what i don't hear many people saying about gatekeeping and 'posers'

originally posted on afterlife, but i plan to post more of my future journal/blog entries here seeing as there's no character limit here

if gatekeeping has any positive intent/impact, it's preventing forms of art/attire/etc from ending up on the radar of grifters and mega corporations who will strip away every iota of substance and context indigestible by the masses to make a quick buck before moving on to another trend. if you're wondering why you see streetwear and temu garb with text in a death/black metal font, or black tees with striped sleeves from forever 21 worn by people you can tell without a shadow of a doubt couldn't tell nine inch nails from depeche mode but want to wear an 'alt' look, look no further. it's already happening to an extent, and they're here to stay until it's not en vogue anymore. in the meantime, most of these people are probably not going to take any genuine interest in any form of rock, metal, what have you that isn't top 40. but if they do, cool. strange pipeline, but still cool i guess.

at this point, one can either be normal about that person being fresh meat, give music suggestions, or be a snob. the latter is where the discussion about gatekeeping and posers gets divided. for some reason, some are of the belief that in order to protect the sanctity of their 'scene,' this hypothetical new person is required to nAmE tHrEe sOnGs on the spot lest they fall through a trap door with a pit of snakes underneath. alternatively, they should grilled with a random trivia pop quiz question like what color glasses a guitar tech wore in 1981. details that only a boomer present at a show 'at a band's prime' or someone who spends a little too much time online would know. or else... pit of snakes, or perhaps the pear of anguish. i can't think of anything more antithetical to 'keeping a scene alive' and preventing/combatting commodification than discouraging people from exploring and expressing interest in what they like simply because they're new and/or young. great, the snob gets an ego boost from being [perceived as] having niche interests, a collection of obscure music, or their favorite artist being so underground they record in a mineshaft. i only hope the pseudo boost in confidence is worth their favorite artist living in their car because somehow that artist gaining more support and easier means to create/make an honest living will directly result in warner music group getting their grubby hands on their precious scene. and this is somehow the fault of 'posers' who have the nerve to breach the surface level or find community.

speaking of 'posers,' i keep it in quotes because the 'definition' is so nebulous between person to person that i refrain from using it. in fact, i refrain from engaging people i suspect are feigning interest entirely. in an age where attention [screen time, clicks, viewership, even commenting] is a currency, i can't help being frugal and very liberal with the block button. on the flipside, engaging or confronting people suspected of being 'posers' can have a few possible outcomes:

1 that person wasn't a 'poser' but someone who actually wanted to engage with the music and community, but they've been discouraged and harassed enough to bow out permanently,

2 congratulations you whacked an actual mole, at which point one of two things can happen:

2a nothing! you both argue back and forth [online] until the end of days as they dig their heels in

2̶b̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶m̶a̶s̶k̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶g̶r̶o̶v̶e̶l̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶g̶o̶t̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶m̶e̶d̶d̶l̶i̶n̶'̶ ̶k̶i̶d̶s̶,̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶t̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶m̶a̶c̶h̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶r̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶u̶n̶s̶e̶t̶.̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶r̶a̶v̶e̶y̶a̶r̶d̶.̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶a̶f̶f̶l̶e̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶.̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶e̶v̶e̶r̶.̶

some may also take issue with 'posers' and are at worse abrasive towards anyone new/not as knowledgeable as them because they suspect that person is going through a phase. just like your parents might've told you. even then, so what? it has no bearing on your life whether someone one month in to combing through nine inch nails' discography and calling themselves goth drops it and goes back to their 'normal' wardrobe the next day. why pay them any mind unless you want to inform them about what being goth actually entails? if they're not receptive, there isn't any point in engaging any further. or harassing them, or writing a 'callout post' in google docs.

'posers,' grifters, 'trend hoppers,' and mega corporations who have shareholders' yachts to pay for [welcome to capitalism]... are like flying insects who want to kamikaze dive into your food at restaurants with outdoor seating. how you define the quoted terms matters, because if complete commodification to the point of being dead and devoid of authenticity is something you intend to repel, misfiring while spinning in a circle is a fruitless endeavor. be sure of your target. otherwise, don't bother targeting anyone.

p.s. if you want an easy assignment, consider targeting fascists and other forms of bigots who target marginalized people... is what i would say if more people in these scenes actually knew what those terms meant or cared. you hear a lot of 'you can't be xyz if you're racist' and what have you... by people who are racist, apologists for racism, or claim there isn't any racism. replace 'racism' with any other form of bigotry there because not only does it apply, but it's almost a separate topic + this journal entry is long enough.

p.p.s. like i said before, i'm very liberal with the block button. in the unlikely event that there are bigots on this site who happen to comment on this, they will not be addressed and i don't suggest anyone else does. just report and block them.