6/28/2014

Separating The Wheat From The Chaff


Heavy metal is not cool. It is not hip. As a social construction, the facial expression of the member of the metal subculture toward outsiders is a rejection of hip-ocracy. Look at the countenance of those who are into a cool and hip subculture, and you will notice an expression of studied indifference common to the former, and an expression of sneering alertness for the latter. The slack-jawed look is neither indifferent nor alert. It often accompanies the self-described state of being "wasted". If you are wasted, you are not available to the everyday world, nor are you setting an example for it. You are simply out of it.

Deena Weinstein, 1991

Follow-Up Question: How many slack-jaws have you seen recently?

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