Tag: BP03

Blog Post #3: More Human Than Human

Simone H.
Reading Time: < 1 minute

In Donna Harays 1985 Manifesto, she envisions a post-gender world, where identity embraces fluidity and hybrid, it also crosses traditional boundaries. There concepts are explored in Janelle Monae 2018 album, Dirty Computer, which explores themes of identity, oppression, and emancipation in a dystopian setting.

Janelle reflects Haraways concept of fluid identity through her multi-faced personas. She embraces diversity and self expression in her songs, as well as in her album covers. Diversity, self-expression, and fluidity all surface in her music Django Jane and Pynk both defies strict identification boundaries. Aligning with Haraways vision of moving beyond fixed gender roles and embracing a more complex sense of themselves.

Technology is portrayed in Dirty Computer as a source of monitoring and empowerment. This supports Haraways idea that integrating technology could undermine repressive societal systems, by saying that adopting it can strengthen individuals and communities. Dirty Computer also tackles the persecution of nonconforming people, echoing Haraways criticism of conventional wisdom. In Janelles album the song Take a Byte criticizes the monitoring on disadvantaged identities, it shows a world in which people who do not fit in, are oppressed.

The album highlights the value of intersectionality and community. By highlighting the struggles of race, gender, sexuality Janelle promotes a sense of solidarity. Even knowing the artist outside of just this album she has always been an advocate for sexuality, gender, and more. She advocates for a free world from persecution for fluid identities by exploring and embodying Haraways concepts.

#BP03

Between Human and Machine: The Future of Identity

Luci S.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In a world where identities are often limited by strict categories like gender, race, and social rules, both Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto and Janelle Monáe’s album Dirty Computer challenge these limits. Haraway, writing in 1985, imagines a future where fixed gender roles don’t exist, and being a cyborg allows for a more flexible sense of identity. Monáe, in her 2018 dystopian album, highlights how people are punished for not fitting into society’s expectations. Both works push us to rethink traditional ideas of humanity and identity, offering new ways to see a freer, more diverse sense of self.

A Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway

The ideas in Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto strongly connect with Janelle Monáe’s album Dirty Computer. Both works explore the idea that identity is not fixed, and they break down traditional categories like gender, race, and sexuality. In Dirty Computer, Monáe creates a world where these aspects of identity exist on a spectrum, challenging society’s norms. For example, in her song “Django Jane,” she emphasizes self-determination and personal power, which aligns with Haraway’s vision of a future where identity is shaped by personal experience, not by society’s strict standards.

Dirty Computer Album Cover by Janelle Monáe

Monáe blends the ideas of technology and identity, calling herself both a cyborg and a queen. This mix reflects Haraway’s idea of the cyborg as a symbol of identity that breaks free from traditional boundaries. In “Make Me Feel,” Monáe talks about love and attraction in a way that shows the fluidity between masculine and feminine qualities, showing that relationships are complex and cannot be limited to strict categories. This mirrors Haraway’s call to embrace the complexity of identity. In the song “Pynk,” Monáe celebrates femininity and self-acceptance, showing that accepting all parts of yourself leads to freedom and happiness. This challenges society’s pressures to conform. Monáe also discusses how technology affects identity in the song “Dirty Computer.” She highlights both the positive and negative effects, showing how technology can give people more freedom but can also be used to control and restrict them. This ties in with Haraway’s cyborg, which represents the merging of human and machine and offers a new way to look at identity.

In conclusion, both individuals, Monáe and Haraway, encourage us to think differently about identity and society. They push us to see identity as something fluid and diverse, showing the importance of accepting individuality and breaking free from society’s rigid rules. Their works inspire us to imagine a future where everyone can be what ever they want to be.

UNCONFORMED

Damon S.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” (1985) and Janelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer” (2018) share similar themes that explore identity, fluidity, and resistance, offering equivalent visions of empowerment. Haraway’s essay imagines a post-gender world where human, machine, and animal boundaries blur, challenging rigid definitions of identity. Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer reflects this by depicting a world where people who do not conform to societal norms in terms of gender, race, and sexuality, are labeled as “dirty”. They both present hybrid identities as a form of rebellion against oppressive systems. In Cyborg Manifesto, Haraway rejects binary thinking, presenting the cyborg as a metaphor for dismissing clear distinctions between categories like human and machine, or male and female. Monáe embodies this cyborg identity by incorporating different musical genres and playing with her own persona throughout Dirty Computer. Her songs like “Pynk” discusses the fluidity of gender and sexuality, embracing multiplicity rather than fixed labels. In “I Like That,” Monáe challenges societal pressures to conform, taking pride in her “crazy, sexy, cool, Black and nerdy” self, embodying Haraway’s belief that embracing different identities is a journey toward freedom.

Monáe’s android alter ego, present throughout her work but especially highlighted in Dirty Computer, functions as a cyborg-like figure, embodying hybridity. Songs like “Make Me Feel” challenge norms of sexuality in a way that resonates with Haraway’s vision of post-gender identity. Through her lyrics and visual storytelling, Monáe disembodies binary constructs and celebrates difference. Her album is an anthem for those including people of color and others whose identities do not conform to societal expectations. Monáe’s use of technology as a theme and a tool parallels Haraway’s use of the cyborg metaphor. In Dirty Computer, technology becomes both the mechanism of control and a means of resistance. Technology also gives these characters a way to fight back, to reclaim their “dirty” identities and refuse to be forgotten. This reflects Haraway’s idea that technology, rather than being inherently oppressive, can be a space for liberation when wielded. Haraway and Monáe emphasize that the fluidity of identity whether cyborg or human, threatens oppressive structures like patriarchy, racism, and homophobia. In Dirty Computer, Monáe’s android persona fights against a system that dehumanizes those who do not fit a certain standard, much like Haraway’s cyborg disrupts traditional boundaries.

Embracing all of humanity

Taylor W.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” and Janelle Monae’s album “Dirty Computer” both deal with themes of identity and resistance to a marginalized system. Presenting themselves as “the other” or those who do not conform to societies standard instead making their own path, by finding strength in their differences. These standards being classified by human vs. machine, gender, and race. To them these are held in place to oppress the marginalized groups. Haraways cyborg symbolizes the resistance and Monae’s “Dirty computer” reflects on the struggle of those who resist societal expectations. These works offer empowerment to those who believe embracing ones own self identity rather than uniformity. 

 In Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” she portrays the cyborg as a hybrid human/machine that blurs the line between societal norms. The cyborg being part human and part machine is transcending human capabilities and not limiting . Her cyborg challenges the idea that technology is dehumanizing people but rather expand our human abilities. She also challenges the idea that Ai is negative/corrupting/impure. She aligns with the idea that technology is good/helpful because only propels the human race further. For example advancements in technology has led humans to making scientific breakthroughs so that we can live long lives . In Monae’s song Dirty computer it is a metaphor for someone who is impure based on societies standards. By rejecting the idea of purity she exemplifies that people shouldn’t have to fit into categories for identity. This song celebrates the uniqueness and power people hold when the diverge from these standards set by society. Throughout the album is like a journey of acceptance, by embracing the “dirty” she explains this is what make being a human so beautiful. We are able to be multifaceted so many different forms like technology. In Monae’s song “Django Jane” she is celebrating her Afrofuturistic nature and how far she’s come against the system of oppression  because of her resilience. 

Moving Past Restricting Norms to a Post-gender World

Katie H.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Restricted Identity vs Fluid Identity (Katz-Wise, 2020)

Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” depicts a world that moves past limiting dualisms to a world that is post-gender. In this post-gender world, identity is fluid rather than restricted. Several of Haraway’s ideas can be seen in Janelle Monae’s album Dirty Computer.

Track 14, “Americans,” in Dirty Computer is a call for a post-gender world that is more just, more equitable, and where identity is fluid. The song touches on race, gender, and sexuality. It depicts a wish to move past traditional norms for a more just society where identity is fluid and not restricted to categorical norms. Some lyrics from the album include “I like my woman in the kitchen,” “A pretty young thang, she can wash my clothes / But she’ll never ever wear my pants,” “You see my color before my vision / Sometimes I wonder if you were blind / Would it help you make a better decision,” “Until same-gender loving people can be who they are / This is not my America,” and “Until black people can come home from a police stop without being shot in the head / This is not my America” (Monae, 2018). In the song “Americans,” Monae discusses the male/female dualism and the gender norms that come with it among other norms like race and sexuality. Females are expected to cook and clean, while men get to “wear the pants” in the relationship. Both Haraway and Monae want to move past these traditional norms to a more equitable society where identity can be fluid and is not forced to be confined to rigid traditional structures.

Track 10, “I Like That,” in Dirty Computer depicts an individual embracing a fluid identity and breaking away from traditional norms, which aligns with Haraway’s vision for a post-gender world where fluid identity thrives breaking past restricting society. Lyrics include “I’m always left of center and that’s right where I belong / I’m the random minor note you hear in major songs” “I don’t really give a **** if I was just the only one,” and “I never like to follow, follow all around” (Monae, 2018). Monae’s lyrics in “I Like That” depicts someone moving away from traditional norms instead of following them. Both Haraway and Monae picture a world where identity is fluid instead of being restricted to traditional norms, which leads to a more equitable and fair world.

References:

Katz-Wise, S. L. (2020, December 3). Gender fluidity: What it means and why support matters. Harvard Health Blog; Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gender-fluidity-what-it-means-and-why-support-matters-2020120321544

Monae, J. (2018). Dirty Computer [Album]. Wondaland; Bad Boy; Atlantic.

Breaking the Mold

Zakiyah M.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In the “Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Haraway, the author speaks of a world where individuals do not have to worry about gender conformity in society. The essay proposes that in a more ideal world, gender should be a construct that is viewed as fluid and not something that is a deciding factor of self-identification. This is a key concept of post-humanism. Janelle Monae explores this theme of non-conformity (and post-humanism) within her album “Dirty Computer”. The second song on the album, “Crazy, Classic, Life” talks about wanting to break the rules and be free from the norms of life. One of example of this is seen in the second verse of the song, “I don’t need a diamond ring / I don’t wanna waste my youth / I don’t wanna live on my knees / I just have to tell the truth.” This section of the song is about the want to not follow the societal norms of marriage. It is expected of people to get married in their twenties and start families, but Janelle Monae expresses that she desires something else for herself. She goes on by saying that she does not want to live a submissive life, further driving the point of wanting to be her own individual instead of what society wants for her be. Monae’s expression of wanting to be her own person and not conform to what is expected directly relates to the ideal world that Donna Haraway wrote about. When Haraway wrote her essay in 1985, she wanted to break the mold for how society viewed woman and how this would be possible by removing the preconceived notions of what this identification means and looks like. Janelle Monae’s album (released in 2018) contains a more broad take on these same themes and additionally moves beyond gender non-conformity exclusively and more into a post-humanist view that relates to the entire identity of the person.

A Post-Gender world

Kendall B.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Haraway offers a vision of a post-gender world in which identity is fluid. This vision can be seen within Janelle Monáe’s album “Dirty Computer” which depicts a dystopian world where non-conforming individuals are persecuted. Firstly, in the “Cyborg Manifesto” essay she informs the reader that there are many binaries within western culture. For example, like the concept of male and female; it’s either one or the other, not both and not definitely not neither. This social structure creates the means for power dynamics within society. With power dynamics comes inequality, social isolation, and gender supremacy. When addressing cyborg entities she expresses the fact that they cannot be categorized within these bounds. A cyborg is a hybrid entity which is fluid and does not represent a binary gender. Some of these ideas can be seen in Janelle Monáe’s album. My favorite song on her album, “I Like That”, tries to break down societal norms affecting women. Women are supposed to exude beauty and have this specific sort of feminine identity/presence. She says, “I don’t care what I look like, but I feel good”. She realizes that as a lady she is looked at and judged on a daily basis because of her gender. However she doesn’t care about what others have to say. She believes that feeling good about yourself comes from within, not from the outside. As long as you feel good inside then that is all that matters. Another example from that song is “And I like that, I don’t really give a f*ck if I was just the only one / Who likes that”. Janelle is saying she doesn’t want to conform to the social norms within her society. This lyric may not clearly state gender but it expresses her fluid identity and individuality. Both Haraway and Janelle Monáe come to the same conclusion on their view of a post-gender world where identity is fluid and somewhat nonbinary.

Complexed Identity: The Intersection of Haraway and Monáe

Jazmine F.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Haraway’s cyborg work is explored in many ways in Janelle Monáe’s album. Haraway’s work presents a radical way of thinking about identity and the boundaries of identity as fluid. Whereas, Monáe’s album presents a dystopian environment where individuals face persecution of being non-conforming individuals. There’s a connection between these works in exploring identity and unfolding the complexity of gender and technology. Haraway argues that a cyborg is a blend of human and machine, which plays a major role in society today. For example, technology is evolving and constantly advancing how humans function, and technology is a tool that takes away from the responsibilities of humans. This leads us to wonder what it means to be a human? What is identity? Do we have to follow the social norms of identity?

Monáe uses her music to create a situation that describes the themes of identity and oppression. She creates a future where those who challenge the societal norm are persecuted. The imagery and vision of the music reveals a society that will erase norms out of the framework, which relates to Hararway’s resistance within the system of oppression.

There is another vital alignment between the two works: they align with the embarking complexity of identities, which is important for liberation. Haraway’s manifesto discusses technology as a tool for liberation that allows for forming new identities that will eventually challenge traditional structures. In addition, Monáe’s music uses futuristic themes and visuals to highlight the relationship between technology and identity. The control of Monáe’s album goes back to how technology plays a role in society, but in this case how technology perpetuates oppression.

Both of these works challenge us to rethink the real understanding of identity and how technology plays a role in developing humans. Monáe uses her music to create imagery that embodies the idea of Haraway’s cyborg and encourages the listeners/readers to celebrate and be true to themselves. Overall, we are challenged to think of a world that is constantly changing, especially with us: the things around us that influence us (technology).

The works create an inspiration to embrace the complexity of true norms and embrace the diversity that everyone has.

We are the future. We are artists. We paint our identity.

Monae, Donna, & the Theme of Gender Idenity

Jenna L.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Though it sounds far-fetched, Jenelle Monáe’s album Dirty Computer resonates with the ideas framed in Donna Haraway’s essay Cyborg Manifesto especially as it pertains to the themes of gender identity, its fluidity and the push to resist oppression. For Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto, Harraway offers a vision of a post-gender world in which identity is fluid. Haraway champions for the breakdown of the rigid boxes that categorize the human idea of identity and emphasizing fluidity beyond traditional binaries of gender, race, and species, which is what Monáe brings to life with her album Dirty Computer. Monáe’s album is a celebration of black queer feminist resistance against the oppression, racism, and misogyny in modern society. It’s important to note that Monáe herself is a queer woman who identifies as pansexual and is non-binary, opting to use pronouns of they/them or she/her. In an interview on the American talk show Red Table Talk. Monáe stated, “I’m non-binary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely,” She added, “I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ If I am from God, I am everything. I am everything, but I will always, always stand with women.” In addition to that, Monáe explained that she’s attracted to people based on their energy, rather than their gender or sex. Dirty Computer uses many of her real life experiences as a queer woman to pull first hand inspiration for the album. In Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer: An Experience Immersed In Musical Activism written by Lucas Cava. Cava details the core details of Monáe’s album as it represents a love letter to black queer America, it shows them support in a society where they’re often the marginalized and demonized group. The dystopian world depicted in Dirty Computer mirrors Haraway’s concept showcasing a society where non-conforming individuals face persecution and fight with different forms of resistance.  Overall, Monáe’s Dirty Computer not only aligns with Haraway’s vision but also provides a strong viewpoint on the realities of those who are often marginalized identities within society.

From Manifesto to Music

Sydney V.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Donna Haraway (September 6, 1944 – present) By jonatkins
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/donna-haraway-september-6-1944-to-present

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.

Scene from “Dirty Computer” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8343642/

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.