Since last Thursday in class, I have thought a lot about how we perceive those that we consider to be different from ourselves. Furthermore, I am constantly thinking about what constitutes someone/something being “normal” versus what is “abnormal”; I do not think these are terms that can really ever be defined, or that should be.
As I began to look over Books III and IV of Geek Love, I came across some interesting quotes that seem to tie into last week’s discussion quite well:“Always remember,” my father used to say, “how much leverage you’ve got on the norms just in your physical presence” (Dunn 151). Olympia comments here whether or not her physical characteristics that she perceives set her apart from “normal” people, will work on Miss Lick when she needs it to. Olympia questions herself here, stating that Miss Lick is most likely immune to this “leverage” to which Al Binewski refers. Miss Lick’s response, however, does not differ from the greeting that Olympia has grown accustomed to: “She [Miss Lick] comes through the door and it starts – her double-take stare reassures me instantly. She is not immune. There is the standard civilized greeting, ignoring the obvious” (Dunn 151). This last quote reminds me of the question posed last class: when we see someone who we perceive to be different from ourselves, are we more inclined to look away from them, so as not to give any impression that we may be staring, or do we do as Miss Lick does, and “ignore the obvious”?
In Books III and IV, both Oly and Arty comment on how they are treated differently by others as a result of their physical appearance. Olympia states,“People talk easily to me. They think a bald albino hunchback dwarf can’t hide anything. My worst is all out in the open. It makes it necessary for people to tell you about themselves. They begin out of simple courtesy. Just being visible is my biggest confession, so they try to set me at ease by revealing our equality, by dragging out their own less-apparent deformities…They go too far because I am one listener who is in no position to judge or find fault” (Dunn 156). Similarly, Arty says to McGurk, “You figured it wrong. The whole thing…You’ve got yourself a little old disability there, so you took pleasure in feeling sorry for me. Well. You figured wrong” (Dunn 169). While some individuals try to find themselves on equal ground with others who they perceive to be different, by highlighting “their own less-apparent deformities” (as in Olympia’s case), other individuals feel sorry for the person they perceive to be different (as in Arty’s case). What is most interesting here is the fact that both Arty and Oly do not perceive their differences as something to be viewed as “normal” or “ordinary” (which people attempt to do by revealing their equality with individuals such as Oly and Arty), or as something to be pitied; rather, throughout Geek Love, both Arty and Oly emphasize how their differences make them unique and special, described by Oly as individual “masterpieces” (Dunn 282). It is this viewpoint – that differences make one unique and special – that allow for the formation of the Arturan Cult, and later, Miss Lick’s special projects.
As I revisited Books III and IV of Geek Love, I began to think about the differences between Arturism/the Arturan Cult, and Miss Lick’s projects to help liberate women from exploitation by men. Miss Lick comments that Arturism was the precedent for her projects. Arturism sought to bring people P.I.P. (Peace, Isolation, Purity) through reaching complete progress (i.e. becoming reduced to only a head and torso)(Dunn 227-229). In Geek Love, Arturism is referred to as “Arturo the Aqua Man’s life-defying invitation to ultimate sanctity” (Dunn 196), which suggests that those involved in the cult will reach levels of sacredness, holiness, or godliness (definition from www.dictionary.com).
To compare to Miss Lick’s own cult following that precedes the Arturan cult, Miss Lick attempts to help pretty women shed the traits that make them desirable to men (i.e. their attractive physical appearance), enabling them to use their talents and intelligence to become powerful (Dunn 162). Miss Lick states: “What fools might consider a handicap is actually an enormous gift” (Dunn 162).
Perhaps what differs most between Arty and Miss Lick in regards to their cult followings, is that Miss Lick appears to believe in her cause more than Arty does; I think that it is quite plausible to suggest that Miss Lick believes that she is truly helping these women achieve great accomplishments in their lives, whereas it is noted that Arty does not even believe what he preaches himself. To be specific, Norval Sanderson writes in his journal, “He [Arty] is constantly informing me that he takes none of it seriously” (Dunn 229).
I guess this leaves me with a lot to think about for next time. That is all for now.
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