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Depends on where you live and which people you will be hanging out with that day (you can have multiple limbs - see this talk where Aimee Mullins shows off her
by TaylorAlexander 3y ago
Depends on where you live and which people you will be hanging out with that day (you can have multiple limbs - see this talk where Aimee Mullins shows off her 12 pairs of legs and discusses the context for each [1]. Limbs for Olympic running already don’t look “normal.”)
I’m queer and trans and I live in Oakland and I hang out with almost all queer anarchist people. You can bet I’d wear a tentacle from time to time and they’d all think it’s rad as hell. I’m a robotics engineer and I tend to like to be a bit loud at times and go against the grain. If I lost a hand or an arm I’d almost certainly build myself a fire shooting tentacle. (I could do this now but motivation goes up if I’ve lost a limb and I’ve begun working on replacements.)
I learned long ago that trying to appease the normative views of others simply isn’t going to work for me, so I trained away the part of my brain that worries what other people think as long as I’m not actively harming others. In doing so I’ve found a lot of people that appreciate this, and I’ve learned the value in leaning into it and building community with the weirdos.
If I’m going to my normie friend’s wedding I might bring a normal prosthetic and keep the fire shooting tentacle in the car for all the nerds that want to see it after the ceremony.
[1] https://youtu.be/JQ0iMulicgg?si=kPDy_VcRtJbQPuCb https://youtu.be/JQ0iMulicgg?si=kPDy_VcRtJbQPuCb
- BiteCode_dev 3y agoAlso the attitude matters a lot. If it comes from creativity, joy, fun, etc., it will work way better than if it comes with distanciation, opposition and awkwardness. Context is important, but what you bring as well. I have friends that can make a new pair of glasses uneasy, and some that can rock devils horns on a tuesday.
- TaylorAlexander 3y agoYeah. I certainly understand that losing a limb is a big deal emotionally and many will not want to stand out. However as someone who has been interested in robotics since I was 11 years old my plan has always been that if I lose a limb I will build my own replacement. That gives me a lot of clarity on how I would proceed after the initial grieving and acceptance period.