I guess most people need to identify with others. Growing up, I never felt anyone else was especially like me or mine. I thought that was a good thing. My life wasn't great & who wanted to be a massed produced product. It turned out, a lot more kids had my early life than I knew. Still, I have no desire to be some high volume print. I never looked at movies, books or comics & thought, that character's like me. I didn't look at those things to see me or my life. I dove in to escape, not find familiarity.
As usual, I'm on the outside of this matter. Others seem to cling to finding themselves reproduced in fiction or art. Even when it comes to HIV. Every so often a celebrity outs themselves as HIV+. I'm sure they all have their own reasons. But, the public eats it up. In the past, it was to villainize them, now people want to celebrate their openness. They want to see faces they know or connect with have the same issues as them. I find that a weird, vulturish form of connecting.
Billy Porter revealed he's been HIV+ for over a decade. This morning, 4 out of the top 5 HIV articles focused on him. Good for him, I guess, but not good articles over anything else. Being HIV+ is weird thing to celebrate. It seems some people are happy that he's been drug down into the mess with them. I don't find this kind or benevolent.
Cya...
