In which I think about Tyler, the Creator

[NOTE: The more I read this the more I think I didn't get to really say what I wanted but I'm leaving it as is. I can engage people more in comments, twitter, etc.]

Ok, so this is a response/rumination on these two posts: ‘A Call for Change’ by Sara Quinn’ and ‘Why You Should Hate Tyler, the Creator’. Please read those then come back; I’ll be here.

So before I start I think that I should lay down a little bit of a background/disclaimer. First, if you read the posts then you know that we are going to talk about [cue a huge woman with gauges and a flannel shirt holding up a sign that says] SEXUALITY and GENDER. Now as a straight cisgendered male, I feel that I have to walk around on extremely sharp eggshells whenever I broach this topic. To my credit, I have more than a passing interest in these matters and have studied them more than the average bear (the animal, not the…you know). Most men wouldn’t know a hir if it hit them in the face, and sound like drooling troglodytes when they discuss these topics; but I think that I can at least get one step past that. That being said, I’m probably going to get some stuff ‘wrong’ by whatever metric actual gender studies wonks use to determine how wrong people are about this topic.

Second disclaimer: I am a pretty big Odd Future fan (the crew that Tyler is the de facto leader of), and I am also a pretty big Tegan and Sara fan. I think I know more about OF, simply because they are more accessible on the internet and also reside in the direction that my current, as opposed to former, music tastes are headed (e.g. I follow Tyler on twitter, but I have no idea if any combination of Tegan and/or Sara even have one). Still, I love Tegan and Sara, and have been a fan for about the last 8 years or so, and I would say that their aesthetic and that of their genre of music was extremely influential in my own aesthetic development (and their So Jealous album is one of my favorite CDs to keep in my car during the summertime).

Third disclaimer: Just so people get an idea of where I am coming from, I want to reiterate that I am not sexist. It is impossible to rid oneself of all sexist inclinations, and we live in a heteronormative and sexist society, but I try really hard to not judge someone based on their gender (or gender ambiguity) or use gender to justify why something happened. Do i think that there is a real difference between the sexes? Of course, anyone who has taken a biology class or watched the WNBA can tell you that there are a lot of differences and cases where men are generally more proficient in ___ and women more proficient in ___. That does not imply a natural sexual hierarchy, however, and should never be used as a justification for exclusion or discrimination. In addition, I respect one’s right to re-designate themselves away from their biological sex to whatever end they choose. I believe that homosexuality is not a choice (unless, for you, it was, which is totally fine by me) and thus they must be given equal rights like any minority population. Whew. All that is out of the way, so we can talk about the articles.

So both of these posts strongly criticize Tyler, the Creator (and most of the rest of OF as well) for the content of his music and his overall persona. To them, his lyrics, his twitter account, and his public appearance show that he is a violent, homphobic blowhard who is attempting to be something of an auteur and failing. Further, they assert that the increasingly mainstream acceptance of his brand of hip hop is indicative of a perverse culture which celebrates violence and diminishes and insults women, homosexuals, and victims of sexual assault. Those who listen to his music are at risk of internalizing his lyrics and repeating the despicable acts portrayed therein. And they have a point. Taken at face value, most of the songs and lyrics coming from the Odd Future crew are lewd, violent, disturbing, sexist, vile, and kind of scary. The beats are dark and often slower than most rap songs, lending more seriousness to their rhymes than say, a Chris Brown or Lil’ Wayne (I think you can see what I am getting at here). The use of words such as ‘faggot’ ‘gay’ ‘rape’ and ‘bitch’ abound.

Now, most people would be inclined to agree that the anecdotes in these songs are fictional, and the lyrics are designed to be shocking on purpose. Most of these kids are just skate punks from suburban LA who also happened to be gifted with (in my opinion) a pretty high musical I.Q. and and inclination towards the chaotic and offensive. They are wastrels and scoundrels and many of them just finished high school, so they are also children, which means that they probably still get a little rush of guilty excitement in the fact that they get to use those words. On TV, even! So the question isn’t whether we should be concerned that Tyler wiles away the hours snorting mounds of cocaine (he doesn’t even snort any, as far as I know; a rare feat for any darling of the LA music scene) and trying to figure out what to do with the white girl currently tied up in his basement while he coordinates his next session of tranny-beating. It would be equally absurd to assume that the consumers of this music takes the songs at face value and actually identify with and gravitate towards songs about rape because they are also (aspiring) rapists, wouldn’t it? Yet it almost feels as if these two posts do just that. Like many critics of offensive music before them, from those who decried Elvis and his gyrating pelvis to the people who protested Eminem, they worry what this music is doing to the societal fabric of our nation. Tyler’s wildly inappropriate reaction to Sara’s criticism of him on his twitter would point to just how obtuse and morally bankrupt he is.

So what is the question, then? For me, the question that these posts ask their reader is “Should I as a [progressive person who reads this blog/a fan of Tegan and Sara who therefore supports their queer lifestyle and activism] continue to patronize Odd Future and Tyler, or should you stop listening because you don’t want to support people who would work against the progress we have made in advancing women’s/queer rights?” Put another way, the question is “are these guys artists or are they assholes?” For me, the answer is no, I will not stop listening to and enjoying their music because I don’t believe that a) they aren’t using this as a form of artistic expression; or b) that they, specifically, are exacerbating larger societal problems of sexism, homophobia, or sexual violence. I think that it’s sad that they are willing to denounce and scorn Tyler, who sings offensive and unique songs while they completely ignore that someone who makes completely mainstream, popular songs like Chris Brown is celebrated and accepted even after everyone knew that he was a VIOLENT CRIMINAL with little regret or contrition. Who is really more insidious – the fans who chant “Kill people, burn shit, fuck school!” at an OF concert, or the mass of twitter users who said, “hell, I’d let C-Breezy beat me any day! Look at those abs!” The writer criticizes the song “Bitch Suck Dick” without any note that the song is designed to be a parody of other modern hip-hop artists who use images of sexual prowess and misogyny in a less explicit, but probably more serious way. Was there any acknowledgment by either post about Syd that Kyd, the androgynous, openly lesbian beatmaker and producer of most of OF’s songs? She may be inclined to point out that the real damage is being done by closeted female hip-hop artists (she is on record as saying that Missy Elliot, Queen Latifah, and Alicia Keys are most likely gay) whose refusal to show their true selves leaves a generation of queer black girls like her without positive artistic role models?

Look, I’m not trying to belittle the fact that Sara Quinn felt deeply offended and concerned by the mainstream acceptance of Odd Future. But to play devil’s advocate, maybe it’s a bit pretentious of her to say to them, “what you’re doing makes me uncomfortable; and since I am an indie rock tastemaker you should listen to what I have to tell you.” What kind of response did she expect? Maybe Tyler’s callous and offensive twitter response to her criticism was exactly how he was supposed to react–maybe the underlying message was “Sara, I get what you are saying, but that’s not who I am. I am irreverent and offensive, but my songs aren’t me. Therefore, I am going to respond exactly how you’d expect, because I can and because you clearly have me all figured out, don’t you?” We don’t often see author’s get criticized for that their characters do; is this all that different? It’s pretty apparent that throughout Tyler’s album ‘Goblin’ he makes a point to separate author from narrator and to say that all these feelings and thoughts are fictional.

In the end, I think it is not the obligation of the artist to tell us what to do with their product; if ‘Goblin’ sets the cause of queer rights back 20 years, whose fault is that, really? It’s ours.

Sean.

Note: I didn’t get to say all I wanted to say, but I just wanted to show that the issue isn’t as cut-and-dry as the author of “Why you should hate Tyler, the Creator” would make it seem. Also, I’m not proofreading this.

Humblebrags

So in the past few weeks I have really focused a lot more on regular exercise and healthy eating, and I’ve almost lost 10 pounds!  I just wanted to share.  I am going to be one svelte bitch here in a minute.

Also, I’m going to Dallas next weekend for a Magic: the Nerdening tournament.  1) Haters gonna hate; and 2) what is there to do in Dallas?  I am thinking of writing up a tournament report here (it is a thing a lot of people do), but maybe it will be a bit more introductory so people can get an idea of what goes on at these kinds of things.  Any interest?  Anyone? *crickets*

Sean

P.S. Just started The Magic Mountain.  Very good so far, and I’m excited to have time to really sit down and read it for more than a few minutes.

Music

So lately I’ve been on a huge new music kick; namely electronic music and some hip-hop. The world of electronic music is so vast that it’s hard to get bored so it’s great for someone that has a lot of time to listen to new music. Anyway, here are my top 5 songs right now if anyone is interested.

(in no particular order)

- Diamond Messages – “Liquid Summer”

- Grimes – “Genesis”

- Lykke Li – “Time Flies”

- Clams Casino – “I’m God”

- MellowHype – “Loaded (feat. Mike G)” [this is a side project of two members of the now-quite-famous Odd Future group]

Anyway, I could listen to all of these songs all day and still love them, so I hope you do too. Maybe soon I’ll see if I can put together an all-time top ten list of songs.

Sean

p.s. remember to check out theicepalace.wordpress.com for my poems and Erin’s prose!

Ok I’ve got this all figured out now.

So it pains me to see how neglected this thing is, so i’ve done something about it. My lady and I have set up a new blog for our more literary exploits at theicepalace.wordpress.com. That leaves me free to use this site as a personal, ahem, repository of things that i like or find interesting or infuriating. I am an adult male, so i refuse to get a tumblr, but I guess this will be a rough approximation of that.

Cheers!
sean

Turns out leaves don’t change color in Texas…

…yeah I was surprised about that one. Oh well, I suppose that I will have to put up with weeks at a time where it is 75 degrees and sunny. Anyway, things here are going well. I haven’t done much exploring yet to speak of, mostly because work and working out keep me busy enough that I don’t bother with just driving in one direction with the hope of getting totally lost (hint: doesn’t work in Omaha because the city is a near-perfect grid). Speaking of Omaha, I will be headed back up at the end of the next week, mostly so that I can go to Vala’s and have an excuse to wear something other than shorts and a t shirt (sorry Erin [actually not sorry because there is a significant possiblity of flannel]). Upcoming big thing: the powers-that-be at work (where I’m at right now, avoiding writing up an executive summary of a Mexican federal pawn statute) have decided that I need to learn Spanish so that I can be one of the point people in analyzing our Latin American interests. Looks like all that time studying German is really paying off! I secretly hope to use that knowledge and my soon-to-be mastery of Spanish to lead a coup in like El Salvador or something and become the kleptocratic Presidente of my own banana republic (I will, of course, wear exclusively Banana Republic clothing). I am also looking into volunteer opportunities around town to work with the large homeless population in Austin–maybe tutoring? I wanna do something besides just hurl spare change and insults at them as I blaze through yellow lights. Also, I will hopefully rediscover my muse and churn out some new poems. We shall see.

Sean out!

Texas forever!

Howdy!

That’s what we Texans like to say; you know, because we are Texan and all. What’s that? I’m not Texan, but a pale Midwesterner? Not anymore! I just took a job down in Austin, so I am a member of the Republic for the forseeable future. It’s really cool down here (figuratively. In reality it feels like the surface of the sun and things just spontaneously combust spontaneously) and I have been enjoying myself so far. I hope to move this blog to general iconoclasting, which is a word, as opposed to poetry and travel. I do work a regular corporate gig now, so there may be weeks where I do actually nothing of note. Corporate zombie! expense reports….uunnhhhhh

Sean out.

Finally! An Update!

Not even gonna apologize…

Naschmarkt

You told me that at the end of the day the market shadows itself with the gleaming white cathedral that sits above it. Strange that something so pristine lords over this permanently temporary village of well-thumbed children’s books and moth-eaten SS uniforms. Amidst the mountains of unidentifiable trinkets and unpaired boots the stall owners haggle amongst themselves. Some sit perfectly still and watch us weave in and out of crowded aisles—judging, pricing. You laugh when I put on a small theatre production with some cat statues.

I am gravitated to a box of ancient postcards, yellowed by age and sunlight and offering up their memories for those interested in buying. A lover in Tripoli wishes I was there; my father in Mainz is tired of visiting cathedrals; a brother in Stockholm thinks that the city and the people are beautiful, but a little cold. If I could find a blank card I would tell you

At night we ride the trains
into the mountains and we only
come down during the day to
find more broken umbrellas.

Delays

In the thick of senior paper writing and before that it was applying and interviewing for Teach for America. I’m allowed to be truant! Hopefully stuff up this coming weekend.

Cheers.

This week

In poetry class we discussed the Ars Poetica, a poem about poetry (someone in class thought it was Arse Poetica, which led to a pretty excellent poem in and of itself). So I wrote this.

VANISHING DEDUCTIBLE

It starts like a car accident. Of course the risk is always there–you bought the car, got on the road, flipped off the occasional cutter-offer. That doesn’t mean you are prepared when, distracted by the radio (or a beautiful pedestrian) a stop light gets ran and then the dull thud, the tinkling of glass, the acrid powder from the airbag.

What was once an isolated incident now follows you. The soreness in your neck, the flush of anxiety whenever a horn blows, when you see broken glass twinkle on the asphalt.

Slowly the soreness becomes familiar; it keeps mornings interesting and provides a nice story to tell strangers. At some point you realize that you’ve stopped calling it an accident, and started wondering whether or not it would be as exhilarating a second time.

-Sean

A letter I wrote

So I just finished applying for Teach for America, so I thought I would share what I wrote as my letter of intent for the program…I hope that they like it!

February 4, 2011
Teach for America Selection Committee
Teach for America, Inc.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter of intent as part of the application for a position as a teacher through Teach for America. I am enthusiastic about the possibility of being involved in such an exceptional organization, and for the the opportunity to change the lives of the students with whom I would interact. I hope that you will decide that both my enthusi-asm for the program and my qualifications will allow me such an opportunity. I am a product of my education, and I believe that these children deserve the same opportuni-ties that I was fortunate enough to have.

While there are a myriad of reasons why I would like to join Teach for America, I would like to focus on two that I see as among the most important. Like you, I am not blind to the terrible nature of the achievement gap in our nation’s education system. My (cur-rent) hometown of Minneapolis is a startling example of just such a situation; the best schools are some of the best in the nation, but underneath that lies a startling division of educational quality that is nearly perfectly split along socioeconomic lines. It can of-ten be difficult to see how one can challenge the injustices they see around them, but I know that the ripple effect of generating a positive experience for just a few classrooms can be immeasurable. I would be, well, more than remiss if I didn’t try to make a change, especially when I know I have the tools and the desire. Second, I believe that one of the biggest challenges facing our education system today is there seems to be very little encouragement for getting students to become passionate about learning. For many of these children, it may not be realistic to get them to a four-year university, but I would like the opportunity to instill in them a passion for the learning process which will lead them to success no matter what their future holds.

Thus, my reasons for wanting to join Teach for America are deeply intertwined with my goals if selected, as well as how I would determine my success. I hope to accomplish what the education system has failed to do: to get these students excited to learn, and to help them find something they are passionate about. If I can get a student to find the connection between what happens in the classroom and what happens in their commu-nity, and give them the tools to work for personal and communal change, then I know I was successful. I am more fearful of a population that never learned to learn than one that does poorly on standardized tests. I know that this potential lies in every student.

I hope that this letter helps to illustrate my motivations for applying, and I hope that you see that I am ready to work for these students.

Sincerely yours,
Sean McClay