Wow! Evan Tapper's work blew me away and really inspired me. I guess the first thing that is of interest to me is that he is a man doing so-called feminist work, which i have experienced only in the form of writing- male feminist essayist...and even so only in small chunks so that I am not sure how much of an interest is being taken...is it just a cusp relationship etc, but Tapper seriously takes up his position as a man doing doing feminist and explores it, asking himself why it resonates with him...
and from what I got from his work and his words was that he no longer feels unsure/questioning why he is drawn to this work- that is he feels that he has a 'right' to be in it...although involvement with the issues and ideas continues to be a process for him...and I guess he (and what i saw) is that for him is that it all comes down to being a citizen of planet earth/ human in this culture- that he "has to live in this world" too...
...anyhow, although I have never really met a man doing such focused feminist work, and feminist videography at that, what stands out to me really is Tapper's use of humour and self obsession/preoccupation and the fact that these two work together; i.e- he is largely making fun of himself, his position- both as an artist (that phone message film- the one where she is thanking him for coming to the circus and welcoming him back next year), and a man doing feminist work (the vagina monologue dream)---while at the same time taking up issues of depression and his mother's death... As is clear, and as Evan himself said, is that he uses humour to navigate and dig into 'denser, heavier' issues...
I guess another very obvious thing that I am always reminded of when i see such inspiring works is the fact that such tools such as humour and visual media can be so powerful in working out issues with oneself and sharing them with others- and also, of course, getting a message across...
...that is why stand up comedy is (has the potential to be) so revolutionary!
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Every time I meet Evan, or encounter his work, I am inspired by the guy. He opens me up in ways that I never expected or have a problem imagining because of gender identities that are often perceived as fixed and immutable.
Evan challenges these perceptions at the base level and shows for me at least that feminism can be embraced in a strong way by both women and men.
He's a hero.
I find it very interesting that a feminist male is a strange concept for us to wrap our heads around. It's like white people standing up for civil rights in the 60s. Although women themselves play a part in their treatment in the world, it is still a man's world and it is important for men to realize their place as "citizens of planet earth" as you said and recognize the injustices facing their fellow human beings whether due to sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class, etc.
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