i posted this on my blog yesterday, and it has been on my mind quite a bit today,
so i figured i'd open it up for discussion here as well.
people.tribe.net/breakzque...c9638a7199
This morning i received an email from a friend of mine, who took pretty serious issue with my Dragnet posting. i guess i felt surprised at first, but then accepted it as an opportunity for dialogue & decided to share it here, in case anyone would like to add their thoughts.
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here's the message i received:
"Although you may think that the concept of an "all-female crew" is a superfluous thing in this town, the moment you leave this city behind, it quickly becomes apparent that female artists are not treated/viewed as equals to their male counter parts."
I hate to be evil here, but if you guys are so concerned with pushing a feminist agenda, and you openly admit it is unnecessary to do it here -- why not go someplace else & do it there? Why preach to the choir here?
Just imagine if a bunch of guys got together in SF and touted themselves as an all-male crew... "Brother" ...couldn't imagine it, cuz it wouldn't happen. There is virtually no male pride in SF, unless one happens to be flaming gay.
I'm just saying, if you want to look "political" you should probably go to a place where gender wars still exist... ...which is, admittedly, most of the world.
But not here. Here it (Sister) seems like a tired gimmick (which, surely, will still suck in a lot of the laggers, but is that really what U are trying 2doo...?)
Personally, when I am listening to a musician, I'm not paying attention to the gender -- I am listening to the sounds... ...if we are to be equal, it has to come from both sides.
again, sorry
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and my response:
hey you--
nice to hear from you :-)
and don't apologize: you are absolutely entitled to your opinion.
Read the statement again: "Although you may think that the concept of an "all-female crew" is a superfluous thing in this town, the moment you leave this city behind, it quickly becomes apparent that female artists are not treated/viewed as equals to their male counter parts."
Just because female djs have it better here than anywhere else in the world [which becomes quickly apparent when playing out of state], doesn't mean there is no work left to be done here. in fact, we've come so far that it is easy to forget that we still have a ways to go.
if it wasn't for my exposure to less female-friendly environments, i probably wouldn't be as aware of the subtle ways in which SF still treats female djs with less respect: women are still objectified. women still get paid less. women still have to work harder to get booked.
again, it may *seem* like a superfluous thing but it is, in fact, not.
also, sister is hardly pushing a *feminist* agenda. unless you believe that creating a space for up and coming female djs, providing a website that is filled with djing resources, and throwing an annual drag party are considered feminist.
this is not about being anti-male. it is about being pro-female. and, considering the hundreds of emails we receive from women all over the globe, as well as locally, we feel it is worth the effort.
finally, i appreciate that your appreciation of a performer is solely linked to the music, not the person, what ever shape, sex, gender they are. not everybody is like you, unfortunately.
many people will still pack 1015 folsom to "hear" a topless dj trainwreck all night. the Nitevibe dreamteam had not a single woman in there. i could go on.
our drag party is a very special event: it is both a celebration of our 9 years of being a crew. it is also a celebration of those guys in the scene who have supported us throughout the years. because without them, we wouldn't have come nearly as far as we have.
call it what you will.
you call it a gimmick.
to me, it's a reminder.
i hope you're enjoying the summer so far.
cheers
sam
so i figured i'd open it up for discussion here as well.
people.tribe.net/breakzque...c9638a7199
This morning i received an email from a friend of mine, who took pretty serious issue with my Dragnet posting. i guess i felt surprised at first, but then accepted it as an opportunity for dialogue & decided to share it here, in case anyone would like to add their thoughts.
=======================
here's the message i received:
"Although you may think that the concept of an "all-female crew" is a superfluous thing in this town, the moment you leave this city behind, it quickly becomes apparent that female artists are not treated/viewed as equals to their male counter parts."
I hate to be evil here, but if you guys are so concerned with pushing a feminist agenda, and you openly admit it is unnecessary to do it here -- why not go someplace else & do it there? Why preach to the choir here?
Just imagine if a bunch of guys got together in SF and touted themselves as an all-male crew... "Brother" ...couldn't imagine it, cuz it wouldn't happen. There is virtually no male pride in SF, unless one happens to be flaming gay.
I'm just saying, if you want to look "political" you should probably go to a place where gender wars still exist... ...which is, admittedly, most of the world.
But not here. Here it (Sister) seems like a tired gimmick (which, surely, will still suck in a lot of the laggers, but is that really what U are trying 2doo...?)
Personally, when I am listening to a musician, I'm not paying attention to the gender -- I am listening to the sounds... ...if we are to be equal, it has to come from both sides.
again, sorry
===========================================
and my response:
hey you--
nice to hear from you :-)
and don't apologize: you are absolutely entitled to your opinion.
Read the statement again: "Although you may think that the concept of an "all-female crew" is a superfluous thing in this town, the moment you leave this city behind, it quickly becomes apparent that female artists are not treated/viewed as equals to their male counter parts."
Just because female djs have it better here than anywhere else in the world [which becomes quickly apparent when playing out of state], doesn't mean there is no work left to be done here. in fact, we've come so far that it is easy to forget that we still have a ways to go.
if it wasn't for my exposure to less female-friendly environments, i probably wouldn't be as aware of the subtle ways in which SF still treats female djs with less respect: women are still objectified. women still get paid less. women still have to work harder to get booked.
again, it may *seem* like a superfluous thing but it is, in fact, not.
also, sister is hardly pushing a *feminist* agenda. unless you believe that creating a space for up and coming female djs, providing a website that is filled with djing resources, and throwing an annual drag party are considered feminist.
this is not about being anti-male. it is about being pro-female. and, considering the hundreds of emails we receive from women all over the globe, as well as locally, we feel it is worth the effort.
finally, i appreciate that your appreciation of a performer is solely linked to the music, not the person, what ever shape, sex, gender they are. not everybody is like you, unfortunately.
many people will still pack 1015 folsom to "hear" a topless dj trainwreck all night. the Nitevibe dreamteam had not a single woman in there. i could go on.
our drag party is a very special event: it is both a celebration of our 9 years of being a crew. it is also a celebration of those guys in the scene who have supported us throughout the years. because without them, we wouldn't have come nearly as far as we have.
call it what you will.
you call it a gimmick.
to me, it's a reminder.
i hope you're enjoying the summer so far.
cheers
sam
posted by:
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SF Bay Area
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Re: Sister SF & "feminism" & "preaching to the choir"
Tue, July 11, 2006 - 12:31 PMIt seems like your friend definitely misses the point of what Sister is about. Being pro-woman is totally different than being Feminist. He's right that it would be weird if there were a "Brother" crew: ALL the SF crews are already comprised of mostly, if not all, men. I can't think of a single crew that has more than one woman except Sister (of course). But the reason for the all-maleness of these groups is not out of solidarity, it's just simple mathematics. Fact is, most SF DJs are male, by a large margin. We can only speculate the myriad reasons why this imbalance exists.
Do fewer women take up DJing because the perception on the part of many is, "the DJ business is a man's world"? This sense of doubt (however irrational) about being able to break through must be part of it, because there is no difference between men and woman in the DJ talent/ability department. And if it weren't for Sister, that sense of doubt would be even more prevalent, and the male dominance might be even worse. If your friend needs to hear justification for an all-woman DJ crew, there it is.
As you said, Sam, events like Dragnet are a celebration, not a statement. I've never seen Sister get political, and that's smart, because if you start taking sides and being "against" or "anti-" anything, you'll only lose fans. And besides, that is not the job of a DJ crew. The existence of an all-woman crew is enough of a statement, especially when that crew is one of the most successful in town.
Plus... a party where the boy DJs have to dress up in drag, and fans get to vote on who plays? That's just fun. That's what it's really about and nothin else.
-Darin -
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Re: Sister SF & "feminism" & "preaching to the choir"
Thu, July 13, 2006 - 1:08 AMthanks for your thoughtful response, Darin.
this exchange has definately been lingering in my head & it's been tripping me out.
i received another response from him--much longer and much less engaging. it definately felt like an attack,
and like it came from some misplaced feelings about his own djing & his relationships with women.
as you point out, the sheer discrepency in numbers speak volumes.
and that's just in the dance music scene--it doesn't even begin to address the gaps we see in academia,
corporate america, hollywood, science, politics.
and it is not just about women, either. many people continue to be systematically marginalized as a result of their race, their age, their gender, their sexual orientation, their physical limitations, their social status, their religion, their marital status, the list can go on and on and on. no matter how much that potential employer is not allowed to discriminate on the basis of any of these things: imbalance persists.
our mailbox continues to fill up with letters of gratitude, please for guidance or simply a quick note for reassurance,
which to me means there is still a need. and in a way it is good i received that letter. sure, blame it on mercury, but i learned something very valuable: it had been quite some time since my reasons for being affiliated with Sister were challenged. we are a DJ crew, of which there are many in this town. we've been a crew for 9 years now [an astonishing feat in and of itself, for that matter]. we throw our parties, we promote around town, play our gigs, just like everyone else. and then this letter. it made me realize how much of a need there really is for us. *still*. after 9 years. and from someone i would have never guessed.
talk about a renewed sense of purpose.
thanks again for your response, Darin.
sam
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