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Do metal fans have a political leaning?

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Poll Question: Where do your politics lie?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
0 [0.00%]
4 [21.05%]
0 [0.00%]
1 [5.26%]
5 [26.32%]
2 [10.53%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
2 [10.53%]
0 [0.00%]
5 [26.32%]
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Vim Fuego View Drop Down
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    Posted: 16 Sep 2017 at 9:51pm
There is an election coming up here next week, and it got me thinking if metal fans in general have a certain political leaning, if they're all over the place like the general public, or if they inhabit the extremes.

The far right seems to get a lot of attention at times, but I often wonder how much of that is just because of the attention it draws or is actually for real.

I have my own ideas on where this poll will go, but I'll keep them to myself in case it influences other people.

For anyone who doesn't know what the right and left are all about, try these:
https://www.politicalcompass.org/
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Political_spectrum
http://www.polquiz.com/
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bosh66 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 1:49am
I did read a study issued in the UK on this, commissioned or run by a University over here. The study concluded that on balance people with higher IQs were more likely to be left-leaned and more likely to listen to music genres like metal and hard rock, jazz or (can't recall the other non-mainstream genre they cited). I suppose even if true that doesn't mean it works the other way too. When I get back I'll see if I can find it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 7:39am
^ I live in a bastion of world class university around here. UC Berkeley and Stanford (amongst many others). The study of higher IQ certainly pans out to a more left leaning orientation. This is because those who are more highly educated or intelligent (in a freethinking way) can piece together the underpinnings of the system that utilizes fear and false flags as its mode of social control. Once the addicting properties of fear have been conquered, the natural human compassion towards one another and the planet at large is allowed to express itself. The right on the other hand thrives on misinformation, fearmongering and scapegoating. That is not to say that someone on the right cannot have a high IQ but they tend to be using their intelligence for control rather and personal gain. It's more complex than that of course but the general gist
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nightfly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 8:05am
Of course! I hate the Conservatives with a passion and although politics don't play a big part in my life I've always voted Labour.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote TheHeavyMetalCat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 12:38pm
Voted for Confused.

Don't really follow politics at all and pretty sure they're all just out for themselves and to see how many normal people they can screw over no matter what party they represent or what kind of ideals said party is supposed to stand for: left, right, center, sideways, upsidedown or whatever.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vim Fuego Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 12:49pm
Originally posted by TheHeavyMetalCat TheHeavyMetalCat wrote:

Voted for Confused.

Don't really follow politics at all and pretty sure they're all just out for themselves and to see how many normal people they can screw over no matter what party they represent or what kind of ideals said party is supposed to stand for: left, right, center, sideways, upsidedown or whatever.

This is the same reaction as a lot of young people here, a lot of whom tend not to vote. I think as you age, you come to see more how it actually affects you and the world around you. A lot of people here blame it on apathy, but I think there's an element of disconnection to it myself.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 1:47pm
^ exactly. The art of politics is to create a sense of disillusionment so that apathy reigns supreme. While i used to despise poltiics and seek any means of escape possible, i realized that i was in fact giving away my power and relinquishing my responsibility to make the world the way i would like it to be

Edited by siLLy puPPy - 17 Sep 2017 at 1:47pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unitron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 1:49pm
Originally posted by TheHeavyMetalCat TheHeavyMetalCat wrote:

Voted for Confused.

Don't really follow politics at all and pretty sure they're all just out for themselves and to see how many normal people they can screw over no matter what party they represent or what kind of ideals said party is supposed to stand for: left, right, center, sideways, upsidedown or whatever.

I pretty much agree, I just care about the music. I don't like being put in a group, everyone should just be their own individual and ignore any sort of collectivism.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bosh66 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 2:26pm
"I pretty much agree, I just care about the music. I don't like being put in a group, everyone should just be their own individual and ignore any sort of collectivism."

Which actually sounds like a clear (right wing) political position. Everything we do is a political expression, Khaliq. Just saying.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bosh66 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 2:51pm
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

^ exactly. The art of politics is to create a sense of disillusionment so that apathy reigns supreme. While i used to despise poltiics and seek any means of escape possible, i realized that i was in fact giving away my power and relinquishing my responsibility to make the world the way i would like it to be

Very true. Whatever your political perspective, as soon as you walk away thinking your vote doesn't count and can't change things for the better, you're disenfranchising yourself and leaving it to others to mould the world to their world-view.

Recent events globally have shown that movements can gain momentum pretty quickly.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bosh66 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 2:53pm
Originally posted by Vim Fuego Vim Fuego wrote:

[QUOTE=TheHeavyMetalCat]Voted for Confused.

This is the same reaction as a lot of young people here, a lot of whom tend not to vote. I think as you age, you come to see more how it actually affects you and the world around you. A lot of people here blame it on apathy, but I think there's an element of disconnection to it myself.

I'm hoping this is a cyclical thing and will change. The young in various parts of Europe (including the UK) seem to be increasingly politically engaged in recent times, which can only be a good thing.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bosh66 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 2:54pm
Originally posted by Nightfly Nightfly wrote:

Of course! I hate the Conservatives with a passion and although politics don't play a big part in my life I've always voted Labour.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psydye Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 2:58pm
I guess if anything I would consider myself center-left. I don't pay much attention to politics though. I'm torn between being center-left and just being apathetic to it all.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vim Fuego Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 6:08pm
Originally posted by Bosh66 Bosh66 wrote:

Everything we do is a political expression, Khaliq. Just saying.

That sounds like a socialist position.LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vim Fuego Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 6:18pm
Originally posted by Bosh66 Bosh66 wrote:

Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

^ exactly. The art of politics is to create a sense of disillusionment so that apathy reigns supreme. While i used to despise poltiics and seek any means of escape possible, i realized that i was in fact giving away my power and relinquishing my responsibility to make the world the way i would like it to be

Very true. Whatever your political perspective, as soon as you walk away thinking your vote doesn't count and can't change things for the better, you're disenfranchising yourself and leaving it to others to mould the world to their world-view.

Recent events globally have shown that movements can gain momentum pretty quickly.

I know NZ politics don't feature highly on the world stage, but this has proved to be very true here. It looked like our incumbent National (conservative, centre-right) government was sleepwalking to a 4th term. The Labour party had a former union leader at it's head, and while he may have been very popular among other unionists, he was splintering the party, and their popularity had dropped to a 10 year low. Two other minor parties the Greens (socialist in all but name) and NZ First (populist centre, while veering unexpectedly left AND right at the same time!) were both on the rise, on about 15 and 10 % respectively.

Within a week, the Labour party threw out their mouldy old unionist leader and installed a younger, more positive leader, and one of the Green party leaders got caught out for benefit (social welfare) fraud. The Labour party skyrocketed, the Green party crashed (it's not certain they will even make it in to the next parliament) and NZ First started leaking support too. It now looks like we will have a change of government, whereas six weeks ago, it looked like we were in for another three years of the same.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote keefer1970 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2017 at 12:00pm
I have never identified with one  political party or the other. Some years I vote Republican, some years I vote Democrat. So for purposes of this poll, I chose "confused." :P

Either way, nothing ever changes much. We just trade one doofus in a suit for a new doofus in a newer suit. :D


Edited by keefer1970 - 19 Sep 2017 at 12:02pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aglasshouse Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2017 at 5:12pm
Center-right, I suppose. Although I usually don't care about politics when it comes to things I enjoy, like metal.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vim Fuego Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2017 at 5:57pm
Originally posted by aglasshouse aglasshouse wrote:

Center-right, I suppose. Although I usually don't care about politics when it comes to things I enjoy, like metal.

One of the main reasons I asked this question was because there seems to be the idea in the non-metal mainstream media etc. that metal fans are all alt-right white supremacist nazis, while I've only ever encountered such attitudes in small pockets of people who would have been that way regardless of their musical leanings. 

Incidents like Phil Anselmo and his white power outburst, NSBM, and people like Varg Vikerness seem to grab a lot of attention, but I'm of the opinion those things are only at the extreme edge of metal, and like this poll is proving, most metal fans are fairly moderate or apathetic. Metal hasn't really had the strong political ties like punk did, or grindcore to a lesser extent, although you can always find political songs if you try.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vim Fuego Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Oct 2017 at 12:25am
So... We had an election on 23 September. There was no outright winner. Because of our proportional system, the party which finished THIRD, with 7.5% of the vote, has been farting around deciding which of the two major parties it would go with.

The New Zealand First party is a one man party, which will die with it's leader, but until then, the stupid old fool has been holding the country to ransom while he decided which major party would offer him the biggest bribe. He finally decided tonight to go with the second placed Labour party (lefty, democrat, whatever you like). Immigration is going to be stopped, our economy is going to tank (the dollar dropped already), tax rates are going to go up, and we're going to become a third world country. Been nice knowing you all!

(Yes, I voted for the right. LOL It shouldn't be that bad!)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sisslith Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Oct 2017 at 2:46am
^ Good luck with that LOL

The proportional system is cancer. In Spain it has established a particracy, and because of that we are where we are...
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