28 Mar
2018
28 Mar
'18
12:47 p.m.
Hi Jeff,
I think your understanding of there being "no to little movement" is
inaccurate.
In New England, New York, Seattle, and the Bay Area, many callers have been
examining terminology and changing. Several dance series have gone
genderfree without being specifically chartered as LGBTQ dances. Not
coincidentally, these dances are thriving amidst a decline of attendance of
contra in general.
Many dances are also taking up safety policies before and after the #metoo
movement, despite plenty of resistance for years of some people insisting
that contra is a happy place where there's no harassment.
So yes, you're correct that these discussions have been happening for
years, true, but they have also been producing tangible change in many
places.
...
I might also like to disagree with your implication that everyone is
responsible for "arguing about it". We callers who have swapped terms for
g*pay, for example, have long since moved on.
In the case of this original post, Rich was asking for practical advice,
and there *was no* argument until a couple choice people started throwing
shade at those of us who think changing the lyrics from "she was a young
thing" to "she was a young girl" is an easy swap that doesn't diminish
the
tradition, but also reduces the objectification of women.
In dance,
Ron Blechner
On Wed, Mar 28, 2018, 12:32 PM Jeffrey Spero via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
On Mar 28, 2018, at 8:56 AM, Maia McCormick <maia.mcc(a)gmail.com> wrote:
While Jeffrey makes a compelling point, I want to chime in with another
thought: *that not having these discussions is just as divisive (if not
more so) than having them*, just in ways that are harder for some sides
of the community to see. While people make (very valid) claims that long
discussions about terminology, altering words to singing squares, etc. are
alienating some more established members of the community, to *not* have
these discussions is to alienate many other folks, particularly people our
dance scene has done less well by in the past -- young people, people of
color, queer people, trans people... the list goes on.
I would never suggest that these discussion not take place. But at some
point, the discussion must end with action either being taken - or not.
This particular discussion has been going on for many years, with very
little new information, with both sides feeling more polarized, and there
being no to little movement in the community at large. We’re beating a
dead horse. At what point does this become more divisive than cohesive?
How is renewing this discussion by rehashing things that have been said
over and over again on both sides of the issue being helpful more than
harmful?
Call it a walk around. Call it a gypsy. Call larks/ravens. Call
gents/ladies. Call the moves as you see fit. But let’s stop the constant
arguing about it that has become tiresome and divisive. Minds really
aren’t being changed after years of rehashing the same points.
And with that, I will no longer rehash MY point!
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