Why is Jaypaw Blind?

[mistytail]

My name is Mistytail, and this is the story of how I died.

Ten, after writing her lovely topic on Vicky Holmes's essay "Tigerstar: Heart of Evil?" decided to link me to... Well. This. I think she's trying to kill me.

So, let's dive into this thing head-first and watch how many times I will want to kill myself, speaking as a person with legal blindness and having known a large number of totally blind individuals in my life.

This is a question I get asked a lot and sometimes I'm tempted to reply, Because he was born that way!

You really could have ended this essay here and saved yourself and us the trouble. Really.

Well, why not?

Because you don't know what the hell you're doing.

Being a hero doesn't depend on being able to see, or hear, or run extra fast; heroism comes from inside, from what sort of person (or cat) you are. I always knew Jaypaw would be one of the most important cats in Power of Three, so he needed to have the right sort of character even if he didn't have functioning eyes! He didn't need to be able to see in order to be bold, curious, and wiling to fight for what he believes in, which are all vital qualities for a hero.

Well, I can at least say you had good intentions, Ms. Holmes, but you're driving straight down the road to hell with this.

I also liked the challenge of writing from a blind cat's viewpoint.

You don't even write the books, you write the plots, what the hell viewpoint is there to write from?? Also none of us really enjoyed it because. Well. You kind of really suck at it.

Jaypaw can't describe how a scene looks, but he has four other senses-scent, touch, taste, and hearing -- to fill in the gaps.

nonononononoonoSTOP. Other senses do not "fill in the gaps." The brain will amplify other senses in an attempt to compensate for the loss of one sense, but it doesn't always work properly. And please explain to me how taste helps you to see unless your name is Terezi Pyrope

I deliberately started Power of Three Book One: The Sight from his perspective because I wanted to fill the opening chapters with details that would trick the reader into not realizing the narrator was blind.

You do realize that essentially erasing his disability makes you look like a horse's rear end to people that actually have that disability, right? I'm sorry, you can't erase his blindness from his character. Total blindness is a huge impairment, especially to cats that live in an ever-changing environment like a forest. If he were a kittypet, it would be different, as even blind people (and cats) can gain the spatial knowledge of an area's layout and learn where things are so they don't act clumsy (which is actually why if you look up Howard Gardener's theory of multiple intelligences, the name of visual/spatial intelligence has been officially changed to just spatial intelligence). In a forest, everything is moving and changing. There is no concrete way for Jaypaw to gain spatial knowledge of anywhere but the ThunderClan camp, and even that is a maybe.

and only learn that Jaypaw can't see when he complains to Leafpool that she's fussing over him too much.

Maybe that's because he's sort of blind and has special needs??? Woah. What a concept. Caring for the disabled. How silly.

I wanted the readers to get to know Jaypaw, to share his sense of adventure and loyalty to his Clanmates, before they knew that he was blind, because that might have made him an object of pity. Jaypaw wants to be treated the same as all the apprentices -- and that means not being judged by readers, too!

Nice to know that when you hear "disability" you think "pity." Wow. Forget what I said about good intentions, you're just an ***.

But even when you know that Jaypaw is blind, he's not the sort of character that you can pity easily. Frustration, disbelief, and sometimes downright anger, but never pity!

You fluctuate between trying way too hard and not trying at all at the most inappropriate times and it's really frustrating. Stop.

It would have been too easy to make him a little blind saint, patiently tolerating his lack of sight while living a good and obedient life. But that would make for a very dull hero! Jaypaw is prickly and difficult, alternating between kicking against his blindness and insisting that it doesn't matter.

Really nice to know that when you think "disabled" you think "little saint." Most of us have had it up to here with BS like this. Also, wow, giving a disabled character their own personality and asserting they have an identity outside of their disability. What a concept. Wow. Amazing. Gold stars. You're so original. No one has ever thought of that idea before ever.

He knows he has the same amount of courage and physical strength as any apprentice, and he hates the fact that he can't be the same sort of warrior as his denmates.

Yes congratulations you have just described the angst that all people with disabilities suffer. This is not news.

When Leafpool invited him to be her apprentice, he saw it as a soft option, the only thing he could do because he couldn't see. In fact, Leafpool could tell that Jaypaw had huge talents as a medicine cat -- he memorized all the herbs and remedies without even trying --and when he started to talk about the future as if StarClan had revealed it to him, Leafpool knew that he had a special connection with their warrior ancestors as well. It was Jaypaw's destiny to be a medicine cat from the moment he was born --except, ironically, he couldn't see it for himself.

You do realize that "disabled = spiritually gifted" is a horrendously common trope and you've really done nothing new here at all, right? Have you ever read Oedipus Rex? Remember Tiresias, the blind prophet who saw nothing and yet saw all? That is literally what you just described her but with small furry animals. The ancient Greeks did the exact same thing. You have done nothing new here. Stop patting yourself on the back.

On top of being blind, and bad-tempered, and ambitious,

You're practically crapping your pants that you gave an iota of effort into giving him a personality, aren't you?

I wanted to make Jaypaw a cat with unique powers of sight.

"He's blind but he sees EVERYTHING!!! How ORIGINAL!!!"

It physically hurts to see how proud you are of yourself for not trying at all. Also cool, essentially erasing his disability with ~spiritual powers~ isn't offensive to readers that actually are legally, partially, or totally blind or anything.

He can see in his dreams and in the dreams of other cats, which gives him access to their deepest thoughts and fears. He can also sense what cats are thinking -- something his brother and sister take for granted, but frequently get irritated by! -- and, as his powers mature, he is able to step into other cats' memories and live through events from their past. He has the most incredible gifts of sight, blind to superficial matters of appearance but able to see the truth of what is inside other cats.

I really don't even have words for how utterly stupid this is. What was the point of making him blind if he can physically see in his dreams?

When we first meet Jaypaw, he is only a kit and he doesn't always know what to do with this knowledge, or how to use it for unselfish purposes. He is proud and stubborn, and thinks that being able to walk in other cats' dreams makes him stronger than them, able to take advantage, especially when he learns about trouble in other Clans.

He's a child, how do you expect him to know unselfishness instantly?? Oh, wait, he's disabled and he should know better and be nice to everyone around him, I forgot.

Also, uh, yeah, being able to step into other people's minds does in fact make you more powerful than them. The ****

Jaypaw is a blind cat who can see in other cats' dreams, a hero who doesn't set out with the best intentions, a stubborn, difficult, prickly character who needs to win the respect of every cat in the Clans to live up to the prophecy cast many moons before he was born. The fact that he can't see is just one element of his personality -- and Jaypaw would be the first to tell you that he doesn't want to be judged on what he can't do! All these challenges and contradictions make him the most fun cat to write about and create stories for. And we haven't even reached the end of his apprenticeship…

A disability is not a personality quirk, you horrid wench.

And that's the end. So basically, Vicky has just told us that 1) She doesn't know how to write a disability, 2) She doesn't know how to write that disability in an original way, and 3) She expects us to care that she put .04 seconds of thought into giving Jaypaw a personality.

I am 500% done with this woman's essays holy butts.

[Lady Ten]

Nov 29, 2012 0:20:40 GMT -6 @mistytail said:

I think she's trying to kill me.

Stuff and nonsense.

Thank you for taking a look at this, Misty.

It's odd how she starts out saying he's blind because he was born blind, and that can't stop him from being a hero or an interesting character (yes, true) and then just... jumps ship.

You don't even write the books, you write the plots, what the hell viewpoint is there to write from??

Does Holmes write any of the scenes herself? At all? Is there a way to fact-check this?

Jaypaw can't describe how a scene looks, but he has four other senses-scent, touch, taste, and hearing -- to fill in the gaps.

nonononononoonoSTOP. Other senses do not "fill in the gaps." The brain will amplify other senses in an attempt to compensate for the loss of one sense, but it doesn't always work properly.

To "fill in the gaps" is... eugh... poor wording choice. That makes it sound like everyone necessarily needs sight or some sight-equivalent, and that the other senses are just stand-ins.

I deliberately started Power of Three Book One: The Sight from his perspective because I wanted to fill the opening chapters with details that would trick the reader into not realizing the narrator was blind.

You do realize that essentially erasing his disability makes you look like a horse's rear end to people that actually have that disability, right?

It comes off like she's really clever for concealing it. Like it was a "twist" or something. But this is a case where withholding relevant information from the reader is not a good writing tool. For another thing, I don't remember how those scenes were written, but if it's not made obvious pretty quickly in instances where he walks around camp and interacts with others, then hey, maybe you aren't adequately writing the perspective of a character with blindness?

I wanted the readers to get to know Jaypaw, to share his sense of adventure and loyalty to his Clanmates, before they knew that he was blind, because that might have made him an object of pity. Jaypaw wants to be treated the same as all the apprentices -- and that means not being judged by readers, too!

Nice to know that when you hear "disability" you think "pity." Wow. Forget what I said about good intentions, you're just an ***.

Sounds like she's trying to circumvent her readers ableism -- by practicing it herself. Imagine if it were like "I wanted the readers to get to know Bob, to share his sense of having a personality and being a real living person, before they found out that he was a black man!!1"

She's already anticipating that membership in a minority takes away from any of the rest of the character.

“I mean, that’s not how I see it, that’s how they see it.”

It would have been too easy to make him a little blind saint, patiently tolerating his lack of sight while living a good and obedient life. But that would make for a very dull hero! Jaypaw is prickly and difficult, alternating between kicking against his blindness and insisting that it doesn't matter.

Really nice to know that when you think "disabled" you think "little saint." Most of us have had it up to here with BS like this.

Tangent complaint: it's unfortunate the connotations that the word "saint" has picked up, as if it's equivalent to docile perfection. The saints I know of were people like the rest of us -- more or less good people, but ones who hosed up and made mistakes like normal human beings.

Also she thinks she made Jaypaw less dull by making him a whiner?

Also, wow, giving a disabled character their own personality and asserting they have an identity outside of their disability. What a concept. Wow. Amazing. Gold stars. You're so original. No one has ever thought of that idea before ever.

^^^

When Leafpool invited him to be her apprentice, he saw it as a soft option, the only thing he could do because he couldn't see. In fact, Leafpool could tell that Jaypaw had huge talents as a medicine cat -- he memorized all the herbs and remedies without even trying --and when he started to talk about the future as if StarClan had revealed it to him, Leafpool knew that he had a special connection with their warrior ancestors as well. It was Jaypaw's destiny to be a medicine cat from the moment he was born --except, ironically, he couldn't see it for himself.

You do realize that "disabled = spiritually gifted" is a horrendously common trope and you've really done nothing new here at all, right? Have you ever read Oedipus Rex? Remember Tiresias, the blind prophet who saw nothing and yet saw all? That is literally what you just described her but with small furry animals. The ancient Greeks did the exact same thing. You have done nothing new here. Stop patting yourself on the back.

Also, Toph did it better.

On top of being blind, and bad-tempered, and ambitious,

You're practically crapping your pants that you gave an iota of effort into giving him a personality, aren't you?

sufferin succotash, that is exactly what she is doing. This is perfect, Misty.

It physically hurts to see how proud you are of yourself for not trying at all. Also cool, essentially erasing his disability with ~spiritual powers~ isn't offensive to readers that actually are legally, partially, or totally blind or anything.

What was the point of making him blind if he can physically see in his dreams?

Based on her focus on compensation, it sounds as if Vicky is really uncomfortable with the idea of a disabled character and is trying to undo what she's done, basically making his waking-hour visual-blindness just a quirk and a novelty instead of something to be grappled with as a legitimate part of his life. It's a just neat little fact about him, and she covers up all the consequences.

The fact that he can't see is just one element of his personality --

lolnope. Does Vicky not know what a personality is? This reminds me of those roleplay list introductions that will say something like "personality: good hunter, likes kits".

[vbfdoee]

The way Jayfeather was written, his blindness is incredibly tangential to his character. He could be sighted and it would change nothing about the books except for eliminating a bunch of shoehorned scenes of grating angst. I remember reading the bit in The Sight where it was actually revealed that he was blind and I thought "WHAT."

The problem with this is not just about withholding important information from the reader; it's a bad sign for one's writing if a scene is written from the POV of a blind character and the blindness isn't obvious. Not only is there no reason for Jayfeather to be blind, but he isn't even written as though he were blind.

My best guess at the thought process is this:

"Our books should be more diverse! But I'm not comfortable with/don't feel like doing the research necessary to write blindness realistically. I'll just make this character blind anyway; I mean, how hard can it be?"

And then enter able-bodied privilege, stage left.

[mistytail]

Yeah, exactly.

When Brightheart became disabled, her disability was at least written so that it seriously affected her. Same with Cinderpelt, same with Longtail. But then there's the sort of ableism of "oh, well, they were born normal but then became that way."

Jaypaw? LOLNOPE.

It's honestly disappointing because as a legally blind person, despite my still having usable sight, I was looking forward to have a character to relate to besides Brightheart. But, nope. ~Special powers~ essentially erased his whole disability for the sake of plot, and it was just pointless.