Riot Grrl? Uh, no, I don't think so...

It seems as if every "riot grrl" is such a clone of one another...they ALL like Ani Difranco, they ALL like Sleater Kinney, they all bitch and moan about how terrible their lives are, when most of them are like 16 and don't even know what hardship is. And before all you "grrls" start writing in saying "Riot grrl is about individuality, blah blah blah", how can you even say that when the whole "ideology" is spouted out mechanically on so many web pages on the internet? It's just one further example of the group mentality that is so prevalent in an organization that claims to be about individuality.

Stay away from labels, I don't care how positive they may seem. Labels tend to amalgamate the people who assume them, turning them into robotic beings without any original thoughts or ideas of their own. And that I think is the crux of my annoyance..."riot grrl-ism" is so nice and neat and pretty around the corners. The rebellious edge that it tries to assume is so sanitized and safe. I'm gonna go out on a limb and venture that most who profess to be "riot grrls" are white, suburban, and middle class. This is not an insult or meant to imply anything negative about their placement in life. I happen to fit two out of three categories (I don't live in suburbia). However, this little phase (because face it, that's all it really is) is safe, something that won't piss off mommy and daddy. Maybe my annoynace comes from the perspective of age, I went throught the punk rock and rebellion and cynical stage many years ago...been there, done that. To look at me now, you would think I was the biggest geek on the planet. But that's the thing about maturing...you realize you don't need labels and clothing and bands to identify yourself. And while perhaps that was the intended point of "riot grrl", the message got lost in all the trappings and posturing and i'm-cooler-than-you attitutdes...but then again, what do you expect of something that was born in the brain of Kathleen Hannah? (don't get me started...)

Slut? More like "dumb ass"

ADDENDUM

6/17/99--I received this letter recently regarding my views on riot grrl.

"hi!i like your page and your writing. i've had quite a bit of experience with riot grrrl, alot of it sucked, you forgot to mention the back biting gossip cliques and the elitist exclusion riot grrrl so often breeds. on the other hand i've seen hundreds of rape survivors and otherwise traumatized people find the strength to write, make music, stand up against abuse, and just learn to go on a little healthier. my riot grrrl experiences started in los angeles, here the chapter was mostly hispanic and asian, and mostly lower middle class. we did shows with everybody from food not bombs to the black panthers. so yeah while there is alot dismissable about riot grrrl, it's still capable of completely changing a person's life, it did mine.-tamra"

After reading this, I have to say that while I still hold the same views about riot grrl, I gotta give props to anything that can change someone's life for the better, whether it be girl power, boy power or white power (just kidding). I guess anything that can impact one's life for the better deserves a little credit. Who am I to say what's right for another person?