Problematic songs
Mar. 17th, 2019 08:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blimixA few weeks ago, a friend and I had a conversation about a problematic song. Although that song had bothered me enough that it was no longer in my usual playlist, I started thinking about songs I liked that surpassed a certain threshold of... Problematicality? I was reminded of Anita Sarkeesian's comment, "It is both possible, and even necessary, to simultaneously enjoy a piece of media while also being critical of its more problematic or pernicious aspects." I still enjoy most of those songs, but I removed the worse ones from the thumb drive that plays in my car.
This, in turn, got me thinking about my performing repertoire. There are some songs that I just don't play anymore. For example, Sean Morey's "The Man Song" stopped being funny ages ago, when I realized that all of its "humor" involved mocking a man for taking on a subservient and traditionally female role. This is straight up misogyny, even while the ostensible target is male. But a lot of the other songs in my repertoire still had value, even comedic value, while being problematic in various ways. I tried to decide which to keep and which needed tossing, but that turned out to be a false dichotomy. I have now gone through my request list, and added a superscript "CW" (Content Warning) to those songs that I deemed sufficiently problematic. I'll be there to inform the curious about the content in question.
I'm pretty sure that songs I've performed have seriously bothered people on a few occasions, and I'm sorry for that. This is my attempt to allow our continued appreciation of as much music as possible, while keeping that from happening again. (Also, I once straight up ignored a request for a particular emotional tone of song, because I had my heart set on performing a new one that I had just learned. I had no excuse for not rethinking, and have since regretted my insensitivity in that moment. That regret has motivated me to stay more aware of the emotional needs of my friends who are listening, so that I do not repeat the mistake.)
This, in turn, got me thinking about my performing repertoire. There are some songs that I just don't play anymore. For example, Sean Morey's "The Man Song" stopped being funny ages ago, when I realized that all of its "humor" involved mocking a man for taking on a subservient and traditionally female role. This is straight up misogyny, even while the ostensible target is male. But a lot of the other songs in my repertoire still had value, even comedic value, while being problematic in various ways. I tried to decide which to keep and which needed tossing, but that turned out to be a false dichotomy. I have now gone through my request list, and added a superscript "CW" (Content Warning) to those songs that I deemed sufficiently problematic. I'll be there to inform the curious about the content in question.
I'm pretty sure that songs I've performed have seriously bothered people on a few occasions, and I'm sorry for that. This is my attempt to allow our continued appreciation of as much music as possible, while keeping that from happening again. (Also, I once straight up ignored a request for a particular emotional tone of song, because I had my heart set on performing a new one that I had just learned. I had no excuse for not rethinking, and have since regretted my insensitivity in that moment. That regret has motivated me to stay more aware of the emotional needs of my friends who are listening, so that I do not repeat the mistake.)
(no subject)
Date: 2019-03-19 03:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-28 02:31 pm (UTC)