While we can scientifically discern about what is Metal and what is not "Metal", today we will look at a different discipline of science that also has it's fingerprints in our culture (or our fingerprints in its laboratories), Pediatrics (the medicine field of medical care for infants, children and adolescents).
Some days ago, a cultural psychologist decided to go against the element known as Ferrum (aka "Iron", aka what Metal music is made from) by publishing a study about Heavy Metal causing teenage delinquency.
Tarnished Iron presents Dr. Tom ter Bogt.
To say this study ruffled the metallic feathers of the Fe3C Legions (and the primary reason for the Tarnished Iron post) will be an overstatement, as this was more of a milliseconds worth of comedy before focusing back on whatever we were distracted from.
The study goes about saying that children (age 12 - 16 years old) who listened to "loud music" (this study also included "hip-hop, gothic and trance" music) caused "minor delinquency" like "vandalism, shoplifting and fighting".
Before presenting what I feel is Heavy Metal's version of an "official rebuttal", I need to mention the obvious. Which person in this world did not get themselves into some kind of "minor delinquency" like "vandalism, shoplifting and fighting" when we are at the age when children begin to develop to young adults? All of us, that's who. It's called the natural order of "growing up", and anybody who did not go through these types of situations in their upbringing must've been raised in a dungeon.
Heavy Metal is no stranger to oxymoron's, as we look like we belong to a biker gang, or the cast of Mad Max 2, and yet our mental capacity is at "above-average" (at worst) level of comprehension and understanding (when compared to the general societies intelligence).
To bring forth the evidence to dispel this dunce-cap wearing fools research, here are some prime examples that have come to fruition:
"Heavy metal 'a comfort for the bright child'" - The Telegraph
"Gifted Students Beat The Blues With Heavy Metal" - Science Daily
"Why metal fans are brainier" - The Guardian
Since the good doctor may not be phased by the aforementioned studies and critiques, I present to him members of our society who are legitimate scientists who banged their heads to good tunes:
To counter the study from professor Dum Dum, check out Heavy Metal: The Music And Its Culture by Deena Weinstein. If you want a study that goes deep into Metal's convoluted but glorious history and understanding Metalheads the correct way, this book is it.
And finally, my personal message to Dr. Tom ter Bogt, you might want to consider going to the following Metal Festivals in your country (Netherlands), Dynamo Open Air, Dokk'em Open Air & ProgPower Europe, to see what Metal music does to people and consider intermingling with the test subjects instead of jumping to "premature" (aged 12 - 16 years old) conclusions.
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