the wrong end of the telescope

I've been reading a lot of discussions about sexism and racism and authorial intent in fandom (yes, reading through a series of meta posts seems like an excellent idea when I am halfway knocked out by a cold), and if I weren't utterly exhausted, this post would contain links. As it is, I'm going to keep to what I know, and tell you a story. It happened to me, though I'm fudging a name for the other person. I'm not using it to air a personal grievance, I'm just using myself as text to demonstrate why intent sometimes doesn't matter. I've been thinking about this post for a long time, actually, because the intent argument comes up a lot.

( an illustrative example, if you will )

This is the post I've been trying to write on why Evelyn Evelyn is fundamentally flawed as an artistic endeavor. ignipes wrote it better than I ever could.

I do have a problem with artists who strive to be and claim to be cutting edge but pay no attention to who they are cutting with their creations. There is a wide gulf of difference between creating a work of art designed to exploit the experiences of persons, ideas or governments in positions of privilege and power, with histories of being oppressive, and creating a work of art designed to exploit the experiences of persons who are continually exploited, or dismissed, or eroticized, or mocked, or ignored on a daily basis already. There is a vast difference between throwing artistic punches at the privileged and oppressive, and throwing artistic punches at the very people those persons, ideas and systems harm.

When a person says, "Art is supposed to be shocking and dangerous!" maybe we should stop to ask the question, "Shocking to whom? Dangerous to whom?" Does anything about the discussion and presentation of the "Evelyn, Evelyn" project - especially the words of its creators in reaction to the criticism they've received - serve to shock an ableist society into recognizing and empathizing with the struggles of disabled women and artists?

I don't need to add anything to that.

I was thinking about the argument many of the people on the no-warnings side make, that it ruins the surprise element/artistic integrity/take your pick of the story, and, um, we label stories with pairings, and that's obviously something most fandom writers don't take issue with. In my silly little head, announcing the pairing beforehand constitutes a pretty massive spoiler. *blinks innocently*

(reposted from a comment I made at untappedbeauty's journal.)

So I'm presenting Wednesday. This is, for those of you lucky enough to not have seen me in the throes of academia before, going to (read: has already begun to) make me a little crazy. Or unhappy. Or both. So if I'm making anguished faces at you, this is why. Suggested remedies include patting me on the head, hugs, and telling me to go do my work and stop being such a wretch.

But on to happier things! This got loooooooong.

Non-bandom related awesome

1. First, Amanda Palmer posted an essay written by Karl Paulnack of the Boston Conservatory, on Why Music Matters. Read it, oh, read it. ( A quote: )
   
   
2. More on the hilarity end of the happiness scale, sarahtales (formerly mistful) posted her parody of Star Trek here. If you're unfamiliar with her movie parodies, she doesn't tend toward the mean, but toward the ridiculous. Quote:
   
   SPOCK: Can't read my, no you can't read my poker face.
   KIRK: Sure I can. It says 'I want to cut a bitch.'
   SPOCK: ... Your insight is uncanny.
   
   
3. And the last non-bandom related piece of happiness is the vid Glorious by such_heights. I've been meaning to do a vid rec post forever, but it doesn't look like it's happening any time soon, so I'm reccing this one now. It's a multi-fandom female-centric vid, and it has so many female characters being awesome that it's sort of the best thing in the world to rewatch when you're feeling a little useless. Watch Teyla, Morgana, Martha Jones, Buffy, Faith, Bones, Angela and the other 170, just watch them. And the next time someone tells you that there aren't any interesting female characters, point them at this vid.

Bandom-related happy

1. This fandom is the best fandom, etcetera, forever, amen. Let's start with fic. Awesome fic.
   ( Awesome, awesome fic. )
   
   
   
2. Lastly, did you know I love Lyn-Z? Yeah? And here I thought I was being stealthy. *grins* I wanted to post about her on her birthday, but as it turned out, that was not a good day for me, so I'm doing it today instead. This is unrelated to the fact that she and Gerard just had the baby (not that the existence of Bandit Lee Way isn't also a happy thought, just, that's not why I love Lyn-Z, y'all). SO.
   ( badass, beautiful and bright )

I'm trying to write down my reaction to "Pretty Good for a Girl", and I just can't. It's straight-up joy laced with so much anger, it's all the women I love in one long list inside my head and all the words I ever tried to put to music fighting to get out at once.

I've been a singer since I was two. That's something I say to people when they ask why I never tried smoking; that's something I say when someone wants to know what my hobbies or interests are, outside of academia and writing or whatever job I'm applying to at the moment. I've been singing since I was two, I've sung other people's songs on stage at graduations and larger concerts and outdoor music festivals. I'm not going to lie or pretend to be shy about it, not here, not right now: I'm good at it. I make stories real, on stage. It's similar to what makes me a good teacher—performance is about forgetting yourself and remembering that no matter what, the story is more important than you are.

Something else that people ask is why I never started a band. I usually laugh off that question, claiming my attention span was always too short to learn an instrument, and that my double-jointed fingers make it really complicated (and sometimes painful) to play piano or guitar. That's all true. But I know that's not the real reason.

( on making spaces and role models )

I guess what I want to say is this: let's start a revolution. It might be a quiet one, a slow one, but I want us to have the place we deserve. I want Lyn-Z and Kitty to not be so rare that (misogynist asshole) security guards refuse to let them backstage after playing because somehow the drum sticks, the bass and the stage sweat still isn't enough to convince him they're not groupies. I want to be able to not flinch when I turn on MTV and there are music videos playing. (Come to think of it, I want more videos like Ciara's Like A Boy.) I want female musicians in bands to not be A Big Deal. I want female fans and techs and managers and performers to be respected. I want this to be our scene, in every sense of the word. One place to start is to buy that zine that made me write this. *points up* Another is to write some music. Another is to support female musicians. Another is just this: walk taller. This is our scene; this is our space.


ETA: Awesome recs in comments.