Summary Of Donna Haraway's 'The Future Is Kid Stuff'
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There is no doubt that the future is a powerful political device for politicians, academics, and the general public. We often hear proclamations about a brighter future for our posterity, one where the injustices and inequities of today do not exist. Meanwhile, women, queers, and other historically marginalized groups continue to face subjugation by society at large. In queer theory, Donna Haraway's "A Cyborg Theory" and Lee Edelman's "The Future is Kid Stuff" approach the politics of the future in fundamentally different ways. Haraway views the future as a time to dissolve binaries of sex and sexuality that subjugate women and queers, while Edelman advocates for a nihilistic future where politics do not exist. In other words, Haraway views the future as a realm for emancipatory politics while Edelman rejects the future because he sees it as a repetition of today's anti-queer politics. In "A Cyborg Manifesto," Haraway argues that the binaries that currently marginalize women and queers can be dissolved in the future. Her argument…show more content… Through examining Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto" and Edelman's "The Future is Kid Stuff," it is apparent that there are disparate opinions on the future. While Haraway views the future as a realm for emancipatory politics, Edelman believes that the future is a manipulative politic used by politicians to advance their anti-queer agendas. Although Haraway and Edelman do not directly quote each other, there is an apparent disagreement as to what women and queers should do to combat inequality and discrimination—Haraway is more optimistic about the future than Edelman is. As readers, we are able to join this dialogue and contribute our own thoughts. However strong our views may be, though, we must recognize that both authors have legitimate arguments. To ignore or view a polemic with contempt is to render oneself a less open and fair citizen of the