Code of Conduct

With our Code of Conduct we want to specify how we would like to treat each other at Klangtherapie Festival.

Techno – Love – Utopia, is what we want. The Code of Conduct supports us in facing the challenges that the realisation of this utopia can mean. It is our dream to create a space where we ALL have the freedom to be who we are.

Therefore: By entering the premises of the Klangtherapie Festival you agree to our Code of Conduct. Any violation will be punished and can lead to exclusion from the festival. The ticket price will not be refunded in this case. We also reserve the right to ban you from the festival on a long-term basis.

• We do not tolerate any form of racism, anti-semitism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of discriminative, violent, and assaultive behaviour!
• We respect our own boundaries and those of every fellow human being. What is okay for you may be crossing the line for other people. Therefore: respect individual boundaries. Also: not everyone likes to be photographed. Thus, make sure that no faces are recognisable in your photos (if possible). Furthermore, always ask if you want to take a photo of someone – even your friends!
• Consent is key – act according to the consensus principle: only a YES!! means yes!
• Outward appearance says nothing about a person’s gender identity. Please be sensitive and respectful to each other. Use gender-sensitive language and ask those around you which pronouns they would like to be addressed with.
• We all make mistakes. If people use discriminatory language or ways of thinking, we try to bring it to their attention through constructive criticism. Please be open, appreciatie and listen carefully whenever people criticise you.
• Out of solidarity and to make people aware of their own privileges, we have decided for a No Shirt – No Service policy at the bars. In this way, we want to create a pleasant and respectful atmosphere for EVERYONE.
• In case of incidents of discrimination/assault/violence /and the like: We support the person affected. The power of definition lies within the person affected, meaning that they define for themselves when and what form of discrimination/violence/assault they have experienced. This definition is not questioned and is always taken seriously. Furthermore, we advocate for their wishes and decisions.
• Please do not only pay attention to your fellow human beings but also respect nature and leave as few traces as possible. It is also very important to us that you read and follow our guidelines to be found here. Please pay special attention to the information on "camping", "young people & children" and "at the festival"!

If you notice other festival guests not adhering to the Code of Conduct, please contact the security or the Awareness Team (+49 176 52616997).

Let’s live this change together!

Techno – Love – UTOPIA

Glossary

Definitions can grow with time. The following lines are the results of our research but might still not be perfect. We welcome discussion and your suggestions for precise formulations: awareness@klangtherapie-festival.de

Discrimination

Discrimination is a social phenomenon of disadvantage, segregation, and devaluation. This means that discrimination is understood to be any unjustified unequal treatment that takes place either consciously or unconsciously and is supported by the system of power. Groups or individuals are disadvantaged, devalued, and oppressed on the basis of (supposed) individual or group-specific characteristics. If people are discriminated against – whether occasionally or regularly – it can have a massive impact on their well-being, psychological stability, life expectancy and career prospects.

Since people are discriminated against on the grounds of different characteristics, there are different forms of discrimination, such as:

Racism

Racism stands for the discrimination, devaluation and exclusion of structurally disadvantaged groups or individuals on the basis of actual or ascribed physical or cultural characteristics (e.g. skin colour, origin, language, religion). Racism denies those affected equal participation in society. Racist is a statement based on logics of racial ideology.

Anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism is a systematic discrimination and oppression of the Jewish people. Discrimination against and oppression of the Jewish people. Anti-Semitism has nothing to do with the modern Jewish people. Additionally, it is not about the individual person but about the principle of "Jews", which is linked to conspiracy-theoretical and inhuman attributions. Hence, Anti-Semitism includes not only the directly expressed hatred against Jews, but also ideas and patterns of argumentation that express conspiracy thinking, denial and relativisation of the Shoah, calls for boycotts against Israeli productions or, for example, the equation of Israeli policies with the crimes of the National Socialists.

Sexism

Sexism refers to various forms of discrimination against people on the basis of their read gender. The term sexism also stands for the ideology underlying this phenomenon, which establishes and hierarchises gender roles. The manifestations of sexism are culturally and historically determined. Sexism is particularly evident in the marginalisation of women, trans, non-binary and intersex people.

Ableism

Ableism describes discrimination based on physical, mental and/or psychological impairments. It is based on a partially constructed image of health and abilities. People who deviate from this image are labelled as "disabled", ill, handicapped or impaired. Competences in other areas of life are denied to them.

Ageism

Ageism is a form of discrimination based on age. There are two kinds of ageism. There is ageism which describes the discrimination against people of older age. However, also younger people can be affected by age discrimination. Discrimination of younger people is also called ‘adultism’. This form of ageism is about the belittling of children by adults because of their age. Furthermore, adultism is about denying children or teenagers wisdom, maturity or intelligence because of their young age ("you are too young to understand").

Classism

Classism is a form of discrimination where people are discriminated against based on their social origin or ascribed social position in society. Classism mainly affects the unemployed and people affected by poverty, workers, or people with no or little education.

Boundary violation/Crossing boundaries

A boundary violation is behaviour that crosses the personal boundaries of the other person. The perpetrator is often not aware of this transgression.

Individual/personal boundaries

Personal boundaries are not only situational but also very individual. These boundaries represent a personal space in which we can decide what is allowed and what is not. Therefore, the perception of when boundaries have been crossed is highly subjective and only the person affected can decide when their boundaries have been crossed. Personal boundaries can be divided into five categories:

• emotional boundaries (one’s own feelings in a particular situation)
• physical boundaries (e.g. one’s own (personal) space, no matter how big it is)
• social boundaries (e.g. one’s friends, hobbies, etc.)
• intellectual boundaries (e.g. one’s own thoughts and opinions)
• spiritual boundaries (one’s own (un)faith/spirituality)

Consent/Consensus

Only an explicit "YES" means yes! That is, a "Maybe", "I don’;t know", and the like no expressions of actively giving consent (= NO). Asking for consent or actively expressing it can be very unfamiliar and feel weird sometimes. We are often mistaken when we unreflectively infer from ourselves to others or tacitly assume what someone (doesn’;t) want. Therefore: consensus is the active agreement of all participants - non-verbally or verbally. Those involved are in a transparent process to find a common solution. Consensus is a method of reflecting and communicating personal and sexual needs, boundaries, and desires.

Gender identity

Gender identity describes what gender one sees oneself as. It is therefore about the social, the lived and the felt gender. Therefore, gender identity can differ from the sex assigned at birth and from the sex as which one is interpreted by others in everyday life. The read gender (as one is interpreted in everyday life) does not have to correspond to the gender identity.

Read gender (female/male read)

The read gender is the gender that other people ascribe to a person based on their appearance and behaviour. Thus, a person read as female is a person who is perceived or read as a woman by others. However, this does not mean that this person also feels female or identifies as a woman.

Gender-sensitive or gender-equitable language

Gender-sensitive or gender-equitable language means using and employing language in such a way that all genders or identities are addressed in an equally visible and appreciative manner.

Pronouns

In addition to our names, we also have pronouns by which we wish to be addressed. Personal pronouns can describe people involved in a situation or refer to third parties in a conversation. The most commonly used pronouns in German are "er/sie". Unfortunately, German does not yet have a legally recognised third pronoun as in English (they/them) or Swedish (hen). Nevertheless, there are alternative third, gender-neutral pronouns in German such as "sier" "xier", and "nin". When you meet a person you do not know, it is important to ask not only for the name but also for the pronoun (e.g.: What is your name? What pronouns do you use?). Even if you are talking about a person whose gender you don’t know, the neutral option is the best. If you are talking about a person, you can simply use "the person" or the name instead of the third gender-neutral pronoun.

Privilege

Privilege is a disproportionate advantage over other people (groups) that is not 100% earned. Specifically, this means that privilege exists when people have structural advantages. In other words, privilege exists when people have structural privileges and advantages due to group membership or attribution that they have not acquired through their own performance or special qualification. Conversely, these socially granted opportunities for action are denied to others or made more difficult. This means that privilege always means a disadvantage for others. Moreover, privileged people shape the norm and are often not aware of their privileged position.

No Shirt - No Service

No Shirt - No Service is a small but nice idea to show solidarity with female read persons. As female read person can’t just get rid of their outerwear in the heat without fearing sexualization, objectification, stigmatization, staring, surreptitious videotaping, harassment, and the threat of physical assault (for which they then have "only themselves to blame"). You can read more about No Shirt - No Service here.

Power of definition

At the heart of the power of definition are the perspective and needs of the person affected, which form the starting point for further action. What constitutes discrimination and boundary crossing can only be decided by the affected person. Only they can define when an assault or boundary crossing is occurring or has occurred. This also includes the form and naming of the violence or discrimination that the affected person has had to suffer. Situations are perceived differently from person to person and people have individual emotional and physical boundaries. Therefore, there can be no universal definition of assault. The power of definition relates to a specific case. It is also possible for those affected to seek support in order to be able to discuss, process and name what they have experienced in an exchange. What should happen after a violation of boundaries or discrimination should be based on the wishes and needs of those affected.

Affected person

We prefer the term "affected person" to the term "victim". The latter implies the individual case, passivity, necessary, irreparable helplessness and creates "victim identity". The term "affected person" focuses more on the process of crossing the border, and emphasises the structural component and the system behind it: "affected person" suggests ordinariness, while the "victim" of an extraordinary, one-time event has no choice but to become a victim of his fate.