End Metallophobia (previously named 'Fear of a metal planet')

Bullying is a relationship problem and this article indicates there is a relationship between bullying at school and relationship problems later on (like sexual harrassment and dating agression) amongst those who bully others in school. And, if not nipped in the bud sooner, the problem continues until much later in life.  While it is not related directly to heavy metal, many kids and teenagers who are heavy metal fans (and many adults too) often find themselves caught up in the problems of bullying, whether as a bully, as a target or as both.

When I was in my teens, there was no such thing as cyberbullying, though at the time, the worst was verbal and/or physcial and/or relational bullying.  This was because I never knew what it was like to have internet access and even back then, I never even had a computer to call my own (until I was well into my late twenties).  Computers were only becoming common place when I was in my late teens, and even then, I never knew how to use one until I left school. The closest thing I had been to 'cyberbullied' back then was being prank-called. And the closest I have been to being 'bullied' via the internet was through the numerous 'incivilities' I was subjected to - being publically criticised, 'sworn at' and even called names by others on discussion forums.  Though I was very quickly 'removed' from the group when I did it back certain group members.  This happened to me in my mid-thirties.  Now, if I have something to say, I would rather do...

This is for the UK census so I'm assuming the UK has it's census the same year(s) as us (Australia).  I can only speak for Australia on this, but I am certainly happy to back England on this.  Let's make this campaign worldwide, or at least get all the English speaking countries on board. The idea behind this is to list Heavy Metal music as a religion, because even Star Wars fans can list Jedi as a religion, so why can't metal fans list their preferred music as a religion also? I don't consider any music as a religion myself, but am happy to list it as a special interest, just like football (or any other sports, though some would argue their sports are a religion also), Star Wars (or any other sci fi movies or TV), or any other type of music. And special interests are obsessions which sometimes can be followed 'religiously', just like religious people become fanatical about their faith just like any other special interest group.  And anyone fanatical a...

Had I known about this, I would have stepped up to the plate and participated in this.  And yes, I will bring music into the debate, especially heavy metal.  For instance, is heavy metal really 'dangerous'?  Or is the 'phobia' of the music, the bands and its fans justified because of the 'misdeeds' of a few (like the Night Stalker or the Columbine Massacres)?  Or is it because of the 'rude' words and concepts which 'offend the sensibilities' of other people who are not fans? For most fans and people who understand heavy metal, the music, themes, visual effects and lyrics rarely shy away from the 'dark side' of society and 'humankind'.  But for those who don't understand, the themes portrayed via the lyrics and imagery in this genre, it can represent ideas and themes which can be considered 'dangerous' to the the listeners themselves and to the broader community.  Hence, like any other art form, it can be 'dange...

All, My friend (who calls herself Vera Metallum on Facebook and used to call herself Pagan Baby on Yahoo) has just entered the Miss Alternative 2010 'Beauty' Pagent.  Her decision to enter this competition prompted her to ask herself what is the definition of 'alternative'. This is a long 'essay' that she published on Facebook regarding the 'ins and outs' of being 'alternative' and what it means to be 'alternative'.  The essay begins with a definition of 'alternative'. Citing from http://www.dictionary.com/ , she states that an alternative (as a noun) is a choice limited to one of two or more possibilities, as of two things, propositions, or courses of action, the selection of which precludes the other possibility. one of the things, propositions, or courses of action that can be chosen. A possible or remaining course or choice. While as an adjective, it means Affording a choice of two or more things, propositions or courses...

They are one band who have been up there (and pretty much no 1) in my list of favourite bands and are one band, for many years, have been highly controversial. They are highly respected for many reasons: They have been around for a long time, since the early 1970s; They have many classic albums (see (1) below), though some 'cheesy' ones too (like Turbo for instance); They have survived in the face of many 'trends' including Punk, Disco, Rap and Dance, and many 'trends' within Heavy Metal itself (like Glam, Thrash, Death, Black and Nu Metal).  In other words, they have stood the 'test of time'; They have also survived in the face of many 'knockers' and naysayers, and have successfully defended themselves (in most instances) and their genre from all the outside (ie non-metal) forces, as well as those 'knockers' from withing who have accused them of being 'gay' or lame (cos they like something more 'brutal' or 'true...

I don't want to delete myself from the Internet, though there are times when I have said some things about other people that I regretted later on. For instance, I have been 'dragged' into some 'flaming' wars on some Yahoo groups I used to belong to, and as a consequence, I am no longer in these groups. Some of them have been over guys I used to like, some of them over making comments that were allegedly 'racist' (even though there weren't generally racist, they were more about certain 'subgroups' among 2nd and 3rd generation migrants whose own behaviour offended me also), while others were when some of my friends were being bullied online and subject to *sexist* jokes and comments (like how 'fat' they were, or how 'slutty' they looked). In many of these cases, I was also treated like I was 'dumb'. The sad reality was that all of them, where I was subjected to online bullying myself (because I was either sticking up fo...

Earworms: Can They Be Killed? A repetitive lyric (usually a chorus) is called a 'hook line' in some circles (probably because the 'powers that be' at the time wanted us to believe that because most pop and rock music has a catchy tune and repetitive chorus, there must be an 'ulterior motive' behind the song, and therefore we fall for it 'hook, line and sinker'). The more recent term is 'ear worm' - the song gets into your head, and is hard to remove once you hear it. The best 'remedy' is to do (or listen to) something else. I'm not thinking about that Supernaut song now, thanks to the fact that I had been 'getting it out of my system' by watching the clip(s) on YouTube. And, to be honest, it is *one* earworm I'd be happy to keep in my head. :) cheers, Night Owl

I like it both ways (according to these men) (as the song by Supernought goes) :P 'I Like it Both Ways' by Supernaut (on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzDUcPfZoJ

I found this site when I was reading the article about whether or not gay males are necessarily more abusive then straight males, and it caught my attention. In fact, what I thought was a web site about gay males is actually about males (ie men and boys) in general.  While I consider myself a 'feminist', I am *not* anti-male, as some would believe; and sometimes services that are 'available' to females, aren't always available to males.  Things like sexual assault clinics or 'refuge' facilties for those who may experience intimate, domestic or family violence, medical services for 'men's health' or even counselling services where guys can feel free to get things off their chests if something is bothering them (so they don't have to go to the pub and get sloshed). I don't know for certain, though the overwhelming statistics indicate that women are overwhelmingly on the receiving end of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, more likely ...

Homophobia, Heteronormativism and Hegemonic Masculinity: Male Same-Sex Intimate Violence from the Perspective of Brisbane Service Providers - Psychiatry, Psychology and Law Authors: Melissa Kaya; Samantha Jeffriesb Affiliations: a Queensland University of Technology, Australia b School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia This is the synopsis for the paper written on abuse in same sex relationships among men - the hypotheses and questions asked are: (a) intimate partner violence occurs in male same-sex intimate relationships, (b) if so, what form this violence takes, (c) what contextual triggers underpin this violence, (d) what barriers victims face in exiting abusive relationships and seeking support, and (e) what services are available and appropriate to the needs of men in violent intimate relationships with other men The researchers found that: ".... the prevalence, types and contextual triggers of violence in male same-sex relationships parall...

El-P ​"Construction--that was shit! I worked that when I was 17-years-old, just hauling rubble out of a ten-story building with no elevator. That was a real shitty one. But the last real job I worked was in '96 right before Funcrusher, the [Company Flow] E.P., came out. It was at Tower Records, in the mail-order department, which was on Lafayette Street, right above Tower Books when that used to be there. There was two sections: [Fellow Company Flow member] Bigg Jus was in the ordering section, which was an 800 number--it wasn't even online then. Then in the back were the ex-cons and the work release program dudes boxing up Bone Thugs-N-Harmony CDs and smoking weed. That job wasn't the best in the world, but I got the five-finger discount every day. I don't think they knew about it. I also learned how to scam Fed-Ex. Between Jus on the computers and me in the shipping department, we were running things. We sent out every single Company Flow vinyl promo to any ...

It is a 3 page long interview of Eminem's Mum, Debbie Nelson.  Because the story was a 'long one', I'm not going to copy and paste the body of the text onto the body of this entry. I only suggest you click on the link and decide whether or not you want to believe the hype being said about the singer, or his mother; or do you really want to know what it's like for her.  You make up your own mind about things like this.

By Phillip Mlynar, Wed., Aug. 4 2010 @ 9:00AM Comments (5) Categories: EL-P, Fat Joe, Featured, Joell Ortiz, Phillip Mlynar, Prince Paul, Tanya Morgan Image via Darrell Bell ​Hip-hop is the world's most brazenly capitalist genre of music. If Jay-Z's not talking about playing Monopoly with real cash, then Kanye West's tweeting about the cherub-motifed Persian rugs and golden goblets he's just scored at Fishs Eddy. But while certain rotund rap types would have you believe they were running extensive criminal enterprises before they decided to pursue a career in rhymed verse, the truth is more mundane. Most rappers suffer the rite of working demoralizing dead-end jobs while attempting to jump-start their careers and clock up music industry cash, whether it's the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man greeting tourists at the Statue of Liberty, Biggie bagging groceries at a Met Foods supermarket, or Kanye's mush-mouthed rapping friend Consequence ringing up monochroma...

NASHVILLE, TN—Finally unhindered by his wife Tipper's 25-year-long household ban on violent and sexually explicit music, former vice president Al Gore, 62, reportedly embraced his newfound independence this week by listening to the albums of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P. "For the first time in decades, I get to play the kind of music I like without someone nagging me about what a bad influence it is," said Gore, sitting on the floor of his living room as he cued up the song "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" on his stereo. "And I get to crank it up as loud as I want." "These guys are kicking some serious ass," added the two-term U.S. Senator. "Check out this guitar break coming up—it's nasty." Gore, who was prohibited from hearing music with graphic sex, violence, or drug references since Tipper founded the Parents Music Resource Center in 1985, confirmed yesterday that her crusade was "total bullcrap." In addition, G...

Just Say Rock - STRYPER -- Sydney -- Thursday 26th August As this is a public blog (and I'm there to 'end' Metallophobia, not continue it), I will try and refrain from saying exactly what I think about some 'members' of the 'trOOOer than thou' crowd - partially because for many years, and many times, I have said what I had to say about them many a time; and secondly, I don't want to carry a grudge, even though it's *me* who's in the Dog House with them for some reason or other that I don't know of; and thirdly, some people I thought were my friends are telling me to 'get over it'. But, this is a Christian band - yes, they are Christians *and* Headbangers at the same time!!! I don't know how it would turn out, but I doubt very much that everyone that I don't particularly like will be there. After all, they *are* the 'trOOer than thou' crowd, and I'm sure they wouldn't be seen dead at a Christian gig - it might...

How to Stop Being Mean to People - wikiHow Anyone can stop being mean (as in cruel, vindictive or nasty), as in 'outright mean' but we all have 'mean' thoughts about people, which drive us to be mean to them. It is also easy to be mean to others if you, yourself, feel put down also. It is hard to be positive when you feel there is not much to be positive about, and expecially if you are being negated by someone. A few ways to be nicer to others (or not being mean) are to improve your own self esteem, to find a reason to feel good about yourself, and be kind (or kinder) to yourself. Another way is to feel 'sorry' for the other person, to ask yourself why they *feel* the need to put yourself down, or if you feel the need to put them down, ask yourself why? It doesn't mean you have to be deferential to that person, but you can be civil. For instance, if you find them annoying for some reason, ask them (very kindly) to do something differently (eg, if they ar...

Earworms, lyrics, and tunes in the brain Psydir News Posted using ShareThis Is about Lady Gaga and her tunes, which one cannot get out of one's head. Same with similar dance music. Also called a 'hook line' when a chorus (or other part of a lyric) is repeated over and over again.

Basically talks about that *really* hideous fashion, the 'saggy pants' look. This fashion (if you could call it that), has been around since the early 1990's, when jeans were 'supersized', and they fell down to show one's buttocks and underwear.  They were originally worn by hip hop/rap artists and fans, but were also adopted by skaters, some grunge artists, and (sad to say) some headbangers (particularly those who like death metal/grindcore and nu-metal).  Here is the run-down on the history of 'saggy pants' by Janice Breen: Early 1990s Hip-hop artists adopt pants like ''one-size-fits-all'' prison garb worn by ''brothers'' home from jail. The ''homeboy'' look fits with post-prison six-packs and hot underwear brand Calvin Klein. Mid-1990s Saggy pants slip into mainstream fashion. Waistbands drop each year. By early 2000s, almost the whole boxers are on show, crotches drop to knees. Rumours the look is ...

Does Body Piercing Indicate Mental Illness? The results of this survey (in Medical News Today) are mixed: there have been strong associations between body piercing/tattoos/body art and risky behaviour, self-reported harm, suicidal ideation, the expression of negative emotions and verbal aggression, particularly amongst females. In fact, body piercing could well be considered as a risk-taking behaviour in itself, due to the risk of infections and dermatological complications. However, body art is becoming more frequently practised, hence it is not considered deviant like, say, 10-20 years ago; and more adolescents/post-adolescents are likely to engage in such practices than any other age group. My own twist on the issue as to why this is so: such people, particularly females, who have these procedures are probably more likely to admit to feeling negative emotions and engaging in risk taking behaviours. And while the doctors may need to look out for symptoms of poor mental health amon...

Bullies' Behavior Driven By Pursuit Of Status And Affection

Disobedience And Parental Rules

Supportive Parents Can Reduce Materialism In Teens Is it possible that these parents might be leading by example, by encouraging children and teenagers to not be selfish?

Policeman punched at Carols Crime BigPond News Just when you thought violence occurred at Metal and Punk gigs....

By Laine Michelle Allen (a friend on Facebook) Share Yesterday at 06:55 OMG where do I start....There's been a few things said about the rock scene lately that is really getting to my nerves and I had to get this off my chest.... Despite the fact one of my dad's favourite bands is ACDC he was being a bit of a smart ass to me and my cousin when he tried to prove rock bands don't last long.... so he asked "Name one band that has lasted over 10 years..... As much as I love my dad, my cousin and I shot him down in flames as the list went on: ACDC, motley crue, gunners, iron maiden, judas priest, bonjovi, kiss, dokken, megadeth, metallica, skid row.... omg the list just goes on. DANCE PEOPLE: Can you name any pop group who has been going for nearly twenty years, still producing albums to this day AND DOES NOT USE MUSIC ENHANCING to make themselves sound good. Another point of mine: half of it is remixes and voice enhancing effects to the point where I reckon with the t...

A Study Proves That Media Can Subtly Induce Society To Justify Violence Against Women I actually found this article via the 'Psydir News' blog, but it was originally written in Medical News Today. The article states that when a violent crime is committed by a male against a female, and is reported in the media (ie, the newspaper), there are often 'rationalisations' behind the crime, ie what 'provoked' it. The author(s) state a number of 'reasons' or 'causes' behind the crime, eg, drunkeness/alcohol, jealousy, arguments or situations of prolonged unemployment - to explain the aggressor's behaviour. In other words, the aggressor seen as a 'victim of circumstance' or a 'victim of society' when he commits such crimes. Or, if they are pinpointing what the victim had done to 'deserve' it, it would be like "the aggressor had asked her to marry him and she refused". In other words, she is portrayed as 'a bitch...