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I’ve avoided writing this kind of piece for a while now, mostly because I find the term “poser” soiled by overuse. Let me preface this by saying I even despise the term as much as I despise the people that necessitate its use. Because these cloying morons epitomize everything that’s antithetical to genuine metal culture. I don’t care for gatekeeping as performance nor do I fetishize the role of “defender".
To those who claim the underground is boring and “sucks for a reason,” you are either spectacularly ignorant or deliberately obtuse.
Such pronouncements are the verbal diarrhea of a myopic, consumerist culture utterly devoid of any capacity to comprehend why underground is a concept, a rejection of the vapid, corporatized noise pollution that assaults the mainstream.
“The metal scene in [X country] sucks.”
Really? You combed through every demo, every regional netlabel and basement level tape trader, and came up empty handed?
Another dumbass opinion I see way too often. This intellectual sloth is as shortsighted as it is laughable... The arrogance of presuming that an entire geographic region has failed your personal rubric of what counts as “good metal.” A bad listener will always blame the scene.
But perhaps the most vomit-worthy plague to metastasize within the contemporary metal “audience” is the whole aesthetic fetishism. Those who would rather look the part than purchase the actual thing. These are the terminal posers who dilute the scene’s authenticity. You can identify them by their obsessive curation of vibe, their desperate need to look “kvlt” without actually engaging with the culture. Nothing against aesthetics (I love a solid goth or metal look as much as the next degenerate), but if your obsession with how you look vastly outweighs your interest in what you actually listen to, then what the fuck are you even doing?
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j4ywa1k3r ✰
i am not goth myself but i do consider myself emo(based on interests and how i express myself) and i totally can see where youre coming from !! it happens in all subcultures, ESPECIALLY ones deemed "alternative" (which by the way, what does that even mean at this point). i think whats really skewed the image and "standards" of alt cultures was the word "aesthetic" being popularized and as you said, the "-core"s. outsiders started to make more labels and rules on what it means to be alternative even though they didnt even involve themselves with the communities that they label. i also thing that some people INSIDE these cultures made it very hard for people just coming in and experimenting for the first time to feel accepted. theres a LOT to it and i love talking about it because it dives into a lot of other topics that affect these communities too, like misogyny, homophobia, racism, etc.
sorry, meant metal instead of goth!, but you get my point
by j4ywa1k3r ✰; ; Report
Vexovoid66614
I used to write something like this before and about how people fetishized goth culture, and i get attacked for it for telling the truth.
xeviant
Feel this blog heavily. Not just in the bm scene but also in many other alt subcultures.
Boosting this cuz ppl need to see this. It’s like the whole “core”-ifiying musical subcultures. Like yuh fashion is cool and all, BUT THERES MORE TO IT THAN THE LOOKS!!! it’s a music based subculture because music is what it was founded upon.
Our modern world is defined by images. We connect and understand each other through images, and this has atrophied our ability to deep dive together.
Yes, we can and are allowed to deep dive different cultures more than ever before with the internet, which is so exciting. The catch, is that we don't know how to socialize what we keep from.our deep dives... Maybe people are afraid of being to open and vulnerable about the things they love.
So, it is easier and less emotionally-taxing to dress the part and not having to face the social challenges.
I would like to go to the goth club with a friend, but the alt people I know don't followup the chat with me :(
Even when I'm talking about shared interests.
We are too individualistic and caught up into being unique? Probably
by Alavenderbush; ; Report
suicidemachine
the subculture needs more controversial people, who are not afraid to touch a sore point, it is right that there is a debate and calling someone who has finally put their word on a delicate topic that needed to be discussed "ethilist" simply does not hold up to comparison, they're incapable of defending themselves and is not willing to move from their own convictions, because no, knowing two songs by a band does not mean being a true die-hard fan of a band, and whoever says so is not a gatekeeper, but someone who has at least looked up the definition of a "fan" rather than farting misinformation around and taking the first piece of information that is most convenient for you as truthful.
Real. Complaining with conviction and confronting uncomfortable truths is vital to preserving the integrity of ANY subculture, especially one as fiercely authentic as metal.
Calling someone “elitist” just because they hold firm standards is just a lazy dismissal, it’s always easier to label than to engage in real dialogue. If you claim to be a fan, then act like one.
by Crypt of Drugula; ; Report