When Kathleen Hanna performs with her band Bikini Kill, she purposefully carves out a space for women that didn’t really exist before. Punk traditionally has a very masculine energy, with bands performing angrily and mosh pits turning violent and unsafe. Hanna revolutionizes the culture of punk by famously saying “Girls to the front. I’m not kidding.” Before, and after at most shows, women could not safely take part in punk, as the culture was unsafe. Even if women felt the same anger and frustrations, the punk scene, perhaps unintentionally, excluded them as women could not take full advantage of live shows, an integral part of the culture and scene. Hanna makes a space for women in punk by literally making a space for them, turning the front of the shows into a safe haven for women to let out their anger and frustrations without fear of harm. Kathleen Hanna and her actions illustrate the importance of having women or other marginalized groups in places of relative power within a culture. It may have never crossed a man’s mind that women felt unsafe at shows, so naturally they would do nothing to remedy the issue. Because Hanna was familiar with live shows and how they felt, she knew exactly how she could at least start to make a place for women in punk.
In the same light, Mimi Nguyen illustrates how there currently isn’t a space for race in punk, and why there needs to be one. One of her main frustrations with the punk scene is the idea that punk transcends race in the US, it’s simply not racist so they can focus on larger, worldwide issues. Of course, this is not true. Even if one claims to “not see race,” implicit biases and historical traumas plague and impact every aspect of life. One cannot simply ignore race. When Nguyen writes “If I keep my mouth shut and don’t “make an issue” of it, I’m told that I’ll get along fine– and never mind the psychic erasures I might have to endure” she illustrates just how much needs to make a space for race, just like how Kathleen Hanna and Riot Grrrl made a space for women. Race, and Nguyen’s experience with racism, is entirely ignored, which is an ingredient in the recipe that lets racism flourish. Without an intentional space to talk about race, it will be swept aside leaving it unsafe (maybe not physically, but definitely mentally) for people of color, particularly women of color, to participate in punk.
Big Joanie, Dream Number Nine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIYo1okOm9U
- Black, female punk band for UK. Wants to show youth that black youth can be involved in punk.
Fuck You Pay Us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEr4ttqrSdA
- Black womxn carving out a space for race in punk while paying homage to the women who helped carve a space for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment