Posers

[Prowler]

A term used often by a lot of music fans is "poser". As someone who listens to metal and has met a lot of metalheads, I can tell you that there's a lot of elitism among metalheads and that they care A LOT about "cred".

At first I thought they only considered as "posers" those people who wear a Metallica or Slayer t-shirt despite the fact that they only like the templates on the t-shirts or know a couple of songs by those bands. But a lot of metalheads will call you a "poser" for not going to concerts. I've had it happen to me before.

Personally, I think it's silly to be so elitist about something like that. Some people just don't like concerts, don't have disposable income for them or live in a country or region where concerts of certain bands and genres are hard to come by. Like this Korean guy I know. How is he supposed to attend concerts by the obscure death and black metal bands he likes? Such bands usually only tour Europe or USA. Yet, a lot of metalheads would probably call him a poser.

And, tbh, even a person who's not a fan of The Ramones, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, etc. decides to buy a t-shirt of them because they like the template, the design or one song by the band only... is it really that big of a deal? I mean, I'd not call myself a Batman fan per se because I played Arkham Asylum, but even if I did would it really be that big of a deal? The older I get the less I think it is.

Thoughts?

[AquaParade]

No, it's really not a big deal. I see it as a form of elitism. I mean, maybe in the best case scenario, someone is doing it out of passion and respect for the artist or product at hand, but even then, it comes across pretty petty, right?

Seems in most cases, it is just gatekeeping, because the more exclusive something is, the cooler.

[Powder]

If I saw a Kardashian wearing a Misfits "Crimson Ghost" t-shirt without knowing what it was symbolic of, I would be bothered by it, a little. (I say that fully knowing Jerry, of the band, is like Gene Simmons when it comes to marketing the brand/imagery, but still.) If that makes me an elitist, so be it.

There's nothing wrong with being a casual fan of anything, at all. The issue stems from certain casual fans who themselves have a degree of elitism to their attitude, without having the proper insight to justify it, you know what I mean? Those people are the ones that folks complain about, which is reasonable, IMO. Nobody is a poser for not going to concerts or whatever. If you like a band, you like a band, nothing more to that.

I dunno, metalheads seem to be pretty accepting, on a whole. It's how groups like Babymetal are able to flourish, & shows of even the most heavy music, have kids at them. I've found underground hip-hop, & punk rock, to be the worst offenders.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Powder

If I saw a Kardashian wearing a Misfits "Crimson Ghost" t-shirt without knowing what it was symbolic of, I would be bothered by it, a little. (I say that fully knowing Jerry, of the band, is like Gene Simmons when it comes to marketing the brand/imagery, but still.) If that makes me an elitist, so be it.

There's nothing wrong with being a casual fan of anything, at all. The issue stems from certain casual fans who themselves have a degree of elitism to their attitude, without having the proper insight to justify it, you know what I mean? Those people are the ones that folks complain about, which is reasonable, IMO. Nobody is a poser for not going to concerts or whatever. If you like a band, you like a band, nothing more to that.

I dunno, metalheads seem to be pretty accepting, on a whole. It's how groups like Babymetal are able to flourish, & shows of even the most heavy music, have kids at them. I've found underground hip-hop, & punk rock, to be the worst offenders.

Oh that I agree with. You make some great points there.

Well, metal is a big genre with a wide variety of sub-genres for all types of fans. So there's a lot of variety. I do notice that a lot of metalheads take their music too seriously and place a large importance on attending concerts and being part of the metal community.

[TMNTChris1980]

Whoever called you a poser is a #$%^. Wear what you want.

[The Deadman]

I feel like the term "poser" when it comes to music refers to those who wear band shirts to fit in, like someone who listens to nothing but hardcore rap but shows up in social settings wearing a Pantera shirt despite never hearing any of their music.