[Editor's Note: Hey Readers! Welcome to the first installation of "Throwback Thursdays." Every first Thursday of the month we'll feature a post from the BDU Blog, Version 1.0. I thought this post about the '09 drag show is appropriate, in light of this month's upcoming drag show. Please let us know what you think about the questions "michael" poses. And, be sure to mark your calendars: BDU's Annual Drag Show will be on October 20th at the Coffee House on East campus; there is a 7pm and a 9pm show.)]March 5, 2009
So we had the Drag Show last week, and I think it was a success. At least it was a success in terms of the number of people who showed up, but I am not sure about how many people "got" the point of the show? Do Duke students understand the gender play and why we had the show? I am not sure.
The Drag Show is a great "social" occasion where we are able to increase the presence of both Blue Devils United and the LGBTQ Community on campus. It is a chance for students to showcase their talent and to have a little fun. Does the Drag Show have a political element to it? Should that be the focus? Or is it enough to just make the statement that we make and give Duke a taste of a part of the LGBTQ Community they do not usually see?
I think it is a touch balancing act. If we just make it a social and performance event, than it is likely that our message, of shock, acceptance, and understanding, may be lost though the "hilarity" that people see. However, if we politicize and shock too much, do we risk alienating our audience so that they shut out and ignore the cultural statements we are trying to challenge and make?
I pose these questions to you, so that we can work on how we present future Drag Shows and the Duke LGBTQ Community so that we can effectively and accurately promote our causes.
Let us know what you think.
"michael"
hmmmmm "gender play" because gender is def politically neutral and not a dichotomous oppressed/privileged class
ReplyDeletebetter idea!
let's play with other inequalities! you know race... or better yet disability! let's have a disability show where a bunch of able bodied folks do funny dances dressed as people with disabilities! that'll go over so well. and it's totes ok because obviously it's hilarious and it's not offensive because it's just privileged folks dressing up and making jokes about an oppressed class. i call dibs on doing a dance to "till the world ends" in a wheelchair!