Sorry, I haven't been posting lately. I'm just living in the real world more often I guess. It's summer after all.
So to kick it off right, I went to the Dyke March today - and it was fun! There were so many women from "Dykes with Tikes" - way to go mommies!
Tomorrow is the Pride Parade and I"ll definitely be there too.
I want to write something more thoughtful about these events though. One really can't help but notice all the sponsorship from large corporations and namely banks, something does leave me restless about all this.
So here are some more 'radical' links regarding the recent corporatization of Toronto's "Pride".
Limp Fist (Toronto specific)
Gay Shame
I really have come to believe that all 'politics' have been co-opted by neoliberalism. Namely anything that came out of the early years 'identity politics' era... feminism of course included.
Case in point, Toronto has a 'gay radio station'.... This could be viewed as a great thing... but I have to wonder if a new Pakistani immigrant gay man is seriously listening to 24 hours of Gloria Estefan, Beyonce and disco anything.... And I wonder why they aren't playing more Queen (fronted of course by the very gay Freddy Mercury) or Judas Priest (fronted by Rob Halford). An argument could of course be made that they were both in the closet at the peak of their careers.
But I guess my problem lies more with how 'gayness' or the much touted term "pride" is defined, and on whose terms.... but I could be making something out of nothing.
I dunno, makes me wonder....
discuss
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19 comments:
rah rah!
what happened to the imperative of your life? :)
like all the other drafts you see in the dashboard... they are waiting around for something, i dunno what... 'inspiration'? maybe... ;)
DD - you like the new tagline? You realize that our readership went down from 100 hits a day to 30 ppl searching solely for porn? LOL!
queerruption is doing some good work on re-imagining pride from a non-corporate standpoint. They've had some trouble with racial diversity (ie not having enough or considering QoCs in the US chapter) but they are working on it. They had a big thing in Toronto a month or so ago. They'll be having an event in Vancouver Aug 1-7
Thanks PBW! I am going to check that stuff out.
it was on the up until i stopped posting. then it went to google porn searches! i lost the sitemeter info and need it again.
you don't need quotes for the words asian american or leftist.
Yeah - that is true... I don't need them, but I think with leftist - I have qualms around the word, so I put it.
Also asian-american usually only refers to east asians.... and I'm not 'american', but being north american - i figured why not. Hence all the quotage.
No, you aren't making something out of nothing... this sort of thing p's me off too.
"I really have come to believe that all 'politics' have been co-opted by neoliberalism. Namely anything that came out of the early years 'identity politics' era... feminism of course included"
I wasn't as familiar with the word neoliberalism, (never heard it in the UK) but I have a big problem with the way identities - like queer or feminist - get repackaged and sold back to ppl.
For example, take the Candy Bar (a lesbian bar in London) - some of my friends love that place, but I felt really wierd there (they have erotic dancers/striptease). I don't want that from a lesbian bar, but then I feel like - am I just being "no fun" cos everyone else don't have a problem with it?
Hey brain,
Yeah I talked to some people at the pride parade who had been marching in it since it's inception. One of my friends put it this way "back then we were fighting for the most basic rights. People seem to forget that.".
Like it was so bizarre, there were all these gorgeous men in thongs who had logos plastered on their bodies for banks, hotels all sorts of companies and products.
It was seriously surreal. Like how does a banks logo on your bumb make it 'queer positive'?
I don't know... we're all consumers at this point, nothing more.
Brain - if you want to familiarize yourself with neoliberalism, there are a lot of good internet sources out there.
I'm interested in how neoliberalism is fused with identity politics. I.e. making us all 'individuals' vs. collectives.
Neoliberalism, is basically a top-down phenomenon which stems out of economic restructuring etc...
I'm not very well-versed, but doing a quick search made me find a great blog that seems to talk about neoliberalism in many of it's facets here: http://dionysusstoned.amagama.com/
cheers aradhanad I will check it out
I thought I'd check out the festivities. I, too, was overwhelmed by the corporate logos plastered on the flesh of scantily-clad men: perhaps my raging libido is supposed to coerce me into signing up for a credit card?
Few seem to notice that just about every event is sponsored by someone. It's a shame legitimate voices don't have the capital to be heard, especially at a supposed celebration of human rights. How many attendees do you think noticed the plea for the halt to systematic executions of homosexuals in Iran? How many of them had on their minds the hardcore Christian belief that 9/11 was God's means of punishing us for harbouring homosexuals? How many of these party-goers were aware that the only reason they're allowed to exist is because they're walking wallets?
I guess the truth hurts too much. I don't mean to rain on the parade, but when you've learned to see through the lies, you can't help it.
its about free trade, trade agreements that benefit multinational corporations and the like. favored by clinton and bush alike.
righto DD, but it definitely affects the way people think at too. I.e. our psycho-social desires and beliefs.
I find the latter is seldom covered in all sorts of race/gender/even class analysis both on and offline.
G. I absolutely agree, we're in 'bed' with the wrong people! they never really cared for us to begin with, and they won't really be there when it comes to changing harmful legislation.
haha! thanks for changing the quotes i call indians asian americans unless they ask to be called indians instead. it's other people who have a problem w/non inclusiveness.
yes, very true! :) But Canada isn't the 52nd or 53rd state ..... yet anyways! ;)
i heart canada and have relatives there.
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