My Civics Education As A Metalhead, Then As A Punker (Part One)
An Unwitting Political Awakening
“Justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is gone
Pulling your strings, justice is done
Seeking no truth, winning is all
Find it so grim, so true, so real”
- Metallica (…And Justice For All)
I often talk about the erosion of civics education that has occurred in the United States over the decades. I’ve heard many arguments about the possibility that there was a concerted effort to dumb-down the American population. Well, the information I have gathered thus far strengthens this hypothesis, at least for me.
I was a child of the 1980s and I came into my adolescence during the 1990s. By the time I was going through the public school system, civics education was completely obliterated from the curriculum. I wrote an essay about Ronald Reagan’s War On Higher Education that focused on the right-wing plan to dismantle quality education and critical thinking from institutions of higher learning. I believe this tactic was also carried out through the department of education to degrade the public school system.
I include myself as a member of this group that missed out on a proper civics education early on which would have kept a large portion of the population in the U.S. informed, and engaged. It would have been difficult for the neoliberal politicians in power at the time to shield their plans from a properly informed electorate. Now that we are here, and half of their Project 2025 aspirations have been brought to fruition, it is more important than ever that we all get up to speed.
It is never too late for anyone to get educated, especially on the function and purpose of our government. At this point, we cannot afford to remain civically ignorant any longer.
The hyper-consumerism and debt-trap distractions of the 80s and 90s that provided the excuse for us to not pay attention are so over. The consequence of that ethos has brought us to this inevitable conclusion — at the precipice of economic collapse resulting from policies that favored predatory capitalism at the expense of the middle and working classes.
Even though I was deprived of formal civics knowledge during my school years, I did have an introduction into the political sphere at a young age. It was not through the traditional means of education, however; It was through music.
Music was a huge part of my life growing up and this was the case for most of my peers in Generation X. Music was life, and when we resonated with certain musicians through their art, that became the key to unlocking our own true identity. If you were doing it right, and you were not a poser1, this artistic expression helped you identify your own true essence as a person.
For me, it was always about the lyrics. I remember being the only one who was ever really focused on them that much most of the time. Many people would tell me they barely paid attention to the lyrics. I always respected words so it is no surprise that lyrical content would strike such a chord with me when I resonated with a particular message. To this day, I experience a physical reaction, breaking out in goosebumps during certain passages of a particular song. I hope that never stops.
Where it began…
I became a bonafide metalhead at a very young age. I remember discovering Metallica at age 12 and latching onto their sociopolitical commentary that I found to be very prevalent in their album, “…And Justice For All”, released in 1988. By then I was 13 years old, and to me, this album had a prominent sociopolitical message that their other albums did not really possess.
This time period marks the beginning of this discovery for me. Music with lyrical content that awakened in me what I could barely express at the time became the inspiration for the formation of my own original ideas and philosophies as I grew older. This was the spark I distinctly remember that caused me to start questioning, and this is when my world began to expand.
Revisiting these songs now as an adult, the messaging that touched me all those years ago turned out to be downright prophetic. There are a collection of songs that immediately come to mind with respect to the current experience we are all having within our body politic at this moment.
My hope is that those in my audience who are not fans of this music may still understand and appreciate where I am coming from with this series of essays. At the very least, it will offer you a glimpse into my questioning, philosophical nature that sprouted during my formative years.
The songs I will focus on in this series are within the metal and punk genres, music that I found gave me a visceral reaction in order to elicit the cathartic release I was always searching for. In hindsight, I think this was the case for many of my peers as well.
Generation X grew up during a time of societal unraveling, and distrust in institutions was at an all time high. The angst and cynicism that permeated through our age group should be no surprise. I think it was very apparent by the 1990s that things were not at all what they seemed to be on the surface, and the promise of prosperity was starting to wear very thin.
The anger and resentment that was expressed by our favorite artists through their music provided a vehicle for us to express our own frustrations, which essentially sprang from the same source. Even though we were not fully capable of articulating what we felt happening around us at the time, I believe that subconsciously we understood, and we were connected by this unspoken certainty that what we were brought up to trust and believe in was bullshit.
From my personal perspective, the music itself as the backdrop for the message was also extremely important. These musical genres always hit the spot for me, the raw energy and power the perfect vehicle to drive the point of the message home even further. And, the emphatic vocal expression of the singer was imperative! Raw, authentic, and as powerful as the message being conveyed.
Of course, taste for any particular genre is subjective, but I hope those of you who are not “metalheads” will give it a try.
So, let’s begin with the metal…
Now, I know this is not everyone’s cup of tea! I do hope that you can appreciate the message, though, especially since it is so unnervingly relevant to our circumstances today.
Again, remember that I was 13 years old when I heard this for the first time. I fell in love with it instantly. The raw honesty and the guttural expression exposing the lies within our justice system that I was learning about in school to be a beacon of honesty and integrity. I had no way of confirming any of the assertions made in the song, but I still felt it in my bones to be true.
And so, the dominos began to fall for me. From that point on, my journey of digging below the surface through alternative means continued. Music was always a part of it whenever I discovered a particular artist that moved me. Thankfully, I’ve had this experience many times over but this album in particular was the first.
“…And Justice For All” is a concept album about political and social injustice, the advantages of those with wealth and power over the common person. Even though the title song of this album is specifically about corruption within the legal system, I distinctly remember my questioning of our political system beginning to take form. This moment in time was the springboard to piercing the veil for me.
A sign of the times…
Many of the artists I grew up listening to used facetiousness and satire heavily, and this album definitely exhibits these qualities. Personally, I prefer this type of expression. It may be due to my upbringing during a time when Gen X was trying to break down the barriers of racial and sexual discrimination, and the artists at the forefront of breaking through with these messages were rarely politically correct.
I believe one reason for this is that Gen X was not listened to at all by the older generations at the time. The causes being championed today were actually spearheaded by Gen X, and they were met with massive resistance from those that opposed any change to the status quo.
Many of the artists we admired were incendiary and provocative on purpose in order to make their point and draw attention to the issue. Sometimes they utilized a shock component, and most of the time, heavy sarcasm.
I am aware that many shy away from certain phrases and terms considered politically incorrect these days. As you can see, I’m not really one of them. I know some would find the songs I feature to be rough and callous but to me, this type of expression respects the gravity of the message itself.
With respect to “…And Justice For All” in particular, the forcefulness of the lyrics illustrates very effectively the egregious behavior that is continually tolerated within the justice system at the expense of the average citizen. Personally, I think any softening around the edges to make it more palatable for those that may find the lyrics insensitive would be a mistake. The gut punch you feel when you hear these words is necessary, and that is the whole point.
The Issue With Policing Thought, And Speech
Since I am still on the topic of Metallica and their album “…And Justice For All”, I figured I would close out this essay with one of their songs on this album containing commentary on free speech.
First off, before I forget to mention this, I find James Hetfield to be a fantastic vocalist. I know many people may bristle at this suggestion because his vocal style is purposefully rough…but that is what I like about it. I love the passion in his voice, and the forceful delivery of his lyrics. And speaking of his lyrics - I also think he is a fantastic lyricist. At least, up until this particular album, but that is another story, for another day…
Back to “Eye Of The Beholder”. In my interpretation, it seems as though James may be a free speech absolutist. I’m not going to argue about this particular stance but I will say that I am against an all encompassing cancel culture with a pre-approved narrative for policing speech, and thought.
This is what “Eye Of The Beholder” always signified to me — speaking your truth and expressing your message as authentically as possible. This is the reason why these particular artists I will be featuring resonated with me so much. Their message shook me to my core because it was unfiltered, and many times, unforgiving of any sensibility one might have. I attribute this to the reaction I had many years ago that urged me to seek out and find the truth, that urged me to look beneath the surface, always.
Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Someone who adopts the superficial trappings of a subculture (like clothing or music) without genuinely understanding or embracing its core values