Now, I don't want to derail the thread... maybe I could just express this thought and if anyone wants to respond open a thread in general music or something.
But, this:
Quote:
Yeah... I'm not really "yay for racism" either but I can recognize when a band is doing interesting stuff musically, even if I loathe their ideas. Not only hating racism, but add hating misogyny, reckless drug use and senseless violence, one becomes quite able to tolerate music despite the message being portrayed. Even Christians have to recognize how awesome the band Atheist is, ya know?
...kind of argument bothers me a bit. Not in an "it gives me sleepless nights" way, but in a hmmm I don't agree kind of way. It seems to me to be the nadir of post-modern commodity fetishism. I.e. so long as this thing gives my ears aesthetic pleasure on a subjective level, any actual substantive message or idea behind it is irrelevant.
And conversely, I would ask people who subscribe to this how they react to music that has a political/social message that DOES resonate with them? If you are an enormous racist, can you really appreciate, say Napalm Death or the Dead Kennedys or something on the same level as someone who is on the same page ideologically as those bands? If you are a Nazi punk, can you listen and enjoy a song called "Nazi punks fuck off" on a purely aesthetic level?
I suppose you can.... IF you abandon any notion of deeper meaning in music (or expression) whatsoever and treat it purely as substanceless noise which may or may not sound nice.