question to the Goths, punks, rockers, metallers et al..

[Guest]

Are these kinds of people generally racist? I heard bands like Otep, GNR etc is heavily racist, as is a number of heavy rock bands..

Is this true? Because I'm Asian myself, but consider myself a metaller. I hate to think I'm contradicting a cherished belief held by the people in the rock world!

[papercutheart]

I hate racists...I won't be narrow minded and say there aren't racists who listen to the same music as me...but I don't beleive that people are any more prejudice in this genre than those who listen to trance or soul or whatever...

[Phat Rita/Celestial Tim]

lets face it, the membership and committee standings in DN and RS is white, white and white.

social selection or social drift?

[Guest]

Lets face it, most of the membership of said societies are white, white and white.

Next you'll be demanding an asian representative position on the commitee.
We place no distinction between race, sex, creed and sexual orientation. No such representation is needed

[Fushia]

"question to the Goths, punks, rockers, metallers et al"

That would be where you're going wrong. I can't speak for Rocksoc, but I can say on behalf of Deviant Noise that by putting people into boxes: Goth, punk, rocker, whatever. This is not who we cater for, nor want to.

We play *any* kind of music, and if we don't have it on us, bring it, or we'll try our damnedest to find it. In the same way, there has never been any distinction in how our members pan out. We don't aim to attract a certain type of person: Just anyone who is passionate about music. ANY kind of music.

Admittedly, we do have a bias toward Western music, as this is what many of us find we have greater exposure to, but this is *not* to say that we are not wanting to broaden our tastes. I know that personally I find it difficult to find new music without someone who is enthusiastic about it to point me in the right direction.

The main problem is that, without coming and speaking to members of the society, we can't psychically know what people want to listen to, and so we play what we like, and what others have enjoyed in the past. So let us know, and we'll probably get it played, or come begging for DJs...

As to whether alternative music is racist, my reply would be the same as with any medium: There are always exceptions to every rule. While the majority of music in the genres mentioned are not racist in any way, there are some that are. But for every punk band I can think of that is, there are twenty other punk bands advocating tolerence; using their music to express liberal politics, a case in point being the amount of protest albums released by the rock community against Bush and attempting to promote both voting and a political conscience amongst young people in the run up to the elections; something you will never get in the sterilised world of pop.

However, in the case of the music societies here (to the best of my knowledge) no music with a racist message is played.

Anyways, apologies, rant over.

Think i may need a life...

[hr]
'Life in a box is better than no life at all, I expect. You'd have a chance, at least. You could lie there thinking, 'Well. At least I'm not dead.'

[Fushia]

"question to the Goths, punks, rockers, metallers et al"

That would be where you're going wrong. I can't speak for Rocksoc, but I can say on behalf of Deviant Noise that by putting people into boxes: Goth, punk, rocker, whatever. This is not who we cater for, nor want to.

We play *any* kind of music, and if we don't have it on us, bring it, or we'll try our damnedest to find it. In the same way, there has never been any distinction in how our members pan out. We don't aim to attract a certain type of person: Just anyone who is passionate about music. ANY kind of music.

Admittedly, we do have a bias toward Western music, as this is what many of us find we have greater exposure to, but this is *not* to say that we are not wanting to broaden our tastes. I know that personally I find it difficult to find new music without someone who is enthusiastic about it to point me in the right direction.

The main problem is that, without coming and speaking to members of the society, we can't psychically know what people want to listen to, and so we play what we like, and what others have enjoyed in the past. So let us know, and we'll probably get it played, or come begging for DJs...

As to whether alternative music is racist, my reply would be the same as with any medium: There are always exceptions to every rule. While the majority of music in the genres mentioned are not racist in any way, there are some that are. But for every punk band I can think of that is, there are twenty other punk bands advocating tolerence; using their music to express liberal politics, a case in point being the amount of protest albums released by the rock community against Bush and attempting to promote both voting and a political conscience amongst young people in the run up to the elections; something you will never get in the sterilised world of pop.

However, in the case of the music societies here (to the best of my knowledge) no music with a racist message is played.

Anyways, apologies, rant over.

Think i may need a life...

[hr]
'Life in a box is better than no life at all, I expect. You'd have a chance, at least. You could lie there thinking, 'Well. At least I'm not dead.'

[funk-me-girl]

For more info on the event posted on the calendar, check out the news page on the Deviant Noise website:
www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~deviant

Come in fancy dress, make me happy!

[Guest]

This is an interesting topic, one that i will voice an opinion for debate on here. Firstly though, I am no racist. At all. i feel uncomfortable divisively calling people white and black but in a debate like this it is necessary and practical.

I recall when I was seventeen that I went to see an Iron Maiden concert in Birmingham.
I did not see one person that was not white.

This has nothing to do with a band message, racism, or anything that obvious (although some bands have voiced such undesirable opinions in the past, inculding Axl Rose from Guns and roses).

I generally wonder if this isn't just something cultural. It certainly is not intentional that most of our society is white and that all of the committee are white.

It is not true that there are no non white people in metal/rock - for instance Sepultura are brazilian. Benji from Skindred is black. God Forbid are at least 50% non white. Dave Baksh from Sum 41 is Asian.

But it is true that rock (at least) is a white dominated scene.
Someone once heavy handedly called Rock "White man's soul music". I wonder if there is not some cultural thing here? After all, it would appear the majority of Rap, Rn'B, Soul and Motown musicians are black - or so the media would seem to portray them.

Interesting...

Adam
Rocksoc President.

[smellycheeseman]

Quoting from 07:07, 30th Dec 2004
Are these kinds of people generally racist? I heard bands like Otep, GNR etc is heavily racist, as is a number of heavy rock bands..

Is this true? Because I'm Asian myself, but consider myself a metaller. I hate to think I'm contradicting a cherished belief held by the people in the rock world!

Can i just put my bit in as well, I went to the Donnington Download festival this year which is a big metal festival in england, and out of the 60'000 people that were there i only saw one black man, i am aware that black and death metal does come from a very right wing background, and so also comes from a racist background - i think this was at its height at the start of the 90's when the underground metal scene in Europe kicked off, but lots of these people who were involved in the movement were just general phycopaths, there were church burnings, and graves being dug up in Sweden and Finland. However to the best of my knowledge the music has almost completely moved away from that side of things, because people just dont tolerate it any more. So i would like to say that yes the Death/Black metal scene did come from racist routes, but i havent met a racist who listens to it yet. I think 15 years ago it might have been a different story. But to put Metal down because of what it maybe once was is not right, it is a different music we hear today. I do remember that at the festival i was at some bands attracted a very different audience to others, Black Sabbath had every type of person (ages 12-70, all shapes sizes and types of people) however when i went to see American head charge in a smaller tent out of interest about 90% of the croud were bald 20something year old white men, and that was maybe the most intimidating croud i was in all weekend.

To be honest racism still exists in a lot of things, and its usually the less mentally capable members of society (the fuckwits) who promote it, i say rise above it and keep listening to the metal!

[smellycheeseman]

i aplogise, my last post made literally no sence, im extremely tired... and on re-reading the title of this forum i felt i had to clear up what i really meant(i just talked crap in the last one)

No i dont believe metallers, goths, punks, rockers are racist - but there are a few out there, and they are the ones who give it a bad name...

keep fighting the good fight, Metal!!