(not my image. I just find these comical and incredibly dangerous)

  • Enkrod@feddit.org
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    9 days ago

    Swangas are among the most fucked up modifications you can do with your car. It’s literally not just a “fuck you” to other road users but actively hostile to everyone around you.

    Just reflect for a moment what kind of culture can be so deeply submerged in toxic displays of hostility as a form of “swag”, “coolness” or “masculinity” as to create something like that. How insecure do you have to be?

      • Daniel Quinn@lemmy.ca
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        6 days ago

        I’ve been thinking about getting something like this for my bike! The theory is that a driver isn’t worried about possibly killing me, but they sure as shit will avoid anything that might scratch their paint.

        The spikes have to be higher up though. At that level, they’re only going to get caught up in car tires.

      • Machinist@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        I’m okay with this. Gotta appreciate the creativity.

        Zooming in, appears to be tinfoil and cardboard… So, much like those caterpillars that mimic a snakes head, it’s a false protective threat display. Wise technique if you have to ride a bike in traffic with assholes rolling real swangas.

    • Deconceptualist@leminal.space
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      8 days ago

      Just reflect for a moment what kind of culture can be so deeply submerged in toxic displays of hostility as a form of “swag”, “coolness” or “masculinity” as to create something like that. How insecure do you have to be?

      Looks around at my death metal albums and shirts… well shit 😳

      (Edit: added quote)

        • Deconceptualist@leminal.space
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          9 days ago

          The term used was ‘hostile’, not ‘harmful’. There’s a difference IMO.

          But anyway I would argue some album covers could be considered propaganda, which is potentially harmful to society.

          And then there’s stuff like the original cover of Virgin Killer by the Scorpions. A lot of folks would call that directly harmful in some way.

          • Enkrod@feddit.org
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            8 days ago

            There’s a difference here that’s important about what it means to be actively hostile.

            Yes, some types of art in general have a hostile face. Some metal, some gangster rap, some pop even.

            The difference is that nobody but the most fucked up people is going around forcing it on me. I don’t have to fear getting to close to the cover of Mayhem’s “Dawn of the Black Hearts”. I can ignore it if it’s right next to me. Ignoring Swangas is detrimental to my health. Album covers don’t amputate my legs when they come to close.

        • Krumm@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          It makes them feel things. That’s offensive. Feeling. Absolutely disgusting.

      • Steve@communick.news
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        9 days ago

        Don’t worry too much. It’s becoming more common for people to realize that in reality metal fans are generally more calm, considerate, and helpful than your average human.

        • Enkrod@feddit.org
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          9 days ago

          When I fell down at a “not-metal” concert, the nice and friendly and approachable people around me nearly stepped on me. Nobody cared.

          When I stumbled and fell at a metal concert, multiple people were helping me up before I even had time to realize I’d tripped. They looked scary and not the kind you’d approach for a chat. I’m still in contact with one of them. He likes to hear black metal while he knits. It’s absolutely like out of a badly written comic book.

          I know this is not representative and I’ve met my share of racist fellas over the years that wore the cut-offs. But I swear most were big teddy bears in black clothing, and accompanied by some tiny goth goddess in the highest heeled combat boots.

          • lechekaflan@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            When I stumbled and fell at a metal concert, multiple people were helping me up before I even had time to realize I’d tripped.

            They’ve been to a lot where moshing and death walls are common to those concerts, moshing is so much like a contact sport with sportsmanlike behavior, and anyone falling will be helped to get back up as much as possible.

        • KuroiKaze@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          In a lot of regions metal is the official theme music of white nationalists so I can’t say this is true

            • KuroiKaze@lemmy.world
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              8 days ago

              Rap and house music and I used to lead sing in an alt rock band. Just a fact in certain parts of the US that metal fans have to live with.

              • Leviathan@lemmy.world
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                8 days ago

                Oh, did you sing in an alt rock band? As someone who has played and presently plays in actual metal bands I can tell you that there are racists in every type of music but there is no region where metal is music exclusively for racists.

                Shit, what type of metal? You get different types of fans whether you’re into the thrash metal, death metal, black metal, power metal, numetal (and the thousand subgenres) scenes.

                You dig into this even a bit and your argument straight up falls apart.

          • Deconceptualist@leminal.space
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            8 days ago

            In a lot of regions metal is the official theme music of white nationalists so I can’t say this is true

            Eh, it doesn’t belong to them. Racists try to insert themselves into things the same way other groups do, e.g. “christian rock” that tries to use the appeal of the genre to spread their particular message.

            As a counterpoint to your statement, metal is immensely popular across South America. Look up any Iron Maiden concert in Brazil and you’ll see vast legions of diehard fans going nuts. And the overwhelming majority probably wouldn’t be considered white, at least not in the way European or North American racists want it to mean.

    • Uriel238 [all pronouns]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      9 days ago

      Masculinity in 2026 America is doing rude or harmful shit to show you’re beyond the reach of consequences, or just dont give a fuck. It’s Nietzsche’s discharge its strength quote turned into culture-war ideology.

      The recent examples I use are Hokit’s comments about Michelle Obama at the White House UFC match, or Trump getting a World Cup red card penalty cancelled because he wanted it.

      There are probably more recent examples. Renaming Lake Ontario comes to mind. Bombing Iran or Gaza are particularly grotesque examples.

    • Malica@lemmy.zip
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      9 days ago

      Insecurity poisons your life and that of those around you until you do something really stupid or you deal with it in a healthy way.