Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression
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0:02 - 0:03So often,
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0:03 - 0:05I'll take a fitness class,
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0:05 - 0:08or I'll go to a music venue,
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0:08 - 0:11or, really, anywhere that plays
music in the background, -
0:11 - 0:14and I'll find myself loving the rhythms
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0:14 - 0:17and the melodies and the beats ...
-
0:17 - 0:20And then I take a second
to listen to the lyrics, -
0:20 - 0:24lyrics that, for example,
place us in a position of subservience -
0:24 - 0:27that we would never tolerate
in any other context. -
0:27 - 0:31And I'm aghast at the degree to which
we normalize sexism in our culture. -
0:31 - 0:34I listen to this music and I'm like,
-
0:34 - 0:37I don't want to have to turn up
to the sound of my own oppression. -
0:37 - 0:43You know, music is one of the most
powerful forms of communication, -
0:43 - 0:47because it has the potential
to either uplift or oppress. -
0:48 - 0:51Music caters to the emotions.
Music caters to the soul. -
0:51 - 0:53Music opens up our soul.
-
0:53 - 0:55It opens up our channels
to receive information -
0:55 - 0:57about somebody else's walk of life,
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0:57 - 0:59to inform our own roles.
-
0:59 - 1:03And while I have no problem
with male fantasy, -
1:03 - 1:06what I do have a problem with
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1:06 - 1:11is that, according to a recent study,
only 2.6 percent of all music producers -
1:11 - 1:13identify as women.
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1:13 - 1:17That means an even smaller percentage
identify as trans or gender nonconforming. -
1:18 - 1:19And why does this matter?
-
1:20 - 1:23Because, if we don't own
and control our own narrative, -
1:23 - 1:26somebody else will
tell our stories for us, -
1:26 - 1:28and they will get it wrong,
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1:28 - 1:31perpetuating the very myths
that hold us back. -
1:32 - 1:35And I'm not here to tell other people
how to make their music. -
1:36 - 1:40But I am here to provide
and design the alternative. -
1:40 - 1:43One strategy I take in my music
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1:43 - 1:48is making uplifting, energetic,
percussive global beats -
1:48 - 1:50and placing lyrics on top of them
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1:50 - 1:54that genuinely describe
my life's experiences -
1:54 - 1:57without contributing
to the oppression of anybody else. -
1:57 - 1:59It's funny, because it's the same reason
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1:59 - 2:03as to why we excuse
so many problematic lyrics; -
2:03 - 2:06it's because we love
how the beats make us feel. -
2:07 - 2:11An example of this is my song
"Top Knot Turn Up." -
2:14 - 2:16(Music: "Top Knot Turn Up")
-
2:31 - 2:35(Sings) I turned off my phone's
notifications so I have more time / -
2:35 - 2:39No bubbles to trouble
my clear state of mind / -
2:39 - 2:41One thing to know,
I'm not here to please / -
2:41 - 2:43Hair tied up, I do it properly /
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2:43 - 2:44My time is not your property /
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2:44 - 2:47When I'm productive like my ovaries,
eyy! / -
2:47 - 2:50Give a grown girl room to breathe,
basic rights and her liberty / -
2:50 - 2:54Free from insecurity
that the world's projecting onto me / -
2:54 - 2:56Please do not trouble me
when I am focused / -
2:56 - 2:58The future is female
you already know this / -
2:58 - 3:00I'm fighting against
the corruption on SCOTUS / -
3:00 - 3:03Turned up in my top knot
since when I first wrote this / -
3:04 - 3:07It's a top knot turn up
It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up. -
3:07 - 3:11It's a top knot turn up
It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up. -
3:11 - 3:15It's a top knot turn up
It's a top knot turn up, eyyy. -
3:15 - 3:16It's a top knot turn up.
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3:17 - 3:18(Music ends)
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3:18 - 3:22I want us to keep making
sex-positive, beautiful music -
3:22 - 3:25about joy and freedom.
-
3:25 - 3:26I want us to embrace our own pleasure
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3:27 - 3:29just as much as we embrace our own pain.
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3:29 - 3:31I want us to celebrate the authentic,
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3:31 - 3:32nuanced,
-
3:32 - 3:36multidimensional aspects
of our human existence, -
3:37 - 3:42rather than perform false narratives
of degrading sexuality -
3:42 - 3:44in order to feel accepted or loved.
-
3:44 - 3:47And another strategy
that I take in my music -
3:47 - 3:50to combat the misogyny
that exists on the airwaves -
3:50 - 3:54is to visually depict the very world
I wished we lived in. -
3:54 - 3:56In the music video
for my song "See Me Thru," -
3:56 - 4:01which is like a vibe-y,
queer electronic R and B song, -
4:01 - 4:05I cast two of my dear friends,
Ania and Dejha, -
4:05 - 4:09to play the role of the lovers,
because they're married in real life. -
4:09 - 4:12But what you don't know
is that they also are behind the camera -
4:12 - 4:15concepting and directing
the entire video. -
4:16 - 4:24(Video) Heyyyyy ohhhh
My emotions were tired -
4:27 - 4:30Music should be safe
and accessible for all to experience. -
4:30 - 4:33As you can see, it's not about
losing the sex appeal or swag -
4:33 - 4:34that music has,
-
4:34 - 4:38it's about writing messages
that infuse tenderness and positivity -
4:38 - 4:41into music that motivates us
and challenges us. -
4:42 - 4:45And while we as musicians
absolutely have the responsibility -
4:45 - 4:48to make music that isn't disempowering,
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4:48 - 4:50the consumers can be
part of the change, too. -
4:50 - 4:53Firstly, we get to choose
which songs we want to mute -
4:53 - 4:55and which songs we want to turn louder.
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4:55 - 4:59We get to say, "I respect myself enough
to say I don't want to listen to this, -
4:59 - 5:02and I don't want this to be
in anybody else's space, either." -
5:02 - 5:04Secondly, we can simply ask ourselves:
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5:04 - 5:06"Does this music or this message
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5:06 - 5:08contribute to the oppression
of somebody else? -
5:08 - 5:10Why am I tolerating it?"
-
5:10 - 5:14And finally, we can all be choosing
to make playlists or DJ-ing music -
5:14 - 5:17that provides the right vibe or mood
that we're looking for in that moment -
5:17 - 5:19without the problematic messaging.
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5:20 - 5:21Why does this matter?
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5:21 - 5:24Because it's teaching algorithms
in our streaming systems and our world -
5:24 - 5:27exactly what it is that
we do want to listen to, -
5:28 - 5:31creating long-term change
and a feedbacking mechanism -
5:31 - 5:33that impacts the entire industry.
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5:34 - 5:36This is not a message
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5:36 - 5:38for just a small group of people.
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5:39 - 5:41This is a message that affects everybody,
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5:41 - 5:45because when we protect and liberate
our most vulnerable genders, -
5:45 - 5:47we liberate everybody.
- Title:
- Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression
- Speaker:
- Madame Gandhi
- Description:
-
Popular music is often riddled with misogynistic lyrics that objectify and demean women ... so why are we listening and dancing to it? Performing a sample of her original song "Top Knot Turn Up" and sharing clips from her female-directed music video of "See Me Thru," activist and musician Madame Gandhi explains why she's making sex-positive music that doesn't contribute to anyone's oppression -- and calls on music lovers to get down to tunes that empower everyone.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 06:03
Erin Gregory commented on English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | ||
Maurício Kakuei Tanaka commented on English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | ||
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression |
Maurício Kakuei Tanaka
Hello,
I think she says "protect" at 5:41.
Could you please check it out?
Thank you!
Erin Gregory
5:41
project
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protect
Thanks!