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Dec. 13, 2014 - Sargon of Akkad - Carl Benjamin
21:41
The Problem With Heavy Metal Is Metalheads
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Oh looky here, what's this?
Heavy metal gets socially conscious.
Well fuck, that doesn't remind me of anything.
Coming to you from San Francisco, I'll try and contain my fucking surprise.
More than three decades after Black Sabbath conjured up images of the dark arts, heavy metal is growing up.
Oh yeah, that's not a familiar refrain or anything.
Never heard that applied to anything by social justice warriors.
Metal's becoming global.
Yeah, right.
Yeah, metal, metal wasn't global before.
It's only just becoming global.
And it's becoming a tool for social and political commentary.
Yeah, because it never did that.
It never did that before.
Thank God social justice is here to help metal out.
It takes on greater meaning in countries where people have had to struggle to survive.
It takes on a much stronger political tone.
Metal music in the 1980s was often homophobic and, quote, very white, she said.
But current bands tend to be socially conscious and suspicious of political power.
There's also more women in the audience and fronting the bands.
I can't help but wonder how long it's going to be before we're told that heavy metal is sexist and ostracizing.
This is another generation rising, Gain said.
Yes, it is.
This is the social justice warriors have been turned into activists at their universities and they're being pumped out into your communities.
Enjoy!
The popular view of metalheads as mentally deficient goons was memorialized with the MTV cartoon Beavers and Butthead.
But more meaningful music was coming from the underground as popular culture embraced grunge and metal lost favour.
If ever there was a term that screamed intense critical subjectivity, it's meaningful.
Napalm Death was a product of Britain's crass movement, which fueled anarchism and punk in the late 1980s.
Vocalist Mark Greenway, a vegetarian and peace advocate, is often pulled aside by fans who want to know more about his progressive views.
I have no doubt.
It's really really difficult sometimes to break through the cloud of apathy, so it's great when someone comes and asks why you are coming from your perspective.
He's not talking about extreme progressivism though, is he?
The lyrics on Lamb of God's two most recent albums have been expressly political, and the politics lean heavily to the left.
Oh, that must mean he wants to teach men not to rape.
He says, I appreciate that not everything has to be awareness raising or political.
Well, I'll stop you there, actually, my friend, because you're wrong.
According to social justice warriors and rad femmes alike, the personal is political, so if you enjoy something, you need to make that a political statement.
You can't just enjoy something for the sake of enjoying it and not trying to influence other people to do what you want.
Music is a form of entertainment and should remain that way.
Variety is the spice of life.
Escapism is a good thing if it doesn't cloud your vision.
Well, unfortunately, you're probably going to be getting a slew of articles with headlines like, Rock Bottom, Why Mastodon's Misogynistic New Video Missed Fires, and subtext like, I thought metal music was edging away from a culture of cross-sexism.
But then I watched Mastodon's new satirical video.
And they too will start tone policing you with articles like, the problem with heavy metal is metalheads.
Stop calling everyone a faggot.
Yeah, metalheads.
Why would you keep calling everyone a faggot?
That's really not very progressive, is it?
So the author claims their metal credentials and then says, like every other type of culture, its image to outsiders is largely informed by its loudest segment, regardless of how small that segment is.
Why would you care?
But anyway, unfortunately, the loudest segment in metal is frequently obnoxious and awful.
And it writes for the press.
This isn't something unique to heavy metal, no, it's happening in gaming too.
Reasonable voices in religion, atheism, and politics, and geek gaming culture are constantly drowned out by a chorus of shrieking trolls.
Yes, but that's because they took communication studies degrees and they've ended up in the press who can't handle dissenting opinions or questioning the status quo.
Jesus Christ, I just'm tired of always having to justify my love of metal by explaining to outsiders that most metalheads are really good people and not just angry dumb ogres.
I'm also tired of the intolerance and unwavering dogmatism that infects the community.
Unwavering dogmatism.
Really?
Really?
In metal.
In a medium of artistic expression.
Or is this, like everything else social justice warriors say, fucking projection?
Some of you clowns are ruining it for the rest of us.
And the purpose of this new semi-regular series called The Problem with Heavy Metal is metalheads.
Where have I heard that before?
Holy shit.
How long is it until we get metal heads are over?
Just come on, you fucking I'm calling it now, you know, fucking hell is to point out some of the problems within our community, because if there's one thing everyone likes, it's these little busybodies who do community policing from the fucking press on fucking oh.
It's my hope that the reasonable people reading these posts will engage in calm, rational debate in the comments section, despite the reactionary sewage that will almost certainly bubble up from the nastiest, smelliest depths of metal injections.
Commenting community.
Well done to shit on your own readership.
You fucking pricks, metalheads love patting themselves on the back about how inclusive the heavy metal scene is.
You know, like all of these counterculture movements that kind of sprung out the 80s and 90s they, they were all massively inclusive, all of them.
I've been part of loads of them.
I'm not the sort of guy who tends to like dress in a certain way or acting in a certain way, but I tend to hang out with a lot of different kinds of people and when I was at university I went to a lot of rock clubs, a lot of rock clubs, and holy shit, I tell you what, I never once saw any kind of trouble, not once.
I saw a lot of people having a fucking good time, I saw a lot of people getting some sort of future arthritic condition with their neck, but I didn't see anyone causing any problems.
However, unless you're a heterosexual white male who wears cargo pants and band shirts exclusively, the heavy metal community may not feel all that welcoming to you, may not, and feel, well, I don't give a fuck if someone may not feel, but then i'm not actually part of the heavy metal community anymore, or really whatever was to be fair.
So you know, I can't really say, but I tell you what, as someone who wasn't part of that community, whenever I was doing something that would involve me with that community, nobody could have been more welcoming.
I imagine it's because i'm a white man, though that's not to say that the majority of fans aren't good people.
Then why are you getting your knickers in a twist about this?
What's the point?
But historically, the scene hasn't been the friendliest of places to those who don't fit a specific mold A, that's not true, which makes you a fucking liar.
And B, if that was true, it would be completely understandable because it is a subculture.
Attitudes are definitely getting more progressive.
Oh, good for attitudes.
But even a brief glance at the comments on a Facebook page or article published by any of the major metal sites reveals a stinking cesspool of racism, misogyny, and homophobia.
Of course it does.
Let's have a quick look, shall we?
Former WASP guitarist Chris Holmes moved to France because he thinks black culture ruined heavy metal.
That's not racist.
He's entitled to his opinion and to whether he likes black culture or not.
And if he feels it's invaded heavy metal spaces, maybe it has.
But it's not a comment on black people.
I guess we better have a look at the misogyny.
Tim Lambisis' wife is suing him in civil court for $2 million, claims label won't release his music.
Oh yeah, this is all about misogyny.
I don't even need to read any more than this to know that this is about people hating women because they're women, and not people hating this woman because she's trying to extort millions of dollars out of her husband.
I guess we'd better get to the claim of homophobia.
Dave Mustaine continues to be an unpleasant person.
Oh, fuck off, just fuck off.
Fuck me.
These are from a website called Metal Injection.
Seriously.
Continuing on, they say that the metal community, specifically the online metal community, can be an especially harsh place for homosexuals.
I'm sick of these fucking weezels.
Can be.
Is it or isn't it?
Well, it can be.
Well, is it right now?
No, not right now.
I don't have like any proof of this statement, but it could be, couldn't it?
Well, yes, I suppose theoretically it fucking could be.
But is it?
Who at any given moment have to stomach all manner of repulsive behavior from the maladjusted imbeciles who inhabit the comment section here at Metal Injection at every other major metal website on the internet?
You will have your own Metal Journo pros list.
Trust me.
You will get your Metal Heads Are Over articles.
We know their modus operandi.
We know how this works and I can tell you exactly how this is going to fucking go.
It's offensive enough.
Jesus.
Why would someone in metal be like, no, I'm offended by that?
No, I'm just no.
No, this, I'm going back to San Francisco.
You know, who cares?
The point of metal was to be offensive, you dipshits.
Just, ah, fucking hell, man.
Fucking hell.
Nothing is sacred, right?
It's offensive enough that some of these mouth breathers still resort to using gay as a substitution for bad every opportunity.
That's fucking queer, though, isn't it?
But for the last few years, faggot has slowly been becoming the go-to insult for reactionary Cretans who can't think of an intelligent response to an opinion they disagree with.
Or sometimes it's just a faggoty opinion.
That's like yours.
Right now, you are giving me, the author is giving me a faggot opinion.
I just don't care.
You're a faggot, mate.
You sound like a fag.
I just, it's not about being gay.
It's about you being a whining bitch.
The use of faggot isn't an insult just relegated to anonymous internet goons, however.
Prominent musicians like Phil Labonte, the petulant man-baby who fronts all that remains.
Just wait till they call you piss babies.
And Slayer's Kerry King have both casually dropped the F word.
Listen, it's like my mum is trying to take over the things I like.
Jesus fucking Christ.
You know, in fact, that's not even fair, right?
My mum isn't like that.
You know, my mum might say, I don't approve of that, but she doesn't have to try to stop people from doing something.
You know, it's like the busybody mum next door who everyone fucking hates, but is always reporting in on other people's kids when they've, you know, managed to get some beer or something.
So obviously it should go without saying that any fandom or scene that prides itself on embracing outcasts the way the metal community does would avoid using offensive language that targets an entire group of already persecuted people.
Where?
Where are the faggots being persecuted?
Not every metal head who uses the insult is a slavering bigot though.
Some insist it's a legitimate insult along the same lines as jerk or asshole.
But it's not and it never was.
At least not in the United States, the only country on earth where the term first arose as a slur against homosexuals in 1914.
And yes, language doesn't change.
Gay still means happy.
So if you're one of the few people who honestly doesn't understand the history of the word, now you know.
And now you still don't need to forgive a fucking shit because faggot isn't used as a slur against homosexuals.
It's a slur against people like you, you fucking tit.
And just in case you were wondering, the rest of you have no excuse.
There's literally no legitimate reason to call someone a faggot.
Coming from a man who has clearly been called a faggot many times in his life.
Like every other slur, it's an ugly word and its use is needlessly offensive to an entire group of people.
Yes, faggots.
Not gays, don't get them confused.
There are gay people who are faggots.
There are faggots who are not gay.
It's not about your sexual orientation, fag.
If you're really itching to insult someone and after reading this article, I really am.
What's wrong with using asshole shithead or the dozens of other terms that aren't needlessly hurtful and insulting to people who are unfortunate enough to randomly stumble upon your stupid childish comment?
Well, the reason that faggot is so much better than that is because you are personally provoked by it.
You are so fucking provoked by it, you have written an article because you are so sick of being called a faggot.
Which means I think you're probably going to get called a faggot about 10 times more than you were.
No doubt some of you reading this have your hackles up.
It's a natural reaction to get defensive when something you identify with gets criticized.
But before you start screeching about the PC police and social justice warriors, keep in mind that homophobia has real world consequences.
There we go, that's it.
It's not that they're not PC faggots.
It's not that they're not social justice warriors.
It's that they think it's justified to do what they're doing.
That's the difference.
That is the point.
They think it's okay for them to go on about you because you aren't like them because they have justifications because of reasons.
Apparently it contributes to a hostile social environment where homosexuals continue to be attacked physically and verbally simply because of who they are.
Oh the humanity.
in a july op-ed for terrorizer editor tom dare clearly and concisely explains why homophobic slurs are so damaging to the lgbt community just oh you're so fucked guys You are so fucked.
Homophobia is horrible in all its forms.
It hurts people.
Gay as a synonym for bad tells LGBT people they are different, that they are bad, that they are somehow inferior to straight people.
Nobody is saying that but the social justice warriors.
That came out of your fucking mind.
No one else is thinking it or saying it.
You people are the ones who are obsessed with this concept.
If you would let it go, then it would be gone.
It leads people to deny their own identity.
Well, I tell you what, it's only a matter of time until your press says that metalheads are over.
It really is.
And, you know, these people will try to take your identities from you like they did with gamers because they're sociopaths who really don't care about other people.
Heavy metal fans have been targets for scorn and derision for decades.
Holy shit, there are some significant parallels here, aren't there?
I mean, where have we heard this before?
The metal community is supposed to be a place where misfits and outcasts can find shelter in the face of that intolerance, but not from the intolerance of social justice warriors.
When you throw around big-tidd slurs, whether you know it or not, you're eroding the community we're all supposed to be a part of.
Why don't you just care about our community?
Our community is suffering because of the things you say.
Why don't you just self-censor?
That'll make it easier for everybody.
I mean, hopefully, you'll think twice about the language you use in future.
But if you still don't care, please do everyone a favour and keep your stupid comments to yourself.
Holy shit.
So let's get an opinion on this issue from someone who isn't a social justice warrior.
The author had hoped that the busload of squalling drama that was Gamergate, see here pro and con, the progress to Eric Kane's very neutral article and the con goes to well any article really would not come to metal but metalgate has arrived courtesy of the same people who intruded into the gaming industry despite a striking lack of actual contributions.
Metal is still dogged by issues that arise from its deep-seated conservative values, really.
And thanks to an increase in conversations about racism, politics and feminism, those on the right side of history have gained solid ground.
Now, just listen, right, author of this piece.
Do you feel that your characterization of Gamergate as a squalling drama was fair now that you're about to get the same fucking treatment?
You are doubtless going to see exactly the same methods employed.
You are doubtless going to get belittled and berated for just being the people you are by these social justice dipshits who have got an agenda.
Don't go fucking going, oh, it's a squalling drama in gaming I don't want to have any part of.
You don't have a fucking choice.
These people are invasive and sociopathic.
They don't care about you.
They don't care about your medium.
They care about their politics.
But anyway, before we get involved in this partisan squabble, I'll stop you there.
You really should have done some fucking research.
It's not a partisan issue.
It's not about the left-right divide.
Because just like you say that metal is beyond it, so is gaming.
So almost all of these fucking hobbies they're trying to shit up.
None of this is about left or right.
It's about libertarian, authoritarian.
Do you think people should be able to act as they choose?
Or do you think that these social justice warriors should be able to tell people how to act?
Honestly, I'm disappointed with how misinformed this person is.
You'd think that given that they're about to be on the receiving end of the social justice bullshit train, you'd think they'd want to personally be a bit more informed about exactly how they operate.
So apparently heavy metal has actually been described as conservative, which I've never personally heard.
But if it was coming from a social justice warrior, anything that isn't extreme progressivism is conservative.
But Metal avoids social issues and other internal questions of a society and instead looks at the health of a society as a whole, or in other words, how sane it is.
And we see a world gone insane through a refusal to pay attention to reality.
The methods of that are beyond unartistic genre and should be injected into it.
But since 2006, at least trying to reform metal has been a pet project of certain groups.
They then cite the Washington Post article that I went through in the beginning.
So the author says that the grim fact is that metal is split into two groups.
When the newer group encountered the older group, they were appalled that they did not share their opinions, not just on politics, but on how to live.
This new group is inherently social, and they share opinions which make their friends feel warm and fuzzy about them.
Oh, fucking hell.
Right, okay.
The older metal heads, they were still inherently social.
They just didn't use social media because they weren't brought up on social media.
Apparently, the millennials do not enjoy everything around them, because it doesn't make them feel warm and fuzzy.
But I guess that's what happens when you get given participation ribbons at school.
And naturally, that's at odds with the older metal tradition.
It's not even the older metal tradition.
It's just the older person tradition of not caring what society thought, telling the hard truth, and being obligated to no one because most people are crazy.
Actually, it's that they're stupid, but it's only when you get involved in a managerial role with society, like a kindergarten teacher insisting that we all play nice together, that you care about making sure that everyone is included.
Listen, dipshits, that's the point of subcultures, is that everyone isn't included.
There are some people who are specifically not part of your subculture.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
That's fine.
Everyone can have a subculture.
The author then goes on about talking about this from the corporate point of view.
Sociable sells.
They tried to sell in the 1980s with rap, rock, and funk map.
Who cares?
Who cares?
No one else cares.
No one's coming from that perspective.
So no one gives a fuck.
This is the same problem that we have in gaming where they're like, yeah, but this will appeal to a broader audience.
And everyone's just like, I don't give a fuck if my hobby appeals to a broader audience.
I like it as it is.
But notice that none of this was brought on by metalheads.
It was created by people who wanted to be metalheads, but felt they could not be metal heads unless the genre agreed with their existing social, political, and lifestyle biases.
I think it's actually debatable as to whether they want to even be metalheads, but let's just assume this is true for now.
At this point, the metal community has been entirely split between those who like the old school and those who want to be, quote-unquote, new school.
This is because they're two separate genres.
Metal is metal and the indie metal core wave is someone else trying to use us for their agenda.
Metalgate is the latest salvo in this fight.
It's just another front in the war against social justice, really.
In the great culture war that the social justice warriors have declared.
Seriously, these articles are everywhere.
How can we listen to offensive metal?
Hey, Craig Hayes, how about you don't and fuck off?
I think you're too much of a sensitive bunny for it, princess.
As any old schooler can attest to, gender equality in metal has never been better.
But that doesn't mean there isn't still a very vocal contingent of the ever-expanding scene that thinks chicks are dumb sluts.
Or how about this gem?
The gender gap in heavy metal journalists.
What about, are you talking to me?
Respecting women in metal?
Are feminists trying to figure out how to insert themselves into heavy metal?
Of course they fucking are.
They're discussing it on their stupid forums.
And so we come to hashtag Metalgate, which is probably going to fulfill a similar function to hashtag Gamergate.
I would recommend supporting these people even if you aren't a metalhead.
Because they are going to be victimized by their own press.
They are going to be roundly attacked for creating the industry these social justice warriors are going to subvert.
So in the words of one of my favourite YouTubers, Godspeed Metalheads.
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