 in 50 Kids May Have Jailed Paent. San Fancisco Examine 11 Aug 1 993: 10 oontz Stephanie 1988. The Social Oigins ofPivate Life London Veso 2. e W We Ne er Were: American Famlies and the Nostala Trp. -
New Yok: as ook
< rwin
Mils 1993. '" ch a Killer Los Angeles Times 11 Aug 1993 B wly oy 1993, Wh's Look ing ate th Inteest of Childen? Newswk 6 Aug 1 3: '" '
Roddey Red 98
Cuikshank, abaa 993 "Revoutions Within efGovenment and e Esteem Ecoomy d Socty 3 (Aug 993) 3744 "ad Kis Wie, wo Kids Nw v Rgt, Juy 993 8 "eath Wish: he ay of Judgment Nwwk, 3 ay 993 -3 eeue, Gies, and Feix Guattai 983 AtOdpu Vo of Cptlm Schzoph ans Robet Huey, ak eem, and Heen R ane innea ois Univesity o innesota Pess 987 A Thoud Pltu Vo of Cptlm d Schzoph ans ian assumi inneapois: Univesity o innesota Pess 'Emiio, John, and Estee Feedman 988 Itmt tt A toy of Sxulty Amc New ok Hape and Row "oing ugs in the Womb Editoia Lo Agl Tm, 8 ept 993 7 Eaton, Wiiam J 994 "haaa Revives uphy own Pegnany Issue Lo Agl Tm, Juy 994: A, A Fml Ft 993 Repot of the Nationa Commission on Ameias Uba Famiies Washington, C Th Fmly Pvg Amc' Futu 987 A Reot to the Pesident om White House Woking Goup on the Famiy Washington, C Fowad, usan, with Caig uk 989 Toxc Pt Ovcomg Th u· ful Lgcy d Rclmg You Lf New ok antam Fouaut, ihe 98 A Itoducto Vo o Th toy of Sxulty N ok: Vintage Gaton, ue 987 A fo Alb New ok antam Guiot, Fanois 849 D l dmoct Pais Vito asson Hae, aah J 97 ; o, ppy om d ood Socty All th Roud 868 Rpt New ok: Ano Pess Indiana, Gay 99 " ood othes In Dmoccy A Pojct by oup t Ed ian Wais eatte ay Pess, 4-47 "he Instant Fomua Povety Editoia Lo Agl Tm, 6 Juy 994 7 ash, Chistophe 977 v tl Wold Th Fmly Bgd w ok: asi ooks 978 Th Cultu of Ncm: Lf th Ag of Dmhg Exp• to New ok Noton "eaving wo Home Aone, Paents Ae Hed Nw Yok Tm, 3 e 99 ed: A is, avid 99 "Oah, Chidens Cusade Whgto Pot, 3 Nov 91 ' A "othe Goes to Jai aby Food ampeing FDA Coum26 ept 99 ) 1 44 "oynihan the Pophet Lo Agl Tm 4 ah 994 6 Nash, Nathanie C 993 "Agentines Fee 68 Chiden Reotedy Hed by SIX Cut Nw Yok Tm, 3 ept 99 nat d A Newton, Jim 993 "Koon, Powe Get a o Agl T Aug 993 At Patton, Cindy 99 vtg w Y �
Deh o he Fmily," o, Keep Hum es Ha 99
"Peas Potetion of Cinis Foow hooting o Abotionist S Dgo Tb u, Ag. 993 A. Popenoe avid. 993 "hoas houd Woy about the isintegation o the Ameian Famiy Chocl of gh Educto, 4 Api 993: A48 Qaye epoes Eoding Vaes Cites V how. Lo Agl Tm ay 99, an iego County ed.: A Reid Roddey 993. ml Jopdy Rgultg th Socl Body Fc, 75090 tand: tand Univesity Pess apegoating the ak Famiy. Nto, 43 Juy 989 (peia Issue). Shttd Tut Th Sh Ky Stoy NC, 7 ept. 993 mothes, Ronad 99a. "ig oestation ia Neas Its Cose Nw Yok Tm, 3 ah 99 ate ed: A8 99 "ayCae Owne Is Convited of Chid oesting. Nw Yok Tm, 3 Api 99 ate ed: A6. 993a. "In a ayCae Case, New Questions Few Answes. Nw Yok Tm, 3 Juy 993, nat. ed: 9 vey hows Numbe o Rapes Fa Highe than Ofia Figues. Nw Yok Tm, 4 ah 99, ate ed: A4. imnik ois 99. "ukey Jy eadoks istia Is eaed. Lo Agl Tm, 8 Jy 99: A. eovek, am Howe. 993 own Raies ehind oys Who Kied ei Fathe Nw k Tm, 5 Juy 993, nat ed.: 9 eeks, Jefey 98 Sx, Poltc, d Socty Th Rgulto of Sxulty c 800 ondon ongmans hitehead, abaa ae. 993. "an Quaye Was Right. Atltc .4 Api 993): 4784 ias, ane. 993 "Raist Admits 87 aying. S Fcco Exm, Aug. 993: A. od without Fathes: he tugge to ave the ak Famiy. Nwwk, 3 g. 993: 69
PAT I TEMIAL BODIES
T E N
Readng Lke an A n Posthuman Identty n Rdy Sotts Ale and Davd Conenbegs Rad Kelly Hurley
Th coc o h chp wh Screen dd, 86 pc u , h cm o Body Hoo": hybd h comb h v d cmc covo o h cc c o, hoo, d up m od o pcc o h hum body dmzd, dd oh Body hoo k o p vu od ow wy, puhouh po o qu hum u who c/c poducd by h bco, h mbuo, h mpob mbodm o mup, compb m Such pohum mbodm m , occupy boh m (o h, x h h bw hm) o h oppo o hum/ohum I w cu o pohum mbodm Dvd Cob Rbid (77) d Rdy Sco Alien (7), d h x h wok o coud d xcd h booc, xu, d py chc co houh whch w doy couc hum" d y Body Hoo dcbd bov oh w cm; p o o oquhum mbodm c b budy ud dcuy hoo/SF, uch m The Fly (8), Creture rom the lck Lgoon (4) The Alligtor People (), The Creeping Unknown (6 The Slime People (6), d cou oh How h o om a ou h body hoo h ud up va oh n rn dad a o ud o e 7 e e �abd ad Alen O a dcy owd vr m lun cntn (e aba l o o A 1
ey Hurey 04
Romero Wes Crave ad Tobe Hooper) ever more sadsc voece (he Friday the th ad Halloween seres) ever more raphc pasaky redered corporea rasrmaos ( The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, boh 8) ever more roesque ad uspeakabe embod mes (Joh Carpeers 8 remake o The Thing, Coebers 86 re make o The Fly) As my choce o adjecves he as seece s mea o usrae rece body horror, houh has me wh a respecabe share o crca aeo, has o aways me wh approva Pee Boss r exampe arues ha he body desruco o he moder horror m" compared wh he more resraed horror o he pas s oe casua o he po o radomess devod o meaphysca mpor s equey squad [ad mechacay roue s execuo 6) oder body hor ror, by hs accou s meaess excessve rauous ad as such may be harmu o he cosumer as we Harvey R Greeber cams h horror beyod psychooca oerace caces ejoyme I crue cema ay possby r a hea caharss s deberaey sacrce vor o overwhem he vewers capacy o edure psychc pa 84 8). The sheery horrc quay o body horror however has bee juse wh a deooca amework Fms ke The Teas Chainsaw Massac 74) The Hills Hae Eyes 77) ad Romeros zombe roy have be prased as scah crques o Amerca cosumersm ad overve• me he ucear my Aeravey eve whe body horror to dever such a crqueor coradcs ad udermes s ow aemp o rward a proressve" aedas very ure ca be sad o rev he mechasms o ressace ha hod ormave cuura suo in pace Alien has bee he objec o a exraordary amou o aay ao hese es as a ex ha aes bu cao ow hrouh a arxs ad/or ems crque o Amerca cuure Wh h erms he horror m serves as a docume o he cuura ucosco The ex mus be psychoaayzed: s appare coe mus be srpp away s repressed coe mus be ucovered ad erroaed o ha we may udersad he real ears ha horror medaes r prou ad cosumer I shoud sae here ha (r he space o hs chaper a eas) I no.t' eresed he pocs o body horror proressve or oherwse I s my coeo ha he horror m has bee asked he queso " are you repress?" oo oe o he ecuo o oher queso he read aed oo crupuouy o h dced deooc e o he horror m ke h radi qu
Read Lke a Ae 05
o ake o accou wha he horor m can accoph h o r ere cao The arrave od by body horror aa ad aa a hua sub ec dsmaed ad demoshed a huma body whose ery s vo aed a huma dey whose boudares are breached o a sdes Oe eeds o pace hs arrave ad he maes om whch s eeraed, wh he dscourse (ad cuure) o posmodery parcuarly as ha dscourse heorzes he breakdow o huma speccy ad he eroso o huma dey, emboded ad oherwse Here I a cocered ess wh he repued posmoder ameao o huma dey ha wh s recourao hrouh he purazao ad couso o boy rms I horror ms, wh her sadard ures o he huma/ohu ma (ae, mua cybor, psychopah), he rope o body ambua o has hardeed vruay o a mc coveo A he same me, he sophscaed speca eecs echooes ha have recey rasured he eread deed he very ouraeousess o a ere whose e mae oas are shock ad dsusmeas ha he horror m s abe o efec a specacuar vsua sa o body ambuao ha ca oy be eeraed cocepuay heoreca dscourses o posmodery I wsh o ake he horror m eray r he mome, cus o mo srosy as specace raher ha meaphor, ad o body horror as a specu ave arrave ha ses ou ew ecoomes o decao ad desre, raher ha ead us back, aeorca sho, o he oes we aready ow oo we I am o eresed how horor heps us maae our ars, bu how heps us o mae oherwse, ousde o he parame ers o he huma s eerao o poshuma embodmes boh orrc ad subme Psychoideological Readings of Horror
ry sadard e o horror s ha he ere eabes s cosumers o
o, emporary ad vcarousy, her mos basc ears ad/or u scous desres For exampe we ejoy wach aes ad axemurder s red huma vcms om mb o mb, or wach huma subecs deo prooed ad obscee body meamorphoses, because hs e us o ackowede our ow dread o he deah, dsease, muao, d oher rasrmaos ha may overake us or our oved oes Aer � vy we dey wh he moser ad o he vm, vew he ay serve o ve voe uses ha coud oherwse erup ese whr ad ess say h cuso o osrosy he horro ex re s a ru o o a ad ese oo oeabe o
Kelly Huley 206
be examied diecly Like is close elaive he ihmae he hoo ex clohes he epessed coes o he ucoscious i phaasmaic aaive ad specacle such ha hey may be boh ecoized ad disavowed Hoo lms i ohe wods seve as cheap heapy Oe ejoys he icusio o mososiy/he ucoscious om he sae disace o oes ow sea; ad paiculaly whe he lm eecs deiive closue (he mose killed ad omaliy esoed) oe oes homeo us o he VCReeshed, ioculaed, he mome aais he pesky ucoscious Fo he mome I will ake oe o hee basic assumpios ha eable his model s he chie ucio o he ee is o iiiae cahasis he specao; secod he specaos pimay elaio o he ex ivolves ideicaio (ad is cocomia, disavowal); ad hid he specao as coceived is ully ivesed i a discee ad sable huma ideiy These assumpios also udelie hose aumes ha deploy psychoaalyic mehodoloies i ode o pem a ideoloical eadi o hoo This move akes us om e ealm o eeal huma" eas ad desie o ha o socially hisoically specic oes Wihi such a eadi, culual epessios ae ouhly simulaeous wih he epessios ecessiaed idividual subjecs so ha he ypes equecy ad deees o ouih mososiy occui i hoo lm seve as idices o he co· es o wha mih be called he culual ucoscious A notable a nd inluential exposition of this argument can be und i Robin Wood's Marxian-F reudian analysis of the horror lm that serves a introduction to the 1979 collection Amercan Nightmare.5 Wood, worki om the distinc tion elaborated by Gad Horowitz sets to one side the ph· nomenon of "basic repression (the process of oedip alization that tra· rms the infntile body governed only by drives into a proto-subj ready to be inserted into the social order), here dismissed as univers necessary and inescapable." He cuses i nstead on the surplus repressio required to transrm this proto-subject into an obedient and functio . member of its culture. Unde capitali sm, this means the disciplin in of nonroutinized sexual and creative energies that might prevent the sub om becomin g the ideal capitalist subject a sexually monotonou automaton-like worker (Robin Wood 79 ). Social disciplin ing (the ag of which is not specied here) ensures that such energies are rerout to he ucoscious Of course, they do not lie quiescent there The repressed reemer1 among other things, through the mechanim o dsplacement: "Wh I repressed (but never destryed) in th sel f I i] pro•ctd outward o to be hated and dsowned ) Th v icle fr tis echam wi ll those n divduals or rous d1cl by o perceiv ns iimin l to the ·
Readi Like a Ale 207
domia culue wihi Wese capialism hese grups include womn, he poleaia owhies ad oheeosexuals 90) l n oth words, he coe s o he idividual ucoscious will be cha l _ ou by a omaivizi culue which disallws ca chaels lad sies ad pacices bu admis hem as he popey o cea s ve Ohes, whom he omaive subjec is ive licese o dss Wood hus ses he sae a culual poeics o he hoo lm: ce al o [he ee is he acual damaizaio o he dual coce e e pessed/he ohe i he ue o he mose Oe mih say a e ue subjec o he hoo ee is he sule ecoio o all ha ou civilizaio epesses ad oppesses 10) Tha is he lmic mose seves as a expessio o hose desies ha he specao has bee aied houh social codiioi o disavow ad sice he mose appeas i he uise o ohe he specao s disavowal may be poloed a he same ime ha s/he ejoys vicaiously he eacme o his/he epessed desie Opiios as o he poliical amicaios o hooascahasis vay
By some accounts horror itself considered rmally, is a proundly conservative genre6 It deploys the same plot structure again and again, albeit lled with variable content. Ideological normativism is disrupted by the incursion of monstrosity and all that it represents, but the disruption is only temporary, with the horror text being at some pains to expel monstrosity and eect closure reconguring the boundaries of the normative When the monster is killed, in other words the unconscious content it represents is sent packin g back to the unconscious again The spectator/ culture enjoys the discharge of unconscious content but does so with the nderstanding that this moment of catharsis will be rigidly contained and emporary The culture is able to entert ain deviat ion fom the norm only :
ecause ths happens at the level of ntasy within the emphatically "notal, because the moment of discharge is cilitat ed by a discredited low genre and because the audience is assured that the norm will b constituted by the end of the lm. Within this account viewing the hor-
�
ror
flm makes us bad people, complacent subjects reaccli mated to cul-
al oms Robin ood on the other hand, while acknowledging the potenti al nser vats of horror se�s it as a genre with tremendous liberatory, •n revolut0nary potental Se the horror lm, uniquely serves as a _ w onto the cultral and thus individua uncon o scious, it allows the ctato r to recognize the natre and extent of his/her repressed "mon.�I s desres, cknowl d the futility and danger of projecti ng these ? s onto o c1l n 1ls, nd renonce t e idologcal nomatvza 1 n tt mnd lcd h 1·eprcs sion n rojct on 'J h "most dstn l
:
(2),
elly Hurley 2
dreads t could scarcely be bettered: the mostrous phallus combied with vagina dentata (Robi Wood 2) ach o these sexual characterizatios o the Alie, each amply ad covicily supported with evidece om the text, leads us i a dieret iterpretive directio The Alies resemblace to a peis poits toward a dread o masculie aressio ad peetrative violece The Alie s re semblace to a vaia or womb, ad to such imaiary costructs as the vagina dentata or materal phallus, poits toward a dread o emale sexuality, coceived as aressive ad thus castrati The Alies resemblace to both male ad emale reproductive oras poits toward a eeral disust with sexuality The issue o the Alies sexual idetity" is urther coused by its morphic variability acoss multiple liecycles A lo exible (phallic) tube emeres om a pucered (vaial) orice o the larval Alie this tube is thrust dow the throat o its victim i order to implat a embryo (ae, a ma, is the oly huma bei deepthroated" ad impre ated" i this rst lm) The developed embryo bursts om the chest o its host, looi more or less lie a pulpy peis with a lo tail ad silver tipped teeth The lm rarely allows the spectator more tha a limpse o the adult" Alie, bipedal ad ouhly humaoid i rm. Its swolle bul· letshaped head ad say tail miht seem to code it masculie, i it weret r its mouth Or rather, mouths: withi the moist ad api outer mouth ad its ri o teeth (vagina dentata) lies a secod mouth a sort of oblong phallus, also tipped with teeth, that does the work o penetration Overall, one could argue that the Alien's association with t brute physicality of coition, birth, and death places it within the regist
o emiiity as this is said to siiy the ross corporeality o the body but alterately, that the Alies similarity to slasher/rapists o other ho• ror lms, or its doubli relatio (withi a arxist readi o the l to the Compay, places it withi the reister o masculiist aresso ad/or patriarchal capitalism Is the Alie a boy or a irl? Sice textual evidece supports both as I would tend to agree with those critics who characterize the Alien
as,
genitally speaking, simultaneously male and female. However, I wo give this argument a perverse twist and assert that the Alien is there neither. It is not, of course, that the question of sexual identity is irrl · vant to the lm, but that the Alien as embodiment (I should say, ea • bodiment of the Alien) exceeds the logi of a man (sexual) ident y predicated on genital differene. The flm, In tur, xeds and re s i s t s an intepetation tat woud contain It whn he ld f (human) sex u a l t y lie as arrati ves smoothly wthi he lg of pychanl 1,
Readi Lie a Alie 211
with its heartless computer amed other," ad its heartless Alie bris tli all over with stylized eitalia, reisteri all the usual sis o repressio ad displacemetso smoothly ad idiscrimiately as to overload ad rupture that loic Collapsi this udatioal biarism peis/o peis male/emale) idispesable to the costitutio o huma detit, the lm wors to tae us outside o the loic o the huma," to iaie other (alie) systems o reproductio, other (alie) loics o idetity Or perhaps, it wors to push us toward aother (alie) loic o the huma" oe predicated ol occasioally ad icidetally o cate ories o sexual dierece Bere cotiui with Alien I would lie to cosider a lowbudet lm that has received much less critical attetio, Croebers 77 Rabid. lie Alien, Rabid operates ully withi a semiotics o huma sexualit ad desire, but lie Alien Rabid wors to overload ad exhaust rma tios o sexual dierece ad idetit, to represet a ecoomy o desire ad cosummatio that utilizes, but couds, the usual costructios o huma sexuality These iclude the usual perverse" costructios lie the phallic woma, the leitimate property o horror Rose, the protaoist o Rabid is plaed by por star arily Cham ers (o Behind the Green Door me) Roses upper body is badly iured he the motorcycle her boried is drivi slams ito a stalled recrea tioal vehicle ad catches re She is tae to a earby plastic surry cliic r emerecy treatmet, where Keloid, a arterower o the cliic, perrms a radically experimetal operatio to replace her dam ed si ad iteral oras As a oshoot o the surery, however, ose uderoes two mutatios a iability to subsist o aythi but uma blood, ad the rowth o a peislie appedae udereath her rmpit by meas o which she draws that blood Roses victims i tu evelop a disease resembli rabies Equally raveous r blood ad slav i at the mouth, they hurl themselves o the most proximate victim, heir bite carryi cotaio i its tu Evetuall the impositio o artial law is able to chec the diseases rapid proress throuh otreal, d Rose is illed by oe o her ow victims The lm eds with a dober a chewi at Roses body outside the apartmet buildi where she d, ad the credits roll as the saitatio police, collecti corpses, li s ito a arbae truc e seem to have a most miliar horror arrative i Rabid: the idis iiate eactmt o libidial ures threates public order, ad its is the aressive, iappopriately sexual (phallic) woma However, i e d Lw is b oiosly o recotai e ucheced desire, urdy fe ma e esr, t mns viliz siali that we hv ud t o m f io y is r i , m ex -
Key Huey 224
igaay Luc. "This Sx hich Is Nt O Th Sx Whch No O Ithaca ll Uivsity Pss 18 333 Kavaaugh Jas H. "Fiis Huais ad Scic i Al Kuh 73-8 Kistva Julia Pow of oo A Ey o Abjco Nw Yk luia Ui vsity Pss 18 Kuh Att d. Al Zo Culul Thoy d Compoy Scc Fco Cm Nw Yk Vs 10 Livigst Ia "Th Tac i Lchs David gs Rbd ad th Si tics Paasitis Amc mgo 04 (13) 1-33 Mdlski Taia "Th T Plasu Th tpay H Fil ad Pstd Thy' Sud Em Ccl Appoch o Culu d Taia Mdlski Bligt Idiaa Uivsity Pss 186 66 Nwt Judith. "Fiis ad Axity i Al Kuh 8-87 Ply stac "Ti Tavl Pial Sc ad th itical Dystpia Kuh 1167 Pic Stph "Dad Ta ad Th Thg: Twad a Scial Thy th H Fil Wd Agl 10 (188): 1- d Rt "ss Tak Th Iplicatis Gic Hyidiati i th Al Fils Sud h um 1 (188): 1-1 d Ri "tducti Amc Nghm: Ey o h oo Flm d Adw Bitt t al Tt Fstival Fstivals 17 7-8
L V N
Terminating Bodies: Toward a Cyborg History of Abortion Carol Mason
Adw Ross [pos queso o Do Hw] : I sems c h h ood cbos d h bd cbos d h he cybo sf s coesd oco How do ou pve o how do ou hk bou ws of peve cbosm om b mh h c sw boh ws spec wh he pcu of c bo soc os h you pes s so cud d voe d bf of uees? ( Technoculture ) Adw Ross ppos k pobm wh h ecozs cbosm s mh h c sw boh ws' Re o Hwy's ess A so Cbos Scece Tchooy d SocsFemsm he 98os Ross s o dw ou he possb ds vovd po mo oc myh h c pecse bcus of h u of o sve h hoc ds of wo oppos poc scs Th cbo a cu of edepde cbec d oc emes ws o ducd b Hw o he cdmc commu 98 s p sf coscous emp o ue plesure h cofso of bouds sp hum fom mch hum om m bods om ch oo fme om m] d responsibility h cosuco (0) u Rosss quso mds hos of us emod of Hws cbo tha pesus w s de Wh e he des vovd mbc he cbo s mh h s wy' wods o sm he despsd mephos of boh orgai ad technolog vso d] t frgru specc poso
Carol Maso 226
multiple mediatio partial perspective ad therefre [to serve as as possible allegory r atiracist miist scietic ad political kowledge?" Oe of the dagers is gettig caught up i judgig the good cyborgs" ad the bad cyborgs" ad rgettig that as Ross says the cyborg itself is a cotested locatio" I see this happeig r example i mi ist sciece ctio ovels like Marge Piercy's He She and t 1) i which eve the good cyborg itesies ad resolidies idetities ad boudaries marked by sexual dierece. The practice of idetifyig good ad bad cyborgs ofte reies political idetities ad social relatios as idividual bodies James Cameros 1 lm erminator 2 ( 2 also ecourages viewers to egage i this practice to choose which cyborgs are good ad bad ad which social relatios are to be saved or ot. Subtitled Judgmet Day" the lm clearly ivites us to play spectatorgod to distiguish the good rom the bad to salvage relatios like the uclear m ily ad to igore Rosss poit that the cyborg itself is a cotested loca tio" I resist readig T accordig to good/bad cyborgs ad look istead at the cyborg social relatios" or cyborgism"embodied by characters Although Ross treats both approaches as oe I thik tracig cyborgism" is a less dagerous readig practice tha locatig good ad bad cyborgs I prefer tracig the cyborgism of a situatio over locatig ood ad bad cyborgs because it cuses o the historical ad discursive iterplay amog bodies rather tha o the bodies themselves. Furthermore at least i the case of T, locatig good ad bad cyborgs is couterproductive t readig the cyborg social relatios at work i the lm The project of cyborgism" my aalysis will show teds to result i the disembodimet of idividual subjects ad the disaggregatio of historical social relatios that comprise a subject I other words cyborgism as a readig practic reveals how subjectivities are made ad remadehow they are repro duced. Haraway promotes this practice more tha the project of judgig go ad bad cyborgs. She asks why should our bodies ed at the ski?" 18 ad suggests that we ca aalyze political situatios accordig to t poststructuralist revelatios that cyborgs afford us. Two of tose revl tios are that orgaic uity (or bodily itegrity) is itself a myth ad th techophobia leads people to surreder some very importat tools to n elite group (corporate/military scietists) kow r their eugeic way Haraway kows that reliquishig the ideal of orgaic uity or a sus· cio of techology is dagerous She admits this daer more clarly In the iterview with Ross tha she dos i th manifs, whr it may h seemed atithetical Yet Haraways dvotio t her c myh revail i n
Termiatig Bodies 227
her respose to Rosss questio about cyborgsms daerous capacity to swig both ways": Doa Haraway Well I guess I just thik it cyborgism] is bereft of secure guaratees. Ad to some degree its a refusal to give away the game eve though were ot eterig it o uequal terms It is e tirely possible eve likely that people ho wat to mke cyborg so cial realities ad images to be more cotested placeswhere people have diferet kids of say about the shape of their liveswill lose ad are losig all over the world Oe ould be a ol I thik to igore that However that doest mea we have to give up the game cash i our chips ad go home I thik that those are the places where we eed to keep cotestig Its like refusig to give away the otio of democracy to the right ig i the Uited tates ( ehnolte 7) My respose to this call to keep cotestig" begis ith the distictio betwee idetifyig good cyborgs om bad cyborgs ad recogizig the cyborgism" of a situatio My readig of illustrates this distictio ad explores how bodies do ad dot ed at the ski" O oe had my readig emphasizes race which appears to be located at the ski" The ct of blackess"4 is the most immutale ad takergrated sigier of idividual embodimet i 2 a movie that otherwise lauts stuig chages i persoal appearace ad revels i bodily plasticity O the other had my readig ill illustrate how eve the ct of blackess i 2 is historically ad discursively produced by ad producig a ct of whiteess if you will I this way 2 urges us to thik i terms other tha idividual bodies or sigularities as our editors suggest Gilles Deleuze ad Felix Guattari also explore ways i which bodies ca be see as ouitary heterogeous machies that may emphasize rather tha obscure the cotiget ad ogoig process of reproducig subjectivities They best describe bodies as machies i discussig how a bumblebee is part of the reproductive system of a red clover or ho the male wasp is part of the reproductive system of the orchid which attracts ad itercepts it] by carryig o its loer the image ad the odor of the female wasp" (AntiOedips 5) Accordig to Deleuze ad Guattari the bee ad clover or the wasp ad orchid are together a complicated repro ductive machie Moreover they tell us we are misled by cosiderig ay complicated machie as a sile thi " he sae is rue ill arue i erminator 2: the truly complicated machiery i Cameros l is ot termiaor it i th cootatio betwee Miles Dyso the ther of kyet ( umd se program that leads to cybg revolutio)
Carol Mason 8 and Sarah Connor the mother o John a boy who is destined to lead humans in uture battles against the cyborgs yson who is blac and Connor who is white are lie the bee and clover they serve as parts o each other's reproductive" systems. I will argue that this Connoryson opposition (re)produces culturally recognizable subjectivities that need to be read not merely as stereotypes or monolithic ideological eects" (Goldberg 8). Connor and yson aren't merely representations or oneonone denotations o white and black male and male worker and proessional or mannish lesbian" and noble negro" they wor together as a reproductive machine lubricated by these historical residues. Only with a sense o history ( and specically a history o eugenics lynching and population and reproductive control) can we detect and understand ho this cultural reproduction" occurs. Following my analysis o then will be a brie deense o history as a saguard against a cyborgism that swings both ways and an application o this saeguarding which will contextualize cyborgism in the arena o abortion politics. This will allow us to bring into question Haraway's cy borg as a myth with no origin story" (150) and to disturb the dichotomies upon which the abortion debate is unded. is most obviously about a good cyborg (the Terminator played by
Arnold Schwarzenegger) and a bad one (the T1000 played by Robert atrick). These cyborgs arrive om the postapocalyptic uture in which John Connor leads a human rebellion against the cyborg anarchy which began when an automated military deense system Skynet came to conscious ness and attempted nuclear genocide o human beings This conusin time loop allows the cyborgs to travel into the past to prevent (the Terminator's mission) or to ensure (T0oo's mission) Skynet's cyborg reign. For the T1000 this means illing John Connor while he's still a child bere he grows up to be a military leader against cyborgs. The Terminator in direct conlict must protect John Thus we have our good/bad cybor theme. At the opening o the lm however viewers aren't sure who's good an who's bad. Since this is a sequel to a lm in which Schwarzenegger played the evil terminator viewers expect him to be bad again But unlie hi shapeshiting nemesis ( T1000) whose bodily shape and appearance ca change the Terminator's character can change and in ct is constanl changing not only om bad to good or om monstrous to humane (i not human). The Terminator also traverses a continuum o masculinitie According to Elizabeth Traube mas culu o resculii America ater the Vietnam an Watergae era wa lhe o any one type o masculiniy Rh h y rn mcuinii
Terminating Bodies range om workingclass resentments o managerial control" (0) as portrayed by Ramo to good nurturing thers that serve as substi tutes r bad overambitious mothers" (2) o the prossionalmanagerial class (as we see in Kramer vs. Kramer and Mr Mom The Terminator trav erses that continuum o masculinities moving om the massmurdering type to the sensitive man who learns the value o crying. It is tempting to argue that Schwarzenegger in in ct contains all these masculinities as he neutralizes the schizophrenic" conlict between horror movie dads (Jack Nicholson in he Shining and mily melodrama dads (ustin Homan in Kramer vs Kramer But I agree with other scholars whose work indicates that the Termina tor's masculinity is constantly being dened reproduced or (Traube's term) reinvented. Jonathan Goldberg r example convinces me that the Terminators masculinity is produced and reproduced through the ten sions and interplay between leathersexual" images reminiscent o gay male porn and the takenrgranted (hetero )sexual allure" o Schwar zenegger's physique. To this insistence that the Terminator has both a straight masculinity" and a queer one Traube might add that the Termi nator has both a workingclass masculinity (as is evident in his Ram boesque irreverence r the law) and a proessionalmanagerial masculin ity (he would Sarah tells us never hit John or get drunk but would be the best ther" like corporate advertising man Ted Kramer) O course the Terminator isn't the only one whose sexuality is re invented in Ater scratching no te" in a table with a buckkni Sarah Connor has a horrible dream in which she sees hersel (as she appeared in the 1984 erminator and her son in a playground that is en guled and disintegrated by a nuclear inerno The dream sequence uxta poses her butchy militant and muscular streamlined look with her big haired soter and rounder emmey image om the rst terminator lm While this is a reinscription o the me and bisexual appeal o Schwar zenegger as a prossional bodybuilder 6 it is also an image o maternal love hardened by the spectre o nuclear war Sarah Connor points a high tech rie at the origin o nuclear apocalypse the intellectual ther o the computerautomated military deense system called Skynet She can cus in on the supposed cause a black man named yson. Sarah Connor once an unassuming workingclass waitress now has alliances in Mexico and Nicaragua arms ripped" with muscles sophisticated guerrilla gear and an antinuclear attitude As she approaches Miles yson we see that he in contrast has acieved he Americn Da o prosperity complete with loving mily He has swimmin pool steotheart home computer and a boy who is lyull 1taklns h i m wih remote control truc a toy vrsion o what
Cro Mson 3
The time-loop trope t h a t makes sense o u t o f a "retroact ive abortion
ogic me og sam t he sa i s th ed) is eved) is cooncev aduut man bere he is c ann ad ki a to ki tempt to a ttem (an at toric, rhetor on rh orton i abort an tia I n an a prregnancy. In t ng a p mnatn term insst ter again rgue ag to argu used to desly de taneously simutan I t sim d It chid ture and rmer chi sents both a utur reprresen ttus rep the m ay be t hat embryo may d th were" and the chd notes the embryo you once we ig hts ed in ta righ em p e s exemp uture a psed futu c ap se nse o f a c me. This sen cme ll, v. Mitchell, aw,, Berstrasser v. r aw issour ce , a 1978 Miss insstance, too. For in at ion, to is lati leg le gisl
rled tht child born with brin dmge becse o injry nicted to his mothers mothers ters drin d ringg cesrin section sec tion r pror devery devery hd n nependent nependent cse o o cton ginst gi nst the physicins physicins who who perrmed perr med the srgery bere the chds conception conception (Poovey (Poovey 48)
s ue to su c hid the right to grants this ch th at gr logic tha ture lo me back-to-the-utur sam The sa sedy at thhey suposed brain damage that t uture br the u is h them r th doctors, to punish ived (and h a s a brain to is coonceive t hat brai n- damaged chid is c caused bere th rminaato the Termin es th logic that compes ct on log me science ct sam the sa s the ageed) s be damag ng Johnn Connor by k iln ate" Joh terminate t me to te go back n tm m too go rst m t of the r ab-estab l ogic s fuy est ives him T h s t i me lop lo cnceive b ere she cn h is mom be torr 2 , when nnnng o f Terminato ted om t he begn taken r granted ished and tak ish o th e past to ensure o b ack to the 10 00 come ba th e T-100 both the Terminator and the io n and a fundamenta prevent a future that i s bot h a regone concusion
premise
already d h as al both ha wh bo m an wh t he ma set up as th son s set Dyson Therere whe n Dy b it y it makes sense n a screwy b h umanity stroy hu str stroyed and has yet t destr t:' we way When Dyson proposes that t h e y " h ave to abort:' id wa y vaid culturay it y as we as aborting th humanity in g about aborting hu ta lking he's tal k n ow th at he aready ha t hat h a s a y pse th a pocayp e ar ap th e nucea pan t o stop Skynet; that the l ow a these "r• oops alo m e o that tme m mnent; a nd th futture is mm th e fu pened in the
roctive roctive bortion [ s ] to occr.
the terminat ty played out in the lnks may not b e expicity Wh l e these ln ence ction thermon· scen on/of sc m erging of these dscourses on s thhe me moves t y satura ideoogicay i t ic s succeeds i n ide ion poit s m and abortion ear militarsm th ite woman Also n th a conontation between a black man and a white lynch of ly la cing ogic of is plac th e disp I contend the is I cnuence is ive c scursive discu tx txc di z ing back womn fo ich swaps a reaity o f white men vctmzi which ture wh cultur ly, it ha ben women. Historicaly it e wo men victmizing white tin of back me a cti ies d t echnoogies d a te enocda sufered the e h ave su or who ha coor women o f co and legslated by white men not wht won t h ercy o back men, · n Dyson Ba d · n n ests in opon in a to r 2 suggest as Ter mina o ro d R• m , B r h o 1 R a c l m, ted by An la v 1R esented sea search prese l a ch rno osl f h en ow , th ow iv R ht, duct iv
Terminting Bodies Bodi es 33
cidl technologies t wrk wrk in tw t wentieth centy A on I o o ts t s to shed h istoric ight on the ConnorDyson Connor Dyson oppost oppo ston on n enerl nd Connrs cltrleminist comment in prticr In the rst two decdes o the centry ccordn to vs ers o rce scide o the th e white rce kiing ki ing itse it se o o compeled leders lke Rosevet the Crnegies nd the Keloggs to spport spp ort egenics pro Teddy Rosevet grms By 930 26 sttes pssed complsory sterition lws nd tho snds o nt nt peope peo pe o coor were srgicly prevented o om m reprodc ing In 1939 ntion birth control orgnition deveoped Negro Prject in which blck ministers were insidiosy recrited t ed c birth contro cmmittees Accrding to Dvis this episode in the birth control m mvement vement conrmed the ideoogicl vctory o the rcism rc ism ssc ted with egenic ides (). In the 40s nd the t he 0s 0s birth b irth contro contro becme popltion cnt cntro rol l Frnkin Rsevelt cnsidered overpopltion the cse o Perto Rics ecnmi ecnmicc di di clty nd lnched n experiment cmpign cmp ign there there which whic h reslt reslted ed in 20 percent decline in i n poptin gro growt wthh by the mid196s mid1 96s By the 1970s more more thn 3 percent o l Perto Ricn R icn wmen wmen child chil d bering ge were srgiclly steriied In 1972 6000 wmen nd 8 men were steriied in the US ccording to the Deprtment Helth dction nd Welre which ter estimted tht between 00000 nd 200000 sterilitins sterilitins hd ctlly ctlly been nded tht yer by the derl gv gvernment ernment These Thes e gres disproport d isproportiontel iontely y represented represented bck nd Chi C hi cn cn wmen wmen The sme sm e government government system system tht th t ered ered ee sterition steri tion either ( ( ) wodnt py py r bortin bortin services or (2) (2 ) pr prvided services services n the cnditi cndition on tht the ptient pti ent greed to sterilitin For exmp exmpe e Dvis reports n Indin Helth Services Hspitl in Oklhom ws reprted reprted to sterilie t o every 4 Ntive A mericn mericn wmen giving giving birth in tht ed ed er ciit ci ityy It wod be inccrte t ttribte these thes e r ttempts to preve prevent nt white rce sicide sic ide to white men one. one. Not ony were there there indivi in divid d women in the egenics mvementsbirth contrl leder nd eminist Mrgret Snger ws ws n dminis dmi nistrtor trtor o the rementioned Nero Prjec Prject tbt bt collect colle ctiv ivel ely y white mini mi nist st interests ppsed ttem ttempts pts t stp stp compsry sterition sterition Accrding Accrding t Thoms Thom s Shpir Sh pir in 197 Plnned Pln ned Prenthod Prenthod NOW nd the Ntion Asscition Assciti on to Repel Abrtin Lws Lws (NARA (NA RAL) L) potested sterilitin gideline prposed by the Cmmittee to nd Sterilitin Ase (CSA the predecessr CARASA Cmmittee r brtio brtionn Right Ri ghtss n ndd Agnst Agnst Sterilition Abse) Abse).. The gideline gideline cled cled r r 30dy wtn wtn ped pe d which ddressed ddressed the t he needs o the ndered nderedct cted ed nonEnh kn kn woen who re most most sscetibe to steriltin s (h br nst otst sted either ro
Caro Mason 234
<ass/race <ass/ra ce bias that prev prevented ented white feminists om seeing seei ng the adv advanta antage ge of the guideine guideine or om a ar that the concomitant abortion aborti on cause wod wod be hurt if they aigned themseves with this other seemingy nreated issue There is a common denominator between tis abridged history of feminist emini st in invo volv lvement ement in genocida technologies" technologies" and an d Sarah Sar ah Connors c tural fminist outburst that ignores racia inequities whie bemoaning gender gend er dif di fferences erences In both bo th cases ca ses the issue issu e of racism raci sm is ignored ignored and even advanced by a womans issue" I think the same historical dynamic of producing producing racism through women womens s rights is happen hap pening ing when white mom mom Sarah Connor who who exats her abiity abii ty to create create a iving thing thi ng"" whie whie con demning men's potentia r destruction bames a back man fr the death of humanity the abortion abort ion of a futu future re generations generations th en a h istoricall istoricallyy convoted convoted and ideoogica ideoogicay y saturated scene It is then when Connor and all she representswhite womanhood cutura mi nism the nucear mother r whom disarmament is an act of parenta ove"conf con fronts Dyson as the myt m ythic hic back menace oppose op posed d to white womanhood the apocayptic motherfucker" that Camerons narrative via Sarah Connor contends he is and as the cosmic abortionist of a f ture generations generatio ns At work work here here are ma many ny potent technologies technol ogies that tha t are r more elusive and contortionistic than the T1000 and r more intricae and insidious than tha n technology as represe represented nted by the compter compter chip an the cyborgian arm that Connor and company mst retrieve om C berdyne abs and destro destroy y e who he i m wh too i lear t m adee clear it iss mad when it i yne wh erdyne them to Cyberd takees the son tak Dyson
as him im,, Dyson as ki h ant to ki ulett meant hit by a bule ei ng hit ter bein Affter it h. A alinng with. dali i a knn i andds a k booy, han ite b e white i tte hn,, a itt John nsee, Jo re spons Inn res e ?" I eo pe?" you peop are yo Who Who are in a ermina ." Thhe Term them." T S h ow the rey,, Sh seveerey ays sev ite man and says bi g white ver to the big over kinn to er-ski c yber-s the cy o the ti ng o c ttin ife by ct an d his w ife Dysson and rorize Dy terror ed s to ter oc eeds proce swer to it answe p icit th e impic ey, the tivvey, ar rati and Narra ic a arm a nd hand ch anica evea a mecha revea ikee the one just ik arms jus avee ar hav pe ople who h he peo the ere t i s: were le" is eople" re yoou peop who are y who e·· the e zes the gnizes eco gni son reco abs Dyson yne a erdyne at Cyyberd doome at C lass d h as i inn a glass son has Dyson the a into the a th em int takees the son tak e arn when Dyson we ea as we ca use, as beecau r's arrm b in atoor's a minat p the p rm oom th -ovver arm eft-o age, a eft endage ilar append similar ying a sim s tuddying ee n stu he h he haas been 19 8 4 ) m ( 198 to r m in ator er mina rst Term th e r risedd the comprise ry com tory se sto whose s torr, wh min ato Term viou viouss Ter is: w ion is: est ion quuest on's q swer to Dyson's it a ann swe icit im plic th e impl ever, the howeve ally, ho riccally tori H i sto I hite man w in g a white in g Seeing in ch ing ou t inc ithout eople who cut esh with the th e peop CBI I• rica ca CB isto tori a his herr a h r athe but rat xi etyy but anxiet atio ionn an trat castr udiann cas Freudia not a Fre okes no k n i evoke "s t•• in ess "st e rd to Gaine it h re ar ier w ith nt ionned ear hatt I mentio xiet etyy t ha anxi ti on an tra tr ation the v i s u a l Im• the Im • ly tic ly pr n c tic nd t h n t " prn nt nd hoos cont el ho in es, bel rio"" Like Gaine nario '
·
.
b h hw b l a mob hit mo wh hin in s o b l n c k m e • y w l nch in off lnc age ages that re ain o rn t e d1 ( 8 1 ).) . So whn John uilatd,, u s n l l y c a t rnt se x ualy m uilatd to be sex
Terminating erminat ing Bodies 35
trimphanty grabs that chip and arm at Cyberdyne it is no unloaded exclamation he makes: Weve Weve got Skynet by by the bals now! now!"" The castration of Skynettaking Skynet by the bas"is a substution r the ynching/castration/murder of Dyson who is the symbolic back mother fucker fucker"" who serves as the scapegoa sca pegoatt r the actua actua men wo conceive conceive ther monuclear war and so many other technologies of o f genocide And what according accordi ng to Terminator 2, sets off this network network of genocidal technologies? Again Mies Dyson sets it off Ive aready argued that he does so ideoogicaly as the mythic back menace opposed to white womanhood. But aso visually and iteraly Dyson is the detonator His body body immobilized and holding holdi ng te ironic remote control" control" device device aimed at the exposives hes sitting beside mechanicay gives out The remote contol technology represented by his sons ittle truck that saved him at home cant save him now As his ast sharp intakes of breath gradually slow ike a cock or a toy that needs rewinding his arm ls and triggers the exposives Its tempting here to argue that Mies Dyson is the manmach ma chine ine combinationthe rea" cyborg cyborg as opposed to either terminator termi nator in this movie My point about Dyson how howev ever er is that (t) ( t)hi hiss body as opposed by Con nors is historica historicayy an and d narrativ narr ative eyy pa part rt of a tremendous tremendous network of tech nologies that incude government policies on eugenics; feminist stances on abortion; intersecting intersect ing ctions of o f race masculinity and femin feminini inity; ty; the scienc sciencee of o f nuclear nuclear war; and the institutions ins titutions of o f rape and lynching Dyson embodies" these technologies only in relation to and in as much as Con nor While Wh ile we make make meaning of al that Dyson embodies we are also making meaning meani ng of o f what Connor embodies embo dies he bla black ck upwardl upwardlyy mobile mobile intelectual ther is produced with and through the white miitant femi nist mother mother an and d vice versa. Yet Yet my project project is not to esh esh out expicity this particlar historica h istorica and discursive production of white whit e American Ameri can femi femi ninity and a nd bla black ck American masculinity masculinity Instead Im suggesting that with a sense of history as something as contingent and constructed as a cyorg cyorg we can situate poitica poitica problems problems n reations reations between or among bodies instead of positing politics pol itics in the body itsef itsef These relations cant can t be contained in individ i ndividua ua or singular singul ar bodiesrega bodiesregardle rdless ss of o f their modern medicopsycholog medicop sychological ical depth or their ostmodern spectacuar schizoprenic depthlessnessbecause the dis ourses that (re)produce those bodies b odies are istoric ist orica. a. o o say say then as does I rawa raway (8 ( 8)) that we we kk now now of no other time i n hist h istory ory when there was reater reater need r olitica ol iticall unity u nity to conont conont eff effect ectiv ive eyy the dominations o f ce gende,' ity' and class " is to view history myopicaly. To situae cl osthumn politica poli tica unit" (or colectvity based on on nt" primn'ly wi h rd t o th htc" h tc" lat lat twntit century century
Caro Mao 242
3.
wom's trary produto or a dpth disussio o ths dyam as t rsoats wth my argumt, s Coteted Bode The Wtg of Whtee ad ede eca Lteatue a rt dssrtato by tpha Athy This is ot to say that thr ar o baks who support DI, that baks ar otvy opposd to goda thoogis ik thrmouar warhads t o Aia Amra uar gir was awardd a spa ta to om th rtary o Ds r hs work o th ahatta rojt Rathr, my poit s th dspag ogi o yhg utur, th ogi that produs "th myth o th bak rapist as Davis as t whh by o mas matais that thr ar o bak m who rap Thaks to Tha thr r ths sight This ditio o poststruturaism's "oia missio s rdr Jamso's s "Atuay Eistig arsm' Polygaph /7 99, . Th root o this troub ad th sour o th yborg's iroy whih aows t to swig both ways may hav arady b oatd by Joa ott h sug gsts that Haraway's masto tautoogiay auhs a rtqu o soiaist mism om with th phosopha os o soiaist miism "Commtary Cyborgia oiasts? Cog to Te Eabth Wd d Nw ork: Routdg, 99 Hi's omparso o abortio to savry is i th sam rhtoria tradto that prsts Roe Wade (9 as homoogous to Ded Scott v Sadfod ( th gisatio that supposdy dd itship to Aa Amr as o th basis o thr bg a "irior ass o pop I por th homoogy ad th issu o abortio as a impiit otst btw ras mor uy aothr ssay, "aagig Kg ad Admstratig L Ovrtur ig ovrg owr as a Rurrt ymboi Narrativ i Amria oti prstd at h atioa mtig o th Amria ota i Assoi tio, ptmbr 994.
Works Cid Camro, Jams, dr The Teato 94 le 9 Teato 99 Davis, Aga Woe Race ad Cla Nw ork: tag, 9 Du, is, ad i uattari tOedpu Captal ad Schzophe apois: ivrsity o isota rss, 9. Ehos, i. "Th Tamig o th Id: mist ua ts 9. Plea$U ad Dage: Explog Feale Sexualty Caro a, d Nw ork dg, 94. ais, Ja. "Whit rivig ad ook o d dr F ist im Thory Scee 9 uu 18) odbrg, Joatha " of Arod h• r Dee 4 1) 1
1
Tmatg Bod 243
Haraway, Doa. Sa Cybog ad Woe The Reveto oN New ork Routdg, 99. hooks, b. Black ook Race ad Repeetato osto: outh d rss, 99 Poovy, ary. "Th Abortio Qustio ad th Dath o a e Teo e the Poltcal Joa W ott ad Judth utr, ds Nw ork: Routdg, 99. Ross, drw ad Costa Py. echocultue iapois: ivrsity o isota Prss 99. ha�ro, Th omas. Populat o Cotol Poltc Woe Stelato ad Repoduc_ hadpha: _ te Choce Tmp ivrsity Prss, 9 oa, Zo. "Etrmiatig tuss Abortio, Disarmamt ad th osm ots o Etratrrstriaism. Dactc 4. (94 49. Traub, Eiabth Deag Idette Cla ede ad eeato 1980 Hollyood Moe oudr, a raso stviw, 99.
'
Once They Were Men, Now They're Landcrb 245
the monstrous becomings of evolutionist cinema hmatz not ony this important if at times disturbing truthnamey, that human nar" is not except as a monstrous amalgam of the non-human In these ms the prospect of becoming even more monstrous than the present human rm is ut matly afrm�d, either openy or impicity, as a destiny devouty to be wshed. To put t more generaly, if these lms could ever be said to credit the notion of a providentia design" inscribed in the natura world that esign woud reside precisey in nature's capacity to produce mon
?
�
strosity.
Becoming-Crustacean: Attack of he Crab Monsters. Directed by Roger Corman. Screenplay by Chares B. Grifth. USA: Los Altos Productions/Allied Artists,1957 -Martha Hunter marine bioogist: "We doctor? -Dr. Kar Weigand nucear physicist: "This is ridicuous. The moecuar structure of the crab is entirey disrupted There is no cohesion among the atoms. -Hank Chapman, technician "I don't understand Weigand: "Neither do I. Apparenty we have one of those bioogica eaks resuting om an overdose of radiation poisoning. The way to expain it is-ookeectricity. The fee eectron in the copper atom breaks of to circe the next atom taking the charge aong the wire. Do you low me, Hank? -Chapman: "I think so. The ee eectrons jump om atom to atom aong the copper at the speed of ight I remember that om high schoo. -Weigand "Yes. Atom to atom. Wel something ike that has happened to our crab But instead of ee eectrons the crab has fee atoms a disconnected Its ike a mass of iq uid with a permanent shape. Any matter therere that the crab eats wi be assimiated in its body of solid energy, becoming part of the crab. Hunter "Like the bodies of the dead men? Weigand: "Yes And their brain tissue which after a is nothing more than a storage house r eectrical impuses. -Dae Drewer, terrestria bioogist: "That means that the crab can eat his victims brain absorbing his mind intact and working. Weigand: "Its as good a theory as any other to expain wht happened -Hunter: "u Doctor that theory doesnt expain why Jles' nl Crn inds hve ed aains us - Dr w "Prv1on o he peci Once they were n now t h y 're 1d rb.
Eic Whie 46
Pehaps he mos memoabe of he may gia bg" ms of he 950s Roge Comas Attck of the Cr Monsters is disicive o oy Coma's ademak ackiess ad Absdis paache b he e makaby kowig mae i which he m pays evoioism o agais adiioa myh. A he begiig of he m message sco acoss he scee advisig he viewe ha yo ae abo o ad in oey zoe of eo" wheei abod igheig mos abo ha peigs way o beyod he aws of ae. " These hapeigs pecedeed ad esee eves ha cao be accoed accodig o he kow ode of he aa wod ae iiiay peseed i h m as a so of divie pishme The m opes wih oage of meos hydoge bomb exposios i he Pacic owed by scees of im mese ida waves idaig seaside commiies A ideied voic is he head ha seems o emaae om he cods as i ecies he pa sage i eesis aocig he Food: Ad he LORD said I wi desoy ma whom I have ceaed fom he ce of he eah boh ma ad bea ad he ceepig hig ad he ws of he ai; i epeeh me h have made hem" (eesis 6). The wickedess of Ma as isace specicay i he asies of apocaypic omipoece ha accompai he iveio of cea weapos is hs pished by a od who en he wod o a codiio of pimodia chaos he adiioa myhic m bem which is he be sea
This recurrece of the ux of ichoate rms that obtaied at the · giig of time etais as we a ausio to the Bibica story recoutin the expusio from the Gar de of Ede The Fal of Adam ad Eve is u dated i this case, however, as a Fal ot merely ito a materia world hadship, sfeig, ad motality, bt ito the biological chaos of a ev· tioay Nate. The tbet idity of the pimodial abyss d t eathy avata, i othe wods, i the pheomeo of bioogical evoltin Hmaity is ow compeed to ihabit a wod i which the cotin emegece of nesee, hitheto imagiabl e, ad theee mn• stros ife-rms disrupts every attempt to impose a satisfyigy hum directio o the course of evets. Hecerth, reaity wil traspir a sccessio of accidets ad pedictable happeigs," the aeatoy ·
comig of a eeessy shapeshifig biosphee The chief epeseaives of evoioay chaos i Attck of the Monsters ae commo ad cabs ha have gow o hosesiz gian I a es of hei expose o iesey adioacive cea o The soy ds as a iaddeah beween ee evoon mososiies ad he eam of eh e o ivei tho eecs of adiaio o h Pacifc d cb n habia As he e Dr. Wlg r1dundnty p h crbs ae
Crb
Oce They Wee Me Now Theye Ladcbs" 4
bioogica eaks esig om a ovedose of adiao poisoig" hei mososiy esides o meey i hei gea size. Whe Weigad dissecs he seveed caw of oe of he cab moses he discoves ha he cabs iea cosiio is adicay ma The moeca sce of he cab is eiey disped Thee is o cohesio amog he aoms The cab has ee aoms a discoeced s ike a mass of iqid wih a pemae shape" Whie he cabs oe m may eabe he scieiss o ame he cab by cosig a axoomic abe of aima species i eay i has o xed ae The cab mose is ahe a ivig ica aio of chaos isef Cabs ae appopiaey cas as embodimes of chaos I he we kow discssio of The Abomiaios of Leviics" May Dogas ob seves ha he dieay es se h i eviics geeay ey o he owig cieio o deemie whehe a give aima ca be dged cea" ad hs o ea he aima ms come eqipped he igh kid of ocomoio i is eeme" Cabs ae coseqey bidde as cea Thogh he eeme pope o csaceas is he sea cabs pos sess egs ha eabe hem o wak o he ad Ihabiig he magi be ee ad ad sea ih chaaceisics of boh eesia ad maie aimas cabs ae i c y abomiabe ceaes hoy" po ed ad mosos" hei decidabiiy hey cod he ge ea scheme of he wod" (Dogas 969 55) Cabs seve oice i ohe wods a he hma species ihabis o a aioa cosmos whose sce has bee xed a ime b a evovig mipiciy ha i aays become ohe ha he pese cassicaoy gid The gia ad cabs of Attk of the Cr Monsters have as hei expess issio he descio of he Soh Pacic isad ha is he seig he soy They ied ha is o make make wa o he wod of me" by dowig he hmay ieigibe ivese i he be x of a chaoic pivese Attk of the Cr Monsters hs sages a myhic com ba bewee ode ad chaos ha i c aspies o a mbe of eves is of a he sefideica aioa ego of igheme hogh ds isef heaeed by a voaciosy appeiive id Accodig o his view he cabs ae pecisey id moses whose had chiios exeio s baey aages o coai a sgig iea ood of aachic dives ad i ics As he cabs devo he vaios membes of he eseach eam oe e aohe he svivos ae hoied o discove ha he pesoaiies hei me copaios have o bee exigished b mseios v o iside e cbs ee he is himsef wecomed by his ow csa co o e gea coo soach" of oe of he cabs k h bec e c e e ig s ee dl1conn . . . . that
Ec Whte 48
smated ts bdy sd eergy' cudg huma ba tssue whch ate a s thg me tha a strage huse eectrca mpuses" Ths meas Drewe ccudes that a cab ca eat ts vctm's ba absbg hs md tact ad wkg" The cabs the depy these mey autmus ad eewg seves as ues wth whch t bta urther pey Whe e the cabs' vctms summs a seepg Matha HuterMatha Matha Hute awake Matha awake t s Mcae Hep me" ts use the thrd pes pru s teg: Hute heas authetc huma vce but the ca a se that s merey a stumet use by meas whch a mstus d pursues ts w ageda The survvg members the eseach team ae thus rced t ccede ther evutary kshp wth the ms e Ma" ses hs tgca pvege whe t tus ut that the putatvey ata huma md peates as much the sevce ucscus bgca stcts (ke pesevat the speces") as ay the ceatue I the curse makg wa the wd me' the cabs t y dssve the putatvey tgca dstcts betwee md ad bdy huma ad ama As mght be expected (gve the tmehred asscat the me" wth chas mateaty the ucscus ad the bdy) the cabs as theate the tegbty gede It tus u that becmgcustacea at east mst the cabs' vctms th m etas as we becmgemae whe they ae captued ad eate by a emae crab wh adds the mey autmus' ata' mae mds t her eveexpadg epete seves The cabs ae as d• eret t the gede ther vctms as they are upeturbed t d at havg easted umerus huma bdes that they w heceth be creatures edwed wth mutpe persates stead a utay se But gat emae d mstes wh depy mae egs as statagems wih whch t secure uthe vctms s t the y rm emae tube ta the m The e mae membe the eseach team s Matha Hu ter Sgcaty she s a mane bgst ad thus duby asscated ready by geder ad pressa specazat wth the ces cha s the sty uds he cmmtmet t her ac Dae Dewe beg waver It seems that Dewer has submated s much hs desg en· egy t hs dcta eseach that he s w beet decty sexua • sre Thus ustrated Huter ds hese daw t Hak Chapm techca wth y a hgh sch educat wh cseuety ve hs md ad me hs bdy As she ad Chapma pepae a rp e the cabs a cave she hts at her teest hm wt th rt peer Lesme hee u kw I bt yu cud eve b ln• sme a crwd ess cuse, yve fd ht sel sme"
Oce They Were Me Nw Theye adc 249
But bee Hak has a chace t respd kd they are t by the ud sg the seepg cab whch shty theeafter awaks ad prevets the curtshp m pceedg rthe Huter ad Chapma ever d succeed csummatg ther attrac t r e ather At the ed the m wth the sad w reduced by the crabs t a sma ck utcrppg up whch y a rad twer s et stadg the three suvvg members the reseach team Martha Dae ad Hakhave a cmactc ctat wth what they hpe s the e survvg crab Whe the crab attacks Hak cmbs the rad twer ad brgs t crashg dw tp the crab eectrcutg bth the cab ad hmse the prcess Dae ad Matha the embace as Dae says he gave hs e ad artha beathessy espds I kw arthas vagrat emae dese s thus edeemed by Haks herc se sacrce Hecerth her desre w assume a pery sprtua chaacte by dg ts bect Dae Drewer the hghy submated ma scece O curse tta of the Cab onstes way asks ts audece t take ths ccudg scee serusy The edg the m cmes acrss as a extravagaty pardc repay tradta myths redempt m sess The Absurdst smrk the m wears thrughut ca ct be sad t arm a precsey ctrary pt vew That s t say tta of the Cab onstes edrses t t cverty the prspect be cmgcrustacea Prr t ther beg devued bth Devereaux the team btast ad Cars the gegst have suered serus accdets Devereauxs had has bee amputated by a g rck ad Cas has brke a eg Its t at a r etched I thk t terpet these ures as symbc castrats castrats suggestve the repress de sre that s the rereuste r successu submat accdg t the cassc Freuda rmuat Ths symbc castrat ger btas ce Devereaux has becmecrustacea. Speakg t the ther members the reseach expedt ues the crab pstvey exuts hs ew mde exstece Smethg remarkabe has happeed t me I wat a yu t cme ad see r yurseves " Whe Drewer respds wth a query abut Cars Carss persa whch s w dmced the same crab aswers Im here t My eg ger trubes me Its amst exharatg Amst exharatg deed becmgcrustacea ts the cesrshp the bdy habtuay mpsed by the repressve su ereg the cvzed subect Thugh t s pssbe t amputate a crab caw the ss s ever permaet as e crab smugy asserts S yu have wuded e ad I must grw a ew caw we ad gd r I ca d t in a day" Phexke the bdys desr g energy ctuay reews t f: crab mstr ay d have mre
E Whte 5
Maguls ad D Saga make just ths pt It s vtually a evlutay pple that bdy pat hemsty e ual t a aes t s eve lst wthut a tae althugh suh featues a be adally alteed L s extadaly sevatve gasms embdy the w hstes" Evlutay blgy thus desbes the huma bdy as emeg g m a suess f staes f blgal mpvsat b lage The bdy s t a petly eslved uty edwed wth a uue ad evelastg essee but a evlutay makeshft a hstally tget tvae whse geealgal alat wth evey the kd f gasm s mafest thughut The huma bdy Maguls ad Saga say s a leshy pasthe f thusads f aestal lves" (1991 134 14) The hetegeeus ms f lfe that have evlved ve the past ughly 35 bll yeas have ase less fte m upeedeted vat tha m the eaagemet ad amplat f a mm ste f pssbltes I that sese the peset huma m s t a etty set apat m ad agast the ms f l but a pvsal guat f elemets that appea ubutusly dfeet mbats ad wt dfeet emphases the the spees that ppulate the plaet Lews Thmas agues alg smla les a gd ase a be made u exstee as ettes We ae t made up as we had always suppsed f suessvely ehed pakets f u w pats" Istead the bdy s bette udestd as a ly f symbtally habt ele mets begg at the level f the ell tself The eukayt ( ule ated) ellthe bdys as t wee elemetay buldg blks tself eve a uty Its mthda tu ut t be lttle sepaate eatues t lal pstety f mgat pkayytes pbably pmtve bate that swam t aestal peuss f u eukayt ells ad stayd thee Eve se they have mataed themselves ad the ways wt the w DNA ad RNA ute deet m us" Ths mpste ha ate f the eukayt ell s eplated meve at evey hghe lev f gazat It has bee ppsed that symbt lkages betwe pkayt ells wee the g f eukaytes ad that us betw dfeet sts f eukaytes (eg mtle lated ells jed t pha yt es) led t the stut f the mmutes that evetull tued ut t be metaza eatues The huma bdy Thmas ges t say s ute lteally the a evlutay aemblage (194 8 45), The dept Five Million Year to Earth f the mpste haa f the bdy as a assemblage pasthe f p l ms s adg t the vets f th t Humatys athp hetage s t meely hfyg t t ly sata e begg f the l Ray ss udd pt ut t
Oe They Wee Me Nw Theye Ladabs 25
temass that the ame f the steet whh the tube stat s lated Hbb's Laewas mely Hbs" Lae Hb" she says s a aet ame the devl Judd eseahes the hsty f the ste ad dsves that as eetly as the 920s ad as bak as Rma tmes Hbbs Lae has bee assated wth stage ad feal happegs ludg the appat f hdeus" humad gues esemblg the vemll yeald hmds whse ssls ltte the ste Thugh Quatemass s led t dubt the supeatualN my dea wee bth setsts We smply at pay egad t stu lke ths" he s evetually mpelled t admt that the may stes f supeatual phemea assated wth Hbbs Lae must have a bass t I suppse ts pssble ghsts lets use the wd t be phemea that wee badly bseved ad wgly explaed" Whe Quatemass etes the w flly exavated aft he ds sbed the mpatmet husg the dead Matas a peta le e f the Cabalst sgs used aet mag" Meve Ma talke ms eu huma ultue m Palelth ave at f sha mas weag atleed headdesses t medeval gagyles ad the hed gd f sata tual all f whh Quatemass suppses ae evdee f sme usus ae memy But the tuly sata atue f the pehst Mata gasshppes s t evealed utl a wkma smehw pvkes the shp t at As bjets hag teleketally suspeded the a t the ampamet f hypt pulsg suds the wkma s ute bvusly possessed ad begs t u thugh the steets f Ld a peula spasmd ma e athe lke a maette stgs Evetually he ds satuay at a huh Whe Judd ad Quatemass ave t quest hm he gves the llwg aut f hs expeee I had t u t get away They wee mg I emembe t stated ad the I uld ly see them lke yu ud dw thee wth eyes ad hs They wee alve jumpg lke vey st ad hudeds ad hudeds kew I was e Jumpg leapg h huge ght up t the sky" The sky?" Quatemass asks what l s t blue? N t seems the sky was bw dak dak puple he meag f ths stage ept s t lg mg Whats bee u veed Quatemass says s evl as aet ad dabl as aythg ed I thk what he gave us just w was a vs f lfe Mas ve mll ag The wkma had evdetly bee taspted t the sue f pehst Mas whee t hs h he ud that he was hmself a Mata the ma had beeset I de t m the wkas uevg sty Quatemass ad ay put tgethe a deve tht w ebe the vde edg f metal ep hey etu t th t wh thy hp t duet the spae
Ec Whte 54
caft's ablty t cause thse n pxmty t t t becmensect Nethe Rnay n Quatemass pe deal expemental subjects, but Judd, n keepng wth the tadtn that lnks uncnscus mental pcesses wth the male gende, pes especally senste t the Matan spacecafts telepathc emanatns I can see, I can see' she ces, as mngled expes sns f feaful exctement and ecstasy play acss he ce Afte studyng the detape f udd's sns f jumpng and leapng gasshppes Quatemass cncludes that the scenes she had wtnessed f lcusts pu sung ne anthe n the plans f Mas sugest a ace puge, a cleansng f the Matan hes I thnk we may hae wtnessed tal slaught t pesee a xed scety, t d t f mutatns That's the way they led And t's the way they ntended the substtutes n Eath t le Human aggessty, xenphba, and the ppensty f scal heachy ae thus that smethng else" the Matans mplanted n the hmn captes alng wth hgh ntellgence Quatemass's assessment s decsely cnmed when the shp, whch s nt mechancal but an gansm tself and theee a lng embd ment f elutn undestd as an nfenal pwe, telepathcally eachs ut and pkes a ace puge" amng the nhabtants f cntempay Lndn The ntended ctms ae all thse wh hae eled away the nsect hetage n the dectn, ncally, f humanty's deal mag f Man as a atnal beng The shp hanesses psychc enegy, pjectn t nt the sky e Lndn n the m f a glwng appatn f th hned gd wh nw pesdes e the pandemnum belw Nethe Jud wh s especally susceptble t the mudeus mpulses f he Matan hetage n Quatemass, wh tuns ut t be half man, half beast, a ad succumbng Judd gazes n wshpful ecstasy at the hned g whle Quatemass sedates hmself wth sctch and chants hs name an scal pstn lke a ptecte chamMy name s Benad Quat mass, pss f physcs, cntlle f Btsh Expemental p a pesent engaged n. " Only Rnay, wh quales as a fully human mutatn because he s ded f aect, a puely ntellectual beng, ca defeat the mnstus gue shmmeng n the sky e ndn scene emnscent f the cnclusn t Attak of the Cb onter Ray ; clmbs a neaby cnstuctn cane and des t nt the glang ce f t demn, gundng ts enegy t the eath n a eball explsn Th human f all humans thus sacces hmself n de that hs law lw bengs mght henceth le fee subjectn t the un• scus nsect seles In the clsng sh, Quatass and Judd, pst n ethe exteme f the scen an saa by e edts, stand t n shck, unwllng unabl t ma .mtact wth n a nth
Once They Wee Men Nw They'e andc" 255
each reects in solitude upon this traumatic revelation of the demonic element in human nature.
Becoming-Rodent M Uncle n Amerca. Directed by Aain Resnais. Screenpay by Jean Gruaut Based on the works of Henri Laborit France Phiippe Dussart/Andrea Fims, 1980 Skg to domat a spa w a a th tto s th dama bass o a hma bhavo thogh w a ot osos o o motvs.
The sbeng pesentatn n ive illion Years to Earth f the pesence f a hfyngly pmte cmpnent n human natue s gen a me staghtwad scentc expstn n Alan Resnass y Unle in Amer ia In ths lm the lfe stes f thee chaactes bcme the bect scentc electn cncenng the blgcal bass f cultual beha The chaactes' bgaphes ae ecunted st n bef dsse shn s as t cnfe n them the ualty f scentc specmes exhbts and then e lesuely n a cnentnally ealstc naate style Pedcally thughut the lm, scentst and philosophe Hen Labt appeas t dele bef explanatns f the elutnay sncance f eents as they unld n the les f the thee chaactes They ae, st f all ean e all scn f a pncal buges mly wh mes as a yung an t Pas hpng t becme a mus ntellectual When we pck up hs sty n the lm he has becme a hh execu te wth the atnal Rad He s dschaged nly eghteen mnths late hwe an n th aeath f hs ng wtes a cntesal exps f ptal ghtg at hs me wkplace egng hs ntellectual abtns he nw becmes a pltcan and at the end f the lm, s un nng f electe fce Dung the eghteen mnths f hs tenue at the ad, he leaes hs w Alette and entes nt a elatnshp wth anne ane, a yung wman w se lfe st y s als elated n the lm ane ces fm a pltcally _ mltant wkgclass backgund Reltng aganst what she egads as the claustphbc malsm f he mly she aspes t the l f a bhem an atst and s an actng tupe She meets ean llwng he stag pemance a successful Left Bank theatcal prductn But the af wth ean ces t an unhappy, cnfused an peatue en when ean's wfe Alette apeas bee anne ne day and petens that she has cntacted a al dsase Flled wt cpassn Alette but als, pehas, a bt d up wh Jn w psysatc alents hae
E Whe 56
made hm somehg o a usae Jae pepaes a beaup ode o dve Jea ba o hs we who may he sped he w emag mohs wh he he o he hlde. A abou he same me Jae hages aees beomg a sg exeuve wh a eaoal o glomeae ha spealzes he exle ade Ths assoao bgs he o oa wh he hd ppal ha ae o he lm Re Ragueeau. A apolal ad devouly Roma Cahol mes so Re hows o hs he's adoalsm by leav g he m ad beomg a aoua wh a small exle m whee he s eveually pomoed o he ak o pla maage Whe he e aoal oglomeae whh Jae wos aques Re's m hs pomoos oue. Uuaely he oglomeae elevaes hm be yod he level o hs ompeee ad he s abou o be demoed by Jae o he poso o maage o a goume hewaes soe whe he a emps sude. The lm eds wh Re who has suvved hs sude aemp g dsmssal om hs job o he gouds o meal sably ad Jae havg dsoveed Alee's duply despa ove he oug love he supemely adapable Jea who has seled oe moe o maal oeme wh Alee owhsadg hs awaeess o he sube uge. Two obsevaos ae woh mag abou hese ahe uexepol hough equely poga le soes. Fs eah o he hee gues sees whh hey evdely el oppessed by he u o eves ee he phase my ule Amea. The phase alludes o he povebal ule who has goe o o he Ued Saes whee he has beome bu lously wealhy he mla asy o Amea ha s as a lad o pley whose llusoy haae s udesoed by he sees o uba devas o he Souh Box wh whh he lm loses. My ule Ame expesses a dese o be doe wh suggle ad ol o dwell pea ad seuy wh evey wa abudaly suppled a dese ally o above he wold o a poso o vuleably ad pe ulllme he wods o a old Talg Heads' sog Heave s a plae whee o g eve happes. Seod all hee haaes as aduls oad values ad pples dea o hem he youh Jea he wouldbe elleual emoved om he haey o publ l wds up a pol who obsequously ues vo wh he esablshed powes Jae bohema as s sg quly he busess wold ad he hapl Re has moally sed agas h h by mp sud Te hee haaes osous value i c i le d dolol o mmes ae hus o ll vu i predcting t h ul odu The explaao boh h cunt ft1y ou
Oe They Wee Me Now Theye adabs 5
o ad he ossey o haae aodg o whh Jea Jae ad Re eah beay he espeve deal selmages s mpl ly oveyed he ouse o Poesso abos emaks Aodg o Labo he maag o a odo o bologal equlbum a be sad o oe he val poesses o evey ogasm o mae whehe pla o amal begs oly easo beg he says "s beg Tha s o say mus maa s suue I mus say alve. Ohewse hee s o beg Ulke plas amals pusue hs ed by meas o a ev ous sysem ha pems ao upo ad wh he evome Ad always he same easo o sue suvval Fuhe he ase o a mals suely omplex he evous sysem o ulmae ha omplex ad ae eual ewok kow as he ba s hs oga ha s esposble ag ad deg he ogasms selpese vave behavo Tug o he spe ase o he huma ba Labo obseves ha he ba peseves s ow hsoy s pese osu o The huma ba ha s s o uay bu ue suue s hee pas epeseg hee suessve momes o evoluoay o vao I us ou ha oe poo o he baa aha suue y mllo o moe yeas olde ha hose ha s aop s espeally o sequeal wh espe o he huma ogasms efos o maa bo logal equlbum. abo boows hee om he eseah o Paul Ma Lea who has dubbed hs suue he Romplex o epla ba ad bluly sums up s sgae he Romplex sues ha seekg o domae a spae we a all he eoy s he udamea bass o all huma behavo hough we ae o osous o ou moves
B ou dves ae sll pmve omg om he epla ba hese dves ae medaed omplex ways by he ulual odog ha espeially aes Laboi says he seod level o he bai i MaLeas sheme Tha is he haaeisi aeive oieaio owad he wold ha disiguishes oe pesoaliy om aohe is lagely he esul o eviomeal cos which om a vey ealy age shape ad coou he limbi sysem o aeive bai. The limbi sysem wedged be wee he Romplex ad he eebal oex (lous o omplex ogiive os ludg laguage) s ud humas ad all ohe mam mals bu is lagely abse i epiles. deals Rihad Resak emaks wh he emooal elgs ha gude behavo. Whe poos o he lmbic system are removed, mammals lose many behaviors-fr instance playuless ad uuiha ae pecisely chaaceisic o he mammalia ode Whaeve bhavios ea ae ap o eseble hose o epiles (see Resak 1984: 36-37) . boi dises slihly o his cha atcrizntio o h od ly the "a tv b, prfrig t al
Ec Whte 258
t the memoy ba" Wth o memoy of what s pleasat o upleasat thee's o questo of beg happy, sa, agushe, o of beg agy, o love We coul almost say that a lvg ceatue s a memoy that acts" My Unle in Ameria poves may examples of the cultual coto g that justes ths chaactezato of huma begs as memoes that act scees, stace, of chle beg ecouage by paetal gues to tealze the bcabac of value jugmets pejuces a plattues typcal of the espectve socal mleus ut the most stkg (a amusg) staces of mptg ae pesete the m of clps om ol blackawhte lms that appea at css momets the aatve What the clps eveal ae the ucoscous egoeals of each chaacte tealze cos of the slve scee pove efeece pots the chaactes as they attempt to egotate lfe's vaous challeges, steeo typcal staces towa the wol that oet, gue, a susta the lluso of autoomous agecy he pot hee s that omace" a tetoy" ae empty tems u tl they ae lle wth cultual cotets hee s o popetay stct, Labot explas, No s thee a stct to omate he vuals evous system has smply leae the ecessty of keepg the vual's ow use a object o peso that s also ese o covete by a othe beg A he has also leae by expeece that the competto to keep that object o that peso hmself, he must omiate." Laboit ca thus sum up by sayg that of the thee stuctues compsg the huma ba the st two ucto ucoscously, beeath ou level of awaeess ves, cultual automatsms he th ushes a explaa toy laguage whch gves easos, excuses albs the ucoscious wokgs of the st two" As Feu, the ego s ot the maste ts ow house huma behavo s popelle by ucoscous ves a cul tual automatsms maske" by coscous belefs that oly seve to h the cause of omace. As poof these emaks about huma atue, Labot pesets p esetatve staces of lght," ght," a agush behavos as mai feste laboatoy ats that ae the coelate wth the espectv b havos of Jea, Jae, a Re he st example coces a at that place a cage whose loo s temttetly electe he at ea that the sou of a bell aouces the mmece of a uplasat el tc shock a accogly lees though a oowy to the othe si of the cage whch s ot electe Wh t ll sous gi tis ime sgalg the immet lectiti it t lto th t re· tus to ts statig l rat remans t th h .
Oce hey Wee Me Now heye Lacabs 59
matae hs bologcal equlbum" Smlaly whe Jea ealzes that hs se the tellectual heachy of Pasa socety s hee by hs assocato wth Alette, who s povcal a pooly eucate he ees" he Jae Whe he loses hs posto at the Natoal Rao a Jae povokes a beakup he lees" Jae, etus to Alette a thee afte eces to become a poltca hough he may seem shallow o eve hypoctcal, Jea's behavo s ct pefectly cosstet whe he caot omate" oe tetoy' he moves to aothe; whe oe of the cultual clchs he has tealzethe socal pestge that accompaes tellec tualtyyels o ewa hs ow case, he shfts to aothethe powe the poltca may wel to mpove the wol A all the whle the back of hs m he tasizes about hs mythcal ucle Ameca whom he etes wth the heo of a comc book om hs youth the Gol Kg, Samuel Kght, opha a mlloae the tue Ame ca way " the seco example, two ats ae place a cage, the oo s te mttetly electe, a the escape oute s close of he ats espo to ths pecamet by ghtg oe aothe whe the loo s electe he behavo o way aesses the cause of the stess but the smple ct of takg actoa evous system s meat to act" eables them to ema healthy, the bloo pessue omal the coats sleek Smlaly at the e of the lm, Jae coots Jea a attacks hm whe t becomes appaet that she caot w hm back He behavo oes othg to alte the stuato but t pevets he om succumbg to agush," o the espa that accompaes the mpossblty of om atg a stuato" Fally the th expemet a at s place a cage wth ethe the possblty of escape o a avesay agast whch to vet ts stess he temttet electcato has sastous cose queces he at exhbts agush behavo t becomes epesse evel ?PS ulces hgh bloo pessue a so o Labots tems, t aggesses ts ow boy lke sho, psychosomatc almets a metal lless cmatg a suce attempt act Re as hs caee comes uavele hs s haly a comtg o eoblg epcto of the huma stu ato Yet th� oo of the lm, much of the tme, s supsgly buoyat a h hspte As oe way of explag ths scepacy, cose the llowg afte the osses o the thee pcpal chaactes have bee pesete at the begg of the lm, a uth osse s ae, ths oe coceg He abot hmsef, whose osse chocles i ma ci accomplshmets a ossoal accolaes hs pesetato of etc L?bot's achvemets os t oweve have the efect of ceetallg hm as the voc o tuth Rth by itig hm as yet aothe cha
_
Eric Wit 20
actr in t lms narrativ t lm rminds its audinc o t cultural and istorical situatdnss o scintic discours At t sam tim tat it taks Laorit's viws sriously as a valual alit unattrin rsctiv t lm undrscors tir rspct ival caractr wit t consqunt imlication tat somtin ls' as Quatrmass mit ut it as n lt out o account in Laorit's rndrin o t uman situation In t squncs rsntin Laorit's viws on t ioloical undations o uman social li wi rrnc to t rsonss o laoratory rats to rward and unismnt scnarios t quation twn rat avior and uman avior is aumntd y rpriss o ky scns in t narrativ in t cours o wic t scond tim trou t actors tmslvs don wit rat costums. Miniaturs o som o t sts ar also sownJan and Arltt's Paris aartmnt r instancoulatd y ral wit rats T ct o ts litral nactmnts o cominrodntalon wit otr scns in wic uman conduct is quatd wit t rspctiv aviors o cras s tortoiss and wild isundr mins t air o ravity and sority on mit xpct ivn t ostnsiv mssa o t l m Tou t lm is undoutdly oinant in passas it dos not ll t viwr wit a disalin snsation o anuis at t dlation o uman dinity Nor I tink is t concludin mood on o satisction at avin transcndd and tus dominatd t uman situ ation y rardin it om a commandin ovrlook o omniscinc In stad a spirit o carnivalsqu stivity prvails. Laorit's rsctiv o uman natur as n narrativizd not as trady ut as farce In ot words t spctal o cominrodnt introducs into t xrinc o viwin t lm an lmnt o ilarity and vn xilaration t orrow Attack of the Crab Monsters vorit trm r comincrut can) tat can't xlaind wit rrnc to Laorit's construction uman natur Tr is a similar untorizd comonnt in Fve Mllon Year to Erth. In tis cas t lm ostnsivly rlcts on t oriins o violnc irarcy in umanity's orric sujction to volutionary rocs But t introduction o t Gotic moti o satanism comlicats t vi rspons to t lm T ornd od is o cours not only Sata e modimnt o vrytin vil ut Dionysus as wll t od o liid xcss In otr words a covrt roticization o comininsct acc• panis t orror ntaild in ralizin uman particiation in natu in toot and claw. As tis ssay movs now to considr its nal x o volutionist cinma I'm oin to cus rcily on tis aur of ilarity xilaration and rotic xcitnt tt urrounds t rt scnarios o comincrtc Attck of l Cra
Onc Ty Wr Mn Now Ty'r Landcras 21
ininsct in Fve Mlon Years to Earth and cominrodnt in M Unce n Amerca Becoming-Fungus Attack of the Mushroom People. Directed by Inoshiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya. Screenplay by Takeshi Kimura Adapted from "The Voice in the Night (1907) by William Hope Hodgson. Japan: Toho, 1963. Yeah ate mushrooms Now you know I read in a book a long tme ago that the Mexicans used to eat them in order to enhance their perceptions and get a sense of well-being . . Japanese legends mention laughing mushrooms so m in good company The people who went out to gather the mush rooms danced in high spirits in the mountains and were in touch with the innite. But [these] Matango [mushrooms] , according to your understanding leave a person no longer human Well that's ne with me.
Inosio Honda and Eiji Tsuuraya's Attack of the Mushroom Peope r lats t advnturs o a roup o wknd vacationrs on oard a yact wo ncountr a typoon and ar sipwrckd on an uncartd island T v mn and two womn compris a social rosssction: a skippr and is mat ot in t mploy o t walty ntrpnur wo owns t yact; a nitclu cantus wo is t ntrpnur's mistrss; a writr o dtctiv ction; a psycoloy possor and is innu radu at studnt At t innin o t voya spirits run i as sida t writr prposs a toast to tir tmporary rpriv om t ustl ustl o social li: ty ar says om all t prolms o Man But suc a rlas om worldly car is illusory Mim t cantus countrs wn s ominously rplis Arnt w part o umanity In otr words t social ills and antaonisms Yosida ops to av s capd ar not so asily ludd T yacts complmnt ar alrady in con lict alon a numr o axs: t mn condscnd to t womn and ar tmslvs dividd aainst on anotr accordin to class position du cational attainmnt and so on as wn t skippr and is mat alon on dk dnounc tir social supriors as rcklss cildrn" and para sits T lm's svn princial caractrs tus constitut a microcosm o t rat world ty av lt ind wr Laorits irarcis o dominanc ar amply instancd in asacks tat prsnt r instanc ycoons in a Tokyo nitclu rvlin in tir minnc As on tycoon oasts tat I r opl to tink r m tn I just us tir touts' otr comlacntly rpli t's ri 's ow civilization pro
Er Whe 64
aphrdsas Bemgugus hus eals eerg a realm magave ad ldal exess I s ade ha he rs w asaways suum he empa he mushrms are Yshda he wrer ad Mem he haeuse h whm are mre ldally pprus ha her mpas The rs w vms" emgugus are presely he leas vesed maag a seled eger psyhlgal sruure he ms reepve he wayward mpulses usus drve I mes as smehg a surprse he wess ha her hal luas he mushrm peple reur vlza he grea wrld ha had prevusly ee shw lashak e permeaed wh aggressve ess ad dmae herarhes. Bu wha s w regruded s he fantatic haraer he mulrus amusemes ad pasmes Tky ghle he veve eudy w shw have resded all alg huma ulure Frm hs perspeve he mushrm peple ugh e erpreed as gurg rasedee a uheard eyd u as rpes r hher amaed apaes he huma dy sel apaes a leas peally h wh he every day aal maeuverg r advaage saed hrughu he lm ad wh suh sraeg sldas dmae as Mdery's rmal zg de Ma" Frm he perspeve evluary lgy Attack ofMuhoom Popl a e sad hemaze w haraerss he huma dy le u addressed Lars au Frs al he ras pwers ve are r exess survval reuremes a haraers rag eeus" evluary rg. eey Seve Saley says s a kd juvelza wherey emry r yuhul ras ur aesrs have ee shed he adul sage ur develpme" (1981: 12). I h ase humas eey aus r he physal resemlae adul humas mmaure hmpazees ad Sephe ay Guld's wrds he develpme a large ereral rex hrugh he ree rap eal grwh raes" (9 ). eeus evlu has hus led a e haeme learg ad play ehavrs as saed he remarkal varus array ulural praes ha humas have veed The sed p be made here ers a dd au hua sexualy sead seasal r perd sexualy ha s med de wh he pssly ep humas are apale sexual spse a ay me Huma sexualy her wrds s susall deupled m he exgees reprdu wh he resul a p· haalyss has always maaed d hry suppr h desrg eergy a ra of d h whh a d any h
Oe They Were Me w Theyre Laas 65
vrually ayhg a all a eme a je desre Ehg evlu 0ary hery Deleuze ad Guaar pu hs way Sexualy s a meas he serve geera raher, he geera des s he serve sexualy as a auprdu he usus" (977 08 Humas are hus sually perverse her desres are erra, waderg Whle ay je may e s ae wh er sgae ha mpses a rualzed paer ehavr as he epme desr aly sel, here s als he pssly a rvg desre ha s ever mre ha gely ud r a parular desa Wha hus emerges he msrus emgs evlus ema s a prra a dy merely mpse u avely a dds wh sel The same dy ha s hrred y he dsvery he enageie ithin s als erally hrlled a he prspe mulplus deses A peular dy he a e huma" s lgg r dey ad pshuma" he exhlara pdued y alery; a dy a e pre ases ulmayas uma" ad ases em gas peus" A r dy jus as he Rmple r repla ra s he mve re prpellg he sru ad adheree a speally huma" dey s plymrphus sexualy ad he lm less apay he ereral rex r magave play, ras argualy spe he huma assemlage, esue he prdu deerm aely may sears msrus meamrphss Bu r all ha, a dy ha eed eel sel a a mpasse, s lg as remas uds mayed y he ha Frue wh rules hs wrld derees Ssyphea es r all The msrus emgs evlus ema ue a ulural prje ha was perhaps rs ahed a ered way he heyday he dssde surrealss reall he ldal emy udal expedure ha Baalle hugh he deeed plah ruals, r Ar ads dywhurgasWhe yu wll have made Ma] a dy whu rgas, he yu wll have delvered hm m all hs auma reas ad resred hm hs rue eedm"r he llages Ma Ers au whh Marg Nrrs has brllaly wre rss bdy pars mulaed des hyrdzed reaures ad herwse dsred rms eray a e hallege he meaphysal amewrk ha gves rse eps whleess he y he y, he e peed relas pars whle" (1985 146) They praally saae Deleuze ad Guaars ep emgher Ther respeve m srus emgsegrusaea emgse, eg rde emgguseulrz" e lar aggregae" Ma" r sub he plae rz h es by a ued h sv h the e
�
Erc hte 66
odywthoutorgs therey chevg ody omdsm such tht the ody my hecerth e uderstood s rchve of posste whose ehvor resemes wht compex dymcsts c strge t trctor: rregury recurret sefsmr ut tey vros system whose ceseess muttos the sece of er trjectory or go trspre ccordg to the strcty ddtve prcped . d . . d . . . of schzoomdc pcresue (Deeuze d Guttr 198 232309) otwthstdg ther occso humst ostg the mo strous ecomgs of evoutost cem mke hppy derous cotr uto to tsk deed y Deeuze s ows: to mke the ody power whch s ot reduce to the orgsm to mke thought power whch s ot reduce to coscousess . (Deeuze d Pret 198: 2). Works Cited uz Gs and F Guatta AtiOdiu Citlim d Schiohi ans Robt Huy Robt m and Hn R Lan Nw Yo: Vng 97 ·' A Thoud Pltu Citlim d Schiohi ans an Ma sum Mnnapos: Unvsty of Mnnsota Pss 987 uz Gs and a Pant Dilogu ans Hugh omnson and aba Habbjam Nw Yo: oumba Unvsty Pss 987 ougas May Puity d Dg London: Routdg 969 Goud tphn ay Ev ic Dwi ctio o Ntul itoy Nw Y Noton 977 Magus Lynn and oon agan yty Dc O th Evolutio of um Sxulity Nw Yo: ummt 99 Nos Magot Bt of th od mgitio Dwi Nitzch Et d Lwc atmo: Johns Hopns Unvsty Pss 98 Rsta Rhad M Th Bi Nw Yo: antam 984 tany tvn M Th Nw Evolutioy Timtbl il d th of Sci Nw Yo: asc oos 98 homas Lws Th Liv of Cll Not of Biology Wtch Nw Yo: ant
974
Contributors
Kathy Acker's tweve oves cude Grea xpeaons Bood and Gus n
Hgh Shoo Kahy Goes o Haii d My Moher Demonoogy. he so wrote the screepy r the m Varey d s the uthor of the py Luu Unhaned.
Ae�andra Chasin s Assstt Professor of Egsh t Bosto Coege he
studes teches d wtes out mter cuture femst theory popu r cuture d the U the tweteth cetury Camia Griggers teches femst cutur studes geder studes d
med theory the Deprtmet of Egshs Lterry d Cutur The ry Progr t Crege eo Uversty Her ook BeomngWomen s rthcog om the Uversty of esot Presss Theory Out of Bouds sees he s coproducer of two pedgogc vdeos DsoursIner ourse d Hroho's Funera.
of Cr Dego where she teches m terture d ueer the
Judit Ha erstam s Assstt Professor of Lterture t the Uversty
ry he hs ook rthcomg om Duke Uversty Press ced Skn hos Goh orror and he Tehnoogy o Monsers. ey Hury tt Prosor o Egsh t the Uversty of Coo do t Bolr. h h pshd tce o tthcetury ge
Contributors 268
eration theory and on late-Victorian Gothic ction, and is completing a book entitled Gothic Embodiments of the British Fin de Sicle Ira Livingston is Assistant Professor of English at the State University of
New York at Stony Brook He is completing a book about Romanticism and postmodernity Carol Mason is nishing her doctoral work in English at the University
of Minnesota
Paula Rabinowitz teaches cultural studies at the University of Minnesota She is the author of They Must Be Represented: The Politics of Documentary and Labor and Desire Women's Revolutionary Fiction in Depression America. She is also coeditor of Writing Red An Anthology of American Women Writers, 9294 Roddey Reid is Associate Professor of French Literature at the University of Calirnia, San Diego He is the author of Families in Jeopardy Regulating the Social Body in France, 759 and editor of Located Knowl edge, a special issue of Congutions A Journal of Literature, Science, and Technolog Steven Shaviro is the author of Passion and Excess: Blanchot, Bataille and Literary Theory and The Cinematic Body Susan M. Squier is Julia Gregg Brill Prossor of ·English and Wome's Studies at the Pennsylvania State University She is the author of Babies fn Bottles: entieth Century Visions of Reproductive Technology and Vir ginia Woolf and London The Sexual Politics of the City; she is editor of Women Writers and the City: Essays in Feminist Literary Criticism an co editor of Arms and the Woman: War, Gender, and Literary Representation Allucquere Rosanne Stone is Assistant Prossor of Radio, V, and Film at the Unversty of Texas at Austn. Her book The War ofDesire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age is rthcoming om MI Press She is currently working on her second book, The Gze of the Vampire and an anthology called Dangerous Bodies Jennifer Terry teaches courses in the cultural studies of sience program at Ohio State University. She is coeditor o Deviat Bodies d is compl et -
ing a book on the history of scientifc
rarch
n hooulity
Contributors 2 69
E�ic White teaches twentiethcentury literary cultural studies in the En
glish Depart?ent a the University of Colorado at Boulder He is the a �th r o� Ka �onoma On the WilltoInvent and o f essays on the rhetoric o scentc d1scou �se in suh elds as chaos theory contemporary cos mology and evolut0nary bology
Idex
2
Abortion reading of Terminator 231 0 antiabortion movement 18 9, 232 239 29 pochoice movement, 239 ACT UP 15 Adoption and patriarchal mily 182 Advertising, and ideology 85 92 Afican Americans discourse on mily 185, 196n6 women and history of domesic service o Agamben Giorgio, 8, 52 AIDS 15 16, 150 56 Albury Rebecca, 128 Aien (lm 199) 203 21 223n1 Allen Woody, Althusser Louis Anselmo (lm, 191) 101 Antiabortion movement 18 9 232 239, 29 Aristotle, 1 Armstrong, Nancy 192 Artaud Antonin 0 265 Artcial Paradise (lm, 1986) 103 Asian Americans, and domestic service 81 Attack of the Cb Monsters (lm 195), 25 9 260 61 Attack of the Mushroom Peope (lm, 1963) 261 66 Austin, J L. 2 Baby Jessica case 182 Bailey Michael, 19 50 Baker Roy Ward 250 55 260 61 Ballard J G 38 Barrett Michle 192 Basc Instinct (lm 1992) 166 6, 168, 10 Bataille, Henry, 5 52 265 Bateson, Gregory 52 Baudrillard Jean 50 Beecher Catherine and Harriet, 82 Belous, Richard S. 183 Belsey Catherine 115 Benjamin Walter, 110 Bennett, William J. 19 Bergler, dmund 13 Berstrasser v. Mit/e (198), 232 Bhabha, Homi 8 Bb, c,
Biological determinism, 47 15 Biology postmodernism and the body 385 scientic search r homosexuality 15 5 Biotechnology and politics of 1990s 19 Birth control and eugenics movement 233 Blankenhorn David 183 Body biological approach to postmod ernism, 38 5 emrgence of in history, 12 lm theory and cyborgism 225 0 hu man identity in evolutionist cinema 2 66 scientic search fr homosxual ity, 138 39 15 . See aso Posthumanism and posthuman body Body ofEvidence (lm 1993) 166 Borden Lizzie myth of 163-6 Boss Pete 20, 222n15 Branch Davidian cult 182 83 Brave New World (Huxley), 11 Breuer, Josef 28 Brittain Vera 118 Brphy, Philip 22.1 Brundle Seth 51 Bruner Jerome 95n2 Buchanan, Pat 15 55 Burr Chandlr, 18 Burroughs William 38-5 Bush George 9 18 Buss Leo 50 Butler, Judith 5, 102 12 Butlr, Octavia 125-26
Cameron James. See Termnator Campbell Joseph 25 Cancer, study of homosxualiy and 15, 54 Canett i Elias 9 Canguilhem, Georges, 186 Capitalism and horror lms 0607 08 209 Caprio Frank 13 Carpntr John 04 artr Angl 0 4
C (, 2 H\5
Catrntlo nx ly, 4 nd Rnmd c1 u·Ml �
Idex 27 Child abuse and mily" in popular cul ture 19 83 See aso Sexual abuse China women and military in 163 Chnatown (lm, 19) 165 166 Christianity fundamentalists and homopho bia, 15; imagery in advertising, 8 88 im agery in Attack of the Crab Monsters, 26 Cinema See Film theory Civil rights biological models of homosexu ality and 155 Class biological determinism and suicide of gay teenagers, 15; discourse on mily 185 86 186 90; gender and identity issues in domestic service 3 9 and masculinity in ermnator 229 Clinical case history model of homosexual ity, 10 1 Clinton Bill 182 83 Clinton George 6 Colen Shellee 8 9 Committee r the Study of Sex Variants 11 2 Committee to End Steiliation Abuse (CESA) 233 Community women as victims of violence 169 0 Conrad Florence 1 5 Consciousness raising groups, 98 Cook Robin 119 21 Coont Stephanie 193, 195 96n 196 9n12 Cooper Anna Julia 2 Copernicus 95n2 Corma·n Roger, 25 9 260 61 Coas de m Vda (lm 196) 101 Cowan Ruth Schwart 85 8 Craven Wes 20 Creed Barbara 209, 222n6 222n8 222n11 Crews, Harry 26 Cronenberg David 13 1 8 52 203 21 Culture discourse on mily 186 90; horror lms as critique of 20 posthuman bod ies and subcultures 8; science as 135; ransnationaliation 18 Cyborgs 8, 88 225 0 20 3
,
Darwin Charles 95n2 Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), 13 1 Davis Angela 232 33 Dawkins Richard 1 50, 52 53 Dead Rngers (lm 1988) 13 1 Deep hroat (lm 92) 105 Deleue Gills and Felix Guattar: concpt f bcomingothr 265 66 volutnry u y, 6 hmn n n ory u lg rmv, •; mlly uu vl
Rcx n
30; Oedipus narrative 192; paradigm of the subject, 8 posthumanism and ma chines 162 22; postmodern bology 51, 52 psychoanalysis and fmily• 190 Deren, Maya 103 Derrida Jacques 3 5 221 Descartes Ren Desire construction of sexual identity 125 Detective ction 16 65 Dierence posthumanism and redistribu tions of, 10 Domesticity in discourse on mily 18 88 Domestic service 3 9 Doom Patro (comic book) 5 Dorner Gunter 16 Douglas Mary 2 Doyle Sir Arthur Conan, 16 Dred Scott v Sandford (185) 2215 Dulac Germaine 103 Earthquake in San Francisco (1990) 16 1 Echols, Alice 230 Edelman Gerald 52 Ernst, Max 265 Ethiopia Eritrean resistance in, 163 Ethnography, and feminist lm theory 100 03 110 Eugenics movement 11 139, 233 Evil and reading of Fe Milion Years to Earth 250 253, 2555 260 Evolutionary theory in horror lms 2 66 Family history of 196 9n12; myth of fe male predator in media, 16, 10 1; popular culture and death of 1 95; posthuman bodies and reproduction 10 13; statistics on rape and 19n1 Fanon, Frant 2 atal Attaton (lm 198), 16 Femininity images of 163 16 222n11 Feminism analysis of Aen 208; critiues of Freud 33; and lm theory n; gen der and posthumanism 9 o; gender in ermnator 230; Haraway on embodi ment 2 reproductive technology, 5; ster iliation abuse 233 3; subject/obect op position Fetus and reproductive technology 113 29 Film theory cyborgism and reading of er mnator 225 0; gure of female preda tor in 65 6, 168, 10; posthuman iden tity in horror lms 203 21 2 66 ttng Ptr, 222.6 v Mi 1rs o r (lm, 196), 250-
,
55, - �rty '
Index 272
The Fly (lm 1987) 13 47 48
Ford Henry 77, 82 Foucault Michel body and medical dis course 18; dscplnary power 51; femi nism and socia sciences 97; hstory of sexuaity 113; langage as power, 43 180; postmodern biology, 38 39, 49; on psycho analysis, 140 190; reverse discourse 15 Frankenstein (Shelley) 116 17, 120, 125 126 Freud, Sgmund, 26 28 32-33, 40, 95n2 208 212, 258 Friedman Batya 84 Gaines Jane 230 Galo Frank 183 Gay Jan, 141 42 Gay and Lesban Allance Anst Dema tion ( Glaad) 168 169 Gender class and identity i domestc ser vice, 73 94; cyborgs n popular cutre, 240 43 femnism and osthmanism 97 110; horror lms, 209 21; posthuman bodies and sexalty, 89 readngs of hor· ror ms, 248 49 254; sexism and biologi ca determinism 155 General Eectrc Co., 85 92 Genetics, in studies of homsexuality 148-50 Gbson, Wlam 44 Giger H R. 217, 222 23n.16 Glimpses in a Garden (m) 103 Goldberg, Jonathan, 229 Goodwin, Frederick 149 Gordon Bette 99 Gould, Stephen ay 50 52 264 Grafton, Se 195 Gratz Roberta, 81 Gray Stephen 13on5 Greenberg, Harvey R 208 22.1 Guattar Felix See Deleuze Glles Guzot Franois, 189-90 Gulf War 179 Haberstam Jdith 193-94 236 Hadane J B. S 118 128-29 Hale Sarah J 188 89 Hamer, Dean H 157 Hammett, Dashell, 164 Hammonds Evelynn, 154 Haraway, Donna: concept of cyborg, 8 88 25 27 238 239 240 femnist embod ment 2 modernist epstemology 1; post humansm and hstory, 235 postmodrn biotechnology, 39, 49 50 51 6 reprodc tive technology, 129 Hayles N Katherne 119 129 . 2
Heieger Martn 43 Heide, Karl 100 111n6 Henerson, Andrea 116 Hetersexuality perfrmances of 5-8 Hl aul 239 40 242n15 Hirscfed, Magnus, 139-40 141 Hispanic Americans in domestic service 81 Histy : emergence of body n 1-2 ideas of by and self, 236; posthman bodies and death of, 3 4 technologies of labor and dent ities of workers 93 Hol es Marian Smth, 81 Hoer, enny 15 Homophobia: miitary, 167 68; New Right 154-5 5; science and medicine 136 Homosex uaty: mtary policy on, 167-68; science and deviant subjec tivity, 135-57. See also L esbiansm Qeer theory Hona , Inosh ro 261-66 ho oks bell, 234
Hooper obe, 204 Hopins, Pauline 24.7 Horowitz Gad 206 Horror lms, 203-21, 244-66 Howe Gayon, 84 Hman Genome Project 17 148 Huanism analysis of Alien, 208 posth manism and, 9-10 universal human den tity in liberal, 75 94 Hman nature in horror lms 244 66 Husbands and Wies (m 1992) 7 Hssen, Saddam 179 Huxey Aldos, 117 Huxey, Jlian 118 dentity: class and gender in domestic ser vce 73 94 horror ms and hman, 2032, 24466; Mtiple Personality Disorder and 23-37; poitics of and psychoanalytc theory, 99-100 posthumanism and reds tributions of, 10 Ideoogy in advertsing 85-92; and readings o horror lms 205-209 ndiana Gary, 191-92 ndstrialism, and reprodctive repre sentations n iterature, 115, 117 Insects, and postmodern biology, 46-54 lrigaray, L uce 222n.13 Iss, cult of 25 srael, women and mii tary 163 Jcob, Franois, 39 Jmson, Fr drc, 12 13, 242n. 3 Jl Elznb eth, 119 -20 224 26 -
Jo01, Ernet 28
nd 273
Kahn, Peter H Jr, 84 Kameny Frank 144 Katzman, David, 80 Kavanagh ames H 209, 222n.10 Keller Evelyn Fox, 156 Kinsey Aled, 14243 Kinship reprodction and identity 125 26 Kneale, Nigel 250 Knife Shonen, 46 Koedt Anne 105, 14, 150 Kraft Ebing, R ichard von, 138 Kristeva Julia 224 222n8 Lacan, Jacqes, 11 14, 38, 43 ang, k d, 14 Langage postmodern, 39 46, 129 Laqer, Thomas 12 Lasch, Christopher, 195 Latour, Brno 122 Legal system: mental ilness and rape 23 37; patriarchal mode of miy 18283 Lesbian/Woman (Martin and Lyon) 145 Lesbianism criminalzation of identty in popar clture, 162 5; cultre and sexua orientation, 155 56 LeVay, Simon 15 52, 153 156, 15 Levitan, Sar A, 183 Lewontin Richard, 54 Liberal feminism, 236 Lberation, as zero sm game 95n5 Lipector, Clarice, 47 48 Literatre reproductive images in 115 29 Livingston, Ira, 193 94, 222n12, 236 Livingston, Jennie Paris Is Buning Locke, John, 124 Looking for Mr. Goodbar (lm 19) 105 Lorenz, Konrad, 146 Lovelock James 52 Ldovici, Anthony 118 Lynching, 230 31, 232, 234, 24 Lyon, Phylis, 145 Mcntosh Mary 192 93 McKenna erence, 52 McLhan Marsha 39 44 Madonna, 4 5, , 166 Maeternck Marice 54 he Malese Falcon (lm 1931), 165 Marglis, Lynn, 4 50, 252 Martin, Del 145 Mar, Kal 8 19, 41 Marxism, 7 8 Masculinity, imges of 228 29 Mshpee ndins 23-24 Mttchn Soct 4 1 44
Mazlish, Brce 76 94-95n.2 Meda crminaiation of lesbian identity 162 75; death of mily" and 17 95 Meencamp Patrica, n4 Menendez brothers case, 195n2 Mental lness legal system and 23 37 Meshes of the Afernoon (lm 1943), 103 Military homosexualty and homophobia 167 6, 193 imagery in advertising, 88 90; incorporation of women into, 163 Minhha See rinh Minh ha Modeski, ania, 223, 222n14 Moina, Gloria, 81 Mosori Monika (lm 191), 100 101 Moyers, Bill, 185 Moynihan, Daniel Patrick, 196n6 Mujeres de Mifugos (lm, 196), 101 Mltipe Personality Disorder (MPD), 23 3 Muvey Lara, 3 Mmrd, Lewis, , 82 83 Myth and advertising, 85 92; horror lms and, 244, 246, 249; of Lzzie Borden 16364 My Uncle in America (lm, 1980) 255 61 Nagel homas, 4 Nationa Cancer Institte (NCI), 152 154 Native Americans legal identity of tribes 23 24; peyote ritals 263; sterilization abse 233 Neo lberaism 183 84 Neo Nazism, 181 82 New Right anti abortion movement 249; and miy," 184; homophobia of, 154 55 Newton, Jdith, 222n10 Nietzsche, Friedrich, 48, 53 Norris Margot 265 O'Brien, Robert , 85 O'Connor David C, 75 Oedips complex, 26 33 192 Osiris myth, 25 26, 33 Ot in Flm, 168 169 Ovrkill (teevision movie) 11 5 Paris s Burning (lm, 1991) 5 13 he Passion ofNew Ee (Carter) 12425, 126 2
Patrarchy, as model of miy, 182 83 Peckham, Morse, 42, 49 Peney, Constance 223n19 248 Permance critiqe as cltral, 99100; gender and theories of 102; langage and prrmivity 2 iercy Mg 226 240-43 lrd chd 14-0, 11 , 1 Pi nker Stev 52
Indx 274
Politics: mily values and, 12 13, 18486, 196n.5; feminism and cultural perr mances, 110; genetic studies of homosexu ality, 149-50; horror lms and, 207, 208; posthumanism and history, 23536; post modern biology, 52 53; science and sexual subjectivity, 156 57. See also New Right Poovey, Mary, 23739, 240 Popenoe, David, 18384 Popular culture criminalization of lesbian identity, 16275; cyborgs and gender differ ence, 2404n.3; death of mily, 177 95; images of masculnity, 22829 Pornography, desire as fetishized commod ty, 105 Posthumanism and posthuman body: aliens and, 13 14; catachresis and, 14; class, iden tity, and gender in domestic servce, 73 94; current proliferaton of writing on, 17 19; evolutionist cinema, 265; fmily and reproducton 10 13; gender and feminism, 97 o; gender and sexuality, 89; and hu manism, 9 10; identity in horror lms, 203 21; postmodernism and, 2 4; queer theory and, 14 16; reproductive technol ogy and, 113-29; subcultures wthout cul ture, 4 8. See also Body Postmodernism: body and biology, 38 54; and mily, 12 13, 14; reproductive im ages n lterature, 120-29; new image of femininity, 163, 164; posthumanism and, 24; technology and, 119, 129n.3 Poststructuralism, 40, 226 Pregnancy portrats of male, 13on.5 Prince, Stephen, 219, 22n3 Prochoice movement, 239 Ponatalism, 115 Psychoanalytc theory, 99 100, 102 Quayle, Dan 149, 185, 193, 196n.5 Queer Nation, 168, 169 Queer theory, 14 16 Rabid (lm, 1977, 203 21 Race and racism civil rights and biological determinism, 155; history of domestic service, 79-80, 81; politcal discourse on mily, 185-86, 196n6; reading of Terminato 2 230 31, 232 33, 234, 235; and womens rights, 241 4n.10 Radical feminism, 147, 236 Rape, 23 37, 197n14 Reagan, Ronald, 39 183 Reassemblage (lm, 1982, 101-102, 111n7 Reno, Jane, 18283
Reproduction: evolutionary theory and hu man sexuality, 264 65; mily and posthu man body, 10 13; language and, 41 42; reading of Alien, 216 21; technology and posthuman body, 113-29 Republican Party 155, 194 Resnais, Alain. See My Uncle in Americ Restak, Rchard, 257 Riley, Denise, 102 Roe v. Wade (1973, 239, 242n.15 Roiphe, Katie, 104 Rollins, Judith, 79, 80 Romanticsm, 115, 116-17 Romero, George A., 204 Roosevelt, ranklin, 233 Roosevelt, heodore, 186-87 Rosmarn, Adena, 109 Ross, Andrew, 225, 226 238 Ross, Colin, 25 26, 29 30, 33, 34 Ryman, Geoff, 13on5 Sagan, Dorion, 1!, 252 Sanger, Margaret, 233 Sanjek, ger, 78 79 Saussure, erdinand de, 40 Schell, Jonathan, 231 Schiebnger, Londa, 121 Scence, homosexuality and subjectivity n, 135-57 Scott, Joan, 242n.14 Scott, Ridley, 203 21 Sedgwick, Eve, 157172 Serres, Michel 44 Sexism, and biological determinism, 155 Sexual abuse, 28 33 Sexuality: and advertising 88; in horor lms, 20921, 223n.18, 26465; posthuman bodies and, 8 9; sarsex pamphlets and, 193; in erminator 2 229 Shalala, Donna, 196n.5 Shapiro, Thomas 233 Shedrake, Rupert, 52 Shelley, Mary, 116 17, 120, 125, 126 Shneiderman Ben, 76-77, 83-84 Silverman, Kaja, 11n.22 Slavery, history of domestic service, 79-80, 81 Sobchack, Vivan, 24.5 Socialist feminism, 242n.14 Sociobiology, 53 54, 157 Soa, Zoe, 249 Soft Fiion (lm, 1979 9810 Spectator, and horror lm 206, 2228 Spillane, Mckey, 1646 Svak ayatr, 97 Sprnr ld, 4n
