I Like __ A Lot
Some people are retarded, and some people are sad
You’ve probably noticed there’s been more youtube clips than usual; contributors have recently been ‘granted access’ to post their own. I figure I’d do one too.
The following clip is beautiful — and as facetious my tone usually is, I swear I’m not trying to make fun of these people, or glorify their disabilities. I just found it mesmerizing to watch. They are remarkable human beings, and by ‘remarkable,’ I mean exactly that. They make me want to remark about them, which is what I’m semantically chasing my tail about. ***Please note that the person who uploaded/edited the clip is an asshole, and that the fake ad/sponsor ‘Fart Inhaler’ at the end is a sad and cruel attempt at being funny.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDa5G0czkTY
When I was younger, maybe more naive and/or romantic, I would have ‘loved’ ‘CC,’ who loves shoes, as she presumably works with the disabled people, and has a nice positive non-judgmental attitude towards them. As for Ruthie the goth, no thank you, all my black clothes have been washed to grey.
I’ve always loved looking at ‘retarded’ people (sorry but I can’t say ‘disabled’ anymore, that word feels dishonest). It’s like being drawn towards a bloody car accident or a woman with massive breast implants — something horrific has happened and one wonders why god didn’t ‘step in.’ I have an okay life and my body is fine, and fuck, I think god is a dickhead. Maybe it takes generosity to see past god’s failures, or maybe you just have to be retarded.
And yet, as unself-conscious as these performers are, there’s a certain searing truth to what they claim about themselves. Take my favorite, William, who asserts that he likes nail polish at 0:08 and, again, at 1:46. Of course, he’s ‘retarded’ and probably has no idea ‘what the fuck’ is going on, but — and here’s my point, I guess — it’s completely honest and beautiful. I would do better to learn from him. I would say, “My name is Jimmy, and I want people to think I’m brilliant.” You see, that’s the truth, and it’s pretty fucking sad.
This has nothing to do with ‘indie internet literature,’ so maybe I’m taking my liberties as a contributor too far. I just wanted to post a youtube clip and found this to be the most compelling.
Oh, and while we’re at it, these are my favorite poems in the whole fucking non-retarded world:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoLs5KdeLQg
Tags: special poetry slam
Nice job Jimmy. I like it when you are funny, but I really like the heart you put in this one. I worked at halfway houses for the mentally ill/mentally retarded (called dual diagnosed at the time and also refered to as mi/mr patients) years ago and I’m so happy I did that. I only wish I hadn’t been 22 and an idiot at the time.
nicely said. and agreed.
god, that bear poem / my body poem kills me in the realest way words can kill.
nicely said. and agreed.
god, that bear poem / my body poem kills me in the realest way words can kill.
[…] <HTMLGIANT> > Blog Archive » Some people are retarded, and some … […]
Thanks…Jimmy. This is heartbreaking and agonizing and inspiring.
Thanks…Jimmy. This is heartbreaking and agonizing and inspiring.
uh, all people are retarded, in their own way. i teach special needs kids and they all have a better handle on life than i do. i spend hours and hours and hours writing stories that earn me zero to a little more than zero dollars. they would never get sucked into that ponzi scam.
uh, all people are retarded, in their own way. i teach special needs kids and they all have a better handle on life than i do. i spend hours and hours and hours writing stories that earn me zero to a little more than zero dollars. they would never get sucked into that ponzi scam.
ha, Brian, that is funny as hell.
ha, Brian, that is funny as hell.
Agreed…for the most part. There seems to be more than words at play…without the visual context, at least for me, things would be different. But Jesus, “I sweat./My belly hurts. I try.” is just something else.
Agreed…for the most part. There seems to be more than words at play…without the visual context, at least for me, things would be different. But Jesus, “I sweat./My belly hurts. I try.” is just something else.
Hmm. I’m not sure. Whilst I did like the second poem, I have to confess that I wasn’t especially ‘moved’ by either of them. I also didn’t find them particularly empowering for the disabled – yes, disabled, not retarded – people involved.
For the past seven and a half years, I’ve worked in the disability / media field. I’m also physically disabled myself. When I watched these clips, I couldn’t help but wonder how freely the participants were getting involved in this project. Or was it some kind of rehabilitation / occupational therapy – “look, get up on stage and perform these poems and be filmed. It will HELP you!”
People with learning disabilities can make their own decisions and should be encouraged to do so. They can, with the right sort of assistance, live independently and, just like you or I, they can also get involved in artistic projects if they want. They don’t need to be ‘encouraged’ to do so.
Thought it might be worth putting a link to another clip here. It’s from a film that came out late last year in the UK – I hope in the US too. It’s a documentary following a UK punk bund called Heavy Load, which is made up of people both with and without learning disabilities. These guys are crazy (in the best sense of the word), their music is genuine and fantastic. Where I would to a certain extent agree with Jimmy is the idea of ‘honesty’ – I don’t think we should eulogise it excessively but, yes, people with learning disabilities do have a certain honesty, maybe up-frontness or naivety would be better terms. It’s certainly difficult to come up with the right way to describe it, but it’s way Heavy Load have a song about the movie called ‘We’re in a Film’; why, despite being a cool-as-fuck punk band, they have a song called ‘We Like George Michael’. And it’s why they helm a campaign called ‘Stay Up Late’, which is all about enabling other people with learning disabilities who have carers to do basic ‘rebellious’ things like stay out of an evening beyond 9pm, and have the occasional beer or two. That’s independence. That’s a statement in itself. More of one, to me, than carers and occupational therapists pushing learning disabled people on stage to read poetry for mostly non-disabled people.
Anyway, this wasn’t meant to be an essay. Here’s the clip (and go see the film – it’s fucking fantastic): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLTRFRj_tko
Hmm. I’m not sure. Whilst I did like the second poem, I have to confess that I wasn’t especially ‘moved’ by either of them. I also didn’t find them particularly empowering for the disabled – yes, disabled, not retarded – people involved.
For the past seven and a half years, I’ve worked in the disability / media field. I’m also physically disabled myself. When I watched these clips, I couldn’t help but wonder how freely the participants were getting involved in this project. Or was it some kind of rehabilitation / occupational therapy – “look, get up on stage and perform these poems and be filmed. It will HELP you!”
People with learning disabilities can make their own decisions and should be encouraged to do so. They can, with the right sort of assistance, live independently and, just like you or I, they can also get involved in artistic projects if they want. They don’t need to be ‘encouraged’ to do so.
Thought it might be worth putting a link to another clip here. It’s from a film that came out late last year in the UK – I hope in the US too. It’s a documentary following a UK punk bund called Heavy Load, which is made up of people both with and without learning disabilities. These guys are crazy (in the best sense of the word), their music is genuine and fantastic. Where I would to a certain extent agree with Jimmy is the idea of ‘honesty’ – I don’t think we should eulogise it excessively but, yes, people with learning disabilities do have a certain honesty, maybe up-frontness or naivety would be better terms. It’s certainly difficult to come up with the right way to describe it, but it’s way Heavy Load have a song about the movie called ‘We’re in a Film’; why, despite being a cool-as-fuck punk band, they have a song called ‘We Like George Michael’. And it’s why they helm a campaign called ‘Stay Up Late’, which is all about enabling other people with learning disabilities who have carers to do basic ‘rebellious’ things like stay out of an evening beyond 9pm, and have the occasional beer or two. That’s independence. That’s a statement in itself. More of one, to me, than carers and occupational therapists pushing learning disabled people on stage to read poetry for mostly non-disabled people.
Anyway, this wasn’t meant to be an essay. Here’s the clip (and go see the film – it’s fucking fantastic): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLTRFRj_tko
i feel sad about these videos
these videos exist
i feel conflicted
i feel sad about these videos
these videos exist
i feel conflicted
“Bear” and “My Body” are amazing poems; they’d work for me whether or not I knew who wrote them.
“Bear” and “My Body” are amazing poems; they’d work for me whether or not I knew who wrote them.
Alright, Jimmy. The second clip is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Even if I didn’t have a thing for bears.
Alright, Jimmy. The second clip is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Even if I didn’t have a thing for bears.
Re: Ruthie, Having substituted in Special Ed classes for years, I have observed that the biggest “retards” are often the people who work with Special needs students.
Re: Ruthie, Having substituted in Special Ed classes for years, I have observed that the biggest “retards” are often the people who work with Special needs students.
I agree. There’s something about this poem that just gets me. That kid hits me to my core.