InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "To please the client."

lavendertook (lavendertook) wrote,
@ 2008-03-21 14:58:00

Current mood:

hopeful

On the name and theme of the Insanejournal site
"Insanejournal." I have no trouble with the journal name, and could come to really love it, actually, if it weren't followed up with a site theme defining insanity in clinical terms.

One usage of the term "insane" is as positive transgressiveness. Terms like "diagnosis" and "medication" used in the site themes nail down the broader use of the term "insane" into the narrower definition of mental illness and makes it less, well, fun. I don't think making light of mental illness is really fun. It's somewhat offensive to me and I know it is outright offensive to others, and feels like an attack on one's identity for some. And that's not cool.

The site theme closes down these other connotations of the term, like "extreme" and "transgressive" and "radical"--as you would use the term when someone is doing something you find a bit odd, different, somewhat gutsy, and really cool altogether--"OMG, that's really insane! Go you!" the term "crazy" is used much the same way. If "insane" was not narrowed into the clinical definition of the term by the site themes, I think no one would be offended by the name of the site. (OK, maybe not no one, but you know what I mean.)

It's the same with the term "asylum." Asylum also means "a place of safety"--which is a cool way to refer to communities you choose to be a part of, though amusingly ironic for wank communities. In that broader use of the term, I really like "asylum" as a label for communities. But matched with the site name, not so much. It becomes limited into the narrower use of the term as institution for the mentally ill, and all the issues I listed above come into play again.

This is all to say, I would love for the site themes to move away from reflecting the site name in its clinical usage. Without the site themes, I think Insanejournal is a great name for the site. So if the site themes were dropped I'd love my IJ lots more.

Addendum: I like the name Tweak. I'm somewhat indifferent to the Tweak icon, but I'm really amused by the "Tweak says" lines and fangrrl those.

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slashpine
2008-03-22 10:43 am UTC (link)

I totally agree with this! I like your point that "insane" and "asylum" *do* have connotations that are congenial to fandom's transgressiveness and community-building. I certainly winced myself when first encountering IJ, given its the way all of its discourse, taken together (like the "diagnosis") does add up to one big Foucauldian ugh - a narrow medically-controlling (and thus male, as well) take on insanity. Definitely the opposite of my reasons for being in online fandom!

But yeah, the tweaks (lol) you suggest could improve it, and that would be really cool. I would love it if you suggested this to Squeaky.

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	Whoops, forgot - slashpine 2008-03-22 10:44 am UTC (link)
	Forgot to say: here from metametameta! (Reply to this) (Parent)

lavendertook
2008-03-29 10:35 am UTC (link)

Yup, we do not do journaling here for that good ole institutional supervision kind of feeling, though over on LJ they sure have taken on the state's disciplining functions for it before the state has even imposed them.

This post is an expansion of a comment I made in the

ideas community, so Squeaky might have even seen the core ideas here since he's friended that community. Before I'd run it formally past him though, I'd like to have some suggestions to offer him on how to play on the wild, fun, and transgressive connotations of insane if he's set on having a theme to offer users (along with the option to use the plain old terms LJ established.) It's easier to convince someone to change if you can offer them something they might like changing to. So wanna brain storm with me? Other terms for community, profile, journal, etc that play on this?

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slashpine
2008-03-30 04:11 am UTC (link)

Yeah! Maybe we could also push it over into metametameta for more comment after you get some more ideas jelled.

Well, I'm really in the groove with "asylum" now that you pointed out its earlier connotations....

For comms, instead of asylum, how about "sanctuary"? Refuge? Heh. (Almost a "nature park" type of refuge, there.)
As I recall, wings of medical institutions - the better sorts - have also traditionally been called "Pavilions." Which is a word I love ... like the novel "The Far Pavilions," the word conjures ideas of exotic and romantic fun places, the "pleasure domes of Kublai Khan" or at some medieval tournament. Big brightly colored tents conspicuous on the landscape, cooled by breezes...

If I think of an asylum as a sanctuary... then my journal might be my "hermitage", nest, or burrow...

Hmm... given fandom's metaphors, what if an community where people come together were called a "Hive"?

Going back to that earlier usage of "sanctuary," perhaps a profile would be one's "vision"? Or just portrait?

(Now I'm thinking in terms of vampires and haunted houses! No. Fun, but crazy! )

Then there's Carnival! What a good zany community should be :-)

Where's your thinking taking you?

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