The We Hunted the Mammoth Pledge Drive continues! If you haven’t already, please consider sending some bucks my way. (And don’t worry that the PayPal page says Man Boobz.) Thanks!
With interest in their pet cause waning, #GamerGaters have been casting about for something that might give their little movement an infusion of energy and new supporters. They got a temporary boost a month ago from the ridiculous concoction that was #ShirtStorm, but that didn’t last.
And now, as you may have heard, they’re trying again with yet another contrived controvery called #MetalGate.
On Friday, a writer for Death Metal Underground warned fellow metalheads that “the same people who intruded into the gaming industry despite a striking lack of actual contributions” have now decided to take over the world of heavy metal music.
His proof of this Social Justice Warrior invasion? A Spin article mentioning – and celebrating – what it described as a recent “increase in conversations about racism, politics, and feminism” amongst metalheads. And a 2006 Washington Post article suggesting that metal was getting more “socially conscious.”
No, seriously. His entire argument relied on an 8-year-old newspaper article and a single sentence in Spin.
But apparently that’s all it takes to create a #Gate these days. #GamerGaters, desperate for some sort of continuing cultural relevance, are hanging onto the new hashtag with the grim determination of, well, I was going to say this guy
… but the dog is pretty adorable, and he seems to be really enjoying himself.
But, anyway, #MetalGate is now a thing.
GamerGate celebrities Mundane Matt and Sargon of Akkad have already posted YouTube videos on the subject; bumbling Sarkeesian Effect co-creator Jordan Owen has weighed in with a nearly hour-long lecture on the subject in which, among other things, he explains at length why he is not comparable to Beavis or Butthead. (Well, obviously; Butthead is a lot less obtuse than Owen.) Fortunately, he’s not in a bathtub this time.
Roosh’s Return of Kings blog – a kind of bellwether of manosphere opportunism – has posted its own guide to the alleged controversy, prophesying that
The SJWs will likely try the same excessive tactics with metalgate that they used on gamergate and shirtgate, and they will get the same negative reaction from the masses. The harder the SJWs push, the more Average Joe is repulsed by them. Their unfounded optimism and willful naivety will be the death of them.
[For even more ridiculous reactions on Roosh’s video game blog Reaxxion, see this post of mine.]
Over on Twitter, meanwhile, outraged metalhead #Gamergaters and neoreactionary Manosphereians and other easily outraged asshats are busily posting tweets about the evils of SJW influence in metal; the Tweeters include some names that will be familiar to long-time readers of this blog:
Oh lovely, now #metalgate is a thing – guess being one of the most accepting groups of people on the planet isnt enough for some people
— TotalBiscuit (@Totalbiscuit) December 13, 2014
I would like to see all kinds of groups standing up in solidarity with GG, daring the SJWs to do anything about it. #gamergate #metalgate
— Fidelbogen – gab.ai/Fidelbogen (@fidelbogen) December 14, 2014
#MetalGate #GamerGate aren't about metal, games, fem-supremists want to kill any semblance of conventional masculinity in society that's all
— Rollo Tomassi (@RationalMale) December 14, 2014
https://twitter.com/Reyeko_/status/543918108944367616
https://twitter.com/runsonmagic/status/543803519837671425
https://twitter.com/voxday/status/543733247122100225
Some other, er, highlights from the discussion.
(CONTENT WARNING: Slurs galore.)
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.
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https://twitter.com/beantownborn/status/543639435179745281
#MetalGate
Troll/10. You retards can't touch metal, we aren't afraid to call a cunt a cunt. Cunts.
.— PewpSchute (@ThePewpschute) December 13, 2014
https://twitter.com/CactusTheLynx/status/544059034676895744
So long as you're not a cunt metal heads will like you. If you're a cunt you'll get called out for being a cunt. Don't be a cunt #MetalGate
— Emily Galiette (@TheGrlThatDates) December 13, 2014
https://twitter.com/genophilia/status/544165045123694592
https://twitter.com/SiliconNooB/status/543697727251427328
The desperation could not be more obvious. Sorry, fellas, but this one isn’t going to take off.
Hell, even #GamerGate’s most famous hanger-on is dubious, asking
Is #MetalGate real or a joke
— Milo Yiannopoulos (@Nero) December 13, 2014
If you can’t even convince Milo to believe – or pretend to believe – your bullshit, well, you’re kind of screwed.
As a Metal musician myself, all I can say is that this is extremely silly at best and extremely scary at worst. This better not become a long running thing, as I’d rather be able to make songs about “SJW stuff” without people sending me angry emails about me daring to write lyrics about things that interest me instead of writing about barbarians killing dragons with guitars or whatever the hell they think Metal is about
The “sociable” for “socially conscious” in the deathmetal.org thing just reminded me of Nigel Tufnel’s “what’s wrong with being sexy”?
So… A friend of mine online has pointed out that that Death Metal Underground site has created a follow-up article on the nontroversy that is MetalGate. And it is hilarious. XD
http://www.deathmetal.org/article/the-sjw-strategy-for-metalgate-denial/
Metalgate is going so well so far.
“Is First Contact going to result in Star Gate?”
I laughed so hard I think a kidney fell out.
Hello! Been an hellacious month with the kidlet’s various things (surgery, influenza, visits with her abusive father) and seems to be staying that way. Just popping in to say hi. Hi all! *runs away very quickly to get an hour of sleep before needing to wash 5 year old vomit out of hair again*
That Vox video just reminds me of Sprockets
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1muh5u_sprockets-dieter-s-dance-party_tv
(Waves at Shaun) We miss you!
Again with the hair dye! Always the hair dye!
Does anyone know what’s going on in the European metal scene lately? I’ve been out of touch since about 2009. Is folk metal still happening?
Hey, Shaun, good to see you again!
“Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen, Gretchen.”
Hi Shaun!
Hey Castle, that sort of talk isn’t appropriate here. We’re not MGTOW. Many commenters here are men, and/or have men in their lives who they cherish.
Another thing we’re not: easily duped by straw feminists.
We also don’t use the word “insane” like that.
I’m waiting for #gategate, probably have to settle for #gwargate or #nickelbackgate or something in the meantime…
But seriously, one sentence about metal music this year having some social justice themes spawned this much vitriol already?
So, Roosh wants to try and court metalheads? That’s brave of him after RoK’s recent viral hate fest against women with tattoos.
Metalgate? Oh please.
http://flavorwire.com/448200/adorable-photos-of-metalheads-and-their-pet-cats
Everyone knows that metal people are adorable cat ladies! That means that they are OUR people!
Metal Kitties ^^
Although I dislike metal and therefore isn’t much concerned by this music scene, it is universally known that a large majority of metalheads and metal bands are very progressive people. And by that I mean clearly the exact opposite of what the right-wing boogger eating fedora wearing doodoo heads that make most of gamer game. And metal isn’t about ethic in video game journalism.
Oooh I love BabyMetal!
So apparently these guys can’t fathom any reason why musicians would want to infuse some meaning into their songs? I mean if they are seriously against this, then maybe they should go listen to dubstep or something (no offense intended to dubstep, but there usually aren’t much for lyrics right?).
Metal has always had counter cultural meanings and social viewpoints. Anyone who is truly a metal fan would know this. I think these assholes are just looking for something to latch onto because it has an outward appearance of macho manliness. I would like them to take a look at a some of the biggest bands currently…namely Hailstorm and In This Moment. Metal isn’t just a boys club anymore, if it ever truly was in the sense of fandom.
If we’re going to have metal gates, I’d rather Jean Tijou’s, really.
http://i2.wp.com/www.burghley.co.uk/collections/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/P1010402.jpg?resize=768%2C1024
OK. Sidetrack for something wonderful.
Most of you would have heard about the siege in the CBD of Sydney. A lot of people, as night follows day, are claiming that this is a Muslim terrorist act. Even less surprising, a muslim expressed some fear about travelling on public transport.
So #illridewithyou is born.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-15/illridewithyou-hashtag-takes-off-following-siege/5969102?WT.ac=statenews_nsw
my proposal: #shadowgate, where it turns out that the dragon has been supplanted by a firebreathing kitteh living on male tears by evil SJWs. I’m sorry my photoshop skills are basically nonexistent, so I can’t show you the proof.
@wwth: that sprockets thing is hilarious! I need to seriously brush up on old SNL episodes
… Wait, what does a game that takes the piss out of the Tea Party have to do with either libertarianism or “Cultural marxism”? Unless he’s admitting that the US’ Libertarian Party is just another wing of the Republican Party and doesn’t know what satire is.