Ok, I'm really behind time on this gripe, but better late than pregnant...er...never. Anyway, this is about that horrendous "reality" show There's Something About Miriam. In fact, I feel it's wrong on so many levels that it's amazing the show wasn't banned outright. Less offensive shows have been banned on the grounds that they were affronts to human dignity.
Down to the gripe: For one, the show is built entirely on deception. The contestants were deceived into believing that they were going for a natal female rather than a transsexual woman. Now, this is less about the woman/not-woman issue than that they were led to believe, by implication and common expectation than it is about how the show has utter disregard for the sensitivities of the contestants. For example, some of them may have strong ideological or religious beliefs against dating a transsexual. It's sort of like telling someone that they're voting Democrat when it's really a Republican.
Then we have the issue of Miriam saying that she is "not a woman". This self-admission...by a transsexual, no less...is likely to cement public opinion that transsexual females are not women. They are born-guy creatures that will always be guys in one way or another. This may be a biological fact, but is hardly healthy for those trying to assimilate into society to have normal lives.
Sad to say, Miriam was hardly the prime example of an average woman. Though some note that she is somewhat of a bimbo, I believe this is at least in part attributed to how she seems not to be a native English speaker. By choosing an obviously foreign woman who is apparently not very articulate, it creates negative stereotypes of both foreigners (specifically Mexicans) and transsexual women. For all I know, she did not literally mean "I am not a woman" so much as "I was born male". That is, she regards herself as female, but acknowledges the fact that she wasn't born so.
In fact, there may be a possibility that this travesty was allowed primarily because it involved a "not-real" woman rather than a real one. Any other premise involving a non-transsexual would be a clearly recognizable affront to human dignity. If it were a woman, it'd probably be sexual harassment at least. If it were a HIV-positive person, it would be downright illegal not to reveal it till the end.
Worse yet were the guffaws of the other contestants as the winner got the "prize". Besides seeming like a big mean schoolyard prank, it also implies that a guy being "fooled" into dating a transsexual is really a big joke (i.e. any sane guy would certainly not consider such a proposition). Were he not already averse to the idea, such concerted mockery would certainly put him off.
The implication of all this is awful if true: Transsexuals are simply not treated as being deserving of the dignity afforded every other good non-transsexual citizen. Such a precedent means one can create a similar show spitting on the dignity of at least one person on national TV...and get away censorship-free.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
"Ok, I'm really behind time on this gripe, but better late than pregnant...er...never. Anyway, this is about that horrendous "reality" show There's Something About Miriam. In fact, I feel it's wrong on so many levels that it's amazing the show wasn't banned outright. Less offensive shows have been banned on the grounds that they were affronts to human dignity.
I'm not an advocate of censorship, but it is disheartening to know that this show even has a reason for existing. Who was so damn callous that they said "hey, I'm going to take the situation that kills so many transgender people every year and use it as a vehicle for a show"? It's a sad comment on the most basic human instincts.
"Down to the gripe: For one, the show is built entirely on deception."
And there is a built in reference, by pure existence of the show, that transsexuals are deceptive people by nature.
"The contestants were deceived into believing that they were going for a natal female rather than a transsexual woman."
I'm glad you made this distinction. I'm a M2F transsexual, and I'd NEVER say that I'm female biologically. Most of the time when one talks about a "woman", they are speaking from a knowledge of their gender expression, not of a personal knowledge of one's genitalia. I live and exist in this world with most people seeing me as a woman. There are a few instances that someone needs to know the biological segment of this. A doctor is one, and a relationship is the other. At what point do you tell? That is debatable. My line is before any kind of intimacy. I won't tell before that because I don't want to attract people that are seeing me as a fetish object.
"Then we have the issue of Miriam saying that she is "not a woman". This self-admission...by a transsexual, no less...is likely to cement public opinion that transsexual females are not women. They are born-guy creatures that will always be guys in one way or another. This may be a biological fact, but is hardly healthy for those trying to assimilate into society to have normal lives."
She is obviously socially a woman, but not biologically female. But she could be intersex. It's hard to tell, unless you study her genetics.
"Sad to say, Miriam was hardly the prime example of an average woman. Though some note that she is somewhat of a bimbo, I believe this is at least in part attributed to how she seems not to be a native English speaker. By choosing an obviously foreign woman who is apparently not very articulate, it creates negative stereotypes of both foreigners (specifically Mexicans) and transsexual women. For all I know, she did not literally mean "I am not a woman" so much as "I was born male". That is, she regards herself as female, but acknowledges the fact that she wasn't born so."
And sad to say, this portrayal of her may of had her physically assaulted. She has totally disassociated herself from the show.
"What many people don't know about her is that In fact, there may be a possibility that this travesty was allowed primarily because it involved a "not-real" woman rather than a real one. Any other premise involving a non-transsexual would be a clearly recognizable affront to human dignity. If it were a woman, it'd probably be sexual harassment at least. If it were a HIV-positive person, it would be downright illegal not to reveal it till the end."
You can tell from sites like this, we aren't really seen as human beings, but as THINGS. We're much easier to dispose of if we aren't human.
I'm glad you get how sick this show really was.
I believe that the original intention of censorship is good and noble: Keeping the nasty stuff away from (mass) communication channels. Unfortunately, the norm nowadays has highly skewed perceptions of the nasty stuff.
Deception appears to be a key point of some arguments against treating transsexuals with the same fairness accorded the average citizen. Something along the lines of gay men masquerading as women and vice versa. But yes, I agree with you on that, since the reaction implied by the show as normal is that Miriam's passing as female was a form for successful deception.
I'm glad to hear that you're maintaining a healthy mix of discretion and ethics. I do not believe in keeping an S/O in the dark on something that the S/O may potentially feel strongly against. I mean, having an S/O already demonstrates closeness beyond mere friendship.
Can't comment on point four as all my information would be coming from indirect sources.
Perhaps she didn't realize the implications of the show when she first signed up for it. Hopefully, she's safe now and wiser for the experience.
As for the last point, I'll have to paraphrase an oft-quoted concept: Since time immemorial, dehumanization has been a tool to justify the perpetration of unspeakable acts against a specific group of people. It's been done against women. It's been done against enemy peoples. It's been done against racial minorities. It's also been done against sexual minorities. It is a powerful tool used to override the murder inhibitions by convincing the perpetrators that their acts are not done against humans (or humanity), but in some way for the protection of humanity (often themselves)
Post a Comment