I Don't Get the Hate

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

It sucks, really.  I like punk, and I also like Green Day.  I'm not necessarily saying that I think they're 'punk', but that community banished them years and years ago and if you even speak their name in that company, you're damn near banished and told you're a sellout for liking them. 

And these are people that shop at Hot Topic.  Not for nothing, but I'd say if you're a punk or rebel, the last place I'd shop is a corporate America pansy store that targets 14 year old girls.  Can someone explain this to me?

I liken the Green Day-Punk Rock issue to the initial (and sometimes still going) separation in the Metallica camps after they came out withe their "Nu-Metal" sound.  The battle still rages on at Youtube and other sites across Cyberspace..

As to the flip-flops who shop at Hot Topic, who knows? It seems that while most people are true to their beliefs (and don't sway from them) it seems that we as a species, have the need to get the best of both worlds. 

And at 14,  you want to be "cool" and "in the club" and all that, so I think it's more a matter of social survival than anything else. If you want to be a bling-laden pop diva, you shop at TJ Maxx.  You wanna be cool, you go to Hot Topic. HT has cooler stuff, anyway. 

[Mr. DS]

It sucks, really.  I like punk, and I also like Green Day.  I'm not necessarily saying that I think they're 'punk', but that community banished them years and years ago and if you even speak their name in that company, you're damn near banished and told you're a sellout for liking them.  

And these are people that shop at Hot Topic.  Not for nothing, but I'd say if you're a punk or rebel, the last place I'd shop is a corporate America pansy store that targets 14 year old girls.  Can someone explain this to me?

I liken the Green Day-Punk Rock issue to the initial (and sometimes still going) separation in the Metallica camps after they came out withe their "Nu-Metal" sound.  The battle still rages on at Youtube and other sites across Cyberspace..

As to the flip-flops who shop at Hot Topic, who knows? It seems that while most people are true to their beliefs (and don't sway from them) it seems that we as a species, have the need to get the best of both worlds.  

And at 14,  you want to be "cool" and "in the club" and all that, so I think it's more a matter of social survival than anything else. If you want to be a bling-laden pop diva, you shop at TJ Maxx.  You wanna be cool, you go to Hot Topic. HT has cooler stuff, anyway.  

I've said before and I'll say it again the whole "selling out" thing makes no sense to me.   Its about money in the world and to deny that is just silly.  Who wants to play the local club for some bucks while you could be selling out arenas for millions?  If they choose the "some bucks" option they'll more than likely end up looking like an 40 year old idiot sporting a wallet chain and mohawk.  But hey, at least they can claim to be "anti-establishment".  

As for the Hot Topic, its a wonderful mask for corporate American and once again "anti-establishment".  Just make sure you pick up your Ozzy slippers and black metal t-shirt for 50 bucks.  All major credit card accepted!     Who cares if 200,00 kids nationwide look just like YOU do!  You're a rebel baby!

[The Gravekeeper]

It sucks, really.  I like punk, and I also like Green Day.  I'm not necessarily saying that I think they're 'punk', but that community banished them years and years ago and if you even speak their name in that company, you're damn near banished and told you're a sellout for liking them. 

And these are people that shop at Hot Topic.  Not for nothing, but I'd say if you're a punk or rebel, the last place I'd shop is a corporate America pansy store that targets 14 year old girls.  Can someone explain this to me?

I liken the Green Day-Punk Rock issue to the initial (and sometimes still going) separation in the Metallica camps after they came out withe their "Nu-Metal" sound.  The battle still rages on at Youtube and other sites across Cyberspace..

As to the flip-flops who shop at Hot Topic, who knows? It seems that while most people are true to their beliefs (and don't sway from them) it seems that we as a species, have the need to get the best of both worlds. 

And at 14,  you want to be "cool" and "in the club" and all that, so I think it's more a matter of social survival than anything else. If you want to be a bling-laden pop diva, you shop at TJ Maxx.  You wanna be cool, you go to Hot Topic. HT has cooler stuff, anyway. 

I suspect it's part of the process of growing up and figuring out who you are. Most of us have gone through phases that, looking back, were pretty silly. In trying them out, we experimented and realized that no, that's not who we were. It's also been accepted in psychology that during the teenage years it's normal for a teen to test and push the boundaries that were set for them since childhood. It's just part of growing up and establishing yourself as an independent person. Thankfully, most people grow out of the phase of taking music so seriously that they will dislike a person upon hearing that they don't listen to the same genre/bands as they do.

[Jim H]

It sucks, really.  I like punk, and I also like Green Day.  I'm not necessarily saying that I think they're 'punk', but that community banished them years and years ago and if you even speak their name in that company, you're damn near banished and told you're a sellout for liking them.  

And these are people that shop at Hot Topic.  Not for nothing, but I'd say if you're a punk or rebel, the last place I'd shop is a corporate America pansy store that targets 14 year old girls.  Can someone explain this to me?

I liken the Green Day-Punk Rock issue to the initial (and sometimes still going) separation in the Metallica camps after they came out withe their "Nu-Metal" sound.  The battle still rages on at Youtube and other sites across Cyberspace..

As to the flip-flops who shop at Hot Topic, who knows? It seems that while most people are true to their beliefs (and don't sway from them) it seems that we as a species, have the need to get the best of both worlds.  

And at 14,  you want to be "cool" and "in the club" and all that, so I think it's more a matter of social survival than anything else. If you want to be a bling-laden pop diva, you shop at TJ Maxx.  You wanna be cool, you go to Hot Topic. HT has cooler stuff, anyway.  

I've said before and I'll say it again the whole "selling out" thing makes no sense to me.   Its about money in the world and to deny that is just silly.  Who wants to play the local club for some bucks while you could be selling out arenas for millions?  If they choose the "some bucks" option they'll more than likely end up looking like an 40 year old idiot sporting a wallet chain and mohawk.  But hey, at least they can claim to be "anti-establishment".  

As for the Hot Topic, its a wonderful mask for corporate American and once again "anti-establishment".  Just make sure you pick up your Ozzy slippers and black metal t-shirt for 50 bucks.  All major credit card accepted!     Who cares if 200,00 kids nationwide look just like YOU do!  You're a rebel baby!

The big issue is people apply the term "selling out" in ways that don't really apply.  Making a lot of money playing and recording the music you always wanted to isn't selling out.  It's when they deliberately water down and alter their music purely to sell more albums that they've "sold out".  Sometimes people also use the term "sold out" to equal "became popular", which I just find strange.

[Flick James]

It sucks, really.  I like punk, and I also like Green Day.  I'm not necessarily saying that I think they're 'punk', but that community banished them years and years ago and if you even speak their name in that company, you're damn near banished and told you're a sellout for liking them.  

And these are people that shop at Hot Topic.  Not for nothing, but I'd say if you're a punk or rebel, the last place I'd shop is a corporate America pansy store that targets 14 year old girls.  Can someone explain this to me?

I agree with you. I think the reason for this is that people feel a sense of unjustified ownership of an artist or a musical genre. If a band they adore becomes popular or goes through a change they don't like, they feel betrayed and then call the band a sellout. Get over it. You don't have ANY ownership of the band or the genre. If you think being underground and unpopular is important, then start your own band, do everything you possibly can to avoid fame, and perhaps then you will be happy in your microcosm.


I liken the Green Day-Punk Rock issue to the initial (and sometimes still going) separation in the Metallica camps after they came out withe their "Nu-Metal" sound.  The battle still rages on at Youtube and other sites across Cyberspace..

As to the flip-flops who shop at Hot Topic, who knows? It seems that while most people are true to their beliefs (and don't sway from them) it seems that we as a species, have the need to get the best of both worlds.  

And at 14,  you want to be "cool" and "in the club" and all that, so I think it's more a matter of social survival than anything else. If you want to be a bling-laden pop diva, you shop at TJ Maxx.  You wanna be cool, you go to Hot Topic. HT has cooler stuff, anyway.  

I've said before and I'll say it again the whole "selling out" thing makes no sense to me.   Its about money in the world and to deny that is just silly.  Who wants to play the local club for some bucks while you could be selling out arenas for millions?  If they choose the "some bucks" option they'll more than likely end up looking like an 40 year old idiot sporting a wallet chain and mohawk.  But hey, at least they can claim to be "anti-establishment".  

As for the Hot Topic, its a wonderful mask for corporate American and once again "anti-establishment".  Just make sure you pick up your Ozzy slippers and black metal t-shirt for 50 bucks.  All major credit card accepted!     Who cares if 200,00 kids nationwide look just like YOU do!  You're a rebel baby!

The big issue is people apply the term "selling out" in ways that don't really apply.  Making a lot of money playing and recording the music you always wanted to isn't selling out.  It's when they deliberately water down and alter their music purely to sell more albums that they've "sold out".  Sometimes people also use the term "sold out" to equal "became popular", which I just find strange.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

It sucks, really.  I like punk, and I also like Green Day.  I'm not necessarily saying that I think they're 'punk', but that community banished them years and years ago and if you even speak their name in that company, you're damn near banished and told you're a sellout for liking them.  

And these are people that shop at Hot Topic.  Not for nothing, but I'd say if you're a punk or rebel, the last place I'd shop is a corporate America pansy store that targets 14 year old girls.  Can someone explain this to me?

I liken the Green Day-Punk Rock issue to the initial (and sometimes still going) separation in the Metallica camps after they came out withe their "Nu-Metal" sound.  The battle still rages on at Youtube and other sites across Cyberspace..

As to the flip-flops who shop at Hot Topic, who knows? It seems that while most people are true to their beliefs (and don't sway from them) it seems that we as a species, have the need to get the best of both worlds.  

And at 14,  you want to be "cool" and "in the club" and all that, so I think it's more a matter of social survival than anything else. If you want to be a bling-laden pop diva, you shop at TJ Maxx.  You wanna be cool, you go to Hot Topic. HT has cooler stuff, anyway.  

I've said before and I'll say it again the whole "selling out" thing makes no sense to me.   Its about money in the world and to deny that is just silly.  Who wants to play the local club for some bucks while you could be selling out arenas for millions?  If they choose the "some bucks" option they'll more than likely end up looking like an 40 year old idiot sporting a wallet chain and mohawk.  But hey, at least they can claim to be "anti-establishment".  

As for the Hot Topic, its a wonderful mask for corporate American and once again "anti-establishment".  Just make sure you pick up your Ozzy slippers and black metal t-shirt for 50 bucks.  All major credit card accepted!     Who cares if 200,00 kids nationwide look just like YOU do!  You're a rebel baby!

I don't actually shot at Hot Topic, but they have cool T-shirts and that's about the extent of my like for them. As for saying they have cooler stuff, I meant more in terms of it's unconventional nature.

Posted by: The Gravekeeper

I suspect it's part of the process of growing up and figuring out who you are. Most of us have gone through phases that, looking back, were pretty silly. In trying them out, we experimented and realized that no, that's not who we were. It's also been accepted in psychology that during the teenage years it's normal for a teen to test and push the boundaries that were set for them since childhood. It's just part of growing up and establishing yourself as an independent person. Thankfully, most people grow out of the phase of taking music so seriously that they will dislike a person upon hearing that they don't listen to the same genre/bands as they do.

Well said!     Finding out who you are thru a series of things, attitudes and styles that please you (while they offend others) is part of the game.  We've all been thru it.

You go around, and you come around, with a lot of experimentation in between.

You either stay a certain way, or you find a way to fit into the daily world while you keep your core beliefs\attitudes to yourself in a place where noone but you can access them. 

Or, in the other corner, you go 360 degrees opposite of your beliefs and become something you never thought you'd become ( I.E. Liberal to Conservative or vice versa.)

It's quite a process.

[Mr. DS]

I don't actually shot at Hot Topic, but they have cool T-shirts and that's about the extent of my like for them. As for saying they have cooler stuff, I meant more in terms of it's unconventional nature.

I've shopped at Hot Topic in the past and places like Spencer Gifts.  However, I think there is just a really fine line between shopping there and believing you are making a monumental statement with their goods.

I guess it boils down to, for this thread anyhow, do what you dig.  As long as its in the law and not hurting anyone. 

[Leah]

I just buy shirts, as in Misfits, and got a "Hello, My Name is Iningo Montoya, You killed My Father, Prepare to Die"

[HappyGilmore]

I don't completely hate Hot Topic itself as a store.  I hate the people who think it's fashionable to shop there in order to 'rebel' when they're really just doing what everyone else is doing.  They're not selling out, they're "buying in' to corporate America.  Nothing wrong with it.

I've seen some Misfits stuff there, t-shirts and all, and yeah, bought them.  Just cause it was convenient.  But I've since found it's easier to buy it directly from their website or find same items at Thrift Stores or other specialty shops that isn't a corporation.  Doesn't make me better than anyone.  Ultimately if I buy something from Hot Topic, it's not a matter of me feeling like I fit in, I just hate that others do it just cause it's cool to try and fit in rather than making any kind of real political or punk type of statement of their own.

[ulthar]

Sounds like Hot Topic is the TapOut version of those that watch UFC and fancy themselves martial arts masters, even though they've never been in a fight or done any training whatsoever.

[Joe the Destroyer]

I try to avoid Hot Topic if I can, what with the Atomsphere (a mom 'n pop store in the mall that sells merchandise of rock, metal, and punk bands). 

I realize AVGN is a character, but I still think the observation I made is viable.  He bases his character on haters, and is therefore channeling the hatred to make something that's intended to be funny.  I say intended to be because I find that he's getting less and less funny the more videos I've watched.  For me, he seemed like a one trick pony, and that trick is wearing thin.  I still watch his videos to hear what he actually has to say about a game.  He's actually quite good at arguing that some of the games he reviews are complete crap. 

[Jim H]

I try to avoid Hot Topic if I can, what with the Atomsphere (a mom 'n pop store in the mall that sells merchandise of rock, metal, and punk bands). 

I realize AVGN is a character, but I still think the observation I made is viable.  He bases his character on haters, and is therefore channeling the hatred to make something that's intended to be funny.  I say intended to be because I find that he's getting less and less funny the more videos I've watched.  For me, he seemed like a one trick pony, and that trick is wearing thin.  I still watch his videos to hear what he actually has to say about a game.  He's actually quite good at arguing that some of the games he reviews are complete crap. 

It still has its moments and I still find it entertaining, but yeah, it's pretty tough to keep a show really good with such a basic concept (foul mouthed nerd rants against bad games) going for 90+ episodes. 

Considering this forum's predilections, I think Rolfe's movie reviews might be of interest to people here, particularly his Monster Madness series.  Rolfe is a professional video editor, and it shows in his work. 

http://www.cinemassacre.com/category/moviereviews/

The amount of videos he puts up is staggering.