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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Deezer asks for 'identity'

20 replies

Novelusername · 20/06/2021 08:19

I just had to post this as it's really pssed me off! I was just about to sign up for the music streaming service Deezer when it asked me for my 'identity' - options being 'male', 'female' and 'non-binary'. Not sex, not even gender, but 'identity'. First of all, what does a 'female identity' involve? Doing the washing-up, baking cakes, painting my nails and other regressive sexist stereotypes? Why would Deezer need to know if I do any of these things? The closest I feel to having any kind of gender identity is being 'non-binary', but I don't want to choose that option because then I'm playing along with gender identity ideology that I don't believe in, because it relies on sexist stereotypes to define everyone and puts these above reality - ie. sexed bodies, and the fact that most people don't identify with some sort of internal womanly or manly essence anyway. I find it dehumanising to have to define myself in these terms - that's the ironic thing, for me gender - as in social behaviours - really is fluid, but such woke companies won't allow this, you have to put yourself in the 'feminine' or 'masuline' or 'I'm soooo much more complicated and special than everyone else' box. I'm not any of those things, I'm a human being, and as such I experience a whole range of human emotions relating to my 'identity', gender or otherwise. They may as well ask me if I'm a happy or sad person - well, it depends! I feel really angry about this, because I just want to play some fcking music, and instead I'm being asked to play along with an ideology I think is bullshit. I didn't choose to be a fcking female and be subjected to all the sexist crap I've been barraged with from birth, it's not an identity, it's a physical state, and the reason why I've been spoken down to, sexually assaulted, not promoted at work etc - I didn't identify into those things, and if I could have I would have identified out. That's the great irony about all this, they don't actually care about women's identities, so why do they even ask? We keep telling them we don't feel like we have a womanly inner essence of femininity, but we're told we do and that we have to put ourselves in that box or renounce being a woman and call ourselves non-binary. I don't want to renounce being a woman, I shouldn't have to in order to live the life I want to live free from sexist stereotyping, nor do I want to align myself with some sort of 'feminine identity', because that's not how I feel about myself. The fact that people aren't fcking listening to women saying this only goes to prove the point that identity is meaningless, if you are female you will be silenced. Anyway, rant over, and they can stick their streaming service up their arses.

Deezer asks for 'identity'
OP posts:
MajesticWhine · 20/06/2021 08:25

How very odd. Why do they need to know your identity? Will this change the music you are allowed to listen to? Is there no "prefer not to say" option?

somethinginoffensive · 20/06/2021 08:27

Is that a required field? Or can you sign up without it.

Novelusername · 20/06/2021 08:27

MajesticWhine No there is no other option, you either have a male, female or non-binary identity according to Deezer, and this along with age is the only demographic info they ask of you.

OP posts:
Warmduscher · 20/06/2021 08:28

Spotify?

Novelusername · 20/06/2021 08:29

allsomethinginoffensive It's a required field.
www.deezer.com/us/register

OP posts:
Novelusername · 20/06/2021 08:30

Warmduscher Yes, I already had Spotify, thanks. I signed up a long time ago so I doubt there was any of this crap back then. I was just looking to see what other services have to offer, but Deezer can f*ck right off.

OP posts:
yetanotherusernameAgain · 20/06/2021 08:33

Just pick non-binary. Why would they need to know your sex anyway? If it's for stats/marketing it's a good opportunity to fuck up their system.

Can you self identify age too? Enter something ridiculous like 101.

PairOfPears · 20/06/2021 08:36

Well, they obviously want the info for market research and profiling/advertising purposes. It’s not like they ‘need’ to know your age or even your name either. This is just capitalism.

Novelusername · 20/06/2021 08:36

More screenshots - compulsory for sign up and only 3 options available.

Deezer asks for 'identity'
Deezer asks for 'identity'
OP posts:
Novelusername · 20/06/2021 08:38

@yetanotherusernameAgain

Just pick non-binary. Why would they need to know your sex anyway? If it's for stats/marketing it's a good opportunity to fuck up their system.

Can you self identify age too? Enter something ridiculous like 101.

yetanotherusernameAgain What do you mean ridiculous? I am 101...
OP posts:
timeisnotaline · 20/06/2021 08:44

yetanother just marking non binary probably means they can announce that these woke initiatives are desperately needed as 45% of their subscribers identify as non binary so the old systems obviously can’t cope.

Novelusername · 20/06/2021 08:57

Y'know what, I find it irrelevant information, but I wouldn't even mind so much if they asked they divided 'identity' up into masculine, feminine and non-binary, in which case I would pick non-binary. It's the conflation of sex and identity, the cementing of 'femininity' - many aspects of which involve social performance of weakness and frivolity to pander to the male ego and sexual appetite - and the reality of being female that is the issue here. Sorry if I'm not saying anything particularly new here, it's just pissed me off how I can't do a simple sign-up because it infiltrates absolutely everywhere.

OP posts:
CrossPurposes · 20/06/2021 10:03

I feel your pain. The other thing that chaps my hide is when Title is a required field. I wasn't in the mood for that when I complained to the RA...

thinkingaboutLangCleg · 20/06/2021 10:11

How weird. Reinforcing sex stereotypes that were already outdated ddcades ago. And why, for a music app?

thinkingaboutLangCleg · 20/06/2021 10:11

outdated decades ago …

somethinginoffensive · 20/06/2021 10:13

Surely that should be an optional field as they don't need to know how you identify to play music to you.

IvyTwines2 · 20/06/2021 10:15

@PairOfPears

Well, they obviously want the info for market research and profiling/advertising purposes. It’s not like they ‘need’ to know your age or even your name either. This is just capitalism.
So much of this 'identity politics', self-compartmentalising, self-labelling look at my little flag stuff is driven by capitalism. I keep wondering just when the young 'woke' will wake up and realise they're being farmed.
Novelusername · 20/06/2021 10:17

@somethinginoffensive

Surely that should be an optional field as they don't need to know how you identify to play music to you.
I agree, although perhaps it's for additional advertising within the app - though how do they know which 'identity' to market sanitary pads and tampons to if males are identifying as female and females are identifying as male and non-binary. It's just going to mess up any of the reasons they had for collecting this data by conflating sex with 'identity'. Maybe when all these woke companies start finding no-one's clicking on their ad's they'll finally realise that sex matters.
OP posts:
newnortherner111 · 20/06/2021 10:47

'Prefer not to say' should always be an option with any question about sex, gender, race, or religion. I suggest complaining to them on that basis. Or perhaps contacting anyone who advertises with them.

FlyPassed · 20/06/2021 11:02

Agree, PNS should always be an option, @newnortherner111 or the whole question should be voluntary.

You can also go the GDPR angle. They should only be collecting and storing data that is necessary to be able to provide goods or services. They can just gather myriad data because they feel like it

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