http://www.trinidadexpress.com/letters/Female-pan-players-can-help-promote-instrument-296286081.html
Someone writing in the Letters section of the Trinidad Express has suggested that female players should be used to promote pan. He believes that if (and probably only if) female players are used to promote pan that "all-female pannists and all-female stage sides from Trinidad and Tobago will be in demand throughout the world, not only at clubs in north America and in Europe, but at amusement parks and on the many cruise ships throughout the world".
Amusement parks! Sometimes one wonders whether people actually think before they speak or write.
What the writer is suggesting is that in order to promote the pan that we should go back to the days when women were only regarded for their femininity.
This is total disrespect for the pan and especially the female pan players. Even male pan players should be offended.
What the writer is saying is that the pan is not good enough to stand on its own and requires some gimmick to make it accepted. Furthermore the gimmick he is suggesting is the exploitation of our female pan players to promote interest in the pan, not because they are proficient at their pan playing but because they are female.
He is also by extension suggesting that the skill set of the male players is not good enough to promote pan playing as a highly skilled endeavour, regardless of gender, but insinuating that even females can play the instrument which I presume he feels is the preserve of the male of the species.
His last comment is especially specious when he admonishes "Pan Trinbago, this recognition for our female pan players is long overdue".
And we wonder why we are stuck in the past.
Replies
Well, I am a female, and a pannist as well, thus, when I read the article (in the newspaper), I couldn't wrap my head around the concept/rationale no matter how hard I tried. Sexist came to mind but then I dismissed it thinking I may be a little sensitive/bias but then I thought again and recalled my deceased father's words when I was a pre-teen (many moons ago that still resonate deep)..."you cannot reason with ignorance" hence, I rest my case and hope for the best.
2002 Music Festival Winner Mia Gormany
A Celebration of Women in Pan - Women’s Month - 2015
Posted by Pan Times on March 3, 2015 at 7:49am in When Steel Talks Exclusive
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https://whensteeltalks.ning.com/forum/topics/a-celebration-of-women-...
Many ads for a variety of things, from ObamaCare backwards, use females to help sell their wares. This is not sexist but good practice straight out of Advertising School 101. Eye balls are drawn to pretty faces, always. You want to sell something, put a woman's face on it. Go check it out.
I am trying to figure out what is the effect of having so many women players in the bands today. I know that it must be good but I can't pin it down.
This is suggesting that women provide the 'eye candy' to attract the public, these are sexist outdated
methods, like using a scantily clad woman to sell a car. Pan as a musical instrument can do without
these gimmicks.
Pan Trinbago is clueless when it comes to marketing the Pan product. Time for foreign investors to take the lead for the global market place.