Interview 1 

1. Would you say feminists are anti male or male haters and can men 
be feminists?

It's funny you should ask that last bit because the Women's Officer at
my last University organised a debate about whether men can be feminists. 
Unfortunately I couldn't attend, and I can only guess at the sort of 
issues around this question. I believe most feminists, including
sympathetic men, would say that no, men cannot be feminists. The reasons 
would be primarily to do with the fact that without the experience of 
being female in a patriarchal society one cannot comprehend and empathise 
with feminist outlooks etc. Similarly, I've known black people who say 
that black people cannot be considered racist because the whole ideology 
of racial separation is a white invention.  Personally I don't feel strongly 
either way about progressive men being considered feminists.  I have known 
many men who were tremendously understanding, respecting and sympathetic of 
feminism and that should be acknowledged.  As it happens though, in spite of 
their best intentions, each of those men still had outlooks and behaviours 
about or towards women, both conscious and subconscious, that were obvious 
remnants of a patriarchal mindset that only a man would have.  

Back to the first part of the question, no kids, it can now be told that 
feminism is first and foremost about women and not about men at all.  It 
wouldn't be very feminist to group all feminists under a particular mindset 
anyway, but anti-men or anti-male would certainly not be one of them.  Men 
or maleness are not the enemy, patriarchy is the enemy. Everybody has an 
opportunity and a duty to fight patriarchy and you don't have to be a 
woman to see that patriarchy is not just about maleness.  


2. As a feminist what certain beliefs do you hold on things such as gender 
roles?

As a social scientist I feel pretty confident that gender roles are mostly socially 
conditioned and not biological.  The gender roles assigned to girls and boys and women and 
men are just limitations for everybody.  Everybody gets oppressed by their own and other 
people's attempts to fit the gender roles assigned to us by tradition.



3. Do you think men's roles in society are better than women's?

Objectively: 
Men are less aware of the limitations of their roles.
Society expects more from men, so there is a greater burden of responsibility and achievement, 
but on the other hand men are far more likely to be recognised for their achievements. 
For these reasons I'd say men's roles are a better experience than those assigned to women. 

Subjectively:
Male gender roles are completely worthless.  Society has no need whatsoever for people who are 
competitive, arrogant, violent, selfish etc.  Therefore, the stereotypical female traits of 
emotion, caring, co-operating etc. are much better. 


4. Women who use sex to make a living; is this women being exploited by men or men being 
exploited by women?

Objectively:
By men being exploited by women I can only think that means because men are supposedly slaves 
to their sexual urges women take advantage of this for their own profit.  But if you think of 
it practically, the vast majority of women in this line of work are just trying to survive. 
It's not a profitable or secure type of work for most women.  
Furthermore, I would say it is exploitative of someone to reduce another human being to an 
instrument for personal gratification. 

Subjectively:
What the theoretical debates always ignore is the sex industry itself.  Most of the people 
in the profit-making hierarchy of the industry are men.  Most importantly though, at the bottom 
of this hierarchy is a culture of rape, drug addiction, economic exploitation etc. which is 
inseparable from the day-to-day functioning of the sex industry.  People who support pornography 
etc. are supporting all this as well just as surely as if you buy a Kit Kat you are supporting 
Nestle's infanticide in South America. 


5. What would you say is feminism/ your definition like. 

I'm glad you asked for my definition, because I am not comfortable saying, 'this is what is or is 
not feminism' and defining it for all feminists since trying to set boundaries like that seems 
pretty patriarchal to me.  For me personally, feminism means challenging patriarchy in all its forms. 
It tends to work out practically as inseparable from anarchism really, since patriarchy is coercion 
and coercion is patriarchy.  First and foremost of course I see the effects of sexism and misogyny 
in everyday life and look for the alternatives to these.  



Interview 2


1. Okay, Albatross firstly·tell us a bit about yourself, how did 
you get involved in this HC/Punk scene, your contribution to the scene
and your future plan?

First of all I better point out that I am a girl since I have this 
androgynous nickname and, as I've said before, people are male until 
proven female.  When I was a teenager I got bored with chart music, so 
when I heard a type of music that sounded exciting and actually was 
politically radical like myself I knew at once it was for me! I've been 
a punk since I was 15. I'm 24 now.  I live in London and am at 
University here studying for my Doctorate in Sociology.  My area of 
research is the children's rights movement in Western Europe.  For 4 
years I've done a zine called Synthesis (issue 4 out now).  Soon I hope 
also to start organising shows/tours for diy hardcore bands, straightedge 
bands preferably.  I have been straightedge for as long as (or longer 
than) I've been a punk.  


2. What is hardcore to you? your own definition of it?

Hardcore is the punks who reject mainstream societies values and practices 
and work to create an underground alternative counter-culture free of 
things like capitalism, profiteering, sexism etc.


3. Hardcore is a trend, do you agree? and what do you think about 
darkcore, evilcore, krishnacore·etc?

Kids who are looking for a trend to follow are nothing to do with the 
hardcore as I defined above.  Certain aspects of punk have become very 
trendy in many societies in recent years and it fucking sucks because it 
just proves how shallow people can be.  The sub-cultures of punk that 
you mentioned are the same. They are more to do with people playing with 
shallow identity games than trying to create something meaningful.  



4. How about your hometown hardcore scene. Any new zines or bands 
come out?

London is so spread out that we have not had much of a self-generating 
scene here for a long time.  There is lots of good stuff in other parts 
of the UK, but London· I cannot recommend any hardcore zines from 
London.  There is a new emo band with some kids I know in it including 
one sxe.  They are called Hythe and they will probably be putting out a 
7" soonish.


5. You are sxe right? What is straightedge to you? your own definition 
about it? And do you think that straightedge is for hardcore only or it's 
for everybody? 

Avoiding mind-altering substances and exploiting other people. I am vegan, 
but I don't think that is fundamental to sxe although it goes along with 
it very well.  So I don't drink or smoke or take drugs or fornicate and 
this is a personal choice and nothing to do with religion or peer pressure.  
I want to keep my mind clear and in control.  I think everybody should do 
the same of course, but sxe came out of punk and if people are going to 
adopt the sxe aesthetic as well as the practices I think they are poseurs 
if they consider themselves separate from hardcore.


6. How would you define D.I.Y.? And your opinion about Victory Records.

DIY is following hardcore to it's logical conclusion.  I'll borrow a quote 
from the awesome Newland zine:'DIY does NOT mean doing everything on your own, 
but doing everything without help from this capitalist system and its tools'.  
That means not bringing the profit-motive into the scene and not dealing 
with people who do.  Victory, Lost and Found, Revelation, Goodlife etc. are 
nothing to do with hardcore. They use the hardcore aesthetic and target an 
audience of people who are interested in hardcore, but they are patently 
not hardcore or even punk.  They are not an alternative and they only harm 
the scene and people in it.


7. Your opinion about bands that sign with major labels?

Again, they are not hardcore, they have selfish motives and 
they only bring harm to this fragile alternative some of us are 
trying to build.  


8. Your opinion about political bands? your views on politicians and the 
political situations there and your political ideology·. 

The more politics the better in hardcore as far as I'm concerned. I do like 
a lot of bands with personal lyrics, but it's only in hardcore that we get 
sincere political bands and that's awesome. As long as the bands aren't 
fascist or theocratic or something·Politicians·I can think of some individual 
politicians like Mandela and Mary Robinson who seem ok politically and as 
people, but most politicians are self-serving, power-hungry and all that bad 
stuff.  Contemporary Britain is a perfect example of this because for the past 
1 ¸ years we have this new Government of complete self-serving, anti-
democratic, Stalinist centrism. Their only ideology is to keep themselves in 
power and having a nice inter-national profile and they are perfecting the art 
of propaganda to do so.  

I guess my only ideology is being against ideology.  I am pretty idealistic I 
guess and I am happy to call myself an anarchist.  If I were to give another 
label to myself I would add that I'm a feminist.  


9. What do you want to say to bands that try to spread their religion in 
the HC/Punk scene? 

Mind control, patriarchical religions and ideological propaganda has no place 
in a scene that is about questioning authority and having free thought.  
These bands are taking advantage of the fact that kids in the scene tend to 
be impressionable and they are in the process of developing their identities 
so they might fall for the lies of religions.


10. How about your society around your place? Have they made any problem 
with your scene?

Britain has in the last few centuries been very open and tolerant to 
alternative cultures in comparison to a lot of countries.  Punks don't get 
bothered much these days, but ravers get in trouble and get busted for 
drugs a lot.  Punk is pretty well established as a musical culture.  As 
an arm of punk though, the squatters movement has had a lot of problems in 
recent years especially under the old Government.  It is definitely not 
comparable to the sort of cultural warfare and police harassment you get 
in SE Asia though!


11. Why do people like to judge someone from the outside look?

That is the primary way people have of understanding what another person 
is about.  We should be able to then continue from that point of under-
standing through other methods as well, but some people never learned how 
to do that.  Some people can tell instinctively many deep things about 
someone they have never met before, and some cannot.  Some people were 
taught intolerance of new and different people because of the way they 
were raised by their family for instance and some people were taught 
tolerance. 

Some cultures are more tolerant than others.  The USA for instance is 
very geared towards conformism and there is a lot of suspicion of people 
who seem 'different', and Britain is a very tolerant culture especially 
when it comes to things like alternative lifestyles.  

As I see it, every new generation seems to be more tolerant and less 
authoritarian than the last one.  We live in a very shallow world, but 
it is also a much smaller, more international world so nobody can avoid 
diversity in society anymore, so I think there will be less judgement of 
people from that level.  


12.  'Male against female' do you think this confrontation is ending?

I think the feminist revolution is still progressing in various forms and 
women's empowerment is increasingly in evidence, but unfortunately there 
is less evidence of the actual conflict between men and women ending.  
In fact, there is a tremendous backlash now with men becoming aware that 
their relative position is decreasing and they are reacting with more 
hatred of women.  I think this backlash will end eventually. 


13. I want to know how do you see this:

i) Child Abuse: A debate has just begun in Britain about whether 
it should be illegal for parents to hit their children. Of course I am 
very big on children's rights and I think nobody should hit children or 
anybody else.  The reason adults hit or beat children is the same reason 
adults sexually abuse children; because children are weak and wherever 
in society there is a power relation (men and women, police and citizens) 
there will be a (ab)use of that power. 

ii) Free Sex: Everybody should be free to have sex with whomever 
they want whenever they want.  That is a very important realm of personal 
empowerment; control over one's sexuality.  I don't think that people are 
naturally monogamous, but I don't think having lots of partners just 
because you can or because of sexual competitiveness is a very healthy 
attitude to have either. I know it's not right for me, and from what I've 
seen it only causes trouble for other people.  Using people for your own 
gratification without considering their feelings is another example of the 
selfishness that makes the world such a nasty place.  And people do get 
hurt either because they feel used or because they get a disease or 
whatever.  

iii) Racism:  ·is the ideology that the human race can be broken 
down into smaller races with biological distinctions.  It was invented to 
justify the atrocities of imperialism, and it is still around today.  
Racist murders happen in my own city, London on a regular basis and these 
are usually committed by the police.  So racism is still very strong and 
it's something we always have to fight.  I notice it in everyday 
conversation even with my friends, and when that happens it has to be 
challenged and cannot be tolerated.

iv) Capitalism:It is getting stronger all the time.  There is only 
one political power in the world, and that is multinational corporations.  
They know how strong they are and how much stronger they can be and they 
are even working together through things like the Multinational Agreement 
on Investment (MAI) to ensure that we are all slaves and can have no 
alternative to their hegemony.  We have to fight every single possible 
aspect of capitalism in our everyday lives.  Not just by keeping it out 
of hardcore, but by not buying products from multinational corporations, 
by supporting union rights, by not falling for the consumerist ideology·


14 Your comments about fastfood outlets like McDonalds?

That is one of those multinational corporations that has to be boycotted 
and campaigned against.  They are responsible for destroying rainforest, 
the enslavement and murder of millions (billions?) of animals, the 
exploitation of children through their advertising (this was proven in a 
British court last year), spying on people who tell the truth about them 
and selling unhealthy food as well as contributing to the general American 
cultural imperialism of the globe.  In fact, you and I can both be sued by 
McDonalds if you print what I've just said about them because they are so 
powerful they try to smash anyone who speaks against them.  McDonalds must 
be stopped!  In case they do try to sue us, I'll just put a disclaimer 
here that the above is all a lie and that McDonalds is great, never does 
anything wrong ever and that eating McDonalds' food will make your skin 
white and your hair blonde (according to the Director of McDonalds in Japan - 
he really said that!). 



15. What are your top 5 favourite bands/ singers/zines/labels/people
/countries/books/meals/drinks/ place/friends?

This is the self indulgent bit eh? Favourite band of all time is Dead 
Kennedys. I think the best punk band ever though was Crass.  Right now I 
also like Ordination or Aaron, Broken Hearts are Blue and Peu Etre. 

Singers·Morrissey, David Gedge of the Wedding Present and all those 
French kids who scream in bands like Peu Etre.

Zines·Sanjam, European Manhood (France), Forkboy, Newland (Belgium), 
Once So Close, Slaves of Mainstream (Netherlands), Rigsby (UK)

The best zine I ever read was Mazel-tov Cocktail, a one-off zine by 
and about Jews in punk.

Labels·Le brun, le roux, Opale (France), Spread, Armed With Anger (UK)

People·Jello Biafra, Noam Chomsky, Dirk Bogarde, Audrey Hepburn, 
Sean Wat Tyler

Countries·Britain, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and (although I've 
never been) Norway.

Books·Ada (Nabokov), Down and Out in Paris and London (Orwell), my 
Dictionary, my guide to films, my vegan food guide

Meals·Yaki Soba, Sweet and Sour Tofu, Pad Thai with Tofu, any Thai 
Curry and anything chocolate

Drinks·Provamel chocolate soya milk, Provamel strawberry soya milk, 
orange juice, pineapple juice, grapefruit juice

Place·London, Southeast London, by the Thames River in London, on 
Parliament Hill in London, on Primrose Hill in London·

Friends·of the punks: Joris Forkboy, Brob Tilt! (Belgium), Rob 
Tinderbox, Chris (UK), Jobst (Germany), of the non-punks: my 2 flatmates; 
Graham the artist and Grant the sociologist, my best friend John whom 
I've known since we were 15, David whom I've known since we were 18, 
Linus who is the only one living in London·I have never had many female 
friends!

Interview 3



1) First words and tell us a bit about yourself?


I'm reading the second of the Harry Potter books: they are
children's books written by an English woman all about a boy who
is a wizard and who goes to a school where he learns how to use
magic. They are awesome books. As of February 2000, I'm 25 years
old, proud to be a woman, love to listen to powerviolence, study
for a research degree at Goldsmiths College, University of
London, my favourite hobby is cycling, I'm an anarchist, I love
being involved in the punk scene and the best part of that is
the great people I am in contact with all over the world. Most
of my non-pen friends are not punks though and that is nice too.


	2) Some brief information on Synthesis zine, what is your zine
mainly about? what did Synthesis zine set out to achieve?

Trying to think back four years now when my life was quite
different. 
I know I wanted to be more actively involved in the scene and I
had things to say and thought I should contribute them to
discourse in the scene. There was noone out there who was saying
quite what I thought, in fact almost all I ever read in zines
was from (and about) older American boys who played in bands. 

Since starting, Synthesis has become progressively more oriented
towards outspoken anarchism and feminism and I tend to normalise
things like veganism and straight edge as well and to promote
diy ethics in hardcore as the necessary alternative to creeping
commercialism and capitalism in the scene. 


		
3) What inspired you to put out Synthesis zine? are they any new
outside projects ( gigs etc )?

Oh my gosh yes, apart from the zine is my growing zine distro
which I am very happy about. It's pretty much necessary to have
a distro when you do a zine with a large print run since most of
your own distribution will be trades with other zines. 
Also I am now starting to put on monthly gigs at a local punk
venue. I use the name the 'Xdot cottonX grrrls crew' which
sounds like a collective but right now I just want to sort
things out myself. Dot Cotton is just this funny older woman who
is a character in a great BBC soap opera. By doing the gigs
regularly and in the same venue I am hoping to get this part of
town more familiar to the kids around here and to get them in
the habit of coming. Most importantly from a hc point of view,
the gigs will be an alternative to the more commercial & violent
scene that dominates London at the moment. More importantly
overall, the gigs will be really positive & political with
hopefully lots of networking, exchange of ideas, diversity and
activism coming out of them. Each gig is a benefit for a local
refugee organisation I'm in contact with and which is badly
underfunded and also overstretched since the Kosov@ conflict.
Every gig will have announcements of upcoming demonstrations and
other events as well as info & distro stalls.  Next month will
also be a speaker from the Campaign Against Domestic Violence
and I would like for spoken word stuff to be a regular fixture
in the gigs. 


		
4) So, what is the latest development in Synthesis camp?


Issue 5 will be out soon and I think it is the biggest, best,
most varied etc. I've written about some issues that have been
particularly important to me in the last year or so like human
nature, gentrification, genetically modified food, women's
empowerment etc. For the first time I have also involved other
people in the zine by taking a couple of contributions and doing
surveys on things like the experience of being punk around the
world. Also there are interviews in Synthesis 5 (the first since
issue 2) which are with a radical newssheet in Britain, a
British activist and one band. This is the first issue I'm
having printed instead of copying and the first print run will
be 1,000 (on recycled paper of course). 


		
5) What bands do you look out for (interviews/bio)? are there
any pre-requisites for bands to get featured in the zine?
		
I'm not much into band interviews and music isn't something that
interests me very much really so the music bits in my zine are
pretty few. When I do have a band interview they have to be
really worth giving attention to.  They should have something to
say about themselves, the world, the scene and the role of their
band.  Synthesis 5 does have an interview done by a friend of
mine with an exciting band of feminists from Brazil called
Dominatrix. They are an intelligent and positive band, their
gigs and songs are about more than just music, and they have a
diy approach to hardcore. 
		

6) Is it hard for girls to be in the scene? How are girls
involved in London's underground scene?

It seems like right now there are several scenes in London that
don't know much about each other. I guess I'm more involved in
the 'hardcore' aspect and neither girls or boys are really
actively involved in things at the moment but hopefully that
will change. I think there is more sexism in the hardcore scene
in Britain than in the punk rock or poppunk scenes. The macho
metalcore thing is fairly significant in London and elsewhere in
Britain and that always comes with a significant degree of
sexism among the boys. Those boys do actively try to exclude
girls from the scene and undermine us with sexist comments.  It
does seem even worse to experience sexism in the scene even if
you are used to experiencing it every day. 


		
7) Are you straight-edge? If YES...how has Straight Edge changed
your life/personality?
	
Yes, I've pretty much always been straightedge. To me that means
no drinking, smoking, drugs or promiscuous sex. It's completely
a personal choice and one I made before I knew that anyone else
involved in punk were like me. I was sxe because I was a
nonconformist and I still am so it didn't change me much!



8) Are there any Straight-edge movements or gigs which are held
for SxE bands and Followers only?


No, I've never heard of any.  I'll be very generalising here and
say that people in Britain usually don't go in for extremism and
tend to be more tolerant and that includes scene kids. There are
almost no hardliners here and the ones who are hl usually have
to keep quiet about it since they know everyone will think they
are foolish.

		
9) I personally think SxE is a great and Healthy life. However
some people have misinterpreted SxE as kind of a new religion and
some even
put down people who aren't SxE?

Absolutely anything can be turned into an Identity with a set of
strict rules and procedures, but this is not because of some
inherent quality in the original ideas but just a tendency
people often have to load ideas with an outward expression
instead of finding the value of the ideas within themselves. It
gets negative when that expression comes to involve enforcing
ideas onto other people's lives. This all happens most obviously
with religion but it also happens with just about anything that
young people and teenagers get involved in. Often instead of
becoming familiar with one's identity people will choose one and
then adopt it's outward expressions as an attempt to become
grounded in that Identity. It is understandable that people
would do this, but it is not necessary in sxe, religion or
anything else.  


10) So what would you define Punk these days?

A radical alternative lifestyle emerging from underground art,
music and performance scenes in the 1970s and evolved into a
widely diverse international network of friends with potential
to contribute to major changes in society. 


11) Do you see any conceptual difference between the old punks
and the
modern punks in terms of what their lifestyle and what they
fight for?


I think modern punks are FAR more influenced by commodification,
even if it is only because they have to work harder to resist
it. I think also these days punks are more likely to come from
middle class backgrounds than they were 20 years ago. Animal
rights, veganism and vegetarianism are huge in the scene now and
probably the greatest single issue in the same way that in the
1980s American militarism was the big issue.  As I write in
Synthesis 5, I think that although we have achieved a lot of
progress toward animal rights, the spread of vegan Identity in
straight edge has been extremely detrimental to the scene and
has been the excuse for a big political cop-out.

12) Do you see it 's somehow irrelevant, when you're a punk but
you still do the 9 to 5 job? any comments?





We can live and even work without giving up all our ideals even

if it is difficult in a capitalist system. Everyone has their

limits, but I would hope that punks can keep in mind the dangers

of being too accustomed to and dependent upon the securities

that full-time employment seems to provide. So many people lose

their spirit and individuality through work and it isn't because

of the drudgery or routine or even having fascist bosses, but

because we tend to hold on to the way of life we have built up

and get terrified of losing it. 



13) How exactly does D.i.Y stands for bands/zines and labels?





I think if our scene is at all set apart from and better than

mainstream social, political and musical norms it has to be

because we take an approach that rejects the greed, profiteering

and consumerism that tend to become a part of every aspect of

life. Any hardcorepunk project has to be done for it's own good

and the good it might bring to our community and the world at

large. Zines, labels, bands, gigs, etc. should not be done for

personal material profit. And it isn't right to encourage

capitalist norms by having adverts in zines, putting on bands

that demand guarantees, putting barcodes on records; all that

rubbish. There is more than enough competitiveness and

self-interest in the world, let's not have it in the punk scene

as well. Let's declare our independence! We can do it without

following the example of the mainstream music or any other

industry. 



14) Would you consider yourself a feminist? What are your

thoughts on Feminism in London generally?





Feminism is the most awesome political thing I've ever come

across.  For most of my life I was sort of unconsciously

feminist but since getting to know other feminists and getting

more involved with the women's movement I have been more

interested in raising the profile of the concept of 'feminism'. 



I guess in Britain the women's movement has almost always

focussed on London and this region of the country. It was a bit

different in the 1980s when women were organised in major direct

activism in the North and the West of England. The campaigns I

take part in tend to arise from the students' movement and have

an often middle class focus. I can see that this is a very

incomplete picture, but these are the areas that I find most

comfortable and accessible at the moment.  Women's rights

suffered a terrible backlash in several countries in the 1980s

and we are only recovering now.  After laying low for 20 years,

a new wave of feminism is emerging and I think this time we will

be making some pretty great progress. Many exciting things are

happening in London anyway with the direct action movement and

various other radical resistance and now people are more likely

to see that this is all one big struggle and we can all work

together with all our particular approaches whether it be from

the women's movement, the peace movement, the environmental

movement, whatever. 



15) Have you faced any problems at the mosh pit? Did the people

harass girls over there ( at the mosh pit ), and how would you react

when someone do that particular thing to you?





Unfortunately I have to pretty much stay out of the pit these

days because it is just not fun the way these lads get all macho

and violent. I know from other girls though that a lot of bad

shit goes on like boys touching you and feeling you up. At one

of the violent metalcore gigs a girl I know was dancing and of

course got punched in the face by some stupid violent dancer. As

she was on her way to the bathroom to clean up her bleeding nose

some boy said to his friend 'Serves her right for getting in the

pit with the big boys.' I wish we could expect LESS sexism from

boys in the scene than we get outside, but we can't. 



To be honest, when I get harassed by a man I tend to be too

shocked to react. I wish I could react constructively. 



16) What would be your favourite zines and records?





Zines: It's Raining Truths from the Netherlands is very good, as

is Ugly Duckling from Belgium and I like Heartattack and Inside

Front. 



Records: In/Humanity's 'Occultonomy' 7" and 'The History of the

Mystery' LP, Team Dresch's 'Captain My Captain' and 'Personal

Best' LPs, Hard Skin's CD which has a title too rude to mention.





17) One last question, What did you set out to achieve in this

new millennium?



I didn't think about it actually. In 2000 I want to do these

gigs but apart from that I have the same long-term plans I've

had for a couple of years: doing my doctorate degree, working

for children's rights, human rights and women's rights, living

in South London and being happy, being with friends, changing

the world, bringing positive change to the punk scene, watching

more good films and reading more good books?



18) Thanx for the interview, we wish you all the best for your

zine.



Cheers girls, best of luck for yours too. Everyone feel free to

write me?





Interview 4





1)What's your point of view about pornography? And prostitution?



Most pornography is made by men and for men and this stuff tends

to reflect an appalling hatred of women so it makes me

uncomfortable and I hate it. It's like concentrated patriarchy

being rubbed into your eyes. I don't have a problem in theory

with feminist ?produced porn, but I've never seen any.

Prostitute women are the most disempowered members of society

and feminists should support them all we can. I have no respect

for the men who use prostitutes though; I think one must have a

lack of respect for a person's humanity to want to buy their

body and I think it degrades physical intimacy to turn it into a

commodity. 



2)What's your own definition of love?



When it is love of a person; selflessness. 



3)In your opinion, what is the reason because a lot of people

are afraid about feminism?



It is fear of disempowered people becoming powerful and how that

might threaten their position and feeling of self-worth. Also

people who fear the disempowered tend to think that when we

liberate ourselves we will treat them as badly as they treated

us and oppress them instead. 



4)Have you ever heard about guys who don't want girls in the

hc/punk environment?



Actually no, but I certainly know that in the more macho

sections of the hc/sxe movement there are the sort of boys who

think women have no place dancing with them in their pits.





Interview 5





1. to tell you the truth laura, I know very little of

you so how would you introduce yourself to people who

don’t know you or the way you would like others to

know you?



I’m that tall girl with the ‘XfeministX?necklace who interferes

with boys doing violent dancing at gigs and who does that

politically correct zine ‘Synthesis? I am 25 years old which I

guess is about average age for a hardcore kid in the UK.

Feminism and anti-capitalism are my favourite political activism

issues at the moment and I’m pretty active in the scene too. 



2. were you a lot different when you were younger, say

before you were exposed to this hardcore punk thing?

How far do you think has HC-punk changed you and the

world revolving around you?



I have always been a radical; but punk gave me a focus for it.

When I was younger I was much more intolerant of all sorts of

things so I have improved through finding lots of different

views and lifestyles within the scene. Punk has given me a much

more varied and exciting life thanks to all the friends I have

met and experiences I have had from being involved. Some people

I know think that the scene is escapism and an excuse to avoid

real activism but it is obvious to me that punks have been

changing the world for the past 20 years. All sorts of  radical

activism happening around the world has emerged from the punk

community and/or has significant numbers of punks involved. We

do make a difference!



3. in your own opinion how important are the ideals in

hardcore punk?



Ideals are always important since the further they go the more

will actually be achieved. Most people in the various scenes in

our community don’t seem to give much thought to possible ideals

but the people who do pursue them are the ones keeping the scene

from descending to a mere music scene. 



4. taking about ideals, what would you to those people

who act differently and very much against the

philosophy of punk?



It can be worthwhile encouraging them to take it further and it

is always a good idea to carry on with one’s own projects and

lead by example. I do encourage boycotts and/or telling people

that I disagree with them; especially when they are doing

something that encourages hatred of women, gays etc. 



5. can you tell us something about the feminist

movement in the uk? Do you feel it has gone forward

since it started? What goals have you achieved and

what other things are you still striving for?



Feminism is having a resurgence now for the first time in 30

years. The last wave of British feminism did encourage more

women to take all sorts of active roles in society and to refuse

to be trampled on. We don’t come up against as much sexism in

our daily lives as we used to but it is still very ingrained in

every institution and interpersonal relationship. The primary

thing I would like to see change in British culture is the

attitude that teenagers have towards sexual relationships. Even

after all the empowerment feminists have been trying to bring to

women, teenage girls still are basing their self-esteem on

whether boys think they are attractive. And the hatred of women

ingrained in society translates to a date rape mentality in

teenage boys ?making them inhuman sexual predators who use

females to score status points with their male peers and this is

something we must change. 



6. as a feminist yourself, what would you say to those

feminist women who hates men? And to those who

tolerate their boyfriend’s sexist activities or

attitudes?



I have never met any woman, feminist or otherwise, who hates

men, but I can tolerate it. I see feminism as a broad movement

in which we do better supporting each other than pointing out

factional disagreements. Tactically, hate is almost never useful

in promoting the goals of a movement, but where there has

historically been real oppression I can understand where hatred

of the oppressor comes from. When I find a black person who

hates white people I expect they have their own reasons for

those feelings and do not get very offended about it and if a

woman hates men I see that this is her own personal perspective

based on her experience. It is certainly a fact that patriarchal

societies like the ones we all live in are full of all kinds of

hatred for women and sometimes maybe we should point this out

with some of our own hatred. Similarly, capitalism is a violent

system although we might not be aware of it in our everyday

lives and so fighting it with ‘violent?destruction of property

seems justified to me. 



At first thought, I cannot understand why some women put up with

their partner’s sexism but then again each woman deals with all

sorts of sexism every day and we are most likely to tolerate

negative attitudes in the people we know personally. I guess

most of the time women and even feminist women will choose a

partner because he is only less sexist than the other men she

knows. It sucks when you feel like you will never meet a man who

is truly and consciously anti-sexist, pro woman, anti-patriarchy

etc. But it is also very true that women are much more tolerant

of their male partners than men are of their female partners. If

your boyfriend is being an arsehole, women are very likely to

make excuses for his behaviour, blame herself, tolerate it and

suffer in silence etc. This is because we are taught that we

have to be kind to men all the time and give them what they want

and to not demand or even expect what we want. So I worry that

many women are falling for this sexist brainwashing when they

don’t tell a man he is a jerk and has to change. 



7. from what I have read in your zine, I noticed that

you really love living in london. What do you think is

the difference between london and other places around

the world? If you were the one to choose where would

you like to be born and to be living right now?



It does seem like being born right here in Southeast London and

always living here would have been pretty awesome and I wish

this always had been my home. Certainly now I feel very happy if

I can live here forever. London is the best, most fascinating,

most exciting city in the world in my opinion. We have such a

long and varied history and it is all on display all the time

anywhere you go in this city; you get ancient Roman architecture

next door to 1990’s architecture, every street seems to have at

least one literary and historical significance, this city has

for centuries been the place of exile for refugees, artists, and

political radicals and the result has been such tremendous

diversity. On display are all the many youth cultures that have

emerged from the inventiveness and tolerance of British society.

This could be the most cosmopolitan of cities and there has

never been a conformist ‘melting pot?effect here to kill off

diversity. We have zillions of things one can do for free

whether it is walking in our beautiful parks or visiting the

Tate Modern which is the best modern art gallery in the world.

London is also a travel hub for the whole world and so a great

place to be based if you want to explore the rest of the world

as well, although one can live here forever and never get bored

or run out of things to do. 



8. UK has quite a huge and diverse punk scene so where

do you find yourself “dancing?most often?



These days I guess it is the gigs that my friends and I are most

involved in with me or a friend organising them and our friends'

bands playing. Gigs in Britain tend to happen in pubs with a

venue space in them. The gigs I go to range in style from very

mellow emo to metalcore. 



9. We’re pretty much interested to know about the

state of the abortion issue worldwide because here in

the Philippines, it is illegal to commit abortion even

in the worst cases of rape. Is abortion legal in the

uk? Are abortion clinics visible for anyone interested

in them? What are your views regarding abortion and

the freedom of choice of the woman vs. the right of

the child to live?



In Britain we can have legal abortions but we still do not have

easy enough access. There is a lot of bureaucracy and extra

emotional stress to go through and there is a time limit on how

late in the pregnancy it can be terminated. We should have free

abortion on demand at any age and without parental consent.

Abortion clinics, free contraception and family planning advice

are all pretty accessible in the cities although recently there

have been some reactionary people trying to prevent

schoolchildren from having any access even to contraceptive

advice. Contraceptives should be available free at schools as

well and in Britain we still do not have access to the ‘abortion

pill? To me abortion is solely an issue about women’s freedom

to control their bodies, their sexuality and their reproduction.

The fetus is part of the woman’s body and it is her right to

carry through with the pregnancy or to terminate it. 



10. could you expand more on this line that you wrote

in the pages of your zine- “I strongly believe that

the personal is the political and the political is

personal? for the sake of those who feel confused

about this whole thing?



Some people have this idea that ‘politics?is something ‘out

there?and separate from their everyday lives. Often they think

it is all about governments, parties and the like but humans are

political animals and every decision we make or do not make,

every action we take or do not take is a political choice.

Whether we are active in our communities, whether we are selfish

or selfless people, whether we are sexist or fight sexism…all of

these are political issues and personal issues. To say ‘I am not

interested in politics?or to decide to avoid being involved in

politics are also political choices. Choosing apathy or

ignorance in this way is denying a part of our humanity.



11. you seem to be pretty much educated in the topics

you discuss. Can you tell us something about your

educational background? Do you think it is necessary

for people to go to school? Can you recommend

alternative ways of educating ourselves rather then

the traditional way of education?



Nobody needs formal education like school. Read all sorts of

publications, discuss ideas and issues formally and informally

with friends, strangers, groups of activists etc, experience as

much diversity as you can find, and most of all, never stop

questioning everything. The hardcore punk scene is a great

environment for self-education if one is open to it. Reading

zines, being aware of the political basis of hardcore and

meeting different people in the scene has challenged me to think

much more than formal education ever has. 



12. do you think that there is any place in our

HC-punk community for any kind of organized religion

(ie. Christianity, krishna)? What do you think is the

difference between spirituality and organized

religion?



No way, no organised religion ever in punk! I think spirituality

and organised religion overlap so much that I would find it very

difficult to say there is a recognisable difference. Whether

someone does good in the world is what matters; not whether or

how they ‘worship? Too often religious people think it is more

important to try and convert and oppress people than to just be

good as individuals. 



13. in the review of inside front no. 12 in your zine

you said that the refused feature was “almost enough

to convince me that they are more than just an

overhyped bunch of hypocrites who were taken more

seriously than they deserved? Why did you say that?

Personally, I think refused was a great band. Do you

see hardcore punk bands in major or big “indie?labels

a contradiction?



People sometimes tell me how political Refused were, but I don’t

believe it. The politics was a pose, just as it often is for

many hardcore bands. How deep it really went is obvious from how

they behaved then and what they are as people now. Plenty of

bands talk politics from the stage. Refused for instance had an

anti-capitalist pose which they never practised even at the

simple level of how they put out their records. All but one of

them stopped being straight edge when the band ended. Their

performances were not situationist art but an empty spectacle

put on for the entertainment of their fans. Of course it is

wonderful that some of the people who believed in Refused got

some personal emancipation from the music, but I think that is

because that tendency was in these people already; it was not

placed there by some boring band. Their music wasn’t even

original. 



If a band is on a label that is commercial geared towards

making a profit and encouraging consumerism ?that is simply not

a hardcore band. That goes against the very basic principles

that started the hardcore movement in the first place! 



14. since this is very much prevalent topic in our

community, can you give us some suggestions of how we

can smash our traditional gender roles? Why do you

think some men act so defensively when they hear about

women-only spaces or when they read feminist zines?



I guess men are used to the world being run by and for them and

they are not accustomed to being excluded like women are. Also

it must feel like a threat when people who have been treated

like shit forever suddenly take some self-empowerment. But there

is absolutely nothing threatening to men about women-only spaces

or feminist writing. It is a threat to patriarchal oppression

and the people who want it to continue, that’s all. 



How to smash gender roles…when there is sexism going on; stop

it. If your friends / a band / a stranger make sexist or

homophobic comments then tell them what you think about it. If

you are a woman, don’t be silent and docile but speak up and

cause trouble! Men; stop using competitive methods of

communication. Make sure that everyone has a chance to make

their voices heard and that women are particularly encouraged to

speak. Talk about gender issues with everyone you know ?make

sexism, homosexuality and feminism visible so they can’t be

ignored. Challenge other people with your own expression of

gender ?kiss and hold hands with friends of all genders,

experiment with the way you dress and act. Think about how to

make all spaces  safe spaces for women and gay people. 



15. would you like to see prostitution be legalized in

england or even the rest of the world? What do you

think are the benefits or consequences that we face if

this issue ever sees the light of day?



Yes, prostitution should not be illegal. If it were not illegal,

we would have to face the hypocrisy behind the way humans and

sexuality are commodified all the time in society while at the

same time women who work in the sex industry are accused of

causing society’s ills and made the most disempowered people in

society.  I have nothing but contempt for the men who use the

sex industry, but I feel it is the duty of feminists to support

and protect prostitute women.



16. are there some organized groups of “large

individuals?that challenges existing social orders

such as the enlargement of spaces for “large

individuals?or much radical groups that blows up or

smashes “artificial beauty?companies such as AVON or

any other “beauty fascists? what direct action groups

are you involved in and can you tell us about the

activities that you do?



I guess I have not been involved in many organised groups for

action but I have been taking part in the awesome autonomously 

-run global days of action against capitalism in London: June

18th 1999, November 30th 1999, May 1st 2000. These involve

things like dressing up in silly costumes or bringing funny

signs or carnival ?type things to the demos, defacing symbols

of capitalism or government, general graffiti-making or urban

reconstruction (digging up roads, planting seeds, plants and

trees), attacking objects like cars & McDonalds restaurants,

singing & chanting, meeting new & old friends, critical mass

bike rides, frustrating the cops etc. The hardcore kids in

England tend to take part quite a bit in animal rights actions

ranging from lobbying Parliament to harassing animal abusers and

ALF-type illegal actions. I’m hoping to get involved in more

feminist direct action right now ?defacing billboards,

harassing rapists etc. 



17. how does an ordinary day in your life goes by?

What things do you do in your free time since I assume

you’re pretty busy with your HC punk activities?



I am supposed to be a full-time student so I should spend most

of each day in my office or in the library doing research, but

instead lately I do lots of cycling, exploring my neighbourhood,

reading, visits to the gym for my physiotherapy, visiting with

friends, travelling and planning for travelling, skipping

(‘dumpster diving?, and playing with my beloved guinea pigs

Blodwyn & Myfanwy. Everyday involves some forms of hc stuff

whether it’s talking with friends who I know through the scene,

reading and answering letters, sending out packages of zines,

making patches to send out with zines, reading zines, planning

for upcoming gigs etc. 



18. have you encountered any direct/indirect sexual

abuse in any punk shows or political greeting or

gathering? Hope you don’t mind me asking!



I’ve not had much of that actually, a couple of times I’ve had

men touching me at gigs which has not been terribly traumatic.

It upsets me more when I see boys acting macho at hardcore gigs

or when I see someone wearing a shirt for some misogynist band

like Arkangel. 



19. we all know that music has to be emotional in

order to move people otherwise it would be really

meaningless. How do you feel that the “emo?tag has

been fucking associated with indie rock bands trying

to cash in on our HC-punk scene?



Yeah, that really sucks but I guess it was inevitable. I just

wish that some hc kids would actually open their eyes and see

that this is obviously what these bands and record labels are

trying to do by using the ‘emo?tag. 



20. I hope it’s not too personal but can you tell us

when was the last time you cried? And when was the

last time you felt really happy you thought nothing

will be wrong again?



Sorry, the first part is too personal. The last time I felt like

everything was going to be okay was a few weeks ago, but I don’t

feel this as confidently as I used to I guess. I have been

generally very happy lately though. 



21. can you name the 5 people that influenced you

directly/indirectly how have they affected and changed

your life?



Sorry, I can only name 3!

Ronald Reagan ?made me hate government and therefore made me an

anarchist! 

Jello Biafra ?made me question more things more thoroughly and

speak out more

My best friend when I was 13 years old ?together we found all

sorts of different kinds of fun that were outside the mainstream

culture



22. what projects are you looking forward in doing? Do

you have any plans that you’d like to share with us?

Would you like to come and visit us in the Philippines

someday?



Sure, I would love to visit you folks and to see what the

Philippines is like. Right now I’m looking forward to possibly

writing a children’s book with an illustrator I know, possibly

being in a feminist band, and visiting Denmark, Iceland and

Spain for the first time. 



23. are you familiar with the fantastic true story of

findhorn? (regarding the amazing growth of plants even

from barren soil) If yes, do you think such discovery

will ever show some proof of the stupidity of

technology and science of the corporate genetic

transmutations on plants?



Wow, I’ve never heard of findhorn.  That sounds cool. I think

the powers that be will ignore the wonders of nature all they

can but we can always keep showing them that we like nature

better than their technology. 



24. is there a good bicycle scene in your country

aside from the stereotyped bicycle tour? Something

like food not bombs tours europe in bicycle? Any

movement or org. Using bikes as a tool for revolution?

And what is your own definition of anarchocyclism?



Oh yes, lots of cool bike stuff in London, South East England

and I guess in England in general. I’m a member of the London

Cycling Campaign which is a political organisation promoting the

interests of London cyclists. There are also lots of leisure

cycling organisations. Several dozen critical mass bike rides

happen on a monthly basis in towns and cities around the UK.

Some pretty cool creativity has emerged around the critical mass



scene in London too like bike-powered sound systems, carnival
bikes, bike orchestras etc. I have not heard of a touring Food Not
Bombs though. A bike is a great tool for exploring personal
freedom and liberation. Oneâs experience of the space one lives
and moves in is so different by bike than when one depends on
combustible transport. 


25. how do you see yourself 7 years from now? Would
you like to be a mother someday? If so, how would you
raise your children and what values would you like to
pass on to them? Would you like then to be like you? 


Gods no, I want to never have children. If I had to raise
children they would of course be vegan and live in an
environment of tolerance, gender equality, respect for life and
nature, and awareness of their own self-worth. 
Seven years from now I just hope I will be less confused than I
am now. 

		

26. this is all the questions I have at the moment.
Thanks for helping us in this interview and we hope
you didnât get too bored with the questions we asked.
Are there any special people that youâd like to say hi
to?