Shaming men attracted to Trans Women...

[MacShreach]

re: the first paragraph above: that's one reason why I've never been that big of a hip-hop fan, even in its early '90s heyday of consciousness rap (very little of which even addressed this subject, and the few who did speak publicly about this, like P.M. Dawn, were criticized and even attacked physically for it--all other rappers either openly approving or silent about it)

The second paragraph raises this question: could it be that such art forms are in themselves at least partly a method of justifying participation in the arts in general for men who perhaps believe at some level that "art/music/poetry/etc. is for women and sissies?"

Mmmm I need a couple of coffees on that. My gut, though, is this: Creation is at least metaphysically feminine; that is why the very masculine Jahweh's power of creation, the shekina, is both feminine and female. This of course derives from a much older understanding of the Earth as the source of all creation, and that this was a feminine power: The Goddess.

We are all both female and male, at least at some level, and male artists tap into that.

The writer Lawrence Durrell somewhere referred to the feeling of being 'big with book' and drew a direct parallel with the female experience of pregnancy. Durrell is unquestionably an influence on me and I agree with him on this.

There are very macho areas of the arts, especially the popular ones; however, they usually have a flip-side that contradicts this. Blues and Rock music have very macho sides, but then, Little Richard. And Glam Rock. The New York Dolls--sounded hardrock and masculine, looked like cds.

Hip-hop seems to have taken macho even further but it comes from an urban environment that is unique to the US. (That is probably why French rap is so different.) That environment does seem to place an even greater emphasis on the outward signs of masculinity, and definitely appears to be very aggressive towards anyone who transgresses its cultural mores. However I have not made in-depth study of hip-hop culture so I am going to be honest about that and say these are my impressions only.

Nonetheless, in the end, all art is a mirror of the broader culture that sustains it. Art is a reflective practice, and whether they recognise it or not, artists are like sounding-boards. Whatever we may say, we don't actually get to choose; the art just comes out.

That tends to suggest to me that it's not so much that some male artists choose to enter fields which are very macho, but that this is a quality of the underlying culture that they are already a part of. Now, it may well be that this culture is very appealing to certain types of men (in this case those who might wish to publicly flaunt their masculinity), so the two are closely related: artists are attracted to the macho quality of the culture and reinforce that by producing more conforming art.

[nysprod]

Nonetheless, in the end, all art is a mirror of the broader culture that sustains it. Art is a reflective practice,

An interesting thought but I actually think it's just the opposite...artists create the paradigm (or template) for society to follow, and then inevitably come others who are reflecting that.

I.e. the Beatles arrive with long hair, society in general falls in love with them, and the emulators quickly follow.

[MacShreach]

An interesting thought but I actually think it's just the opposite...artists create the paradigm (or template) for society to follow, and then inevitably come others who are reflecting that.

I.e. the Beatles arrive with long hair, society in general falls in love with them, and the emulators quickly follow.

Oh do shut the fuck up about things you know absolutely NOTHING about. I am not going to engage your moronic and brainless chatter. Instead I counsel you to read, amongst other things.Burckhardt's 'Renaissance' and Paglia's 'Sexual Personae'; then, sign yourself up for some study and ONCE YOU HAVE done that, for say six years or so, come back and we can discuss the concept of 'art follows culture' as so well expressed by these two writers.

In any case I thought you said you were going to shut up after the last time you got your ass whipped? Cause you got another one on the way, numbnuts.

[nysprod]

Oh do shut the fuck up about things you know absolutely NOTHING about. I am not going to engage your moronic and brainless chatter. Instead I counsel you to read, amongst other things.Burckhardt's 'Renaissance' and Paglia's 'Sexual Personae'; then, sign yourself up for some study and ONCE YOU HAVE done that, for say six years or so, come back and we can discuss the concept of 'art follows culture' as so well expressed by these two writers.

In any case I thought you said you were going to shut up after the last time you got your ass whipped? Cause you got another one on the way, numbnuts.

You really are utterly demented...that's clear now.

[MacShreach]

you think

[Ben in LA]

Video with Laverne Cox and Janet Mock on the subject...

http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/...ister_cee.html

[nysprod]

Excellent video, thanks for posting it.