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#MetalGate, we hardly knew ye! Despite the earnest effort of a small army of opportunists to stoke the fire – some of them #GamerGaters, others “dark enlightenment” neoreactionarires – the contrived controversy that was #MetalGate has already lost most of its steam. All you need to do is take a look at Topsy to see how quickly the hashtag burned itself out.
This is hardly surprising, given that the alleged controversy was little more than an utterly transparent attempt by ideological hacks to breathe life into the decaying corpse of #GamerGate and to drive traffic to terrible “dark enlightenment” blogs.
So before #MetalGate becomes a fading memory, I’d like to take a moment to highlight the efforts of one notable neoreactionary to turn the faux controversy into a war against “Social Justice Warriors” – and pump up the traffic to his struggling video game blog.
I’m talking, of course, about werewolf impersonator and woman-hating pickup guru Roosh Valizadeh. Roosh was late out of the gates in his attempt to capitalize on #GamerGate by launching his hilariously clueless video game blog Reaxxion. But with #MetalGate he moved more quickly, publishing three rabble-rousing posts on the subject in three days.
I mentioned one of them in my last post. But it’s the two he’s published on Reaxxion that are the real winners.
Yesterday, Reaxxion’s “ethics officer” Sam Roberts – yes, that is a thing – delivered an over-the-top rant warning metalheads that “enemies of metal are upon us.”
These alleged enemies? Social Justice Warriors, the all-purpose boogeyman that strikes terror in the hearts of #GamerGaters, Men’s Rights Activsts and neoreactionary werewolf PUAs alike. Roberts defined SJWs as
far-left weirdos with nothing going on in their life, who try to inject their toxic, tiresome political ideology into every field imaginable. They’ve taken over Atheism, Science Fiction Books, and they were poised to take over video games until #Gamergate started roundly thrashing them. Now, with what’s being called #Metalgate, we’re finding out that they want to take over heavy metal too. …
If these people get their way heavy metal will be neutered to the point where you could play it on a school bus
The horror!
After attacking two critics of metalhead douchebros – one of whom he describes as a “preening sissy” – Roberts ends with this rather comical call-to-arms:
If metalheads don’t want to end up neutralized and pussified, they’ll have to fight back. Gamergate shows the way here: if the media starts pushing a lousy band because its bassist has a vagina, mock them relentlessly. If a magazine starts hassling you like a schoolteacher for using naughty language, boycott them. Spread the word: if you’ve got twitter, use the hashtag #Metalgate. Don’t think [sic] The worst thing you can do is assume that somebody else will do your fighting for you. The enemies of metal have arisen, and it’s time to cut them down like dogs.
Appended to the article we find this embarrassing correction:
Update: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Kerry King as the frontman for Slayer. He is a guitarist. Reaxxion regrets the error.
Oops. Totally not metal, dude.
Reaxxion followed up this post with one today from irate #GamerGater Steve Alexander, who fantasized about a mythical alliance between gamers and metalheads that will defeat the SJW menace once and for all:
GamerGate is actively uniting liberals with conservatives under the umbrella of freedom of expression. But SJW’s don’t realize this, and have now attacked the metal crowd. They’ll soon find out that all their strategy will accomplish is to unite hardcore gamers and the metal crowd into a righteous mob.
We will learn from each other—gamers will bring their knowledge of leveraging social media and e-mail, and the metal crowd will bring their extreme energy and uninhibited expression. Together, marching in step, some wearing Converse while others wear steel toe boots, we will crush this censorship of our favorite mediums.
Huh. I guess gamers who are also metalheads will wear Converse on one foot and a steel-toed boot on the other?
Let me know how that goes.
Ahem. To the tune of “The Eyes of Texas” (also known as “I’ve Been Workin’ On the Railroad”):
The enemies of metal are upon you,
All the live-long day!
The enemies of metal are upon you,
You cannot get away!
Do not think you can escape them,
At night, or early in the morn…
The enemies of metal are upon you,
They’ll heap you high with scorn!
I did metal in the 80s and early 90s. There were lots of women in my friends group who did the same thing. Roosh, because he is following fact-free GG, is literally decades late in keeping women out of metal.
Next he’ll be all up in arms about women/SJW in Star Trek fandom. I’ll get my smelling salts ready.
It sounds like he thinks gators have the smarts, and can use metalheads as mindless muscle.
Honestly, I’m impressed that Roosh published an actual correction rather than surreptitiously fixing the mistake and pretending it hadn’t happened.
Does this mean Vivian’s gonna get a new metalhead friend?
He and his moronic “ethics” dude are also late to the game for keeping women out of SF. Gael Baudino even combined the two when she wrote Gossamer Axe, and dedicated it to the memory of the 14 fatal victims of the Montréal Massacre. Now THERE is a book about social justice warriors…it’s about an Irish harper from centuries ago who steals an immortal harp from the world of spirit and emerges in modern North America, then must go back to rescue her girlfriend who is still trapped. She enlists the help of an all-girl metal band of her friends, the harp transforms itself into a mighty powerful electric guitar, and general badassery ensues on a number of levels. That book is now over two decades old.
These guys, they are so culturally illiterate that I’m actually vicariously embarrassed for them.
Looks like VH1 is going to have to update their least metal moments list. http://www.retrojunk.com/community/post/index/43805
I’m actually really excited about that idea now. Vivian has a charming design and a metal girl friend would be up there with rockstar in Roles That I Lose My Mind Over When Women Take Them On. (In a good way.)
Even though she wouldn’t be a real woman, just a design. And if it’s Gators who design her, she would probably be designed by a man. :/
@lordpabu:
Well, she hasn’t been designed yet as far as I know, so… ;D
I need to get a copy of Gossamer Axe immediately. That is one adventure that I must have in my headspace, stat!
@kirbywarp: Oh oh, do you think an SJW might beat them to it? I am very tempted to work on a design myself. There would be piercings and tattoos involved. And possibly dyed black hair. Maybe with the roots showing just to aggravate gators that much more, Also, a band tee with ‘masculine’ graphics.
Yesssss…
Also, I should make it clear that I don’t have a problem with men designing these characters. It’s just misogynist gamergate types that are the problem more than anything. I need to keep an eye on my phrasing.
“Gamergate shows the way here: if the media starts pushing a lousy band because its bassist has a vagina, mock them relentlessly.”
This is totally about ethics in heavy metal journalism, not just plain old misogyny! LOOK, A BASSIST WITH A VAGINA! MOCKER HER! MOCK HER FOR FREE DUMB!
“There would be piercings and tattoos involved. And possibly dyed black hair. Maybe with the roots showing just to aggravate gators that much more, Also, a band tee with ‘masculine’ graphics.”
A T shirt with Piccolo sporting a pair of purple goat horns perhaps. Or Piccolo depicted as Ed Hunter, wearing purple pants.
Definitely do! I didn’t use to care much for metal, but that book changed my mind. It’s an awesome fantasy and very original.
I sneer at the “he man woman haters club” as I speak the name Alice Sheldon!
I admit that I am somewhat amused when d00dz have a meltdown on the interwebs over a six year old article. Such leadership. eh?
This is OT, just sharing my “I accidentally went on Twitter” life with y’all.
Random Person: Innocuous statement re police brutality without mention of race or any other factor.
White Dude: Dillon Taylor was killed by a black cop Y U NO CARE?
Shaun: Cop was not black, you should fact check.
White Dude: Kid was shot point blank, you don’t care about police brutality!
Shaun: Of course I do, I just think we should be accurate and respectful. By the way, your ability to name one white dude isn’t a “gotcha”, and it is disrespectful to all victims including white victims.
White dude: You’re a lefty white hater!
Shaun: I repeat, your reaction to a conversation about police brutality is disrespectful to all victims, even the white ones. More than 500 people have been killed by police this year alone (with citation admitedly from Wikipedia). That’s a very bad thing.
White Dude: (And this one I am quoting in all it’s fabulous glory) You’re existence is an insult to all good cops everywhere that keep you safe.
Shaun: I fully support “good cops” by denouncing police brutality.
White Dude: Don’t call a cop when you’re in trouble, light the bat signal! *Cites list of 30 cops killed in action*
So, original goal post, white lives matter too moved to police brutality is wrong moved to reverse racism moved to cops are good police brutality doesn’t exist moved to Batman doesn’t work with commissioner Gordon and cops die too. I asked him who was helping him carry those and then muted him. Just headdesk headdesk headdesk.
Hell, my 90s metal-love came because three of my fellow college students, all women, introduced me to the genre in the first place. Some of my best memories of school come from hanging around with them listening to Headbanger’s Ball.
would you say it’s a … crazy train?
@lordpabu – You should give in to that temptation, and bring the results back here. Please.
Can I confess to being Not Metal At All? Metallica zonks me right out, I prefer Hayseed Dixie to AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin goes over like a lead balloon. There’s a handful of songs I like, but for the most part, I just don’t get it. :/
She needs a new sweater, though.
The metalheads I’ve met have been strong on the social outcast image but were usually rather egalitarian in practice.
Vivian needs a Joan Jett tee shirt!
Breathlessly awaiting both #electronicagate and #emogate.