Metal supremacists

[Stratowarrior]

Good day fellow metalheads,
I have something up for discussion with you:

Over the years I have noticed that there is one thing a lot of metalheads
have in common with PC gamers, apple fanboys, bmw owners and vegans:
Absolute intolerance against other opinions and tastes (towards music in this case, obviously)
I see them brag and talk about, how their sacred metal is the most sophisticed and
complex musical genre in the world; it is the only truth and everyone who dislikes
it is a peasent.

When it comes to music I only noticed this behaviour with metalheads.
I have a few friends who exclusively listen to unbearable electronic dance music which lyrics are
about as poetic as "fuck me in Ibiza". They do not like anything else and I finally gave up on "teaching" them something different.
But I have never ever heard from them that their favoured musical genre is in any way superior
to others. On the other hand, I have heard exactly that from multiple other metalheads.Maybe its just
a coincidence, I don´t know.

Am I the only one who has noticed such behaviour? I suppose not. What are your experiences and opinions on this?

cheers

 

[The Ozzman]

You'll fit in nicely here

 

[Phylactery]

I think the word you’re looking for is elitism and it definitely exists in other genres of music. Jazz and classical for example are quite well known for elitism.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I get a laugh on the rare occasion I engage in social interaction with human beings and they ask me what I listen to. Half the time when I tell them I like metal and they try to strike up some conversation about it, they tiptoe all over the place about genres, like "Oh, I like Staind, wait, are they metal?" and then his (non-metal listening) friend will be like "No I think they're alternative rock, r-right HamburgerBoy?" and I don't give a shit unlike whatever metalhead autist that had previously induced them into being on the defensive.

 

[Stratowarrior]

I think the word you’re looking for is elitism and it definitely exists in other genres of music. Jazz and classical for example are quite well known for elitism.

Yes that is true. I do know some professional jazz musicians, and if I ask them, they will of course tell me that, whatever I am listening to at the moment, is utter garbage and is far to simple for them to even consider listening to it. I remember one of them being a big Pink Floyd fan before he got into jazz music, when I last asked him if he still likes them he just replied with something about how easy and simple that music is and he doesnt bother with it anymore.

However, and this was the original reason for me starting this conversation, I only noticed metalheads persistently telling others about how great their music genre is without even being asked. I dont know why, maybe its just a coincidence but thats just the way I experienced it

 

[The Ozzman]

whatever metalhead autist

Most of this board tbh

 

[Nate Skalman]

Extreme opinions are a way for small minded people to treat everyone else like they’re a bunch of dumb shits...it’s popular in other scenes as well. Intelligent people usually don’t spend a lot of time crafting extreme negative opinions about subjective preferences. Uneducated people on the other hand usually like to develop combative views towards opinions they view as an “argument” to their subjective opinion. IE: dumb people like to argue...Why would complexity and sophistication be the only qualities of “good” music??...sounds foolish...

 

[Manic Ferocity]

Or it just means being opinionated. That doesn't necessarily mean that the person literally thinks they're better than you. Notice how "elitism" isn't really a self-identifying label. It's projection for people who are, for whatever reason, insecure about their taste in music.

 

[The Ozzman]

Says the guy who gets butthurt about being called an in crowder

 

[Bloopy]

Might be a few fans like that, but the bands who appeal to metal elitists here tend to be worried more about their own scene. They look down on nu-metal and Lamb of God clones and anything else that's cheapening their precious art, but they dig other genres as long as they deem them to be intelligent. Members of some of the most successful underground metal bands from NZ have had projects in genres like jungle, industrial/noise, dark ambient, punk, etc.