Sexism at Rocky

[jrising]

Elaina is quitting the show for a variety of reasons, but the relevant one is sexism at Rocky. She convinced me that the problem is extensive, but I don't know how to respect those concerns and still encourage the individual creative talents and sexualities of our members and the boundary-pushing of the show. But I think we can find a way, and enjoy our work better for reaching for it.

Sexism has become a party-crashing term. People worry that if they acknowledge it, it will make every decision more difficult and force us to be more conservative. It shouldn't. Sexism itself-- the faulty societally-ingrained role preconceptions we have-- is inherently incredibly conservative and creativity-blocking. By harboring it, we cripple the sexual and individual potential of our members.

I think that the best solution to the sexism problem has to do with promoting an attitude at the show, not by making rules, and I think we can do it, because we're strong, freely-sexual people who want to promote sexual equality. This attitude would be characterized by honest recognition of how our actions and shows play out sexual stereotypes, and the constant search for what's beyond them.

One aspect of this attitude might be that men at Rocky would be encouraged (expected) to put themselves on sexual display as much as women. It will make us better men. Another is that we should consider the sexism-jostling potential of our preshows. We can get more out of challenging our audience than playing to its fantasies.

Next week: How to get the most out of a rape fantasy...

Comments

[revolos55.livejournal.com]

It's just Rocky! It's a radically important part of the lives of a lot of people on cast and crew, past and present, but I would say that it's doing more for the breaking down of traditional gender roles than a lot of other things in the world. I think the message it sends is "Fuck the puritanical hangups that the majority of people have about sex, sexuality and sexual orientation. Give yourself over to absolute pleasure, whether it's with a man or a woman or somewhere in between."

I don't think it's fair to fault it for being infected by the centuries-old misogyny and discrimination that pervades and suffocates our entire culture. And as wonderful as Rocky is sometimes, and as strange and separate the group of people is that are drawn to it, Rocky is still part of this world. You will find misogyny and discrimination in everything. And it sucks. And it's wrong. And it has something that needs to change, and has been trying to be changed for decades. But unless you are bringing up this problem with every group and subculture that you are a part of, I think it's unfair to focus solely on Rocky. Maybe it's easier to because the atmosphere promotes more openness, and where else can you have this kind of passionate discussion? I think this is a good thing. Through Rocky I've met a group of intelligent, liberated and passionate people who love to get into big discussions about sex and culture and politics and movies and media and life and philosophy and everything else.

Stay and hash this shit out. Peer pressure is everywhere in our society, and we may have no respect for the artificial boundaries society imposes on us, but we're a group of people who respect personal boundaries, and will respect a person strong enough to say "fuck you, I'm not taking my shirt off, because I don't want to", and if someone doesn't feel like they're a strong enough person to resist that peer pressure, I'd still say "stay and hash this shit out", because we will make you that person. Rocky can do anything you want it to for you, if you let it. With the rare exception of the tiniest handful of friends from high school, I have found more acceptance at FBC, learned more about myself, and grown more as a person than anywhere else.

So maybe it's not "just Rocky". Maybe instead, FBC is the solution, not part of the problem.

[/end rant]

[jrising.livejournal.com]

Rocky is a very sexually-liberated and accepting atmosphere in so many ways, and I love it for that. And, unlike Elaina, I'd rather be part of a sexist Rocky than no Rocky, because I get so much out of it.

But why settle for that? Rocky isn't society-at-large-- we're our own little subculture capable of things the world can only dream about. And trying to even things out isn't going to make us less sexually open; it's going to make us more open and have more opportunities to experiment.

People seem to be saying that either (1) we aren't being sexist, because it's voluntary, or (2) it comes with the territory of intense sexuality. For the first, I think that makes it better, but then the discreptency between male and female roles at Rocky either is because of some inherent lower-sexuality among men (which I don't believe) or because we encourage women to volunteer more. For the second, I don't think sexism has anything to do with real sexuality. Let's be sexually open on all fronts, and recognize that that's a really difficult thing that is going to take effort on all our parts.