Andrea Langlois et al - Islands of Resistance - Pirate Radio in Canada

The Care and Feeding of TAR • 125
ticipants create their own identities, or images, while involved with
TAR. These may be identities that have no real relation to who they are
in their everyday lives, especially given the temporary nature of the
festivals. Instead, taking part in TAR allows them to role-play, and try
on different “freakuencies,” so to speak.
Anonymity is encouraged and few use their real names on air. One
host, Fancy Jenny Fortune stated, “We live in a culture where fully
expressing one’s view, especially if a woman, is not supported. Women
place a lot of filters on how we express ourselves and what we express.
Anonymity and the illegal nature of the event create a buffer to allow
us to release opinions that might be otherwise suppressed.” 11 Expanding
on the appeal pirate radio might have for women, Fancy Jenny
explains, “There was something about the anarchy of the whole experience.
I remember there being a balance of gender — set-up, broadcasting,
performance. I wonder if it links to the anarchic nature of pirate
radio, and, because of the anonymity, this might be more appealing to
women.” 12
As Pirate Emma P contends, it is likely that my gender and central
role in TAR also encourages more women to become involved. While
I look to women pirates on the high seas for inspiration and recognize
the importance of role models, others may view the women involved
in TAR as role models in turn. At TAR, there is a conscious attempt
to welcome women in, throw them into the mix, in every capacity,
technically and otherwise, in a way that is open and, hopefully, not
intimidating. Historically, women have been excluded from knowledge
and technical skills so that power stays in the hands of the few,
specifically men. This is not the climate at TAR. Instead, it is assumed
that women have competence, and can learn and develop confidence
through doing, both in terms of attaining technical ability and discovering
their own voices.
As women, we construct our own authority on this ship. Instead of
being silenced or muted, women are asked to take up space. For many,
this takes some getting used to, and it is usually a threshold to further
media involvement. Pirate Emma P explained:
[TAR gives me] a sense of being part of a media project, the empowerment
of finding voice. [Events] are accessible, fun, and it’s great to be
part of a group push to get on the airwaves. There’s nothing like taking
over the airwaves and being able to be able to say what you want,
however you want to say it! Ironically, the first broadcast was more of