Genley has expressed his discomfort with Karhide's genderless society. Despite the amount of time he has been on this planet, when he encounters "a pregnant man" or another normalcy on this planet he still seems to be baffled and even amused. This just goes to show how much genders play part in how a individual is perceived where Genly is from. Genley's attitude towards androgyny mirrors the attitude toward androgyny in modern society, Androgyny is something that has been practiced and seen throughout the years, and i still see people labeling others as gay, or lesbian just because of the way they
carry themselves, or the way they look. And DON'T GET ME WRONG there is nothing wrong with being gay or lesbian, but it is just an example of how our society is set on labels. Why can't an individual wear what they please because they like it? Our society is so hung up on labeling individuals , the second they see something different or "out of the norm" they go on labeling it . Cant we simply just... BE, because we like who we are? This video was in my recomendations on youtube and it really got me hyped because it has so much to do with "the left hand of darkness". Rain Dove is such a good example of someone that is so comfortable in her own skin and is proud of who she has become and how she carries herself, and it really frustrates me to know that there are so many others like her who are being "labeled" and harassed because they are merely being who they want to be.
If you are a girl and you like wearing slacks and baseball caps by all means WEAR IT! If you are a boy and you wanna try a make up look DO IT! No one should dictate how you live your life because they think it is weird or abnormal. Wear what you like, Do what you like . Live how you like.
K bye.
this is kinda my own response to the wave 1 QUESTION BTW.......
ReplyDelete"K bye" LOVE IT
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I absolutely agree. Leaning towards a Left Hand angle, Genly is so caught up on the culture shock he experiences in the way that people label and view themselves on Gethen that it takes up a GOOD chunk of the narrative. And while some of that is probably necessary for readers to understand the world they're diving into, Genly's open and unapologetic denial to accept it as the way of life on Gethen was bothersome to say the least. And Sarah, as you pointed out, this denial mirrors what we see in our day to day lives, which might be the reason why, while Genly's nature was negative and politically incorrect, it wasn't shocking to readers in 2017, so we can imagine how un-shocking it was in the 70's.
But I do wanna kinda move away from Left Hand for a sec and talk about labeling in current culture. You brought up the negatives accompanying labeling in modern day society, and while what you mentioned was founded and accurate, there IS a flipside to the process and practice. For many people, having a community of similar-minded individuals that may share a common goal or interest, such as the LGBTQA+ community, is a comfort. People may put a label on themselves for peace of mind, or to feel a part of something. Groups such as Feminists or organizations such as Black Lives Matter allow individuals from all over the planet to form together in support of a common cause. For younger people figuring out who they are, having an identity can be incredibly important, and adding a label may help immensely in this process. Over the past decade or so with the advancement of internet in our culture, these communities have been more accessible and abundant than ever, and for so many people, having a label and an identity is crucial to their well-being.
So yes, while I wholeheartedly agree with the whole "Do you" mindset you've got going on, erasing labels from our culture isn't necessarily a step forward in the fight for normalizing our differences. As a society, we need to work together to educate and accept and EMBRACE them, for the benefit of a fully inclusive future generation.
:)
Yes, Caitlin! I totally agree with you. We need to do better as a society of promoting inclusiveness, regardless of our own beliefs. I've been feeling the burden of carrying this ideal more and more these days ... since January, particularly.
Delete