The Riot Grrrl Manifesto (1991) is, in essence, a rally call. Not only does it state the beliefs of the Riot Grrrl movement, but it also acts as a call to action: it invites readers (especially female readers) to participate in its righteous anger, to “create revolution in [their] own lives every single day by envisioning and creating alternatives to the bullshit christian [sic] capitalist way of doing things.” This was the beginning of the liberated, empowered feminist movement, as is evident in the tone of this writing sample. The language pushes women to take action and resist the power structures that bind them. The text feels raw, even violent. It invokes a visceral reaction. Let us call women to band together, to make art, to appreciate
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It seems to disavow community. The manifesto, on the other hand, is all about building a community and becoming stronger together than apart. It could be considered that Wittig means that any time multiple people challenge a governing principle or structure, they end up still operating within that principle or structure, but the Riot Grrrl Manifesto specifically states that they seek to do the opposite, first by denouncing capitalism and then by saying, “we are interested in creating non-heirarchical [sic] ways of being AND making music, friends, and scenes based on communication + understanding, instead of competition + good/bad categorizations.” Would this subvert Wittig’s social contract in an appropriate way? Wittig (1989) brings up the role of capitalism in enforcing and perpetuating the social contract, too:
I have always thought that women are a class structured very much …show more content…
Through the exploitation of women and other identity categories, the true influence remains in the hands of the heterosexual men, which continues the heterosexual contract about which Wittig writes. Members of society have very little choice in whether they agree to this contract, but it oppresses everyone—who is not white, heterosexual, and male—ceaselessly. The Riot Grrrls take up this fight often in their manifesto as well, saying, “we must take over the means of production” and “we hate capitalism in all its forms and see our main goal as sharing information and staying alive, instead of making profits.” To get out of the system, it is necessary to operate against and in spite of it. However, this may not be
It seems to disavow community. The manifesto, on the other hand, is all about building a community and becoming stronger together than apart. It could be considered that Wittig means that any time multiple people challenge a governing principle or structure, they end up still operating within that principle or structure, but the Riot Grrrl Manifesto specifically states that they seek to do the opposite, first by denouncing capitalism and then by saying, “we are interested in creating non-heirarchical [sic] ways of being AND making music, friends, and scenes based on communication + understanding, instead of competition + good/bad categorizations.” Would this subvert Wittig’s social contract in an appropriate way? Wittig (1989) brings up the role of capitalism in enforcing and perpetuating the social contract, too:
I have always thought that women are a class structured very much …show more content…
Through the exploitation of women and other identity categories, the true influence remains in the hands of the heterosexual men, which continues the heterosexual contract about which Wittig writes. Members of society have very little choice in whether they agree to this contract, but it oppresses everyone—who is not white, heterosexual, and male—ceaselessly. The Riot Grrrls take up this fight often in their manifesto as well, saying, “we must take over the means of production” and “we hate capitalism in all its forms and see our main goal as sharing information and staying alive, instead of making profits.” To get out of the system, it is necessary to operate against and in spite of it. However, this may not be