Misogynists and music

Roni at We Have Brains tackles a subject I've thought on writing about for awhile now. Sexism and misogyny are mainstays of modern music, and some of it is really, really good. So how to reconcile your taste in music with your politics?

Well, I've always thought about it in the same way that one reconciles her taste in literature with her politics. Most writers throughout history have been men; most of those men had a low opinion of women. But that doesn't mean there aren't other things worth rescuing in those books. (With the exception of Fitzgerald, who is known to have stolen his wife's work and passed it off as his own. There's no historical excuse like, "They didn't know better" to excuse that. But would I feel that way if I liked his books better? No telling.)

Anyway, it's the same with music. Humanity is a work-in-progress. Hopefully one day we will have left behind the male imperative to insult and degrade women in order to bolster men. Until then, sexist art has to be dealt with and censorship isn't the key. The key is to talk back to them. More speech, not less. Instead of kicking around ideas on how to punish male artists for sexism, kick around ideas for getting more attention and money to female musicians. Attack the sexism of the industry itself. One really positive thing that the everyday music fan can do is to promote female bands and musicians to friends. Take your friends to shows; give your friends albums by female artists. The number one problem in music isn't that some male musicians are sexist. It's that female artists are sidelined. Positive action is the key.