It seems like for the past few days I keep having the same conversation about the state of feminism. And I need to talk it out, so here we go.
It started the other night when Charlie and I were talking about music and Atmosphere came up. I love Atmosphere, but Charlie can't get into them because Atmosphere raps tend to be heavy on blatant misogyny, if not actually endorsing violence towards women.
Here's an example:
You can keep the change
Hit me back when you're stable
If she give good brains she can play with the halo
"Don't worry. You're in good hands. I'm a good man."
"Misunderstood?"
"Nah, just sick of the program."
I only speak to put ammonia in the bleach
An orphanage, I'm here to get a portion of the piece
So play the leach: Suck me dry
Dot your "T's", cross your eyes
And blow me counterclockwise
So either call my bluff, or turn the volume up
And make noise for the women that swallow stuff
And put your hands up if you feel the music
Cause all that matters is the bass and the movement
And that is from one of my favorite Atmosphere songs, "The Bass and the Movement." I will be the first to admit how strange it is that I love that song. I was not raised to be an uncritical consumer of media. I believe quite firmly that my sexuality is not the source of my worth. And I would react pretty unfavorably if, in a different context, a man who judges the value of women by their fellatio abilities asked me to "make noise." Actually, I wouldn't even wait for the invitation.
So how can I call myself a feminist and justify smiling, bouncing in my chair, and quietly singing that song to myself as a re-read those words? How can I justify listening to this music while working at Girls Incorporated (of all places!)? I simply can't.
I am unquestionably a hypocrite for letting Atmosphere off the hook. But here's what I think is really important: My hypocrisy is unquestionable because Atmosphere's misogyny is unquestionable. I've started to realize that really obvious sexism is becoming less and less important to me, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
I take it for granted that everyone knows the lyrics I posted are degrading and unacceptable, and that somewhere, someone else is angry on my behalf. And why wouldn't I? I've never lived in a world without Title IX. At college, I was in the gender majority. And it absolutely blows my mind that my great-grandmother, one of the first people to celebrate with me when I learned how to blow a bubble gum bubble, was married before women had the right to vote. What big, legal fight have I ever fought? Or even had the need to fight?
Of course, legal gender inequality is still very real, and there is always legislation or a court decision floating round that would chip away at progress made. (Title IX is in trouble right now, as a matter of fact.) But I generally don't call my representative. I wouldn't even know where to start if I wanted to find more public ways of expressing my opinion. (I mean outside of Facebook, okay?) And I think that's pretty common for my generation.
But there IS sexism that affects me on a regular basis, sexism that makes me really angry. It's the subtle stuff that gets overlooked because you can't fix it legally or even prove it. It's my middle school math teacher who only used shopping examples when answering girls' questions and only used sports examples when talking to boys. It's professor who never asked me interesting questions or challenged me in my own major, and the moment I realized that other female students were the only people who knew what I was talking about when I complained about his apathy. It's that including females in biological studies is a still a revolution in progress.
And what can even be done about that? I seriously doubt that my middle school teacher had never been exposed to ideas about gender equality. It's not like my professor was verbally abusing or unfairly grading his female students. And even if I could convince administrators that this was a problem, there were no specific rules being broken.
And I guess my "subtle stuff" probably feeds right into blatant misogyny. But I don't feel that "the big fights" address what sustains sexism. Gender inequality would be gone already if it was as simple as a few laws and Aretha Franklin hits. Inequality is sustained by interactive, multiplicative stereotypes of both sexes. A 30-second PSA can't cover that. There's not a bunch of grant money floating around for fixing something so immeasurable.
There's prevention. That's what Girls Inc. is in the business of, I guess. But beyond that, is it possible to think global/act local on this instead of the other way around? Perhaps I'm being too cynical. Perhaps my cynicism sustains my numbness to obvious sexism. I don't know. What do you think?
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2 comments:
I've gotta say, i sway the same way you do. I bounce and sing along with horribly misogynist songs because they inevitably have the best dance beat (can't we have a dance song that doesn't revolve around sex, drugs, and explicit lyrics? or would that defeat the songs purpose of the bar scene hook-up?).
but it's the subtle sexism that gets me, the expectation that you'll take the man's name when married and the subsequent look when they find out you didn't, the need to put "juicy" on the butt of sweatpants of nine year old girls so they're indoctrinated to the culture of their sexual worth at an early age, the inequality in pay between men and women doing the same dang job!
or the inequality of women and men in high power positions (especially in nonprofits! you're more likely to find a male ex.dir. supported by an all female staff than the other way around and just how often to find a female exec. with all male staff in the private sector? i know it happens but not too often!).
ok, i'm on my soapbox. i'd like a face to face discussion with you if we ever have a chance. i think a lot could be said. :)
Liz- With regards to your idealized dance song, yes, you absolutely can. It's called electro, and us electro nerds want you to check it out.
On that note, the subgenre of electronica called miami bass (which has now migrated upwards to Baltimore's house scene) tends to go for the jugular in terms of explicit, sexualized misogyny. When the central song in your scene is "Shake Dat Ass and Bounce 'em Tits", you're talking about some pretty offensive material. I think the difference there is that it's realized, or internalized, as a joke, and so women in the scene are glad to dance to it, albeit with a little bit of irony inherent in their stance.
If you're looking to read more about misogyny and gender politics in hip-hop, there's a book called "When Chickenheads Come Home To Roost" by Joan Morgan that, while a little bit outdated (it uses gangsta rap instead of crunk for its case studies) addresses these issues with a great deal of candor and relevance.
Also Maddy, I know that this is only slightly on topic, but now I'm gonna blow your mind (I hope). Your Aretha Franklin hit was actually written and initially performed by Otis Redding. Think about that song when performed by a male. Does that reframe the underlying meaning of the song (beyond the obvious recasting of gender)? Does it shift the meaning to a more race-based implication? Is it right to assume that Aretha is talking solely about gender politics, and isn't talking about racial politics, or "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" in general?
Either way, it's less soulful than when Otis sings it, because Otis is awesome. I like "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" when Otis sings it, and I HATE that song (wedding band horror stories).
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