International Day of Slayer Demands UN Recognize Heavy Metal Culture
Claiming that heavy metal while an elective culture is a culture like those recognized by ethnicity, religion or geography, heavy metal fans petitioned the United Nations to recognize the "International Day of Slayer" as a heavy metal holiday.
Online, May 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Our world is dividing into more cultures, not fewer, and that is why we need a worldwide holiday to celebrate heavy metal culture, experts agree. "The upside of pluralism is that you get to choose your own culture," said Vijay Prozak, director of the Hessian Studies Center in Los Angeles, CA, a heavy metal think tank.
During the early 1990s when the Soviet Union had just fallen, culture began to fragment in the wake of what political writer Francis Fukuyama called "the end of history." No longer bound tightly to political alliances in a superpower conflict, populations began to fragment and diversify.
That diversity includes what analysts call "elective cultures," such as those based around religion, separatist ideology, environmentalism or even artistic movements like heavy metal. "Heavy metal culture exists, has been documented, and has a clear values system of its own," Prozak said. "Slayer is a perfect symbol for this culture because like heavy metal, Slayer is independent, finds value in adventure, is beyond good and evil, and celebrates the darkness of life on an equal level to the light."
Started in 2006, the International Day of Slayer grew from a few lone practicioners to a holiday celebrated across the globe. Its organizers have interviewed academics, sent Slayer CDs to President Obama, met with Slayer and encouraged others heavy metal fans -- called "metalheads" or "Hessians" -- to join in the celebration.
According to the organizers, the International Day of Slayer has petitioned the United Nations to recognize heavy metal as a culture alongside ethnic, religious and geographical cultures. Although an elective culture, they allege, heavy metal has more adherents than many cultures.
The first step however is simple. "Don't go to work," said organizer J.T. "Just listen to Slayer. That's where it all starts."
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About Slayer
Slayer is a speed metal band from Long Beach, CA who specialize in themes of a mechanistic society manipulated by the occult. For over 20 years, their brand of high-intensity metal has been a watermark for the metal subculture.
About International Day of Slayer
The International Day of Slayer is an initiative by Slayer fans to create a worldwide holiday on June 6 for listening to the music of Slayer.
Contact:
National Day of Slayer
PO Box 1004
Alief, TX 77411
(512) 553-4544
http://www.nationaldayofslayer.org/