Tod Browning's "Freaks"

Image via Wikipedia

A friend on Plinky, StratPlayer, wrote a post on the examination of human cruelty that is Tod Browning's "Freaks". Written poetically:

This isn’t a goodie, it’s a diatribe a harangue on mans inhumanity to man. It is as inhumane as any genocide or nuclear device. All the same well done.

My comment: I'm not 100% in agreement. I hear what you are saying about cruelty, but there are two sides to the coin. Some carnival freaks appreciated their lifestyle. In the modern politically correct world, people with profound physical disfigurements are now supposed to stoically and noiselessly blend into the walls - is it dignity or is it facilitating being ignored?.

Image via Wikipedia

I hate the concept of "you must be a silent humorless sexless sinless quiet noble potted plant, so we can feel virtuous about pitying you for a few moments, before we completely forget and ignore you". If I was a freak, I would work hard to be the best and most disturbing freak I could be. If I wasn't constantly being chased by villagers carrying torches, I would know I was underachieving.