Here is one of many things that I do not understand; individuals who are a member of a minority group who make blanket statements about another group while simultaneously striving for equality. Let me explain; I completely agree that discrimination of all varieties is one of the biggest problems facing this country, however just because one group is oppressed does not mean that in their quest for equality for their own particular minority group, they should then make negative statements about another group. What brought this little diatribe on was an interview I read with Kathleen Hannah of Le Tigre in the new issue of Tape Op magazine. In the interview she makes the following statement:

"And also as a woman, I've had enough bad experiences with men in recording situations that I like to have as many decisions already made before I go into a room with a male engineer..."

I completely understand her viewpoint, and I do agree that a lot of men are not the kind of individuals I want to be associated with either, but when she makes a statement like this it makes it that much easier for a macho--dickheads to dismiss her as a man-hater. While I know what she is getting at, I guess I am just trying to point out that if she makes rash generalizations about male recording engineers and she has no problem doing it, then how can she state that it is wrong for men to make similar statements about women and not appear to be a hipocrit. I completely support her trying to advance the cause of women's rights, as unfortunately women are still treated differently then men. I guess I just wish she would realize that there are plenty of men out there, including myself---though I am not a recording engineer, who are completely behind her. If you look at this statement, which is not out of context, it appears that she is pre-judging individuals in a particular job-role based upon the fact that they have a penis. She does go on to say the following:

"...even though Chris is really supportive and awesome to work with."

I am glad that she has found a male engineer she can work with, and I understand that her past experiences have been negative. However, I do not understand how she cannot step back and realize that those negative experiences were brought about by people who unfortunately HAPPEN to be men, as oppossed to experiences being brought about BECAUSE they were men. It appears she has learned that not all men are difficult to work with in the recording studio--which seems to make her prior statement unnecessary. I guess my point is that making broad statements about men (or any group) in a particular profession (regardless of past experiences) is wrong and unfair. I am sure that she would be pretty angry if someone judged her as being a poor female musician based upon hearing a Donna Summer record that they didn't like sometime around 1978. Just a thought.

Happy Easter.