Post by AbsolutMetal on Oct 3, 2007 15:11:26 GMT -5
...if only fans were paying attention. I've become concerned, outraged, and especially dumbfounded by the metal fans I've come across on the internet who are quick to label me a "liberal hippy douche" if I bring up any topic I find politically or socially important right now and post an article I'd like to throw into open discussion. I usually throw in my opinion as well, which seems to get me into even more trouble. Most bothersome though, is that these metal fans aren't paying attention.
Music has long been a way for musicians to send their message to the masses, and some of those messages are more important now than ever. In the 60's Black Sabbath warned us about "War Pigs" and the impending "Electric Funeral" they would cause. They wrote of nuclear war and environmental degradation, and Metallica seemed to be listening because they repeated their hero's concerns later with "Disposable Heroes", "Blackened", and "One". But who's been listening and even applying these lyrics into social or political beliefs and everyday actions? I've thought about it, and I can credit 3 distinct things with shaping my current social/political opinions and beliefs: My own learning experience and brain, the music I've been listening to for the past 15+ years, and my mother's Democratic leanings. The lyrics I've read have caused me to question things, to do my own research, to find out if we're really being fucked. I can't comprehend listening to Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" and not questioning the death penalty, can't listen to Sepultura's album "Chaos A.D." without wondering what the biotech companies are really up to, or how people are struggling for freedom in South America where police brutality is all the rage. Fear Factory tell of animal testing on their first album in "Crash Test". Obituary and Gojira seem quite concerned about the environment on their albums, and High On Fire have been penning more angry marks against the Bush administration than about wizards and demons lately. Then there's Napalm Death, Ministry, Anthrax, Megadeth and many more who seem to have a problem with the way things are being run. They must be liberal hippy douches. Seriously though, has anyone thought about this at all? We pretty much have our own culture as metalheads, why not put it to some use and change things? Maybe adopt some ways that would make a difference?
Music has long been a way for musicians to send their message to the masses, and some of those messages are more important now than ever. In the 60's Black Sabbath warned us about "War Pigs" and the impending "Electric Funeral" they would cause. They wrote of nuclear war and environmental degradation, and Metallica seemed to be listening because they repeated their hero's concerns later with "Disposable Heroes", "Blackened", and "One". But who's been listening and even applying these lyrics into social or political beliefs and everyday actions? I've thought about it, and I can credit 3 distinct things with shaping my current social/political opinions and beliefs: My own learning experience and brain, the music I've been listening to for the past 15+ years, and my mother's Democratic leanings. The lyrics I've read have caused me to question things, to do my own research, to find out if we're really being fucked. I can't comprehend listening to Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" and not questioning the death penalty, can't listen to Sepultura's album "Chaos A.D." without wondering what the biotech companies are really up to, or how people are struggling for freedom in South America where police brutality is all the rage. Fear Factory tell of animal testing on their first album in "Crash Test". Obituary and Gojira seem quite concerned about the environment on their albums, and High On Fire have been penning more angry marks against the Bush administration than about wizards and demons lately. Then there's Napalm Death, Ministry, Anthrax, Megadeth and many more who seem to have a problem with the way things are being run. They must be liberal hippy douches. Seriously though, has anyone thought about this at all? We pretty much have our own culture as metalheads, why not put it to some use and change things? Maybe adopt some ways that would make a difference?