In Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto, she discusses a world where gender is not limited to binaries but instead is fluid. Her work rejects the rigid gender roles and societal roles in general of our world, such as man versus woman and human versus machine. She calls for us to make the world a place where fluid identity is accepted.
Janelle Monae utilizes similar themes in her album Dirty Computer. Monae challenges traditional ideas of gender and sexuality in many songs in her album. For example. in the song “Make Me Feel,” she explores fluid romantic attraction and rejects the binaries we typically see in society. Her characters in the album also express a variety of gender and sexual identities. In the song “Screwed,” she explains how freedom is found in the true expression of one’s identity.
Monae also criticizes societal boxes that are typically implemented. In her album, she uses the term “dirty computers” to represent groups that are marginalized for being different than the majority. This can be translated to groups such as racial, ethnic, and LGTBQ+ communities in our society today. She uses her album to resist these social constructs and promote non-conformity. Monae also discusses the complex relationship between technology and humanity. Technology is used to dehumanize and deindividualize the individuals in the album; however, technology is also used by the non-conforming people to channel their individuality and fight back against the majority. This highlights the complexity of the widespread implementation of technology in our society. Technology can create both positive and negative effects on society.
In conclusion, both Cyborg Manifesto and Dirty Computer emphasize the fluidity of identity and technology’s role in helping and hurting society. Monae uses Haraway’s ideas to comment on the lives of marginalized people in today’s society, including racial and gender minority groups, which is extremely relevant to us today.
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