Jezebel 
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New York, 8:15 PM
Sat Nov 28
24 posts in the last 24 hours
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09/08/09
The difference is that--regardless of whether or not she's being "pigeonholed"--this is a role that she is choosing, rather than one that's being thrust upon her. She's not a child or an animal, whether she's a "human tripod" is entirely up to her.
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09/08/09
How are those TLC specials NOT modern sideshows? People are still fascinated by this. Fact of life. May as well get paid for it.
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09/08/09
From what I understand, side shows often represented exactly the opposite for many so called "freaks". Many times side shows allowed for those who would normally require assistance from the government to exist, the ability to make their own money (and lots of it). They were able to be around people that were more like them and they were able to control their own destiny, turning what would normally be a disability into a financial boon and acceptance into a close knit community. In the early 20th century side shows were often the ONLY way people differently-abled people could flourish.
09/08/09
For some it was better than nothing but that doesn't mean it was positive.
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09/08/09
Like she says, the show is about what she can do.
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09/08/09
Not just in the 18th and 19th centuries. This happens today. This man ([www.blisstree.com]) can only get a job as a "freak" and it's a dangerous job.
09/08/09
09/08/09
@Ri_L: That would be wonderful, but the point remains that forcing people to be an oddity for the entertainment of others remains a practice today...
09/08/09
Agreed on the forcing thing. My research has turned up all sorts of mixed reactions from those who were displayed as freaks back in the day. There was one guy who actually got pissed that new laws forbade him to work as a freak because it was his job and he wanted to do it to support himself. But so many of them were unhappy and mistreated, even by their own families.
Bottom line is, what Jackie's doing is cool because she chooses and embraces it.
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09/08/09
I work in a circus too, doing this.
09/08/09
12/05/08
12/05/08
I've listened to most of the new album and it's solid, but there's still something off about Britney. Her "sound" hasn't evolved very much over the course of the past 10 years, but I still dig the album.