You Can't be a Rockstar and a FASCIST

I found myself in a heart twisting decision. Do I abandon an artist accused of Nazism, or forgive them for their past mistakes?

I know one thing--White supremacy is a career killer.

Let me explain. I'm a metalhead, a lover of the metal music genre and just hours before the Slaughter to Prevail concert at the Hollywood Pallidium, I find out that Alex the Terrible (no pun here, that's his stage name) might not be a good guy (now that pun was intended).

If you listen to deathcore, you might know exactly who I'm talking about. The dude had a swastika tattooed on his arm. One of the greatest symbols of hate, willingly etched into his arm. I did my research.

Yes, he did have the tattoo, which he then covered up, but only after people noticed. For context, he apparently got it when he was younger and rolled with prison gangs. This is no excuse, but there's the context.

In many interviews, like the one you can find on Metal Sucks, Alex explains who he regrets his decision and strives for change and that he deserves a second chance.

This article is not me trying to defend him. As a Black person in America, I was shook and disgusted at his decision and it left me with a decision of my own. Do I go to his concert or not?

With only about 30minutes to spare, I decided to go.

Listen--You cannot be or strive to be, a creative and musical talent, while at the same time possessing hateful ideology that excludes others. You cannot hope to win the love of others while outwardly displaying your hate for them.

This brings me to Taylor Swift who recently made her alliegance to the Left known. She stands with the people and for what is right. Now poor old Donald Trump didn't like this at all and even said that he wondered how a country star could remain so popular and successful while being left leaning.

Really, Donald? Well, I can! And I stress again, you cannot win our love through hate!! How can one expect to sell themselves while brandishing symbols of hate or agreeing with the very faces of modern fascism? It does not work and I dare to say, not only will it cancel you, but it will kill your career.

How can anyone be a famous and successful star while being a far right cultist? Your success would only go as far as the bigots you serve. Taylor did the right thing. Screw Donald! Let the Right be mad, you have millions of people that love you Taylor, why squander it by endorsing a person that wants to see those people oppressed?

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, as the saying goes. Sure, you could be a bigoted, far-right, nazi loving twat, but do we really see Kanye West as a success? Or do we see a raving madman, cooning for far right dollars as his business tanks?

We don't even have to go as far as Nazism or Fascism. Let's take a look at Lorna Shore, another metal band. As their rise to popularity grew, it came out that CJ McCreery has sexual assault and racism allegations. You can read about that here.

CJ lost his spot as the vocalist for Lorna Shore just like that. Why? We don't want to rock with abusers and racists. It's simple. In that same vein, no one but a Nazi wants to party with a Nazi.

To my aspiring artists, I would take this message to heart and tread carefully. It costs you nothing to treat others as you would like to be treated. It cost you nothing to accept the existence of others. It costs you nothing to show love to the people who have shown it to you.

You cannot win our love while hating us.