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Heavy band seeking fans: Elitists need not apply—an op-ed

At the heart of punk ethos is a hatred for elitism. Punk music started out as an attempt to defy the so-called “rules of music.” Until punk, a person was only supposed to be in a band or call themselves a musician if they could play their instrument flawlessly. Enter the likes of the New York Dolls and the Sex Pistols, who not only threw the rule book out the window, but set it on fire. All of a sudden the most powerful music of an era was championed by kids who only knew about four chords. They didn’t care about impressing anyone—and that was the point.

Read more: In Defense Of The Fangirl

But today, punk, hardcore and metal fans seem to have forgotten that essential belief. They themselves have turned into the elitists that punk and its offshoots blatantly reject. Be it in person or (most likely) online, fans of one genre of heavy music will bully fans of another genre because those fans  don’t listen to “real” bands. It looks like ignorance and hypocrisy have a hold on music just as much as every other part of society, and yet people still claim they and the real bands are untouchable. As Whitechapel state in their song “Elitist Ones,” “This is what we have become/A self-absorbed population of scum.”

The truth is, the second you put yourself and your bands on a pedestal is the exact moment you have betrayed the original intent of that music: You’ve simply missed the point. This isn’t to say you can’t have your own opinions about one band being better than another, but recognize exactly what the word “opinion” means. You’re not better than anyone because you prefer Metallica over Miss May I. You’re not the authority on music because there is no authority here.

Not only does attacking other fans for their preferences split people into useless categories, it also severely divides a scene. In my experience in the hardcore community, there are two sects. There is the sect that just enjoys the music and the camaraderie it provides, while the other passes judgement on those who don’t rally for the bands they’ve preselected as “real hardcore.” Now Band X can’t associate with Band Y because Band Y refuses to let them onto their bill and into their clique. Congratulations, now you’ve got your cool kids club, but you’ve cut your scene in half when you could have created something much bigger and much more influential. The ultimate question then becomes, what kind of music community would you rather be part of? One that is full of fun and love, or one that centers itself around ego and narcissism?

In the end, the entire concept of trying to embarrass or censure someone for their music taste serves no point except that of providing an illusion of grandeur. Besides, punk, hardcore and metal are all genres that are already largely outside the mainstream. What positive result are you expecting if you are willing to tear each other to pieces? We’re all better off heeding Whitechapel’s message: “Show some fucking respect.”

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