Author: Justice K.

Breaking Boundaries: Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer and Haraway’s Cyborg Vision

Justice K.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto, she envisions a world where identity is not fixed by traditional categories such as gender, race, or sexuality, but is instead flexible and shaped by technology. She imagines the “cyborg” as a hybrid being, one that is not limited to binary thinking and traditional systems of power. This idea connects with the themes in Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer, which portrays a dystopian future where individuals who don’t conform to societal norms are persecuted, particularly those who deviate from traditional gender roles or sexual identities.

Monáe’s album is a strong statement of self-empowerment and resistance against a world that seeks to control and define people. In tracks like “Pynk” and “Make Me Feel,” Monáe celebrates fluidity in sexuality and gender, breaking down the binaries that Haraway critiques in her manifesto. Just as Haraway imagines a future where technology can help dismantle restrictive identities, Monáe uses her music as a platform for self-expression that challenges norms. The metaphor of the “dirty computer” speaks to a body that is “corrupted” or “imperfect” by societal standards, yet this imperfection is what makes it human and powerful. It matches Haraway’s idea of the cyborg, which rejects the notion of perfection and natural ideals in favor of a more hybrid and, ultimately, free existence.

The story in Dirty Computer reflects Haraway’s criticism of the restrictions placed on gender and sexuality. In songs like “Django Jane,” Monáe reclaims her power and space, both as a woman and as a person of color. This is a theme that mirrors Haraway’s call to break down traditional power structures. Monáe’s depiction of a persecuted group in Dirty Computer directly mirrors Haraway’s warning that systems of domination, whether through gender, race, or technology, often rely on rigid categories to maintain control. In Monáe’s world, non-conforming individuals are labeled as “dirty” or “outlaws,” much like the cyborg rejects the boundaries set by society.

Ultimately, Dirty Computer offers a musical interpretation of Haraway’s cyborg. Both works question the concept of identity as something static and instead embrace fluidity, technology, and resistance as pathways to a more liberated existence.

Big Bad Corporations

Justice K.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner are two pioneering examples of the cyberpunk genre. In both, the rise of amoral corporations and the rapid development and implementation of artificial intelligence are central themes, which also come at the detriment of individual freedom and identity. 

In Neuromancer, the powerful mega-corporations, such as the Tessier-Ashpool family, exemplify the concentration of power and the deterioration of personal freedom. The Tessier-Ashpool family is not just a business corporation, but rather a mighty force that manipulates and controls its members. These members, who have chosen to have their consciousness transferred into cyberspace instead of living in the real world, are a representation of a loss of physical identity. They chose to live in the digital world, blurring the line between machine and human. The protagonist, Case, who struggles against the Tessier-Ashpool family, has a broken identity and is controlled by them. Cyberspace, which has its own set of rules and dangers separate from reality, is used to show the growing threat of corporate control and how it affects multiple aspects of life, including self-identity and autonomy. 

Blade Runner is also set in a dystopian future where the Tyrell Corporation has immense power. They created replicants, which are biologically created beings made in the image of humans. The replicants, which have heightened physical abilities, are designed to serve humans, but they don’t possess the emotional intelligence of real people. The main antagonist, Roy Batty, is a replicant that battles with a society that is trying to get rid of him and his kind. His journey for a solution to prolong his life exemplifies the struggle of people who are exploited and controlled by corporations. The film shows the replicants’ struggle against their creators, proposing important questions about identity and personal freedom. It makes us consider the ethics of using advanced technology to dehumanize and exploit conscious beings. 

In conclusion, both Neuromancer and Blade Runner portray a future where powerful corporations and advancements in artificial intelligence have eroded the essence of human identity and autonomy.

A Thousand Genders?!

Justice K.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

A common theme of the cyberpunk genre is the disintegration of common cultural or political boundaries. In the past few years, we have seen a monumental shift when it comes to the boundary of gender. Growing up, all I remember being taught is that there are two genders: male and female. Now, things have drastically changed. When doing research for this post, the first question I researched was “how many genders are there?”, and I was shocked when the first result that popped up said 72! As I continued to research, I found an article from Teen Talk that explained the concept of gender identity. From the article I learned that gender identity is purely how someone chooses to view themself, and it is not based on their genitals. I also learned of a new gender term ‘two-spirit’, in which a person is not limited to just one gender and can walk back and forth between genders. This is an example of how our society has collapsed the boundary of gender. Before, gender was based on anatomy, now, it is based upon how the individual chooses to identify. This aligns with some of the views of humanism because people now have the right to choose their gender in order to do whatever makes them happy and give them the best life experience possible. I believe that this shift of the gender boundary is the product of our society’s attempt to become more inclusive. In order to make as much of the population as possible feel respected and safe, we have done away with many established practices. For example, the airport in Kansas City, Missouri now has all-gender bathrooms that will allow travelers more privacy and security. They did this in order to increase both efficiency and inclusivity for all travelers (Kite, 2019).