Thoughts from a Cumberbitch

[pennswoods]

Below is the meta piece I wrote for Episode 8 of threepatch. I've copied it here in full below and for those who are on Tumblr, here's the original post.

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This is the last of three essays on the Cumberbitch Question featured in Episode 8 (What’s it Like in your Funny Little Brains?) of the Three Patch Podcast. In this

Comments

[birdsofshore]

Oh, that was a wonderful read! (although I am very sorry to hear of the abuse you suffered.) I enjoyed all of the articles, thank you for linking. An interesting topic well-argued by all participants!

[pennswoods]

Thanks for reading and commenting. Although the abuse colors a lot of things in a negative way, it has also had positive effects in that it has made me realize my own strength. And it definitely drives a lot of my fandom practices.

One of the things I really appreciate about the Three Patch Podcast is that its members don't always agree but we are able to respect the perspectives of others and we wanted to capture this a bit (fandom is far more diverse than we are) in this series.

[pern_dragon]

Chills. Legit goosebumps. You inspire me so deeply; thank you for all you share. *hugs* <3

[pennswoods]

Thank you so much. *hugs*

Drinkingcocoa beta'd this for me to wrangle it into its current state. It took weeks!

[dickgloucester]

*hugs*

Bitch is the new "black", huh?

[pennswoods]

Damn straight!

*hugs back*

I'll be giving you one of those in person soon!

[shadowfireflame]

Oh my God, thank you for being brave enough to share your story with us and to bring up all these wonderful points. I especially like how you brought up that words are not inherently good or bad, it's usage that makes them that way. I agree, and I think that although some words have an unfortunate history, we can appropriate them and give them a more positive future.

We ripped the teeth out of it and made it our own.

That's such a powerful statement. I guess for some people it's just really difficult to look past the history of certain words in order to see how positively they're being reclaimed. For example, I think perhaps Benedict is under the impression that someone (presumably male) chose the term "Cumberbitches" for his fans instead of his fans choosing the term for themselves and re-appropriating the word.

[pennswoods]

I am very passionate about language. This is clearly what's driven me into the field I'm in and I have a deep hatred for language policing, which is why I made that point. It's one of the positions I hold to absolutely.

And thank you for sharing your response to my words. This essay took me weeks to write and revise and wrestle into shape. Sometimes it's hard to write about something I feel so viscerally.

I have no doubt that Benedict is coming from a very different position from me and in that position he is doing what is fair and respectful to the fans he is aware of. I don't know that he is imagining people like me. And this is part of the reason why I spoke up. Neither the media (which has latched on to the term Cumberbitch to mock and poke fun) or Benedict (who seems a bit worried for us) reflect what I am and certainly some other fans mean when we call ourselves this.

Thank you for reading and commenting.

[mundungus42]

*standing ovation*

...to push back through celebration and creativity against those who wish to control me.

God yes. This IS fandom to me. We are born pushers. Questioners. Fillers in of empty space. Wordsmiths. Line blurrers. Gleeful scribblers. Beholden to none. No canon is sacred.

As a fan of Heartless Bitches International back when it updated frequently and a former subscriber to Bitch magazine when I had time to read them, "bitch" is one of my favorite reclaimed words. For me, Cumberbitch is a great joke that we collectively made.

I agree, BC himself is probably uncomfortable with the term because he doesn't want to be seen as the sort of person who uses the word bitch in a derogatory manner. And he'd never want to apply it to the people who are his fans.

I strongly suspect he'd love this argument in favor of it, but the wide world, especially the popular press, is no place for such nuanced distinctions.

[pennswoods]

Oh my god, you are so awesome! I want to hug you. There are so many different kinds of people in fandom, but we're definitely the sort that just need to create and fill spaces.

I am sure Benedict's experiences with the term are very different from mine and if he knew of people like me, he might phrase things a little differently. But even if he doesn't, that's okay. I don't need his permission to be a fan and to adapt an identity that reflects my experiences and reality. I did want to put it out there and have it on record.