People Still Believe This Crap?

So I saw this post on Instagram because Slash reposted it. Freaking insane. Do people still *really* think horror movies and Metal music is... Satanic and/or demonic? (Click the thumbnail to view larger). 

Reposted from @mrwupass 😈😜#Repost @_music_theory with
・・・
@musictheoryhealth iiii]; )' https://t.co/iiHoHJ6u7d

— Slash (@Slash) August 16, 2022

Comments

[Him]

This is a bit 'clicky' even for you, Allyson.

Of course people believe that! Scapegoating has been going on since the dawn of time. Pick a target, figure out a way to tie it to the dark, or heathen, or whatever, arts, and there you go: SCAPEGOAT!!! You don't even have to know what you are talking about (see below). It is an easy way to allay your fears and project them onto others.

And of course 'we' know better. Thing is, we actually do. Putting aside any question of religion vs. science (as this is wrapped up in that general and uninteresting--at least to me--bag), there are pretty clear mechanisms at play when people refer to something as 'The Other' or a 'Demonic Portal'. A loss in their lives, or a fear, or an unfortunate amount of indoctrination without mechanisms by which to test that sort of education (because, well, all education is a form of indoctrination if you want to get etymological about it [see also: propaganda]). I mean, relatively speaking, psychology is a new science of sorts. But it figured this out in the early 1900s (earlier, actually). Then again, science as we know it was really only codified in the early 1800s. Thanks, Whewell! So, even as we gain some understanding, we lose some too. That's the way the world works when it comes to critical vs. uncritical thinking. Actually, that isn't quite true. What we gain in knowledge is always set against the things we all won't give up because it would mean we were wrong. Better.

My, sigh, point? People fear what they don't know, or what they can't explain, or what they hate. And, again, that goes for religious people and secular humanists as well. Humans are an odd lot. But we are important. Or so we say.

I am tired. So, to hell with the devil (why would I say that?), I am going to go drink a suicide solution (why would I do that?).

[Him]

. . . and, in more important news, RIP Steve Grimmett. You cast a slight shadow, relative to some of the other bands of your era. But your friends, family, and fans bask in the light you shared with all of us.

See you in Hell, my friend!

[Kixchix]

I suppose belief is the easy way out. We are generally a lazy species that doesn’t want to accept “I don’t know “ as an ok statement. So ya get snake oil salespersons and preachers to capitalize on the vulnerable or I lazy a better descriptor?

Steve Grimmett! Did my YouTube rabbit hole visit to watch See You In Hell after hearing of his passing. Of note…. A while back he got a nasty infection in the Amazon and sadly lost his leg. There’s a video of him performing with a cane and then in the same video eventually he’s rolling around in his wheelchair on stage screaming his fucking ass off. Because that’s what he’s done for the past 45 years. It was so human. Died penniless but could scream almost like Halford or Tate. All good

[Kris]

It's not metal you have to look out for. Here's proof:
https://youtu.be/XJxSP3LC9BA

[Him]

Kixchix, glad you went down the rabbit hole and saluted Grimmett. I loved those first two albums, cheese and all.

BORING COMMENTS . . . AVOID IF AT ALL POSSIBLE:
And, Kixchix, you hit the nail on the head: there was a time, long ago, when one would admit they didn't know, so as to find out (which is the reverse of 'professing ignorance' after the fact and usually insincerely . . . which is quite different than how Plato used that same sort of professing in his characterizations of Socrates in his dialogues).

A rather clever fellow, both philosopher and psychologist, William James, even developed an idea called 'radical empiricism'. And the British Royal Society's motto is 'nullius in verba' (on no one's word, or thereabouts).

The idea? Check your beliefs and adjust them accordingly. Admittedly, that is easier said than done. But even attempting to keep an open mind, trying to see the world as a rather messy marketplace of ideas, is a good thing. Again, this isn't a religion vs. secularism thing for me. It is the idea of being open to opposing views and being able to admit when your own views are wrong and those of others are right. Blaming things on Ozzy, or Priest, or a Satanic Cult, is just far too easy.

BORING COMMENTS OVER:
Kris, I always knew Chicago were the demonic hell spawn of the lower world. And it took you and Adam Sandler to prove it! For that, I owe you a debt.