What's Up, Patriarchy?

Lady Gaga, Fem-Country-Punk, and
Queen Vashti in the book of Esther

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partly inspired by Lady Gaga's version of "What's Up"
partly by feminist-punk-country music, and

partly by the character of  Queen Vashti as presented
in Robert Williamson's Forgotten Books of the Bible


Queen Vashti

She throws of party of her own and is unwilling to be displayed among the king's treasures.
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 "All the men attend the king’s party, while the women attend a parallel feast hosted by Queen Vashti (1:5–9). After a week of heavy drinking, King Ahasuerus calls for Vashti to come before his all-male drinking party wearing the royal crown. The narrator tells us that Vashti “was gorgeous, and he [Ahasuerus] wanted to show off her beauty to the general public and to his important guests” (1:11). For the king, Vashti is another of the objects in his royal treasury, her beauty a testimony to his own ego. Yet, when the eunuchs summon Vashti, she refuses to come (1:12). Unwilling to be displayed among the king’s treasures, Vashti defies the king in this most public of settings, for everyone  to  see.  At  the  culmination  of  six  months  of self-glorification, the king’s party ends in his public humiliation.

Williamson Jr., Robert. The Forgotten Books of the Bible: Recovering the Five Scrolls for Today (Kindle Locations 1937-1944). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition. 

Learning from the book of Esther
​​Three Ways to Resist

At its core, the book of Esther tells the story of Jewish resistance to an ethnic cleansing perpetrated by a power-hungry official in the court of a hapless but mercurial king. It tells the story of women resisting the power of ingrained patriarchy and of common people standing up against leaders who sacrifice their well-being in order to glorify themselves. The book of Esther speaks to a time such as ours.
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Some of us may resist like Vashti, who grew tired of being treated like an object and responded with a “No!” Using her privileged position as queen, she sought to create space for other, more vulnerable women to engage in their own acts of refusal, risking her position in the hope of helping someone else improve theirs.

Some of us may resist like Mordecai, who used his act of refusal to draw ethnic hatred out of the shadows and into the light of day where it could be exposed and recognized. Then, taking to the streets, he made a spectacle until he drew the attention of those in power.

​Some of us may resist like Esther, who shrewdly negotiated the halls of power to save the lives of her people. She resisted by studiously following royal protocols and speaking the language of power, winning the king to her side. But if we are to defeat the powers of hatred emboldened among us, we must all resist. Whoever we are, wherever we are—perhaps our lives have been preparing us for such a time as this.
 
Williamson Jr., Robert. The Forgotten Books of the Bible: Recovering the Five Scrolls for Today (Kindle Locations 2309-2318). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.

Gaga's Feminism
Vashti Feast 

​An invitation from St. Brigid's
​Church of the Wholly Raucous

The staff at St. Brigid's Church of Fun-Loving Raucosity (named after St. Brigid of Kildare, one of Ireland's patron saints) invites you to a party in honor of the book of Esther and Vashti, a character of Vashti in the book.  We call it a Vashti Feast. 

We know that righteous indignation and moral outrage are forms of resistance, but we also think that fun is a form of resistance, including and maybe especially when music and dancing are involved.  We are, after all, a church of Wholly Raucous.

The party is our way of continuing of a party Vashti gave for women only, in her time, and also a celebration of her refusal to appear at her husband's all-male drinking party.  We don't know a lot about her; she only appears in one chapter.  We read about her in a book by a friend of ours. Dr. Robert Williamson, called Forgotten Books of the Bible.  But we like to imagine that her women's only party was raucous in its way, as ours will be in our way. 

​At our party there will be good old fashioned, danceable fem-punk-pop-country.  One of our playlists is called Smash the Patriarchy; you get the point.  Butwe'll have a DJ and she can play other songs by request.  We know there are some Dolly Parton fans, too.  

The party will get started by viewing Lady Gaga's version of So What?, found at the top of this page.  We choose it because, to our way of thinking, it shows the insanity and rage patriarchy evokes and deserves.  Patriarchy is, after all, a totally absurd way to organize a society: abusive and vile.  What's up with it?

Claiming your inner Vashti

For us Gaga's performance serves as a Vashti-like critique of the "brotherhood of man, whatever that means."  Of course, we know that some people don't think Gaga is much of a feminist, but we think she is in her way..  Take a look at the article and video below if you're interested in this question and decide for yourself; but please know that, for us, it's her performance in What's Up? that inspires our rage.  Her presentation is as powerful as anything you'll read in the Bible.

​​But don't worry.  The Vashti Feast is not all about anger.  Gaga just gets us started; then we dance in our own way, out of the anger into pleasures of the holy (or wholly) raucous.  As someone once put it: feminists cannot live by rage alone.

Men: Claim your inner Mordecai

The party includes free drinks and food.  There will be child care and free transportation for those who need it, and we'll also provide free legal counsel.  

Will there be men at the party?  Well, yes.  We've asked Dr. Williamson to come along and offer a special session for men.  with our many non-binary friends.  But the men' role will be quite limited.   They will prepare and serve food and drinks, clean up afterwards, and provide transportation.  They will also offer the free child care.  During our discussions and the dancing, the men will retire to the kitchen and discuss the book of Esther on their own.  We've asked them consider the fine example of Mordecai in the Book of Esther, and to claim their inner Mordecai as best hey can.

How to prepare for the party?  Please arrive at 8 pm.  You can have read the chapter on Esther in Forgotten Books of the Bible, but only if you wish.  It is required reading only for the men.  If, after the party, some are interested in developing a coalition for the revolution, that's fine, but first things first: the rage and the dancing, Vashti-style.

Hope to see you there!

-- the staff at St. Brigid's

DJ's Playlists for Vashti's Feast
Photos from Emilio__, Nic's events, Abode of Chaos, Luke Rauscher, Luke Rauscher
Open Horizons