In her essay, “A Cyborg Manifesto,” Donna Haraway uses imagery of a posthuman society to challenge traditional beliefs of identity. In this society, identity is fluid and the line between humans and machines and animals are blurred. Haraway uses the cyborg as a metaphor for those fluid identities that defy binary ideals. In this same manner, Janelle Monae’s 2018 album Dirty Computer reimagines these concepts in a dystopian society where people who refuse to fit into predefined categories are “dirty computers” and persecuted as such.
Dirty Computer follows Jane 57821, a woman that is considered a dirty computer because she doesn’t conform to the social norms of purity and control. Similiar to Haraway’s cyborg, these dirty computers are symbols of defiance against an oppressive system that punishes those who are different. The song, “PYNK” and other songs from the album combat these oppressive practices by celebrating being queer, sexually free, and expressing yourself. Monáe’s depiction of her characters rejects the need for society to classify people according to their gender, race, or sexual orientation and instead embraces Donna Haraway’s vision of a world in which identity is not fixed but rather always changing.
Monaé utilizes the cyborg imagery promoted by Haraway to criticize the dominant nature of technology. The album’s storyline depicts technology as a weapon of oppression, wielded to control and destroy those who deviate from the standard. This is comparable to how Haraway’s cyborg opposes a patriarchal, militarized application of technology. Monae also tackles the same power dynamics that Haraway criticizes in her song “Screwed.” On a surface level, the song is basically saying we’re all screwed, so we might as well just have a good time. But a deeper dive reveals ideas about how oppression can be achieved through controlling bodies that deviate from societal norms. The lyrics, “You fed the world up now, we’ll f it all back down” frame pleasure as a means to rebel against these oppressive regimes. The song reflects Haraway’s depiction of rebellion against capitalist and patriarchal systems.
Overall, Monae’s Dirty Computer refuses to isolate the “other” and describes the bravery and resilience it takes to break the rules. Monáe embodies Haraway’s desire for a future free from the shackles of the past by allowing listeners to use her music to picture a world in which being different is not only accepted but celebrated.
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