You are what you consume.
Mar. 17th, 2013 03:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ofearthandstarsI stumbled across an article in Persephone Magazine that discusses the "feminist hat", and am contemplating the ramifications of consuming media and entertainment whose values run controversial to my own.
On one hand, I can identify with and understand that some people want a chance to "not think" - i.e., a space away from the burnout that comes with confronting sexism (or racism, or homophobia, or ableism) in popular media and demanding a higher standard. I also understand the difficulty of finding "perfect" media that is simultaneously funny/engaging/thoughtful that doesn't offend someone (there is none). At the same time, I wonder if exposing ourselves to that content over and over, without thinking critically, allows that content to effect us subconsciously.
Certainly, there is the effect of mass media on society and the messages that are driven home to women (or people of color, or gays, or the disabled and/or mentally ill) by what's popularly shown in television, movies, magazines, and popular art. I've certainly fallen prey to the whacks at my self-esteem when I realize I am not an air-brushed, slim, conventionally-attractive female, even as I realize the bullshit and entrenched impact of the patriarchy for what it is. I've also certainly had to stop and teach my children that although their friends at the rural school may say "gay" as a slur or think of homosexuality as a sin (because this is what they hear from their parents and see in their churches/local community), it's unacceptable for the boys to think and act that way. But we all tend to absorb what we consume on some level, although we also have the capability to view such media critically. But does that critical component come in when you're focused on trying to "not think"?
I don't always find it problematic when a comedy show such as The Daily Show makes an off-color remark or fails to address concerns related to the above, because I feel like The Daily Show and similar progressive outlets are at least responsive to criticism and self-aware enough to make changes accordingly. I also don't expect popular Hollywood media to change overnight. On the other hand, I find it jarring when an outlet I usually enjoy throws out an off-the-cuff remark, completely unaware of the pain it elicits. I'm frequently conflicted when I stumbled across an artist I enjoy, only to view more of their work and realize that it has disturbingly racist/sexist/ableist connotations. For instance, I love the music of Florence + The Machine, but I'm inclined to feel guilty about this since their videos have incredibly obvious issues. I have difficulty "just enjoying" the music now, because it's tied to the realization that the artist has profited from stereotyping minorities. I have similar issues when I'm watching movies or shorts on Rifftrax or MST3K - although most of the riffing is lighthearted and funny (and I enjoy it wholeheartedly), there's certainly the cutting sexist or ableist remark from time to time. I know, comedy is supposed to be edgy and at times dark, but I repeatedly think about how it feels to the objectified population. In short, it's hard for me to take off the hat.
Which leads me to...where do we draw the line? It's hard to find a feminist who would ardently defend supporting Roman Polanski's films, or who would support Chris Brown's music (or maybe it's not, which in that case would be depressing). But in both of those cases, the artists involved have performed heinous crimes that have been highly publicized, and it's personally difficult for me to separate that from the "art" they have produced. That's relatively straightforward. In the case of a usually spot-on comedian or television personality pulling out a bottom-of-the-barrel sexist joke, I'm inclined to be more lenient. If the vast majority of what I consume there is "good", then I can seemingly justify it as content that won't eventually eat away at my self-esteem or invade my dreams, or do the same to those in the stereotyped group.
I want content that challenges me and reflects my ethics - this isn't to say that I would never watch or consume something from an alternative viewpoint (because there is always something to be learned from the other side), but I would like to always have an eye open to the ramifications of its underlying assumptions and stereotypes. I'm a big supporter of letting your ethics guide your consumption - it's why I'm vegan, it's why I use cloth bags for shopping, and vinegar and lemon juice and baking soda to do my cleaning, and why I thrift for clothing before I shop department stores. It's why I avoid retailers who contribute to anti-gay or mock "pro-family" organizations. (I don't expect everyone to do this, nor do I anticipate that everyone is able to do this, nor do I think this is the only morally right way to live...but this is part of what makes *me* feel like I'm living my ethics.)
Of course, there's a big difference between someone who enjoys reading the fluff of Women's Day as a guilty pleasure and someone who outwardly espouses the view that women ought to be in the home, cooking and baking obsessively while simultaneously not eating to keep their figure. Just as there's a big difference between wanting to "take the hat off" and rest awhile to not caring at all. The question is, how do we decide where that matters, and when do we decide it's worth supporting/not supporting? Is it just a matter of consuming content where we can relax and not have to speak up and identify the wrongs? Is it because we want a moment to acknowledge that the offensive is funny/absurd? Is the because we may not be directly a part of the targeted/stereotyped group?
I certainly agree with the point of the post that feminism doesn't have to be perfect, and I'm not espousing perfectionism in this post. I'm only questioning the benefit of consuming media that is overtly, or more than occasionally, sexist/racist/homophobic, and how that impacts our thinking in the long run.
On one hand, I can identify with and understand that some people want a chance to "not think" - i.e., a space away from the burnout that comes with confronting sexism (or racism, or homophobia, or ableism) in popular media and demanding a higher standard. I also understand the difficulty of finding "perfect" media that is simultaneously funny/engaging/thoughtful that doesn't offend someone (there is none). At the same time, I wonder if exposing ourselves to that content over and over, without thinking critically, allows that content to effect us subconsciously.
Certainly, there is the effect of mass media on society and the messages that are driven home to women (or people of color, or gays, or the disabled and/or mentally ill) by what's popularly shown in television, movies, magazines, and popular art. I've certainly fallen prey to the whacks at my self-esteem when I realize I am not an air-brushed, slim, conventionally-attractive female, even as I realize the bullshit and entrenched impact of the patriarchy for what it is. I've also certainly had to stop and teach my children that although their friends at the rural school may say "gay" as a slur or think of homosexuality as a sin (because this is what they hear from their parents and see in their churches/local community), it's unacceptable for the boys to think and act that way. But we all tend to absorb what we consume on some level, although we also have the capability to view such media critically. But does that critical component come in when you're focused on trying to "not think"?
I don't always find it problematic when a comedy show such as The Daily Show makes an off-color remark or fails to address concerns related to the above, because I feel like The Daily Show and similar progressive outlets are at least responsive to criticism and self-aware enough to make changes accordingly. I also don't expect popular Hollywood media to change overnight. On the other hand, I find it jarring when an outlet I usually enjoy throws out an off-the-cuff remark, completely unaware of the pain it elicits. I'm frequently conflicted when I stumbled across an artist I enjoy, only to view more of their work and realize that it has disturbingly racist/sexist/ableist connotations. For instance, I love the music of Florence + The Machine, but I'm inclined to feel guilty about this since their videos have incredibly obvious issues. I have difficulty "just enjoying" the music now, because it's tied to the realization that the artist has profited from stereotyping minorities. I have similar issues when I'm watching movies or shorts on Rifftrax or MST3K - although most of the riffing is lighthearted and funny (and I enjoy it wholeheartedly), there's certainly the cutting sexist or ableist remark from time to time. I know, comedy is supposed to be edgy and at times dark, but I repeatedly think about how it feels to the objectified population. In short, it's hard for me to take off the hat.
Which leads me to...where do we draw the line? It's hard to find a feminist who would ardently defend supporting Roman Polanski's films, or who would support Chris Brown's music (or maybe it's not, which in that case would be depressing). But in both of those cases, the artists involved have performed heinous crimes that have been highly publicized, and it's personally difficult for me to separate that from the "art" they have produced. That's relatively straightforward. In the case of a usually spot-on comedian or television personality pulling out a bottom-of-the-barrel sexist joke, I'm inclined to be more lenient. If the vast majority of what I consume there is "good", then I can seemingly justify it as content that won't eventually eat away at my self-esteem or invade my dreams, or do the same to those in the stereotyped group.
I want content that challenges me and reflects my ethics - this isn't to say that I would never watch or consume something from an alternative viewpoint (because there is always something to be learned from the other side), but I would like to always have an eye open to the ramifications of its underlying assumptions and stereotypes. I'm a big supporter of letting your ethics guide your consumption - it's why I'm vegan, it's why I use cloth bags for shopping, and vinegar and lemon juice and baking soda to do my cleaning, and why I thrift for clothing before I shop department stores. It's why I avoid retailers who contribute to anti-gay or mock "pro-family" organizations. (I don't expect everyone to do this, nor do I anticipate that everyone is able to do this, nor do I think this is the only morally right way to live...but this is part of what makes *me* feel like I'm living my ethics.)
Of course, there's a big difference between someone who enjoys reading the fluff of Women's Day as a guilty pleasure and someone who outwardly espouses the view that women ought to be in the home, cooking and baking obsessively while simultaneously not eating to keep their figure. Just as there's a big difference between wanting to "take the hat off" and rest awhile to not caring at all. The question is, how do we decide where that matters, and when do we decide it's worth supporting/not supporting? Is it just a matter of consuming content where we can relax and not have to speak up and identify the wrongs? Is it because we want a moment to acknowledge that the offensive is funny/absurd? Is the because we may not be directly a part of the targeted/stereotyped group?
I certainly agree with the point of the post that feminism doesn't have to be perfect, and I'm not espousing perfectionism in this post. I'm only questioning the benefit of consuming media that is overtly, or more than occasionally, sexist/racist/homophobic, and how that impacts our thinking in the long run.
