BS: Why is country music so violent?

Subject: Why is country music so violent?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 06:52 AM

Some people who survived the Thousand Oaks massacre in California yesterday had been through the Las Vegas massacre. Both country music events.

These weren't the first, either. I remember a C&W fan from some small town holding a bus hostage to demand that Reba McEntire should perform there (McEntire said she'd never previously tried asking).

Other musical genres seem to have normalized one-off killings, but indiscriminate spree killings seem to be just a country thing. Why?

Subject: RE: Why is country music so violent?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 09:07 AM

Data from the Gun Violence Archive reveals there is a mass shooting – defined as four or more people shot in one incident, not including the shooter – nine out of every 10 days on average. The Guardian

So killings linked to country music appear to be in the minority. I think you'll have to look beyond country music to find the causes of the indiscriminate killings.

Subject: RE: Why is country music so violent?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 09:19 AM

I suppeose country music espouses a lot of fairly macho values. An epic sense of self which is very attractive. It certainly appealed to me more than English folksong where the hero always seems to be whingeing about getting hung or transported.

Think of Merle Travis's Working Man's blues, you won't find him on relief - one place you won't find me...
Or Jerry Jeff Walker kicking hippies asses and raising hell....

But how ever macho you are, statistically, you have a damn good chance of being a loser in American society. And that must feel demeaning , humiliating. And if you get into a depressive tailspin guns are just too available to people in a mentally unbalanced state.

And then there's Old Merle telling you that you're not a real man if your life's screwed up...

Subject: RE: Why is country music so violent?
From: Mossback
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 09:31 AM

Why? Same reason Trump's President.

Subject: RE: Why is country music so violent?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 10:29 AM

There are nine mass killings every ten days in America - most mass killings are not at country music events.

We don't know the musical tastes of the mass killers.

And there's no evidence that the gunmen are seeking out fans at country music events in preference to people at any other public gathering.

Subject: RE: Why is country music so violent?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 06:55 PM

hmmm ... remember Altamont and the Hell's Angels, though?

Subject: RE: BS: Why is country music so violent?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 07:18 PM

For a number of reasons, I'm moving this thread to the BS (non-music) section. It's not necessarily the music that's violent, but I suppose it's true that some country music has a shit-kickin' attitude that one rarely sees in Beethoven.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Why is country music so violent?
From: leeneia
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 09:33 PM

You're blaming the victim, Jack. Country music isn't violent, it's vulnerable.

For one thing, it's a very common kind of music. It's much easier to find a crowd doing country music than progressive jazz or even classical. Also, a country place is unlikely to have security. And unlike a rock concert, you don't have to pay to get in.

Criminals go with what they are familiar with. The shooter in Thousand Oaks probably knew exactly where that bar was and how to get there.

Subject: RE: BS: Why is country music so violent?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 10 Nov 18 - 06:48 AM

Reports say he was a regular at that venue.

The victims all seem to have been middle-class people with jobs and fairly satisfying lives. The killer wasn't, by a long way. It's easy to see why he might been resentful, and perhaps betrayed by a culture he might have had reason to expect support from. So Al's suggestion seems on the mark.

Subject: RE: BS: Why is country music so violent?
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Nov 18 - 09:05 AM

my son didn't come home

Maybe the NRA is wrong?

Subject: RE: BS: Why is country music so violent?
From: Mossback
Date: 10 Nov 18 - 10:47 AM

The NRA WRONG?????

Burn in hell, heretic!

Subject: RE: BS: Why is country music so violent?
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 11 Nov 18 - 04:39 PM

There was an item in the news a long time ago about a study which purported to show that country music fans were more prone to committing suicide that fans of other genres. So I wrote a hurtin’ song about all the ways the cowboy was gonna end it all if his gal ever left him—“gonna take a dose of poison and hang myself and go and jump in the river too”.b

Subject: RE: BS: Why is country music so violent?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 13 Nov 18 - 11:30 AM

How much is 'gun toting' part of the stereotype image of country?