Double Dare Ya, Part 2

One of the most valued lessons I have learned from music, and something that I think about often, is that in my position as a reasonably attractive, straight, young white male, I move through the world with a certain set of privileges afforded to me that are inherent in the qualifiers I just listed, and that because of my privileged status, it’s important to try and shut up as often as possible and encourage perspectives other than the one of a reasonably attractive, straight, young white male to be considered. How did I glean this bit from music?

I was raised by my mother, and represented a singular chromosomal event in her reproductive history. She had two daughters and took up one of my older sisters friends a little later. So it was Me and My Four Ladies growing up. It may be that because I was surrounded by women that I had a predisposition, then, to grow up as a feminist; although for me, the idea of equality as a young man did not extend beyond the fact that I felt that if my sister’s could hit me, I could hit them back (it’s worth noting, and something that I am very proud of, that I can really take a punch because of my sisters).

But aside from an acknowledgment of my sisters ability to bloody my lip, my worldview was shaped in the lens of my status as a white male. The music that I listened to was overwhelmingly produced by white males. Same goes for the movies I watched, the comic books I read, etc. Of course, none of this was intentional, but as I realized later, the system is rigged. Enter Bikini Kill.

Kim Gordon Reading the Riot Grrl Manifesto

Now, instead of laying out the long tale of The Transformation Of A Straight White Dude Into a Feminist, I want to get to the relevance of Bikini Kill in the story, and why I think it’s important for straight white dudes everywhere to lend their ears.

As a reasonably attractive, young, straight white male, it’s uncomfortable to listen to Bikini Kill. The lyrics address my “type” quite directly, and with unabashed anger. There’s a defensiveness that kicks in, a counterattack among the males who feel threatened by Bikini Kill’s message, or threatened by their delivery of that message, which is brazen and unrelenting. The force with which people pushed back against the Riot Grrrl movement is evident anywhere a forum is provided, and you can easily find defensive vitriol displayed in the comments of any article available on the web regarding the music or the movement.

Listening to Bikini Kill for the first time, the defense mechanism certainly bubbled up inside of me. What made me step back and think about it a little more was seeing the reactions of other straight white males. Most of the dudes that I knew instantly dismissed Bikini Kill with pat, sexist declarations about Kathleen Hanna‘s intent. The uniformity of their reaction put me to thinking about the discomfort I felt; I started thinking about how women and girls and people of color and pretty much anyone who isn’t a straight white male feel that discomfort all the time. Even in my social circles, which were filled with plenty of open-minded freaks, the space was usually dominated by straight white dudes. The discomfort I felt then became empowering, and was something that I wanted to explore further.

Here’s a video from Jackson Katz, who explores ideas surrounding the social construction of maculinity and gender roles.

It’s important to feel that sort of discomfort, and to recognize that some people have to live much of their lives feeling the discomfort of “the other.” Traveling can give you the same sensation when you find yourself in a foreign place, unable to speak the language, looking out of place and awkward, unable to decipher the cultural code that might allow you to move around as if you were in your natural environment. It’s especially important for straight white males to feel this, because for most of us it’s a completely foreign experience, and one that we can learn from.

“I’m so sorry if I’m alienating some of you

Your whole fucking culture alienates me”

-Bikini Kill, “White Boy”

The music of the Riot Grrrl movement is not made for straight white dudes – it is created outside of our purview; but that does not mean that it doesn’t include us. Their struggle is ours as well, in that gender binaries hurt everyone. The social construction of gender is damaging, but straight white men operate in that construction in ways that favor them at the expense of women, people of color, and the GLBT community. We as straight white males can join and fight with them, but not for them. That’s a key distinction, and the crux of what I learned from Bikini Kill.

To celebrate the influence of the Riot Grrrl movement, today’s playlist is a double feature, showcasing the work of Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. These two albums are filled with an urgency that is palpable, and time has done nothing to diminish the power of the music or the message. Though they represent two of the movements most well-known acts, they deserve to have their names shouted from the mountaintops, and I do this as a way to wave a flag and call attention to the fact that though the Riot Grrrl did much to change individuals, our culture still suffers from the effects of patriarchy, heteronormativity, and gender binaries.

On that note, I encourage you to follow the links below, where you can find more info about the bands and read stories about Bikini Kill and the Riot Grrrl movement. If you ain’t heard these rekkids and ya dig, support your local record store and pick ‘em up. Alternately, you can find Bikini Kill’s catalog on the fantastic Kill Rock Stars label.

Keep loving, keep fighting.

Click here to read stories about Bikini Kill’s influence in the Bikini Kill archive, a blog set up by the band where people can share stories about the band’s work. It’s filled with tributes, touching and heavy and defiant and beautifully uplifting, a perfect catalogue of all the ways that music can change lives.

Click here to find more information about Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution, a new book by Sara Marcus

Enjoy!

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Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped

1. Blood One

2. Alien She

3. Magnet

4. Speed Heart

5. Lil’ Red

6. Tell Me So

7. Sugar

8. Star Bellied Boy

9. Hamster Baby

10. Rebel Girl

11. Star Fish

12. For Tammy Rae

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Bratmobile – The Real Janelle

1. The Real Janelle

2. Brat Girl

3. Yeah, Huh

4. Die

5. And I Live In a Town Where The Boys Amputate Their Hearts

6. Where Eagles Dare