Nov 092016
 

half-staff

 

“Anger trumped hope. Donald Trump’s astonishing victory over a heavily-favored Hillary Clinton on Tuesday is the greatest upset in the modern history of American elections – convulsing the nation’s political order in ways so profound and disruptive its impact can’t even be guessed at.”

And that’s how one article I read this morning began. There are tens of thousands of articles from around the world that in substance began the same way. We did not see this coming, and now many of us can’t see where we are going — or we think we can see it, and it’s a very dystopian vision of the future.

On days like this, it’s hard to go forward with a “business as usual” approach. As much as we love what we do here at NCS, it’s obviously dwarfed in importance by what happened at the polls in the early morning hours of this day, and what that outcome portends for the next four years and longer.

I thought about just shutting the site down for the day, in part because I’m so stunned and deeply depressed, and in part because it seems almost like a blithe form of idiocy to pretend that this day is like any other. But we have some premieres we committed to do, and I do have two very good round-ups of reviews (one by Gorger that I’ve already posted and one by DGR that I now plan to post later today). So we’ll go with that.

But don’t think that means this day is like any other, or that it hasn’t rocked our world (in the worst possible way).

Undoubtedly, some of you reading this will be exulting in the victory of Trump, unforeseen by pollsters and pundits. Others who supported Bernie in the primaries will be saying, “I told you so”. Still others will be annoyed that I posted something about politics on a non-political metal site, despite the fact that the subject is an event that history may judge as a seismic event of frightening proportions. But it would have been hypocritical and dishonest for me to pretend that we’re just rolling on around here as if nothing had happened.

For those who are annoyed by reading this, it will be my last word on the subject. For those who share in my shock, dismay, and grief about what this election says about our country, and whose fears of the future have now been amplified by orders of magnitude, I don’t have any words of consolation or hope to offer at the moment. My best advice is to KEEP CALM AND MOTÖRHEAD.

 

  103 Responses to “SHOCKED”

  1. It feels a bit weird that it was only eight years ago that I made an optimistic, entirely opposite post to this one on my own blog (Cephalochromoscope, obsolete grindcore/jazz blog fans!)

    Be reet, as my Northern chums and I are wont to say.

  2. Stay strong dudes, greetings from France. Even here we are totally shocked…

  3. It’s actually on days like today that I find extreme metal the most ‘soothing’ (probably the wrong word but you all will no doubt know what I mean).

  4. My best wishes go to you, Islander, and the rest of you at NCS towers. I’ve been depressed and angry all day even though I’m on the other side of the Atlantic. We’ve still got this fucking Brexit shit to deal with so if we’re all going to be dragged into the shit together we can always try to do it with the best soundtrack possible. Thanks for posting this.

    • Thank you Drom. I was under the delusion that the negative fallout from Brexit would make it even less likely that Trump would succeed. I obviously underestimated just how despised Hillary was, and how much her levels of support would underperform Obama’s. Wishful thinking I guess.

  5. Thanks Islander. More than ever, I feel like I need to be around friends today, and NCS is a good friend to visit.

  6. I would’ve loved to have stayed home today, attempting to sanitize my brain with some mindless Netflix marathon. I’m depressed and angry. And I’m worried, not for myself, but for the people who I know are in the target sites. I wish I could just fast forward through the next four years.
    But that’s not an option, so for the time being I’m just going to put in my earbuds are crank some ugly metal. Hopefully tomorrow is slightly less bleak.

    • I’m at work, and it’s not a bad way to get the mind off these worries — and like you, I’m not worried about myself but about members of my family and close friends who in groups that Trump has verbally abused, denigrated, and threatened since his campaign began. They are freaking out.

  7. I didn’t think you would post about this, but I’m glad you did. This is too big to ignore. I’m not sure how to shake the depression and go about my day, but I’ll just create a playlist of despicable tracks and push through it.

    • A basket of musical deplorables…. 🙂

      • Deplorables! Of course! See? I can’t even remember Hilary’s best quotes correctly. Thanks for correcting my joke.

        The thing is, you’ve opened the discussion about racism, other forms of bigotry, and other social issues on this site, though mostly in context of metal. Because of that, I don’t think of this site as totally limited to music. There’s always a blend of music and ideas here, and I really appreciate that. If you had just posted about new bands and ignored what just happened, I think it would’ve felt really strange to me.

        I’m a crazed and violent liberal, but I have friends who are extremely conservative. They give me shit about Bernie, and I give them shit about Trump. I understand their elation, and they understand my misery right now. So even if you had posted in celebration about how the US will finally be great again, I’d still buy you beer. If people can’t handle what you’re writing, that’s their problem, not yours.

        • This has been a truly black day for me. Not because of anything that will happen to me — I’m an old white guy with an amazing job and health insurance and savings — but because of what I fear for certain members of my family and people I care about like family. But what you just wrote uplifted my feelings, and I thank you for that.

  8. Maybe you should have shut the website for a day, if the result is you personally insulting commenters who deviate from your narrative in a ‘comments’ section.

    • What are you talking about? If you mean my reaction to someone on Facebook who insisted that I stop “pandering” and stick to metal,and probably didn’t even read this article, I’m in no mood to just suck it up and ignore insults today. The dictionary says that “pander to someone/something” means “to do or say what someone wants in order to please them, even though you know it is not right”. That’s bullshit, and I called bullshit on it. I’m not sorry.

      • I wonder if any of the commenters telling you to “only write about Metal” see the irony in accusing you of pandering while ALSO telling you not to say anything that might upset some of your readers?

      • The top comments in that thread echo the same sentiment, so I take it you will be take them to task as well? It was pandering, just an attempt to preach to the choir, as demonstrated by your lack of tolerance to anyone with a differing view. It’s a stunning lack of self awareness.

        • I’ve had it with your ignorant lecturing. If you don’t like it, FUCK OFF and don’t come back.

          • “Lecturing” is probably a good word for it.

            All the “oh, we’re so disappointed in you”, when you act like a human being and react to something DESIGNED to get a reaction.

        • Dude, it’s not about them “having a different view” it’s about the sheer arrogance it takes to come along and try to tell us what we ARE or AREN’T allowed to write about.

          And I’ll say it again… NOT writing about something because it might upset people who have a different view is the very DEFINITION of “pandering”.

          • Does this mean, then, that the comments section for that article and any subsequent ones are only to be used for “supported”, “agreed” and anything going against that sentiment shouldn’t be there? Again, you can’t grasp the irony here. You are fully entitled to disagree with anyone, but the manner in which your page (whoever was using it) did it was petulant, childish and unintelligent. I would have so,ilarly said the same if a poster would have called you a bunch of assholes, for simply disagreeing with the article, but nobody did that.

            • No, instead they tried to tell him what he should and shouldnt post on his own site, and what they got was a very human response.

              Ive been posting on this site longer than just about anyone still here, and in all that time Ive never once seen Islander try and hammer his personal politics or beliefs on anyone.

              Its clear from the article that the results of this election are sitting heavy on his mind, so maybe we let people process this thing a bit more before we start in with accusations of pandering towards someone whose never done any such thing

              • Ironically, the emotionally immature response just gave more credence to the initial observation; if someone didn’t have an ‘agenda’ they were pushing, they wouldn’t get so defensive over a number of differing opinions from commenters there. In other words, if you’re disappointed in Trump’s lack of tolerance, you are doing exactly the same by merely squashing differing opinions with insults. In other words, be mature enough to deal with disappointment without resorting to lashing out over feedback.

                • First…if he were truly being as intolerant as youre accusing him of being he could have very easily shut down all commentary here and on the facebook page. Hes under no obligation to allow you or anyone else to voice your opinion, you do not have the right to an audience, but he doing it anyway..that is quite literally the definition of tolerance

                  Second…”Stop Pandering” isnt feedback…its casting aspersions on someones motivations. Its a passive aggressive comment whose only implication is an accusation that Islanders feelings towards this matter are not genuine. Its a nasty little jab that was clearly meant to antagonize, and when it did you came on here and started trying to spin it as some kind of “Who me?” misunderstanding

                  • I assume you know this by now, but to quote an ancient beer commercial, I love you man. Will you be at MDF again next May?

                    • Most definitely…Im assuming you’ll be there as well to share a beer or two with me

                    • Definitely, if the creeks don’t rise. This time I hope we can do more than drink a beer with some deafening sound in the background, i.e., pry you away for some real talk.

                  • If you are unable to take the opinion of someone writing your article, you may as well close it down. It reeks of intellectual insecurity and, yes, pandering, because it just proves that you are unable to engage any deviation from the narrative you are pushing. It comes across as incredibly weak minded and self pitying, but you will no doubt rationalise this by saying “hurrr durrr it’s their site” – no shit Sherlock, but that is irrelevant to the point and irrelevant to their total unwillingness to engage anyone with a differing opinion. It also speaks volumes for you, as an individual, to defend this pathetic attitude and stance.

                  • If you can’t separate “This article is pandering” from “Fuck off, asshole” (from an article preaching tolerance, no less), then it’s either a stunning display of bias or ignorance. You pick.

                    • …and If you cant understand how intentionally antagonizing someone, by implying they are lying about something thats clearly weighing heavily on their minds, may provoke an aggressive response, you are either being deliberately obtuse, or youre not nearly as intelligent as you like to think

          • Thumbs and horns up!

      • Truth be told, your reaction kinda proved the point, intentional or not. If you’re confident in your own integrity, you don’t need to lash out at commenters. “She doth protest too much”…

    • In fairness to the boss-man… that guy’s a complete cunt and deserves a verbal smackdown now and then.

      Also “narrative”? Get a clue buddy. At no point has Islander told anyone what to think or tried to force anyone into any sort of “narrative”. He expressed himself, and some faceless troll tried to hell him what he was, or wasn’t, allowed to write.

      Just like you, in fact!

    • Who the hell are you? What are you doing here? This sort of stuff has been one of the best parts of this site’s coverage for YEARS. you want to complain, take it to NWN.

      • Would you class yourself as an open minded person, who tolerates views which differ to his own? Think about how you answer that question carefully, before I ask the next one.

        • Im sorry…where on this website is anyone stopping you or anyone else from commenting about the subject? You do realize that this is Islanders site, that he does this for fun and love of metal and that its not monetized in any way on his end?
          Just the fact that hes allowing you and others to voice complaints is pretty much the definition of tolerance…otherwise he’d have deleted those stupid fucking “pandering” accusations and gone about his day.

          Hes allowed to be unhappy, hes allowed to worry about what this means for the country, and I sure as hell think he’s earned the right to voice that in an one of the least aggressive articles Ive seen on the subject.

          You wanna talk tolerance…maybe the people shooting their mouths off on facebook should show a little bit themselves.

          ..signed, someone who tends to fall on the conservative side of the spectrum

          • When someone is personally insulted after giving feedback, it’s quite clear to any thinking person that differing opinions aren’t welcome. Being unhappy /=/ being childish and petulant. I’m sure you’ll find a way to rationalise anything this guy says, because you like his website and work, but there is clearly some cognitive dissonance here. You would be all over someone who called him an asshole for merely writing that, which is why you’re being intellectually dishonest.

            • Why are you still here?

              • Are you not able to process different opinions without telling someone to leave? I expected better from you, especially when your article’s plea for understanding and compassion.

                • Oh my gosh, you’re still here at this disdainful place, 2 days later?!? I’m afraid this doesn’t speak well for the breadth of options available to you for your free time.

            • Once again…”Stop Pandering” isnt feedback…its passive aggressive snark, and you are the one being intellectually dishonest by trying to argue it was otherwise. There are plenty of far less antagonistic ways to convey the idea that as a reader of the site, someone would rather not discuss politics here. Additionally, this website is 98% music. If the idea of discussing politics is so problematic, there was nothing stopping you or anyone else from skipping this article or the facebook link and moving onto the next one.

              Given that you dont know me from adam, thats a completely baseless assumption. Ive engaged in disagreement with Islander as well other commenters here on several occasions about various subjects. I have no problem calling him or anyone else out if something rubs me wrong. If I thought he was baiting someone, I think even he’d agree that Id probably tell him to knock it off

            • No one is forcing you to stay here, please quit trolling. Part of what makes NCS great is that overall, it’s a troll free zone. This doesn’t mean we can’t question each other, it just means we’ve cultivated an environment where assholes like you who want to solely be dickheads are discouraged from doing so. But clearly, you aren’t getting that message. Just go. Fly off to some other site to dump on others if you must, but for us, this is a sanctuary, and your snarkiness isn’t intelligent enough to be responded to in-depth as if it’s worthy of in-depth responses. You’re looking for a fight, when everyone wants you to go away. Is this so hard to figure out? It’s okay to be stubborn, but when you’re knee deep in an exercise in futility, just give up for fucks sake.

              • Thanks. I’ll message you something sloppier than a mere thanks.

              • You’ve merely cultivated an echo chamber, in which you defend writers regardless of content. This regressive way of thinking is exactly why Trump was voted in, ironically, but you’re too busy looking for things to be offended by to see this.

                • ..and yet, at no point in all of your comments, has the actual content of the article actually been criticized. You have spent this whole time desperately trying to defend an “opinion” that was neither critical of the article or even of the website as a whole, but was instead aimed directly at the truthfulness of the authors motives…and THAT is where the objections towards you are coming from

        • We survived 8 years of W, we’re going to make it through this. I think most Republicans still haven’t figured out that Trump is not actually a conservative. I’m looking forward to their reactions when he doesn’t do half the things he promised to get their votes.

          And you gotta love the logic of racists and bigots asking you/us/whoever to be more tolerant. Call a spade a spade, no more excuses for your everyday white supremacy.

          • Well, you survived W J, but he was a politician… No wait, he was a retarded moron, but at least he had some politic DNA in hes genes, but Fuckface von Clownstick is a narcissist, and a narcissist alone. He listens to no one, and loves himself. He knows fuck all about politics or acting humane. I’ve seen my share of sociopaths, and he might just be one of the gentler ones, but a fucking sociopath nonetheless.

    • Im just guessing, because I’d probably react the same way, but I bet Islander is less upset about someone disagreeing with him about politics (or anything for that matter) than he is about the implication that he is not being genuine.

      I think thats one thing we can all say about him, and why we come here, is that his genuine nature is omnipresent and iron-fucking-clad. Now… Does that mean he also has to be a fully kitted knight in shining armor, able to withstand all manner of blows from the faceless masses? Fuck no. Its irritating to have someone question such aspects of your being, especially when they don’t even use proper english and have no other deeper insights other than to annoy.

  9. I enjoyed your comments about the election. I am also feeling sick inside and depressed, but we must continue on. peace

  10. LOL I find it deeply schizophrenic in the most amusing way. On one hand writing about music, which is evil angry grim and antisocial at it’s core. On the other complain because people elected man who is intolerant bastard talking all sorts of crazy anti-everything stuff. So what? You should make up your mind. You can`t be “peace-and-love-and-comfortable-opportunism-lets-dance-together-in-morning-sunshine” type of guy and “let-the-world-burn-this-song-makes-me-wanna-kill-everyone-inverted-crosses-everywhere” sort of man at the same time. Greets from Poland, politicians are shit.

  11. Exuberant would be an understatement given that career criminal Hillary has been denied the White House. However, disappointed would be my current mood given that I’ve loved this website unconditionally for not getting political. Yet, here we are. It’s your website, run it how you wish. But know that for at least one thread, I feel like I’ve been shoved into the cesspool that is MetalSucks. For shame.

    • I have a vague understanding of people who would react this way. All I can tell you is that I am a human being who feels very intensely about some things, just as you do. And on days like this, when those feelings are unusually powerful, I can’t be true to myself by pretending it’s just another day. It has nothing to do with how I think anyone else will react. Maybe I can be accused of just indulging in the luxury of having a platform, and maybe I just should have shoved my feelings down and carried on. But I hope you’ll take a few minutes to think about that comparison to MetalSucks and maybe conclude that it was un-called for.

      • If you’re truly so ‘honest’, just admit that you did actually use it as a platform. You throw shade at someone who questioned that and you’re semi admitting it. For shame.

    • One post. ONE. Yes, I get sick of how whiny many Liberals are too, but you pukes throw a fit about coffee cups not being christmas enough, and ONE GODDAMN post on a website. Boo fucking hoo. Some people are upset about this, and the person who runs this excellent site takes a few minutes to express his opinion ONE TIME and you cry like a little….hmm what is a good alternative for the word bitch? Can’t find one.

      Whiny bitch.

  12. The regressive left just doesn’t get it, and that’s why you lost. Cheers.

  13. I’m kinda tired today and I swear I read your last sentence as “Keep calm and motorboat”, made me laugh like hell.

    I’m very sorry for your country, I don’t think anyone, like deep down, really saw this coming. But I do hope that once all the shocked outcries have settled, things will go back to normal and that Trump is forced to find some middle ground so his fellow republicans won’t lynch him. I mean, you did survive 8 years of Bush jr, that’s no small feat.

    And besides, 2020 you might be able to elect Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho as president.
    https://youtu.be/sGUNPMPrxvA

  14. Sorry, a bit late to the party. I fail to understand how potential nuclear war with Russia, using our own uranium deposits that Hillary sold to them against us, is a better option than returning jobs to our country and properly vetting immigrants before they enter our country. How are we supposed to be afraid of terrorists coming to kill us, and yet still want a free-for-all at the border? Why isn’t it racist for other countries to have walls securing their countries? Is it racist that Canada charges $550 to apply for citizenship?
    Have you not seen the long trail of bodies connected to the Clintons? Have you not heard that for all the donations to the Red Cross and Clinton Foundation for the previous Haitian disaster, they built only 5 houses? Or that they were connected to child trafficking in Haiti? Trump may be uncouth, but at least he isn’t owned by Monsanto and George Soros. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy with the situation either, but what is up with the childish reactions? If Trump is the hater, why are the “lovers” calling for his death? Maybe if the DNC weren’t so corrupt, they wouldn’t have screwed Bernie, and this website might be singing a different tune. No matter who our leaders are/will be, I’m sorry for the idiotic state of 99% of our population.

    • I’m amused by people who think Trump does not only care about money. You really think he is wanting to better humanity? Are you really that naive?

  15. Okay…can we for one second, on both sides of this election, stop acting like voting for either Trump or Clinton is somehow the same as liking them or thinking they were actually good choices.

    This election was an enormous shit sandwich, with quite possibly the worst candidates Ive ever seen getting nominated, and most of us, whomever we voted for, were basically forced to choose which piece of smeared bread we wanted to eat…it wasnt an election of who we wanted more, it was an election of who we hated less. So if your first inclination is to call someone a racist for voting for Trump, or a regressive turd for voting Hilary, just shut the fuck up!

  16. Experiencing the election with a few friends out here on the other side of the pond was certainly surreal. I had restless sleep most of the night, checking the election results every half hour or so throughout the night (the election wasn’t called until something like 7 AM in my current time zone).

    Thank you for this post as well. Yesterday I was mostly pretty scattered, unable to think about much else than the shock of the previous sleepless night and morning. Regardless of one’s political persuasions (and I think it’s been clear from a few years of lurking around here that my own happen to lie somewhat close to Islander”s), yesterday was an unusual day, one of shock, and something that, if hanging on the mind of a blog proprietor’s mind, deserved to be addressed.

  17. Unfortunately, those with better tastes in metal tend to have shittier views about politics and social issues. Its a sad truth, perhaps a bit more so in Europe but even here. That is also because good metal tends to come from working class blue collar folks and poorer people, who are also because of this less educated. That is not mean to be an insult, but it is a fact that the level of education and how one views things politically are related. We can also go into how Conservative viewpoints are not allowed in universities and poorer people have less access to good education because of class but none of that negates the facts. Those into extreme music simply are more likely to swing right, and Europe actually has a big NS issue, which is annoying for one because many of these places like Poland were destroyed by the Nazis and also holy shit people when will you realize the media is creating these beliefs for you that the evil immigrants are taking your jobs…but that’s besides the point.

    • This is an amazingly ignorant post. You are grasping at correlation to back up your pre conceived bias. ‘Less educated’ people have always, always veered towards socialist parties, so your little hypothesis is co,Pete nonsense and not back up by any facts.

  18. I’m a conservative. I’m a avid metal fan. I voted for Trump. I’m excited to see where he leads this country. Anything, yes even Trump, was a better choice than Hillary Clinton. I have faith in America that the rest of the country believed that too.

    Now, back to the new Ulcerate album. What a masterpiece!

  19. Man, I’m looking forward to see how these events inspire the House of Cards writers.

  20. Don’t worry Islander, I’ve got the perfect soundtrack for ya for the next 4 years: https://anaalnathrakh.bandcamp.com/track/hold-your-children-close-and-pray-for-oblivion 😉

  21. Stick to metal writing, leave out the stupid scare mongering !!

  22. I wanted to post my support to hang in there. The sun will come up again the next day after whatever day we’re on.
    The really bad thing is all the riots and destruction the rabble is doing, which is not going to change anything. That kinda stuff sickens me the most. I’m guessing most of them crazies didn’t even vote. They just jump in a line of looters to tear stuff up.

  23. what a crock of shit! you must be from california or new york and under 30. you are not the voice of real americans! youre complaining and crying about real men/americans who voted to get rid of the 1984 type society and government corruption weve been living in for over 30 years! you voted for the very things you hate and dont want to see america turn into and dont even know it! george soros!!!! im fucking ashamed to read some of this trash. are most of todays youth really so fucking weak, uninformed, crybaby, nonamericans? the emasculation of men will never happen! living in lala land and cant see the forrest through the trees. deer in the headlights. start a civil war and youll all get steamrolled! i cant wait to see the look of horror on some of the punk ass pussy boys. im a real oldschool metalhead who loves and believes in america! if hillary won i wouldnt have said shit because i dont need a government or anyone to hold my hand. have a good one…

    • I grew up in Texas, I’m way past 50, and I guarantee you wouldn’t call me a punk ass pussy boy to my face. And I won’t bother responding to the rest of your insults because no one in their right mind should care what people like you think.

  24. my apology i didnt know your age. i try to not disrespect my elders. that being said. im 37 from philly who employs 17 people. people like me run this country and will always continue to. the fuck i wouldnt say that to your face! back the fuck down! youre over 50 and from texas and you think like this!! holy shit they must love you there! wont respond because your uninformed

    • Dude, you’re the one who needs to calm down and become less full of yourself. You and people like you fell for a con artist. You’ll figure it out eventually. If you watch some clips from his 60 Minutes interview last night and read this article (if you can bring yourself to read something from a NY magazine instead of getting all your “news” from Breitbart), you might even begin figuring it out now.

      http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/donald-trumps-great-bait-and-switch

    • And by the way, my business — the thing that enables me to pay the freight for this blog — employs twice as people as yours does. Don’t assume that everyone who is disgusted by the election’s outcome fits your neat little disparaging caricatures.

  25. trust me im calm mostly and no where near full of myself. yes i get a bit nuts about this stuff every now and then. as im sure you do as well. were even. hillary and obama are the worst con artists in american history! i saw the interview and there was nothing wrong with it. i dont even like trump! i voted to get rid of the corruption and lifetime politicians. the lobbyists who run this shit. for the economy and for real americans. i want the proper immigration too and everyone calls that racism. im not and its a joke! i dont like talking on the net, protesting, or screamoing in peoples faces. ill be there when real men stand up. obama doubled the debt and gives more money to foreign interests than the american people! we couldve rebuilt america twice over with that! do you not believe any of that? i dont read breitbart! and sure as hell wont read the new yorker! come on man. im not a line pusher. go read and learn about soros! are you a globalist or american? this country is fucked no matter who the talking head is. i dont see how were so divided after how bad theyve run this place for 8 years. youre over 50 so you know the same thing happened with reagan getting elected. youre a metalhead so that says something about you anyway. im glad to hear youre doing well for yourself over there!

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