Students petition for revision of Fling performer selection

Over the past few weeks, students have asked the Social Planning and Events Committee and the University Special Events Committee to revise selection criteria for future Spring Fling performers.

After a preliminary discussion at the Penn Women’s Center about the misogynistic lyrics of Snoop Dogg and Kid Cudi, College senior Lindsay Eierman and College sophomore Rachel Cohen wrote a petition asking “SPEC to exert increased scrutiny over the messages and behaviors supported by Spring Fling artists.” So far, just under 500 people have signed it.

The purpose of the petition was not to protest Spring Fling or to stop it from happening this year. Rather, its goal was “to challenge Penn students to consider whether the performers at Fling reflect their moral values,” Eierman said.

The petition cites the lyrics of Snoop Dogg’s “Ain’t No Fun” and Kid Cudi’s “Poke Her Face” to make its argument, but avoids making the generalization that all rap is misogynistic.

“The problem is not rap — there are some very positive messages shared by many rap artists,” the petition said.

Though this may be the case, it is very difficult to find a mainstream rap artist whose lyrics are not offensive, SPEC President and College senior Dasha Barannik said.

“It’s entertainment and I think most Penn students know that,” she added.

Although the petition brought up some valid points, it did not take into consideration the constraints that SPEC faces, Barannik said.

Furthermore, the authors of the petition were “using SPEC as a negative rallying point for an issue that’s much larger,” she said. The problem is not SPEC’s artist selection but rather the student body’s lack of interest in anti-feminist issues, she explained.

Yale College Council Events Director Mathilde Williams, a junior, expressed an opinion similar to Barannik’s about the controversy surrounding Yale’s Spring Fling performers — the Ying Yang Twins.

“If you get a mainstream rap act, there’s always going to be controversy,” she said.

Despite the Fling artists’ entertainment value, some students still found the choices distasteful.

The selections were “insensitive given the incidents of rape last semester,” said College sophomore Paul Martin, who signed the petition.

Eierman and Cohen met with SPEC to discuss the issue and come up with possible solutions. One suggestion was stricter oversight of SPEC and the entire artist selection process.

SPEC was strongly opposed to such oversight because it would eliminate the democratic element of the selection process, Barannik said.

“Anyone who wants to have a say can join SPEC concerts and voice their opinions,” she said. This year, there were approximately 30 students on the committee.

In an effort to compromise, SPEC will allow the writers of the petition to contribute questions to their annual Spring Fling survey. This will gauge students’ feelings about objectification of women in the music, Barannik said.

“I firmly believe that the results of the survey will show that this is a very isolated group of people and ideas,” she said.

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