As James pointed out and Dr. J further elaborated, the experience of encountering a person who is transgendered can be likened to Freud’s concept of “The Uncanny”; in other words, the simultaneous experience of something that is familiar yet foreign. An encounter with someone who is transgendered (or more accurately, who one perceives or assumes is transgendered) demonstrates so blatantly that gender is a performance (thus the familiar), yet it manifests on a body that the subject assumes is sexed differently than it is gendered (thus the unfamiliar). To clarify, the source of familiarity derives from the recognition of gender performativity whereas the unfamiliarity derives from one’s being accustomed to a penis meaning “man” and breasts and a vagina meaning “woman” (of course this is problematic as even one’s sex is never so visible nor dichotomous).
However, the argument was made by another student that this experience of The Uncanny would dissipate after the initial shock had worn off. And what I heard as also being suggested in that idea is that one’s continued exposure to folks who are transgendered (or who otherwise perform gender in a non-traditional, non-binary fashion) would, too, wear down the experience - if at least the intensity - of The Uncanny. So, my question in this blog post is just that: does the experience of The Uncanny lessen with one’s increased exposure to and - more importantly - interactions with folks who are transgender or gender-queer/gender-nonconforming? Perhaps the question is more accurately posed as: would it be possible that through interpersonal experience, the phenomenon of transgender/gender-queer unbecome its unfamiliarity? And thus, the root of the question hinges upon what exactly familiarity/unfamiliarity is.
I would posit that in this case, familiarity depends primarily upon an act’s being mirrored, confirmed, or otherwise validated by societal norms and cultures mores. As such, I would argue that until the superstructures of society and culture concede to gender’s being reified, and the reality that it is not “the really real,” that The Uncanny cannot be lessened. I think through interactions with folks who actively challenge gender binaries and gender norms one is better able to occupy a position of reflexivity, or rather, one becomes aware of gender’s artificiality. However, that individual awareness does not necessarily mean that being transgender or gender-queer thus becomes “familiar.” That would require one be able to escape heteronormativity to escape the experience of The Uncanny when interacting with someone who identifies as or who one perceives to be transgendered or gender-queer. And that would require that one be capable of separating oneself from society, of being able to occupy a purely hermetic position untainted by societal norms (which I don't think is possible).
However, when taken to its conclusion, this logic suggests that even one who is transgender or gender-queer experiences The Uncanny when perceiving another as transgender or gender-queer, or even perhaps when perceiving oneself. I mean that inasmuch as one is familiar with one’s own gender performance, yet feels foreign in society. These are unpolished thoughts, so please, tell me what y’all think!
Schaeffer - I appreciate your post. I just wanted to say that the correct term to use is "transgender." The trans community generally prefers this to "transgendered" because the "-ed" denotes some sort of action that focuses trans identity on the transition, which is not the core of a trans identity. "Transgender" is an adjective which describes the state of one's gender, rather than "transgendered" which is a verb that assumes that being trans is a process which can start and end. Let me know if that made sense. (Also, there is generally no dash in "genderqueer," but that's not as big of a deal.)
ReplyDeleteI would like to agree with your point that knowing a transgender, genderqueer, or gender non-conforming person may help lessen the uncanny. However, simply knowing a trans* person won't make someone knowledgeable about gender identity. This situation then places the onus on trans* people to educate cisgender people on gender, which is absolutely not their responsibility to do simply because they exist as trans*. I would then agree with your point that interpersonal interactions are not enough. Activism which leads to widespread cultural change is necessary for the violence and hatred against trans* people to end. Also, could you speak more to point you made in your last few sentences?
I will certainly make it a habit to use transgender rather than transgendered, and thank you for your correction.
ReplyDeleteMy point at the end was that perhaps even someone who is transgender or genderqueer experiencing the Uncanny with themselves. That is, that though they are familiar and certain with their identity, they nonetheless feel out-of-place in our current societal and cultural atmosphere. But perhaps that is more generally a statement about the condition of being marginalised, of feeling at one with oneself but rejected by larger groups/communities. Anyway, as I mentioned, these are underdeveloped thoughts.
This is really interesting to think about. I think for the effect of the Uncanny to truly wear off, it would take an individual who had no biases and absolutely did not care what gender or sex another individual was. If they treated everyone the exact same regardless of appearance and did not judge or have any previous biases, I think that individual could escape the Uncanny. Or maybe if someone didn't care enough to think about it, they could escape the Uncanny.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I don't know if you could ever find a real person totally oblivious to the Uncanny effect. You may become less sensitive, but until now, I have thought of the experience of the Uncanny as more of a reflex, like blinking or closing your eyes when you sneeze. Thus, it would be nearly impossible to alter or erase the simultaneous feeling of familiarity and unfamiliarity. One would still experience the Uncanny, whether they were aware they were experiencing it or not, and whether it was just for a few moments or longer.
I think that if a transgender person had the experience of the Uncanny with themselves, it would have more to do with being part of a marginalized group, almost a variation on psychological oppression. Individuals within oppressed minorities have their own sense of self worth, but are constantly told they are lesser by the oppressor, society, and even themselves. Although this type of conflicting message is not the same as what the Uncanny produces, both types of conflict take their toll on people.
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