i just watched the trailer for the united states of tara. it's a program that will be on showtime at the beginning of next year. it's about a woman who is multiple, and how she and her family are coping with it.
i know the program has upset a lot of multiples. i've read people who are offended at the very idea of it being a comedy, and i suspect that no matter how well it's handled, it's not going to be ok with some people. well, i *know* that's true. there's no way to please everyone.
but they did please me. i appreciate the way that it seemed like they addressed the range of her personalities, and how that could cause discomfort with her family. i also liked the husband's interactions--it really seemed as though he'd built up relationships with at least the parts featured on the trailer, which is a nice message to be putting out there. the notion that it's ok for a partner of a multiple to interact with different parts.
probably my response has a lot to do with my own experiences. i know that my partner is uncomfortable with thinking about having a sexual relationship with the parts who aren't adults, or who aren't the parts who started the relationship with her (although, looking back, a *lot* of us started that relationship. it was a team effort, so to speak.)
and i'm comfortable with the idea that sometimes, coping with DID is just plain funny. when i'm with my friends who know that i'm multiple, we do joke about it. we aren't making light of the trauma, or the parts that are hard. we're making light of the fact that, for instance, i can go from having a serious political discussion to being all excited about seeing a lady garbageman back to the political discussion, then on to something entirely different. or we laugh about... just the humor of the situation. and the trailer for this show didn't make me feel like they were making fun of multiples, it made me feel like they were laughing at the way that it's funny, and also being conscious of the fact that it *isn't* always funny.
maybe when someone more coherent is around (or at least when i'm not in the middle of revolving door world!) i'll post something more about this topic. but for now, i feel like it's gonna be nice to get to watch the program, and see how things develop.
the only down side is, will people think i'm making up my multiplicity because i saw it on showtime?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
united states of tara
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4 comments:
I think we are in the minority...but I think this show has potential! And yes, life as or with a multiple is sometimes funny. If we can't laugh about it once in a while we are truly lost.
I don't get showtime so I probably won't be able to watch this but it looks like it has promise. It would be nice for people to be better informed and less afraid of multiples.
Hey Jigsaw!
I been MIA but glad I came to check in on your blog (keep meaning to get over to your workbook site, I miss that). I have been so looking forward to this show and I agree I think finding the humor is so important (and a recent show on PBS about stress showed how important humor is too haha!). I got frustrated by those who just couldn't understand that and some of them where singletons who wanted to tell me I was wrong for thinking this show could be really great. Pffft! I'll have to come back in a bit and check out the video.
thanks, all. i really need to get it together to write a letter to showtime telling them that i am looking forward to the show. just so as to put some diversity into the messages i suspect they're getting.
and we can hope that showtime will do their online thing, where you can watch the show on their website after it's aired on tv. that would be great.
i get frustrated by people who think that their way is the only right way, and who try to insist that it's wrong to look at things in any other way. but then, they're usually saying that i shouldn't see things the way i do, so maybe it's just self-preservation.
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