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

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...

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...

Wikipedia describes what Emo is about exactly: Emo (music) - Taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Stylistic origins: hardcore punk, indie rock Cultural origins: mid 1980s Washington, DC Typical instruments: Guitar - Bass - Drums Mainstream popularity: Sporadically through the 1980s and '90s, growing in the early 2000s Subgenres: Emocore - Hardcore emo - Emo violence - Screamo Fusion genres: Post-hardcore Regional scenes: Midwestern emo Other topics: List of emo groups - Timeline of alternative rock Here is what Wikipedia's definition of the genre: Emo is a subgenre of hardcore punk music. Since its inception, emo has come to describe several independent variations, linked loosely but with common ancestry. As such, use of the term (and which musicians should be so classified) has been the subject of much debate. It's origins and original meanings: In its original incarnation, the term emo was used to describe the music of the mid-1980s Washington, DC scene and its ass...

These are 2 really cool groups for people who have faced prejudice because of their interests in different subcultures. Eternal Souls - Fighting prejudice against alternative people! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=75446590234 Fighting Against Workplace Prejudice for Alternative People http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33161623171&ref=mf This is the sort of thing I want to achieve for my fellow metalheads and goths here in Australia. So far, so good. With Eternal Souls, some of my Australian friends have joined, inlcuding Megan, Cathy (a girl I went to school with who I knew liked both Iron Maiden and the Sex Pistols back in those days), Gorgoroth (of Battlegod productions), Mike Young and Bence Kocsi. Some of these same people also joined the other group (Fighting against workplace prejudice for Alternative people). It is good to see some Australians jump on board - because the problem exists worldwide.

Even though I am neither emo, nor a MCR fan, I still support other peoples' rights to listen to whatever they want. I was a Heavy Metal fan (and a Judas Priest fan in particular), and this same controversy was happening well over two decades ago. The only big difference is that we didn't have Internet access back then, and therefore could not reach a variety or magnitude of people like we can now. My signature no is 8692 http://www.petitiononline.com/sign4mcr/

Shows a BBC report on a protest march by some goths in England, who are being persecuted, picked on and bullied by Chavs. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=194393410206&subj=624250206 Here is another news report on the subject(on the BBC) - someone recorded it on their mobile, so the quality isn't so great.