Friday, March 30, 2007

Going to the Junos VIP Style!

I won the Z99 contest for VIP Juno tickets. I'm so pumped! The Junos are this Sunday. Here's what the VIP package includes:
  • A pair of tickets to the Junos
  • Invitations to the Doritos Pre Party
  • A pair of passes to an exclusive after party
  • A prize pack on Universal nominated Juno Artists
  • Plus limosine transportation to and from Saskatoon with Hugh Dixon and Cary Howe!

I'll take lots of pictures. I really hope I get to meet Sarah McLachlan! She's my idol! Speaking of, her video "World on Fire" is unbelievable, you can watch it at: http://www.worldonfire.ca/ I've always been a fan of her, and when I saw this video, I fell in love. I've always been keen about social justice issues, and this video was part of my inspiration to launch a social justice project with my students last semester. You can check out that story at: http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=abf1f8c3-ab01-4e82-9cef-7d9627330652&k=47378

Speak up and Sing

I recently wrote a response paper for a post-internship class on the sexist uproar the Dixie Chicks faced post-2003. I thought I'd post it to generate some discussion. I also created a video to go along with this piece, you can view it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9a6RcVVW_w

I have chosen to write my paper in response to the recent release of the movie Shut Up and Sing. It is by no mistake that I have entitled my paper Speak Up and Sing, as the documentary traces the series of events that took place in the lives of the famous female musical trio, the Dixie Chicks, from March 10, 2003 to 2006. March 10 marks a day that the Dixie Chicks, and perhaps most of the Western world, will not forget. For it was this very evening that Natalie Maines, the trio’s lead singer, exercised her constituently protected right to freedom of speech with eleven words that would forever change her life. On the eve of the invasion of Iraq (conveniently dubbed “Operation Iraqi Freedom” by United States Government)—ten days to be exact—on a London stage, Maines expressed her frustration, “Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war this violence”… and then followed those eleven fateful words, “We’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas” (Shut Up and Sing, 2006).
What immediately followed Maines’ supposed “crime” in prematurely expressing sentiment that is now close to universal in the United States, was a full-frontal assault. Several boycotts on radio stations resulted. Consequently, a consortium of 306 radio stations banned the Dixie Chicks’ music from their airwaves. Disc Jockeys who did play their music were abruptly fired. Many television stations dragged the Dixie Chicks’ name through mud. This behaviour was a fertile ground for public uproar against the Dixie Chicks in such actions as throwing out their records, protesting, and socializing young children to hate the legendary trio.
Shut Up and Sing follows the injustices the Dixie Chicks faced in regards to media consolidation, the criticism, the protesting, and so on. However, I felt there was a real missing link in the film. This link was the misogynistic climate in which they had to hold their breath in for two long years following those eleven words. What I have done to compensate is to compose a video that is separated into themes of misogyny that I felt the film lightly brushed over and deserved a much more critical look.
It is here that I introduce my video compilation. I open the video with the words, “The best protection for women’s ideas and voices is the Constitutional protection of free speech” (Wagner, 2006). The video then progresses to Dick Cheney informing the nation that, “Suddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction” (Wagner, 2006). Next, Donald Rumsfeld chimes in, “We know they have weapons of mass destruction… We know they have active programs… There isn’t any debate about it” (Wagner, 2006). President George Bush adds the finishing touches, “Tonight danger is clear… Using chemical, biological, or one-day nuclear weapons obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions… Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within forty-eight hours” (Wagner, 2006). What follows is footage from the stage where Maines exercised her freedom of expression.
The question posed at this point in the film that is intended to stimulate the mind of the viewer throughout the ten-minute video is, “Did the Dixie Chicks pay a higher price for speaking out because they are women” (Wagner, 2006)? What follows is a look at radio, a look at televised media, a look at the encouraged societal protest, and look at socialized hate. Subsequent, to these lenses is the surfacing of six misogynistic attitudes: women as sensitive, women as unintelligent, women and the double standard, women as garbage and accepted violence toward women.
Before delving into the meat of this response paper, I would like to illustrate the significance the Dixie Chicks’ experience has on education. What I hope to achieve through this video complication is a critical lens to examine the attitudes present in today’s classrooms. Dr. Stephen Brookfield (1995) illustrates this beautifully, “An awareness of how the dynamics of power permeate all educational processes helps us realize that forces present in the wider society always intrude into the classroom. Classrooms are not limpid, tranquil ponds, cut off from the river of social, cultural, and political life.”
A Look at Radio

As mentioned above, several boycotts on radio stations resulted. Consequently, a consortium of 306 radio stations banned the Dixie Chicks’ music form their airwaves. Disc Jockeys who did play their music were abruptly fired. What I argue is that there is a dangerous effect of media consolidation such as the one against the Dixie Chicks. Enormous power falls into the hands of a few, while underlying and influential messages fall on the many. In this particular situation, those few hands were those of men.
A Look at Televised Media
Maines’ comment hit the televised media’s rumour mill faster than the blink of an eye. Such sexist language that surfaced in this context was: “They hurt our men fighting oversees,” “They are the ditzy twits,” “They are the dumbest, dumbest bimbos… I have seen,” and “They are callow, foolish women who deserve to be slapped around” (Wagner, 2006). I argue that media continuously shapes and perpetuates societal norms. This language normalizes sexist, stereotypical and judgemental attitudes.

A Look at the Societal Protest

The language used in the media fed and normalized sexist, stereotypical, judgemental, and even hateful attitudes in society. Societal protest included such comments as:
“They’re ignorant and they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.”
“Natalie has ‘wide open spaces’ between her ears.”
“If you support the Dixie Chicks you’re supporting communism, you’re supporting traitors.”
“Shut up Ditzy Twits.”
“The Chix suck Dix.”
“Anybody who thinks about going to that concert ought to be ‘ready, ready, ready’ to run away from it.”
“Dixie Twits are weapons of mass destruction.”
“Parking: $5.00… Coke and popcorn: $8.00… Burned Chicks tickets: priceless.”
“Try the Chicks for treason.”
“I’m ashamed the Dixie Chicks play bluegrass.”
“Being ashamed of our president means being ashamed of our country… Move to France Dixie Chicks” (Wagner, 2006).
These are only a handful of the avalanche of misogynistic comments made by protestors. I believe it is essential that we as educators work to challenge these attitudes that inevitably seep into our classrooms visibly and invisibly.

A Look at Socialized Hate

As mentioned above, it is essential that we as educators work to challenge these attitudes that inevitably seep into our classrooms. No child is born with sexist attitudes, it is a learned behaviour, and as the Dixie Chicks soon realized during their turmoil, parenthood hit an all time low. During this time of uproar, parents were actually socializing their children to hate. This is illustrated in the video, when referring to the Dixie Chicks, a mother says, “Screw ‘em…” (Wagner, 2006) she then turns to her young, impressionable child who relies on her for his social development and says, “Right” (Wagner, 2006)? What follows is so shameful. The mother actually shakes her young child and says, “Say it” (Wagner, 2006)! I still get chills when I watch this clip. Maines responds to this in their 2006 song Not Ready to Make Nice by singing, “It’s a sad, sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger… How in the world could the words that I said send somebody so over the edge” (The Dixie Chicks, 2006). What kills me is that some women are not even aware that they are buying into misogynistic attitudes and consequently, they end up hurting their fellow sisters.

Women as Sensitive

In regards to the turmoil the Dixie Chicks faced, President George Bush’s response was, “They shouldn’t have their feelings hurt because some people don’t wanna buy their records… You know, freedom is a two-way street” (Wagner, 2006). When we as society have the President of the United States promoting such attitudes there is a serious problem. I hope his attitude of “women with sensitive feelings” does not progress into a self-fulfilling prophesy for the females of the nation.

Women as Unintelligent

Unfortunately, society only valued the Dixie Chicks’ high notes, and not their high intelligence. For Maines’ premature expression of free speech would actually become close to universal in the United States, and arguably, the world. Some comments made included, “They don’t know what they’re talking about,” “They are the Ditzty Twits,” “Natalie has ‘wide open spaces’ between her ears,” and “These are the dumbest, dumbest bimbos… I have seen” (Wagner, 2006). When the Dixie Chicks were at ABC Broadcasting for an interview, they were receiving advice—coincidentally from a male—about how to conduct themselves in an interview,
Try, try not to be judgemental of the president. I’ll tell you why. He’s got sky-high approval. The war couldn’t be going better. By the time this interview airs, he’s likely to be at the highest point. Two weeks out, the looting will be done. The rebuilding of Iraq will be started. Saddam Hussein will most likely be dead or found out. I’m just telling you, two weeks from now it’s going to be an even more positive situation (Wagner, 2006).

I am being facetious here when I say today, “Wow, what great advice!”

Where does this idea come from that women—particularly blond women—are brainless bimbos? Well, I have a couple of ideas. I think the media creates a culture wherein a woman’s bust is valued over her brains. The idea is so ingrained in the public psyche that a brainless bimbo is what makes good television entertainment. Popular television shows give such psyche legitimacy. Two strong examples are Fox’s The Simple Life and MTV’s Newlyweds. In The Simple Life, the overarching purpose is to illustrate just how brainless and out-of-touch Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie are. In one episode, Hilton asks if Wal-Mart is where a person goes to buy “wall stuff.” In another episode, Hilton asks, “What are wells for.”
The show Newlyweds displays Jessica Simpson and sells on her idiotic musings. The show has encouraged Simpson to act as absolutely dumb as she can because it’s cute. Young, impressionable girls then witness this horrifying act, and resolve that guys will drool over them if they act brainless; in much the same way guys drool over Simpson. Simpson has become famous for her wondering if, “Chicken of the Sea tuna is made from real chicken,” and, “If buffalo wings are made from buffalo.” In addition, Shmuley Boteach (2005) comments on,
Jessica Simpson’s positively stomach-turning references to her stool as ‘children’ who go swimming in the pool, meaning the toilet… This is what feminine dignity has come to? Talking about excrement and sitting on the can, on TV?… [This] seem[s] to imply that we prefer to be entertained by women who are the incarnation of the blonde bimbo.” (p.106)
Shows such as The Simple Life and Newlyweds almost invite you to despise these women for how dumb they are, albeit drool over them for their Hollywood looks. I think these shows serve as gasoline for the fire of sexism. Perhaps this is where people—particularly males—get off saying the comments as aforementioned. Boteach (2005) adds an interesting spin to this sexist reality TV,
What if [there was a] show about Jewish CEOs from Manhattan who have to live among the goof people of the American heartland. What if the public tuned in to see the Jewish business tycoons complaining incessantly about the uncouth country bumpkins with whom they are being forced to live? The message of the show would clearly be that Jews love money, love the good life, and have contempt for honest, hard-working people. A show like that would, thankfully, never be allowed on the air. It would incite hatred against Jews and would, rightly, be identified as anti-Semitic. Yet, to make a show like that about women is perfectly acceptable. (p.107)

Women and the Double Standard

I find it interesting that the Dixie Chicks paid such a high price for their expressions of freedom, while males in the very same industry did not endure such condemnation. When Maines used her constitutionally protected right to free speech on March 10, 2003, another Country star Toby Keith, used his. Keith opened up his shows with a defamatory picture of Saddam Hussein and Maines arm in arm (see fig. 1.1) (About.com, n.d.). In addition, Keith (2002) composed and sang songs about his pro-war stance including such lyrics as,
Justice will be served, and the battle will rage, this big dog will fight, when you rattle his cage, and you’ll be sorry that you messed with, the U.S. of A., cause well put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way.
Why didn’t Toby Keith receive the same treatment the Dixie Chicks had for his expressions of political sentiment?
The actions of another famous Country name, Tracy Lawrence, also illustrate the double standard present in society. Lawrence was charged and convicted of battering his wife. Lawrence was not boycotted or banned from radio. The Country music industry and fan base was much more forgiving of wife battering, than they were of expression of free speech. Is it then safe to assume that wife battering is a lesser crime than a woman exercising her right to freedom of expression?
Hence, the question surfaces: if a man were to have said these eleven words, would the aftermath have been the same? From the above examples, coupled with many other examples in wider society, it seems that the aftermath would not be the same. Society appears to have a gendered double standard.

Women as Garbage and Lingering Violence toward Women

Maines says it best, “How in the world can the words that I said send somebody so over the edge that they’d write me a letter saying that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over” (The Dixie Chicks, 2006). Good question. How does our society still see it fit to perpetuate violence toward women? Where does this come from?
The music industry presents an interesting paradox. Apparently, it is not acceptable for women in the music industry to express free speech about a ruthless invasion of a country, but it is acceptable for males in the music industry to express free speech that degrades women. For example, rapper Eminem (2002), dedicates a song to his young daughter Hailie, entitled Hailie’s Song, with the lyrics,
Man, if I could sing, I'd keep singing this song to my daughter… To show her how I feel about her, how proud I am that I got her, God, I'm a daddy, I'm so glad that her mum didn't abort… Now look, I love my daughter more than life in itself, but I got a wife that's determined to make my life livin' hell… Man, I shoulda seen it comin', why'd I stick my penis up in?
Songs and their lyrics are extremely influential and normalize their messages in society. Other examples of misogynistic lyrics include, but are not limited to, the likes of: “C’mon, we gonna party tonite, the more drinks in your system the harder to fight” (Ludacris, 2004). “This bitch is fine ... now can I play with yo’ pantyline” (Lil John, 2002). “Now I aint sayin she a gold digger, but she aint messin with no broke niggaz, she steal me money… If you fuckin' with this girl then you betta be paid… 18 years, 18 years, she got one of yo kids got you for 18 years” (Kanye West, 2005). “I got bitches in the living room gettin’ it on… I got a pocket full of rubbers and my homeboys do too… But we don’t love them hoes, yeah... And get to mackin to this bitch… When I tell that bitch please, raise up off these n-u-ts, cause you gets none of these” (Snoop Dogg, 2001). These “artists” were not banned from radio, but the Dixie Chicks were.
We live in a world today where men routinely use the word “bitch,” a woman’s bust is valued over her brains, and over seventy per cent of the world wide web is devoted to graphic pornography wherein cyberspace has emerged as a female-bashing universe (Boteach, 2005). Everyday one can log into their emails and are bound to have their inbox bombarded by subject headings including the likes of:
“Teen whores and sluts who want their mouths stuffed with cum.”
“Tear her womanhood apart.”
“Dumb bitch blondes who are so stupid they only know how to fuck.”
“This girl loves being ravished by her horse.”
“See insane bitches stalk men, they fuck ‘em, suck ‘em, and leave ‘em for dead.”
“Screw her right.”
“Horny farm girls. Watch ‘em get it all over the face.”
“I forced her to.”
“Watch these sloppy young sluts get it all over.”
“Young girls taking it you-know-where for the first time.”
“Girls getting nasty with animals.”
“See where this guy shoves his arm.”
“See what I’m making this girl drink gallons of.”
“See what I do with these drunk girls.”
“See how deep I shove my dick into this tiny girl.”
“Horny teen sluts getting it anal for the first time.”
“The most demented bitches ever found.”
Our society has become so desensitized to these horribly violent and depreciative messages and images of women, that we nonchalantly slip them into our spam mail without being outraged at the violence it so blatantly endorses and perpetuates.
Boteach (2005) elaborates on misogynistic cyberspace,
Of the hundreds of spam emails I receive each week, not one says ‘Come to our website as we get black men to clean our floors and toilets.’ Not one entices viewers to ‘watch Jews chase quarters as we throw them in the street’… Any such racist communication, however trashy in origin, would rightly be investigated by the government for racial incitement… To my knowledge, no government agency has ever investigated any of the billions of emails that degrade women. (p. 11-12)
Many men become conditioned to the violent and depreciative messages and images of women. In 2003, one such conditioned man plead guilty forty-eight times. The man’s name was Gary Ridgeway, also known as the “Green River Killer.” Ridgeway brutally raped, strangled and murdered over forty-eight women saying, "Most of the time I killed them the first time I met them, and I do not have a good memory for their faces. I killed so many women, I have a hard time keeping them straight" (CNN, 2003). Furthermore, he expressed, “I liked to drive by the clusters [of women] around the country and think about all the women I placed there” (Boteach, 2005, p.185).
Another such conditioned man, Robert Pickton, is responsible for the deaths of forty-nine women. Pickton butchered his female victims and disposed of their remains on his pig farm just outside of Vancouver, BC. This man further shared, “I was going to do one more [to] make it an even fifty” (BBC, 2007). Moreover, Pickton claimed that once he reached the big 5-0, he planned to take a break, and then kill another twenty-five to make his total number of victims, that he butchered and fed to his pigs, seventy-five (BBC, 2007). There is a direct correlation between the hatred that the Ridgeways and Picktons of the world express towards women and the culture they are raised in. It is rooted in our culture today, and our culture of the past.
Patriarchal ideals and institutions have long plagued society and oppressed women. All aspects of society, whether it be economical, political or religious, have excluded women from rights and thus gave nourishment to male dominance and the epidemic of violence toward women and the consequent treatment of women as garbage. From the time of New France, the patriarchal family form reduced women to the social status of slaves. Economic, political, and religious institutions fed male dominance and excluded women from rights. Women lacked property, political and civil rights. As far as English Common Law was concerned, women were not people; they were the property of men. We live in the legacy of this sentiment. Domestic abuse is gradually being brought out of the secrecy of the home and into the public forefront, and it is now an unlawful act. However, just because violence towards women is banned in a legal realm, does not mean that the attitude has been extinguished in wider society. Take, for instance, the above examples: Maines’ death threat, Country music icon Tracy Lawrence who has been convicted of battering his wife, and another Country music icon Toby Kieth, whom said in regards to Maines, “I’ll bury her” (Buzzle Staff and Agencies, 2003).
It is for this reason, as the video depicts, that society could come to the conclusion to throw the Dixie Chicks’ records out like trash. It is for this reason that society could run over their records with a giant tractor. It is for this reason that a news person could say, “They are callow, foolish women who deserve to be slapped around” (Wagner, 2006). And it is for this reason that society could arrive at the point to combine the words, “Natalie Maines will be shot dead July sixth in Dallas, Texas” (Wagner, 2006).
To conclude this paper, I see it appropriate to end with inspirational lyrics from the musical trio that give women a vision for the future in their struggle for justice,
Well I fought with a stranger and I met myself. I opened my mouth and I heard myself. It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself. Guess I could have made it easier on myself. But I, I could never follow. No I, I could never follow. I'm through with doubt. There's nothing left for me to figure out. I've paid a price; and I'll keep paying… (The Dixie Chicks, 2006)

References

About.com. (n.d.). Photograph: Introducing the Dixie Duo. Retrieved February 18 2007,
from http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/ /S/saddam_dixieduo.jpg
BBC News (2006). Pig Farmer 'Planned More Murders'. Retrieved February 18 2007,
from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6337009.stm
Boteach, S. (2005). Hating Women. New York, NY: HaperCollins Publishers Inc.
Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Buzzle Staff and Agencies (2003). Dixie Chicks vs. Toby Keith. Retrieved February 18
2007, from http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/6-5-2003-41299.asp
Eminem. (2002). The Eminem Show [Music CD]. United States: Interscope Records.
Keith, T. (2002). Unleashed [Music CD]. United States: Dreamworks Nashville.
Kopple, B. (Director), & Peck, C. (Director). (2006). Shut Up and Sing [Motion picture]. United States: The Weinstein Company and Cabin Creek Films.
Lil John & The East Side Boyz. (2002). Kings of Crunk [Music CD]. United States: TVT.
Ludacris. (2004). Stand Up [Music CD]. United States: Universal/Def Jam.
Newscast (2003). CNN: Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees. Retrieved February 18 2007,
from http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0311/05/acd.00.html
Silverstein, M. (2006). The Backlash Against the Dixie Chicks. Retrieved
February 18 2007, from http://www.freepress.net/news/18911
Snoop Dogg. (2001). Doggystyle [Music CD]. United States: Death Row Koch.
The Dixie Chicks. (2006). Not Ready to Make Nice [Music video]. United States:
Open Wide/Columbia.
The Dixie Chicks. (2006). Taking the Long Way [Music CD]. United States:
Open Wide/Columbia.
Wagner, G. (2006). Speak Up and Sing [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9a6RcVVW_w

First Post...

The first post! Well, I guess I wanted to start a blog because it seems to be the current fad--and if anyone's bored enough, they may find something of interest on here.

I think this blog will mostly consist of updates about my life and commentary on current happenings in the world.

So a little about me: I'm finishing up my last semester at the University of Regina in Social Studies and Special Education. I'm going to be a teacher! In April I will be completed my B.Ed, and I will be convocating in June. I recently signed a contract which has officially made me a hired Special Education Teacher in Regina starting in August!!! Yay! I'm really excited!