So last night Irene and I went to go see Ani DiFranco (which was super great especially the super cute/talented drummer) but unfortunately we found ourselves stuck listening to the opener, Hamell on Trial.
Hamell on Trial sang poorly, had mediocre guitar skills, but worse than that he was incredibly offensive. Literally everything that came out of his mouth was some sort of commentary on female genitalia, or his experience of sex, where let’s face it his descriptions projected women as simply objects rather than participants.
wash your mouth and bald head with soap, you creeper
And yet the strange thing is that I think I was supposed to read Hamell on Trial as being uber cool and progressive for his crudeness. As if the fact that he says he loves to “lick pussy” shows that he’s a feminist. Or the fact that he has a 30 second song about Matthew Shepard means I’m not supposed to get all enraged about his demeaning heteronormative jokes about the fact that only the men in the audience know what he’s talking about when he talks about sex with his wife. I’m all for talking about sex more openly, for not feeling ashamed of our bodies. But it has to be done with respect. My body should not be the punchline of a joke, that’s not a part of my feminism.
I don’t understand how just because you have a guitar and talk about Obama makes it ok to demean me and my body? I don’t understand how talking about essentially pressuring your wife into having anal sex makes you hip and cool. And I certainly don’t understand how it makes you suitable for Righteous Babe Records or as an opener for Ani.
I don’t know who makes these decisions but if it is Ani, I hope next time she seriously reconsiders her choice in picking Hamell on Trial. Apparently he’s been opening for Ani for years and you’d think someone would let them know that that creeper is offending a lot of her audience.
i’m reading this book, Female Chauvinist Pigs: The Rise of Raunch Culture, by ariel levy. it talks about the increased visibility of sexual expression, in the form of exhibitionism and raunchiness, as evidenced by shows such as girls gone wild, howard stern, as well as the appropriation of pornography by mainstream american culture. it talks about how women, in an effort to share the fruits that men have historically enjoyed, are participating in chauvinistic oppression in order to democratize it for both men, women, and other genders…but the book argues that the movement is essentially misguided and harmful. it’s changing my life. i now no longer know how to dress or whether it’s okay to wear makeup…
Gender Agenda 