As the anti-GamerGate movement starts to lose its momentum, close on its heels is what is becoming known as #MetalGate. Although the push for censorship in metal music and the accusations of its fan base being social pariahs and misogynists isn’t quite to the level the gaming community has experienced in the last couple of months, we are beginning to see a trend in what SJWs truly detest.
What do the gaming community and the metal fan base have in common? They are both groups of predominantly white, male, social outcasts enjoying something unique and creative.
Creating Social Outcasts
Perhaps my experience in high school was different than yours, but if I remember correctly, the headbangers weren’t exactly the most popular group of kids in school, nor were the gamers. Both groups were made up of the “weird” kids; one group sitting together playing Japanese card games, the other brooding in corners with dark, scary looking band shirts. All the while, the popular kids looked on, ridiculing their hobbies and further isolating both groups of people.
So the gamers and metalheads plunge themselves into a community of people who share their experiences and lose themselves in something empowering, be it controlling a powerful knight who must save the world, or violent lyrics over heavy riffs and fast solos. But just as the “journalists” gripe about the portrayal of women in video games, so too do armchair activists take issue with metal; because some of the lyrics might hurt someone’s feelings.
But are these really the issues that have the liberal arts graduates and suburban soccer moms in such a tizzy? Or is it just the continuation of their desire to ostracize and shame the weird kids? Or does the creativity and talent needed to perfect these crafts make them nervous?
While I will agree that some lyrics in metal are gratuitously offensive, I don’t believe that is what truly has so many panties in bunches. If gimmicks for shock value were truly so offensive to them, you’d see these people equally appalled at naked protests or the most inflammatory sides of feminist rhetoric. But those are practices adapted by their own people; they’re on the same team, so you never hear a peep about such gimmicks.
So what do the paladins and valkyries of political correctness really take issue with in the worlds of video games or heavy metal?
Creativity and Originality
The lazy, unmotivated, and boring masses fear all things unique and original. It may be hard at first to see the artistic side of a game where you can pick up prostitutes or in music that seems to advocate the dismemberment of virgins, but look a bit deeper. The best video games have complicated storylines, perfect mood-setting background music, and masterfully created graphics. Aside from those factors, consider the hours upon hours of development and millions of lines of code just to make those games function properly in different consoles.
Likewise, the skill required to play GOOD metal music is not acquired easily. Just about every serious guitarist will learn a Metallica or Iron Maiden solo in their lifetime, but consider actually creating those solos. Not only are they technically difficult to pull off, but making them soulful and congruent with their music requires strokes of genius.
Both the gaming and metal communities are brimming with originality, and the common person is threatened by it. They spent so much time pushing gamers and headbangers into the proverbial basements of their parents, and now they chastise them for finding something unique and creative that makes them happy. At their most basic level, social justice warriors are just very dedicated bullies.
White Culture is Evil
Aside from their hatred (or maybe fear) of all things original, the PC police seems to hate seeing white males enjoying something. This is not to say that there isn’t a wide demographic of people who enjoy video games or heavy metal, but the overwhelming majority of these fans are caucasian males.
It is no secret that for every offensive line a metal song, there is likely fifty more offensive lyrics in rap or hip-hop. While these genres are no strangers to public scrutiny, it should be noted that one of rap’s most controversial figures is a white man. With a few exceptions, rap and hip-hop is primarily a subculture of minorities, and thus further beyond reproach than metal. SJW’s seem to believe that every culture is inherently more valuable and meaningful than white culture, crying the hardest and bitching the loudest when any fandom lacks enough color or has disproportionate amounts of Y chromosomes.
Conclusion
It is clear that the social justice warriors are campaigning against the social outcasts rather than the misogyny, homophobia, racism, or general prejudice they claim to be fighting against. In the wake of their attacks on the gaming world, and on the cusp of their attacks against the metal world, one must wonder what is next. AnimeGate? ComicBookGate? LARPGate?
Anything requiring imagination and anything with fan-base of social outcasts is fair game to the SJWs. Though I don’t personally think #MetalGate will need to become as big as #GamerGate, I do think all unique and interesting subcultures are at risk of infiltration and vilification. It’s nearing the end of the year and the PC police need to meet their quotas.
Read More: What Is #Metalgate?
