Monday, March 9, 2015
Stuck Rubber Baby 1-103
Since no one has started a dialog about Stuck Rubber Baby to page 103. I thought that I would.
This is an incredible story that I thought was an actual biography right up until the end of the book. I like that when Toland is talking to us Cruse draws off the page or opens the frame. It allows me the reader into the book but I know I am just an observer. It's hard to imagine a world where half the population is living an underground life, but I think that is exactly what must have been happening in the late 50's and early 60's.
I am not sure if it is the same to compare what blacks faced in the 60's to what the LGBT community has faced recently, but then this book really isn't to recent if you think about it - being written in 1995. But, it must be noted that it is a compelling thought, and forces the reader to at least consider that gays and lesbians were, and in some cases are still forced to live double lives. Why only last year did the military revoke the "Don't ask, don't tell," policy.
On a final note this section of reading gives us a look at what it might have been like to stand near the steps of the Lincoln memorial and hear MLK give his speech. Only only has to read the words of his speech to feel like a better and more humane world is possible if only we allow ourselves to dream, and then to feel the horrible pain of what comes if we dream too freely. Cruse has done an excellent job of allowing his reader to soar and believe that we all have the ability to be a better self only to realize that self is the same one holding a bomb of destruction in our hand.
I know that any one of the paragraphs could end with a question mark, so please go for it and respond.
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I haven't finished SRB yet, but I'm honestly surprised to hear that it isn't an autobiography. I really like how the story places the plight of homosexuals in the time period alongside the plight of the Civil Rights movement. It really puts into perspective the awfulness caused by ignorance.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised too! When I started reading I just assumed that it was an autobiography, since the character is reminiscing and telling the story of his life. I think that really shows that Toland is a well-written character if he seems like he could be a real person. I agree that putting the Civil Rights and LGBT struggles side by side allows the reader to see some existing parallels - the discrimination, violence, hatred, condemning and having to watch every action or risk being beaten, killed, or arrested are all examples that happen to both groups. It surprised me a little that two minorities couldn't see eye to eye a little bit better when they were being given similarly unfair treatment, but after all the movements are separate despite certain similarities. Unfortunately, anyone can be racist and anyone can be homophobic.
DeleteI guess a current I noticed running through this text was the sense that no one was really allowed to exist freely. We as an American culture really value our personal freedom. We grow up as children being told, "Be who you are" and "Do what you feel is right" yet everyone seems to learn in this era that you have to police sides of self.
ReplyDeleteNearly everyone in this book lives a double life,
There's the preacher's son who must play that role and has his other life at the gay club.
There's the ex-singer who now only sings hymns and freedom songs.
There's Toland, with his suppressed sexuality struggle and the face he puts on to others.
Even his sister has a more accepting/liberal side that she has to contain around her husband.
Just some thoughts. I think one of the strongest things brought up by books about such horrific and violent oppression is the surprise at the general complacency of the situation. Everyone has an opinion in the book, but Toland's involvement in the civil rights movement-- tangled as he is in the affairs-- seems nonchalant and coincidental.
It's easy as readers and people living in an integrated world to wonder how people could be complacent, knowing how vulnerable they themselves are. (I thought of this when the cop still clubbed Sam, unsympathetic to the injustice even though he must face public ridicule if he outwardly expressed his sexuality.)
But it's also really easy to have hindsight bias. The souls who demonstrated really did risk a lot for strangers and neighbors alike. Ginger is a good example of this, even if some of her action comes from a rebellious youthful spirit.
I think everyone in this book is motivated by their own insecurities and difference and it may be a little jarring, but it is very real, nonetheless, and doesn't negate the positive change to come from it.
I definitely agree about the theme of people leading double lives and not being able to exist freely. Even when Toland goes places with Sammy, such as the Rhombus, he goes with Ginger so it's clear to everyone that he is just there with friends. I feel like in Toland's case especially, he is so unsure of himself that he isn't able to have strong opinions or values, but instead just goes along with other people.
DeleteStuck Rubber Baby
ReplyDeleteStuck Rubber Baby gives a great look into the secret lives of people everywhere. Yes, this story is set in the 50’s and 60’s, but can be easily compared to things in the modern day to some degree. People hiding his or her own sexual identity in fear of judgment are a major part of this story. Toland is fighting with himself to be a certain way. He has feelings for Ginger, but inside he is lost in who he is. He has his life set up for him and it doesn’t involve being with a man. I feel like this sort of thing happens to a lot of people. It doesn’t have to be sexual identity; it can be feelings about issues in life such as religion or even issues of nature. The underground meet-ups are very important in this story. They are where Toland begins to explore a life that he altogether wants no part of. These places are where people can feel safe to be who they are and it’s where the movement for change grew.
Human rights are of great importance. Equality is obviously what we all strive for. Racial and sexual prejudice is the desire to live their lives with full equality. I think nowadays, rights for gay people are more in the limelight because of how far they have come. States are finally giving rights to gay couples to be able to marry and that’s such an important milestone for equality. Toland’s journey into the civil rights movement was his journey to figuring out himself. It leads to him meeting gay men and women and befriending them. He is flowing somewhere that is helping him inside. He’s lost and Toland being pulled into the Civil Rights movement is the force for change he needed in his life. He’s still fighting to be with Ginger, but he seems to be slowly losing his grip.
I haven't finished the book either, but now that I know it's not a biography it will change the way I read the rest of the book. This dialog Toland has with his therapist is really interesting. Nothing has directly said he is telling this story to his therapist but it's implied. You get so into the reading that you forget the overall context. We, the readers, are just witnessing what is going on, from the outside. This is supported by the more realistic drawings of the people. As McCloud says, the more simple the characters, the more we become them. Since there is so much detail with these characters and the settings, we aren’t becoming the characters, we are witnessing their stories.
ReplyDeleteI also want to talk about the technique they used in this book. Its a cross between stippling and cross-hatching. Quite interesting. It’s effective, but from experience, it’s very time consuming. Every time I flip the page I think of how much work goes into each frame, then into each page and then how many pages there are. It’s quite daunting. It’s just a very time consuming technique to apply so consistently to this story. Also, to use this technique to distinguish dark skin from light skin was a very interesting choice. Since you’re working with white paper and black ink, you have to be conscious of how you distinguish different skin types, yet show features in the face. Props to the artist. Their hard work didn’t go unnoticed.
Just to expound on your last paragraph about "anyone" being able to rise above. I want to call attention to the way the characters are drawn. They are not drawn in such a way that they are symbols, they are a very direct person, more detailed. The protagonist is not glorified, or a model of perfection. This really exemplifies within the story and makes it about real people in a struggle for acceptance. It reads so very differently than a "story", and is the way that I feel a graphic novel in a biography setting should be done. It gives me pause for thought on how far we have come as a society in acceptance, and of course, how much further we can go.
ReplyDeleteNot only did the government only recently do away with DADT, the last anti-sodomy laws in the USA weren't struck down until 2003. That's only twelve years ago. In our lifetimes it was illegal for gay people to make love -- and for anyone to make any kind of unconventional love. And that's only on a federal level. There are still 17 states that have anti-sodomy laws on the books. Of course, they're practically unenforceable thanks to the federal precedent, but it shows that the gay struggle is still alive.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretending that it's an autobiography, even though it isn't. :) I can't stand fictional first-person narratives! Just a personal preference.
Not only did the government only recently do away with DADT, the last anti-sodomy laws in the USA weren't struck down until 2003. That's only twelve years ago. In our lifetimes it was illegal for gay people to make love -- and for anyone to make any kind of unconventional love. And that's only on a federal level. There are still 17 states that have anti-sodomy laws on the books. Of course, they're practically unenforceable thanks to the federal precedent, but it shows that the gay struggle is still alive.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretending that it's an autobiography, even though it isn't. :) I can't stand fictional first-person narratives! Just a personal preference.
There need to be more books like this one. The gay rights struggle is completely overlooked in schools and even though this is changing, it's still a tragedy.
DeleteI also thought that this story was autobiographical due to how precise and genuine it all feels as you read it due to the authors attention to imagined or inspired detail. It is an interesting inclusion to also break the fourth wall in such a way that I didn't question either in order to tell the story. This makes it feel even more real and personal I think. Usually you're told to never break the fourth wall unless it's for a joke, but this is a really interesting way to break it for a serious story.
ReplyDeleteSome of these other questions seem open ended and very political and kind of a stretch from the book. I totally get that they are questions that would arise from reading these comics but I'm beginning to wonder if this is really a comic class or a class on inequality. To answer your question though, I think time changes everything. We look back on the civil rights movement being outlandish but I'm sure in fifty years people will look back on us and think we lived in a ridiculous culture as well. It's all relative.
If our goal is this political then the way I see your final thoughts is that MLK would have seen what society is like today and seen some improvements from his time, but we've taken many steps backward. He'd hang his head hearing how blacks can cry racism at police officers today and rally up a city, but when a white man is unlawfully killed by a black man it won't even make local news. People are terrified of being called a racist. It's just like how the founding fathers would be outraged to see what Obama has done to our country. It's all relative,and time changes everything. I can only hope we make enough progress to look back on our time and roll our eyes like we can in this comic.
After my initial look into Stuck Rubber Baby it really portrays how scattered people's lives were in general. Everyone has been taught about the Civil Rights movement to a certain extent, but very few are aware of the Gay rights movement as well. In 2015 we are still seeing plenty of racism and discrimination in the media and all over our country.
ReplyDeleteI see this graphic novel as an autobiography to some degree, but I think it really is painting the truth of emotions from all angles. It shows the brutal racism and the discrimination. It shows that the Melody was a safe-haven even though it had been bombed. The segregation is shown and that is what everyone needs to see.
What I admire about the panels is how the whole comic is black and white. It is so simple to see this message that we are not that different, but that is a very subtle hint at what the subject matter is going to consist of in the future. The battle between the "normal" American lifestyle is bound to be attacking the one that is behind closed doors or uncommon. Though, the one critical aspect I do have for this graphic novel is the way the writing is constructed in the panels. This make's it a lot harder to read compared to American Born Chinese or Shortcomings.
So far this novel is expressing what many people do not see, how it really feels to live your life in a society where you are not accepted. This created a lot of the confusion for Toland because he felt so many different influences telling him what was right and wrong. I did love the fact that his Father was so willing to talk to him about the Atheist book, but I'm sure that added to his overall confusion as well. Looking forward to see how it ends up.
In my initial reading of Stuck Rubber Baby, I also agree with my colleagues in the sense I thought it was a autobiography as well because it was a very vivid and direct look in our narrator's life. I found it an interesting spin in putting the Civil Rights movement alongside the struggle of the LGBT community. In general when we were taught about the Civil Rights movement, no one really recalled the discrimination the LGBT community endured, it was more or so African-Americans fighting for their rights and against the discrimination they were enduring as being a different race, not so much having a different sexual preference(I'm not sure if that is the correct term to use?) But I do agree with another one of my colleagues who had pointed out, America is the land of freedom, which is why so many walks of life come to this land. The sad thing about this though is, with all this freedom, there still remains a lot of discrimination, prejudice and ignorance when it comes to people and they way they choose to live their lives, race or sexual orientation or religion, no one should be looked down on or mistreated for being different.
ReplyDeleteWith its setting, characters, and tone, Stuck Rubber Baby provides an excellent venue in which to ask us, as readers, the question of just how readily can we compare the African American struggle for civil rights with the LGBT struggle. One of the big differences I find between the two movements is how individuals find themselves handling their race versus their sexuality. One’s sexuality is not an inherently visible characteristic, where outside of making judgments based on superficial cultural signifiers, you can’t actually tell if someone is gay or straight. This is not so with race, or at least in the book’s context of 1960s Alabama. I felt like this manifested itself in a variety of ways in the book, where a great deal of Stuck Rubber Baby’s thematic content is based upon this difference between the two movements.
ReplyDeleteIn Toland, we see a great deal of guilt and self-doubt over his identity. Despite his internal recognition of feelings for men, he does so much to distance himself from that lifestyle. He gets his own girlfriend, he aggressively corrects people when they assume (albeit rightly) that he is gay, and he even doesn’t let other guys touch or lean on him. This is in stark contrast to the African American characters that Cruse surrounds us with. Strong, proud, contributing as best as they can to the movement around them. Of course, we see plenty of vocal and confident homosexual characters in the book, but they are in stark contrast to Toland, who as our narrator and protagonist, provides us with his own feelings and doubts most clearly. His experience as a homosexual white man caught between two worlds is the thematic tether of the book, and as a man caught between two worlds it allows us to better appreciate the similarities and differences between the two movements going on at that time.