No subject

[Laura Tolton]

Several comments have focused on "strong language" and how shocking this is depending on what culture we use to understand it.  Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is a portrayal of abuse, both physical and verbal/emotional.  The individual words used may be strong or not, but the message, the actions and the implications are essential to understanding the film.  The words used don't have to be particularly strong-there is a strong message.  The message from the girl to her doll is in fact quite typical of messages communicated in abusive marriages, in examples I have knowledge of from both Colombia (Bogotá) and the United States (small town, Midwest), as well as what I have learned from readings about abusive talk in other places.  *Swearing* (which occurs in the English translation more than the Spanish version) is not what makes something abusive or not!   

" Being direct, argumentative and coming out strong is a positive thing and children are exposed to and learn to use fighting words early". 
 In response, I have to say that I cannot believe that this use of language somehow empowers the girl-she is acting out abuse, as if she were her father!  Sometimes the message communicated through actions is easier to understand as abusive than a message communicated using words.  If we consider the girl rubbing the doll's face in the food, is that empowering the girl?  Whether she is supposedly learning to act like her mother or her father, I do not see how this could be an empowering experience for her.   

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/gala-l/attachments/20080503/d1b9ce84/attachment.htm>