Portraying Dollie Drug Use?

Well, not all dolls are made to be 'beautiful' by their owners...I have one fellow who does drink too much (and will get himself in trouble if he keeps on going the way he has been). There are elements of who he is that are lovely, and there are things about him that are definitely not. Like all people he is complicated and contains both good and bad--sometimes the good wins out and and sometimes it gets pushed into a dark corner. However, a number of my resin folks are like that--not necessarily with drug/alcohol abuse, but are just rather morally ambiguous in general. They do the wrong things for the right reasons or vise versa, make mistakes (sometimes very big ones), and don't always do things that are very nice... and I find them interesting that way, because for whatever their specific reasons, they aren't as bound by society's typical moral dictates.

However, I may have a different attitude towards my dolls because a lot of them existed as characters prior to bjds, and getting to be little resin people doesn't change who they were when they only existed on paper. I don't see them as pretty objects, but as the people they represent to me (which gives them their own beauty in a different way).

 

There are plenty of people with addiction disorders who are beautiful, and smart and funny and wonderful too, despite their issues. It shows extreme tunnel-vision-- and an extreme lack of experience with humanity-- to claim otherwise. It's also just rude.

 

I would not have a problem if a doll had a drug problem. It would make a more realistic story. No one is always happy and nothing always goes someone ways all the time . If read a story about drug addiction and overcoming the addiction it would make the character more develop and i more appreciated the character more.

 

I don't think it would bother me. I'd be curious as to why the dolls are being portrayed as addicts of *blank* drug, but I wouldn't be offended or anything. As long as its being portrayed accurately and is well researched.

 

I have a character who suffers from alcholism. And I don't find the potrayl of drug use offensive at all. As long as they aren't trying to say that it's cool to have an addiction I'm fine. I thing that it's imortant for a charater to have a flaw because it makes them more beliveable.

 

By "they" do you mean the dolls owner or the doll?

I ask because one of my drug addicted chars would indeed say its cool. If he believes that or not doesn't really matter of course but he'd say so.

Stupid but I feel the distinction between what I as an owner would say and what the char would say is important in this type of conversatoin.
I could indeed see the "issue" in myself saying "Oh it's totally awesome" Where as, say, my chars advice being that everyone should be a raging drunk because it's fun... Well while it may bother some 'wrong' isn't what I'd call it. It's also not the type of thing I'd bring here because of ages and the "family site" thing. But elsewhere having a char dipicted drinking, using drugs, what have you and saying everyone should do as much (like with the notion that the owner doesn't agree with that statement) isn't that horrible.

One can depict both the enjoyable and down sides of drug use in a realistic way while still having their char believe that it's fun, worth it, ect.

Yeah okay that was a big ole rant to make a very basic point and ask a basic question. Sorry about that heh.

 

I think that if you choose to have a character in a doll that lives a life that involves drugs, so be it. In the end, their just characters in a story, and if you're express your creativity with a character that deviates from the norm, that's wonderful. We have dolls who or Gay, or trans, who are zombies, and vampires, and every other "taboo" you can think of under the sun (i use taboo loosely). What wrong with drugs. Most people in the country will try them at least once in their lives, and most people I know do drugs of what sort or another.
So I say, It's your doll- Party on.

That's my 2 cents for all it counts.

"You're wrong about drug use, when its not abuse"
-nofx 'You're wrong.'

 

When I say they I mean the owner. I think it important to have freedom of creativity when it come to characters, but also be responible in what you put out their.

I personally wouldn't have one of my charaters saying addiction is cool, because I don't think that it is. But if an important part of your story go for it. Different people process things differently. I perfer to show the negetive emotional effects of what an addition can do and a person's stuggles to climb out of that.

And there are some people who enjoy using drugs. But I don't know how much of that is actual fun and how much of it is actually an addiction. You can enjoy drinking coffee and be addicted to caffine and struck to get off of that.

 

I've watched this thread for a year trying to figure out how I feel about the issue, because it's an interesting one.

And no, I can't say that I'm at peace with my thoughts yet. My basic reaction is "arrgh. Why. No. We have enough despair in the world without that."

On the other hand, tobacco is an addictive drug and alcohol can be, and we see them every day. I'll never have one of my resin guys be a smoker, because I never want to go back to that place again. And that's just cigarettes. Geez. I don't want to sound all moralistic toward the people who do creative and thoughtful things with their dolls employing such stories because it would be horribly hypocritical of me. But nope, it's just not for me. Makes me feel decidedly sad.

And I see that a big preponderance of the posters have said just that - it's up to you what to do in your stories, but I think I'll pass.

Absolutely. Feel understood.

 

I think we should take responcibility for everything we put out there, including having a doll "say" horrible things. I'm using horrible as a blanket word here for things from "curse at your parents" to "do drugs" but I think, and I see this in everyday life too much, we all also need to take responcibility for ourselves.
Doing what a doll "says" is a grand example. Which amuses me but that's another topic all together lol.

I personally think that the negative effects can be shown side by side with the "positive" or more "fun parts" of an addiction. More so with things like drugs and alcohol. Example being the fun of going out drinking with friends, the stupidity of say, being talked into having your head shaved and then the aftermath of the addiction, the damage, ect.

Enjoying it, at least for my chars, is more of an excuse for them. Of course there is a point of it they enjoy but its more a lie to hide an utter addiction then anything. I also don't portray much of it on here other the mentioning it in passing because of the age of people here. Also because I'd rather not get harrassed and attacked for things that not everyone agrees with. Which is probably a more selfish reason but who likes being be littled? It's a reason to not post it that I fully support.

 

i think that i would read it out of curiosity i don,t think that i would be offended by it.

 

Humans each have their own personality and such, and like humans, dolls have their own personalities. Maybe even addictions, in the case of this thread. I definitely wouldn't skip over a photostory about a drug-using doll (Not that I'm into drugs and the like. In fact, I'm EXTREMELY against it). I find such stories intriguing, and I always like to see if they'll ever come out of it. As eternal_ukyou said, they are just characters in a story.

 

Ofcourse Drugs and the like is a controversial subject, so it is bound to offend some people here and there. I could completely understand if a former drug addict saw some pictures of someones doll, snorting coke, that they would feel very hurt and think, Why would someone want to do that to their doll? Who would wish that upon anyone? Even if its only a doll.

I feel that way about things like Self-mutilation and suicide. When I looked through the picture request page on scars, I felt really hurt when I saw that someone modded wrist cutting scars on their doll. But this is because I have been eposed with that a little more than I would like to have. And bringing it back on the original subject, It's logical that someone might feel the same way about a doll having a drug addiction. Even if they havent expirienced it themselves, it can still hurt if a close family member has dealt with it.

however, I am not against adding these qualities in your dolls. Every character has its flaws, or severe problems. I admit one of my dolls has a drug problem. But when you decide that your doll is going to be a drug addict, I think you should respect the fact that this is bound to affect others, and need to be careful with it, like anything controversial.

and with this I mean, Don't go and flaunt it, I dont either. Keep it to yourself and the people that are really interested in your dolls background story. Don't go all "OH HEY THIS IS MY DOLL AND HE IS ADDICTED TO HEROIN ISNT HE HARDCORE?" . A real Herion addict wouldt do that either.

 

I agree with you that you shouldn't boast about how hardcore your doll is that he/she is an addict, but I don't think you should keep it to yourself either. If it's a part of the story, just tell it. Of course an addict wouldn't talk about it so much, but people around him wíll notice at some point that he is.
Yes, it might offend some people, but I believe that is a risk you always take when you're telling a story. It's important that you as a storyteller know what message you want to bring across. Your character's opinion might be the complete oposite of yours, but your story should tell what you want to say. You can write about alcoholism and it's devestating effect on the relationship of everyone in the family and yet have an addicted main character that believes that drinking is cool and he has everything under control.

Like every difficult subject, drug-abuse is a topic that should be handled with care. If however you did your research and you have a sensitive and well contrived premise, I don't think many will be offended by it.
So, what I mean is: "know what you're talking about and know what you want to say".

Btw. This.

 

I would have to disagree on the point that's been mentioned on here about dolls "doing drugs" because the owners think its 'cool'. For some people, that could possibly be a reason, but I don't think it's something that could apply just across the board for all. My friend struggled with a heroin addiction for close to five years, and on his six month anniversary of being clean, a bunch of friends pooled our money and bought him a doll. He named her Lion, and gave her golden eyes after the song "The Girl with Golden Eyes" by Nikki Sixx. She is, for him, a representitive of heroin, and when he looks at her he renews his resolve to stay clean. She herself is "a heroin addict" (although dolls have no veins...can't really do drugs...) because that's what he needs her to be. I think that having a doll like that, kinda a "Memorial Doll" would be an exception to the "cool" thing that was mentioned earlier.

 

I never said that everyone who gives their doll a drug abuse does it because they think it is "cool" . Also, about your friend who gave her doll a heroin addiction and had gone through that herself, I can understand why she did that. For some people dolls are their emotional outlet, a way to deal with their feelings about their past etc. My own dolls have a lot of my own qualities, but put to the extreme really.

however I do think there are some people out there that take these kind of subjects too lightly, mostly younger doll owners I have noticed. But I agree with you guys, as long as its done tastefully and well researched thats fine.

Silk, The way you portray your dolls is completely different from mine. Your dolls are from your own personal story, which you want to share with people. However, my dolls are more personal, I don't really like sharing their story. I am afraid It might offend people, that maybe I do take it too lightly. I wouldnt be able to tell, because I dont have a drug problem.

 

It doesn't bother at all since it's fiction and I treated as art in most cases.
As well, it would be a interest read too

 

Oh, I know. I wasn't saying that you - Tannie - should. It was partly a reply to other posts in this thread that said that using a topic like drug abuse in this hobby was offensive. It depends on how you portray it.

 

I would read it/look at it. And depending on how graphic it is I'm not sure if I would approve...

 

i would totally read a druggie-bjd story, it could be very gripping and artistic seeing them progress over time with that problem and maybe even die of overdose