Wing Young Huie East 46th St & South 2nd Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 2012
Everyday when I drive down Capital, I see them. Everybody does. The panhandlers. We try not to make eye contact with them because if we can't see them, they must not exist right? This photograph depicts a panhandler. Nothing special, nothing unique. Complete with a cardboard sign.
However, this person's story is a tad different. The cardboard sign doesn't say 'Hungry Please Help Godbless'. This sign says:
Embarrassed
but
Hopelessly Desperate
Please Help...
Left Bad Relationship
Usually panhandling is enough to become an 'other', but now she is also a victim of an abusive relationships. Two not so pleasant topics. Two reasons for becoming an outcast. It's no question we treat people who are homeless or begging different then everybody else.
This idea is illustrated in a YouTube video called 'The Real Homeless Man Experiment' by QuietAssasins.
This video connects Wing Young Huie's photograph and idea to The Handmaid's Tale very clearly. In The Handmaid's Tale, the different 'castes' can be identified by their clothing. The red habit and wings identify the handmaids from the rest of the population. The use of clothing as a tool for segregation is considerably exaggerated in Gilead, however there are parallels. People gave extra to the man wearing a business suit without a thought. When they saw the homeless man, they avoided eye contact and didn't say a word. This stems from the stereotypes associated with each appearance.
Atwood's use of clothing as a marker is nothing new. Now, I'm not saying that people trust everyone who wears a business suit and mistrust everyone who looks homeless or unkempt, but there is a distinct correlation. The stereotyping of people who look a certain way (whether they are wearing a red habit or clothes that haven't been washed in days) creates divides in our society. It allows us to dehumanize people.
Is there another way Atwood could have used stereotypes to distinguish her characters other than clothing? Do you think clothing really does make a difference in the way society treats these types of people? Personally, if I saw a person panhandling wearing clothes that were 'nicer' than others that were doing the same thing, I would initially be more inclined to give money to them. But on second glance, you would assume that the person in the dirtier clothes may need the money more. I agree that clothing is a very socially stereotypical item.
ReplyDeleteJulia, I think clothing makes a big difference in the way people are treated in our society. Not even just panhandlers, but in general the person that is better dressed for their role/job is the one with advantage. What people choose to wear shows their character and even not having the ability to choose what to wear shows someone judging them about their status. Schools that force all the kids to wear the same uniform eliminates having an other group based on clothing. The kids could still other people but they just can't use clothes to do it.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to remember that that concept of othering only really works if the person is in the minority- thus, I don't necessarily agree with your assertion that the clothing the handmaids wear is a construct of othering. In your analysis of the image, I like how you begin to explore the motif of perception vs. reality (her appearance and how society see her vs. the message on her sign)- how might you apply this to Offred's character/character development?
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great perspective on this picture and how this can connect to others. I like your input on the parallels with the clothing in societies, and I completely agree, but are there any more that one can see between The Handmaid's Tale and the real world? I think that another thing you could touch on is the fact that people have trained their eyes not to notice or acknowledge the people lower, such as beggars. This can connect back to the handmaids because people in the book tended to ignore them or divert their eyes due to their role. I agree completely with everything you said and you connected some ideas that I wouldn't have necessarily thought of beforehand.
ReplyDelete