Vic Govt trying to ban Metal gig on Good Friday

[ManWithNoName]

Posted this over on the politics board but was interested in your guys take on it too

THE Baillieu Government will move to ban a bad-taste concert being staged on one of the most sacred days of the Christian year.

Easter Mass 11, featuring Christian-hating heavy metal bands, has been planned for a Northcote venue on Good Friday, mocking the day's religious significance.

...

But Consumer Affairs Minister Michael O'Brien said the State Government would move to ban the event under liquor laws covering offensive images and religious vilification.

"I have asked the director of Liquor Licensing to look into whether this tasteless and moronic promotion complies with the Liquor Control Reform Act," Mr O'Brien said.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/easter-gig-in-sin-bin/story-fn7x8me2-1226032608226

Seriously? THIS is where I live? It's an absolute joke. We live in a democracy. Not a god fearing nanny state. If you don't like metal or the bands or the idea of eating meat on Good Friday, THEN DON'T GO!

 

[TheStinger]

This conflicts me so much. On one hand I am a big fan of metal and even though some of these bands and their philosophys might be a little too extreme for my liking, I support their right to make whatever music they want. On the other hand, I'm a Christian and this seems like it is deliberately antagonistic towards a sacred time in our calendar.

My question would be how much of an outcry would there be from muslim groups and the do-gooders of this country if they held a anti-ramadan festival during ramadan?

It seems unneccesary to market it as a an anti-christian concerrt. Everyone who knows these bands will know what they are about and will attend anyway even if it wasn't marketed this way.

I reckon if they had their concert/festival and marketed it as a heavy metal thing and not an anti-religious thing, then no-one would have any problem with it at all. They kind of brought this attention on themselves, whether by design or by accident.

 

[Darcy S]

I don't really understand how this would be religious vilification? Nobody is being forced to attend and the show isnt out on the streets where people who may be offended couldn't avoid it.

I think you raise a good point about the anti-Islam thing. Personally I'd have no problem with it, so long as they are opposing the religion, not the people, as these bands do with Christianity.

 

[hirdy_is_champ]

Its fair enough IMO. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Christian, but I don't like it how Christians seem to cop a fair amount of crap, and no one really says anything. Yet if you were to have a go at any other religion (especially Islam), they get so offended, even if there's nothing to get offended about. No concerts should be held having a go at any religion. Its incredibly disrespectful.

 

[hawkaz1]

No concerts should be held having a go at any religion. Its incredibly disrespectful.

Concerts, protests etc. should be able to have a go at whatever they want as long as it's all peaceful.

If you don't like it the best thing to do is ignore it.

 

[SydneyBomber]

Its fair enough IMO. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Christian, but I don't like it how Christians seem to cop a fair amount of crap, and no one really says anything. Yet if you were to have a go at any other religion (especially Islam), they get so offended, even if there's nothing to get offended about.

because christians are a soft target and will only wring their hands together a bit and whinge and moan but that's about it.
pull that shit on a muslims, and they'll issue a fatwa or just shoot you.

No concerts should be held having a go at any religion. Its incredibly disrespectful.

it's also incredibly disrespectful for religion to be the direct cause of more suffering and death throughout history than everything else put together, but I'm not going to whinge about it.

well, not at that gig anyway...

 

[La Dispute]

Hating on Christians is tough mannn.

 

[STC]

I'm not a Christian hater, nor am I a metal fan, nor do I particularly care about the band, but they should have the right to perform on Good Friday. We're supposed to be a secular society, no one should be forced to "rest" on Good Friday.

I just don't understand why it should offend Christians if non-Christians want to treat Good Friday like a normal Friday night. Fine, I can understand why a deliberate attack on Good Friday from Christian haters would offend them, but I don't understand why it's offensive for anything to be open. Sometimes you need a Frank Penhalluriack to stand up and refuse to take Government interference based on religion. For those who are too young, Penhalluriack opened his hardware store in Caulfield on Sundays during the 80s when it was illegal to do so, and he was fined and eventually jailed for refusing to pay those fines.

 

[The Passenger]

there's a gig going on at brown alley on good friday and i haven't heard any compaints being directed towards that so it does seem that people's anger is more because of the clear antoganism towards christians.

 

[Dee Snider]

I reckon if they had their concert/festival and marketed it as a heavy metal thing and not an anti-religious thing, then no-one would have any problem with it at all. They kind of brought this attention on themselves, whether by design or by accident.

I reckon if they had marketed their concert as a heavy metal thing (and not an anti-religious thing) then no one would have even known the gig was happening full stop.

'Smart' marketing I spose. The ultimate irony being that they may have been too 'smart' for their own good...

 

[scooterb]

Religion can suck my ****.