So... I did decide to join starbase_idic, after all.

[capri0mni]

It's a Star Trek-centric, but not Trek-exclusive community. I.D.I.C stands for: "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations," which Gene Roddenberry wrote into the original series as a Vulcan Ideal. You have to be a member to post, but you don't have to be a member to comment on posts (nudge-nudge [/attention-begging]).

And this:

Speciesism in Trek: Humans as Mary-Sues of the Universe?

is something I've wanted to say for some years now. So I joined and said it.

In a bit, I may post about the trope: "In the Future, all Disability will be gone (or irrelevant/merely cosmetic)."

And a bit later still, after the comm's got its feet underneath it, and is more or less steady, I may post about the costuming dilemma for people with visible disabilities who want to go to sci-fi cons and join in the dress-up.

Comments

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

Have you ever read Anne McCaffrey's collection of short stories The Ship Who Sang?

No. But you're not the first to recommend it to me. It's on my "Someday, I must remember to read that" list.

One of the people in starbase_idic has put together an online bibliography about disability in Science Fiction and the Literature of the Fantastic, and "Cyborg" is one of the major catagories/tropes.

I have mixed feelings about that, as I want to escape the cultural assumption that my butt is bolted to my chair... (It's not, just for the record).

Hello Davros! ::facepalm::

As I see it (whether it's for a Con, or just your general Masquerade Ball on Halloween or New Year's Eve), the wheelchair-user has three general costuming choices:

1. Treat the wheelchair as if it isn't there at all, and just dress up as your favorite character, period (f'rex: Fourth!Doc who just happens to be using a wheelchair, tonight). The problem with this is that most of the costume will be hidden by the chair, and people may not "get it," as the character is out of his or her regular context.



2. Pick a costume that will cover up, and/or hide the chair (hello, Davros! Or "race car driver").



3. Or, finally, figure out a way to incorporate the chair into the costume, so that it's visible but decorated and "put to use" as an active part of the costume (recently, I've been dreaming up ways to "Steam punkify" a wheelchair, and deck it out as a flying, and/or time-machine).

[gordon-r-d.livejournal.com]

There's a regular at the Redemption conventions who goes for option 1. She's usually dressed in one of Avon's costumes from Blake's 7.

The steampunk idea sounds great. (Thinking of going steampunk myself next Redemption)

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

...I was also thinking I could dress up as "Mary Sue" -- a "character" that traveled with the Doctor 'between televised stories.'

I'd paint my face with clown make-up, with a big, blue, sparkly tear under one eye, a glittery heart on one cheek, do my hair in childish pigtails. I'd also decorate a sweatshirt with something like: "Eye of Orion Gift Shop," and write "Mary-Sue" on my nanetag...

[spiralsheep.livejournal.com]

Most of the issues I have with TSWS (note: haven't read the sequels) were issues with McCaffrey's writing in general rather than specific to TSWS, which was a relief in a way. The premise was brilliant. In our time we use technology to try to standardise disabled people towards a four-limbed able-bodied model but in TSWS's future disabled people were given/allowed tech to enhance their aptitudes according to their preferences and four-limbedness was seen as a restrictive form of ability compared to the possibilities. Oh, and while their is some bolted-to-wheelchairness in TSWS it's also the case that McCaffrey uses her imagination and skiffy-tech to explore issues such as the physical location of the seat of consciousness, i.e. the human element in human beings, and her very-able-disabled heroine's sexuality (which might annoy you but [1] all McCaffrey-sex is annoying and [2] at least TSWS has a sexuality). It's not a high-brow book and you'd probably read through it quickly (provided it didn't make your head explode, obviously).

re 2. Yeah, Four in Bessie was as close as we got last time we talked, oh, and Sarah Jane with a twisted ankle (and a cardboard arrow texted "twisted ankle" to lampshade the joke).

re 3. Ooo steampunk wheelchair FTW! Or HG Wells' Time Machine, yes.