Well, here we are again. After being interviewed in lots of different forms (papers, magazines, radio, TV) for my last job, I realised that I don't mind being interviewed at all. I'm not camera shy, I think I'm articulate - I come across well, and I get my point over, sometimes even in a soundbitey kind of ways. But what always stresses me out is that the end result is never what I thought it was going to be (with one exception, which was bizarrely enough, the longest TV interview I did, for a documentary, and even then it was still very stressful). Either I get misquoted, or worse still, quoted accurately but completely out of context, so I can't even say 'I didn't say that'. So anyway, I'm quoted in this week's NME. Page 39. And to be fair, my name is spelled correctly, my research title is spot on, and the first sentence of my quote is, word for word, what I said. However, I was asked for a few lines, so that's what I gave. The first one, which they printed was an introductory/context sentence. The second (and third, very short) sentence, which was NOT included, was my actual quote on the topic. I'm sure no one but me cares, and no one thinks that I sound like I haven't addressed the issue or I don't know what I'm talking about, apart from me. But I do! And it DOES bother me!. So here it is, for all five people who will maybe read this, the quote as it was supposed to be, not just the first sentence:
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At a time where domestic violence is as prevalent as ever, and UK rape convictions are the lowest they have ever been, the mainstreaming of the 'torture porn' genre, whether in films, video games or t-shirts, is something to be very concerned about. Brown's initial violent act gives Madonna the black eye, the Crystal Castles make it sexy by putting it on their shirt, and then young people wear this image as a hipster badge, seemingly without any concern that they may be condoning and popularising violence against women. The responsibility for this phenomenon lies with all three.
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Just using the first sentence makes me sound like a generic ass, in my opinion. I worry that 13 year old me is reading it, and thinking 'huh, 'Deborah Finding, researcher on sexual violence narratives in music at LSE's Gender Institute' (who, by the way "is strongly anti" - hurrah! can I get THAT on a t-shirt?) sounds like an old fart trying to spoil it for the rest of us'. Sigh.
Comment and tell me it's not so bad.
2 comments:
Don't most 13 year olds think that everything adults do is designed to stop them from having fun?
Speaking as a grumpy old man I think we're all going to hell in a handbasket anyway. We are living in a world where teenage girls apparently get pregant cos they are "bored" and where the UN classify rape as a weapon of warand some countries wonder if this is something that the Security Councild should be involved in.
Taken out of context, it could make you sound a little "mary whitehouseish" to someone looking for an excuse to dismiss your opinion. But heres the point...
At 13 you knew no better, we all dismiss things that matter at that age because we are so focussed on our little world, on how much we matter.
The truth though is that if you actually met your 13 year old self, so she couldn't so easily pretend you were nothing more than a few words on a page, she would think you were outstandingly cool and beautiful, both physically and mentally. Yes she might dismiss a random quote manipulated by the media, but she could never dismiss you.
What you are doing is important, not everyone may think so, but thats ok, too many people live with their heads buried in the sand..
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