Sexists must be shunned

That we still have to write about sexism at concerts and festivals in late 2024 is disgraceful. Unfortunately, there are still men (or to put it another way: pathetic losers) who primarily see women as sex objects and spoil their time at music events with their behaviour. The fact that many of these guys are presumably quite conservative family men in their private lives, sitting at the breakfast table with their wives and daughters in the morning, makes the whole thing even more disgusting.

What particularly bothers me is the silence of the majority. A few “dirty jokes“ or offensive remarks are considered perfectly normal by many. Women should just get over themselves. It's not meant badly – quite the opposite!

What a load of f***ing nonsense! Every man of at least half-way decent character is obliged to put his fellow sex members in their place if they become verbally or even physically abusive. I expect organisers to immediately throw men who harass women out of the club and ban the perpetrators from ever returning. Regarding the other male visitors, I expect, as I just wrote, a decisive intervention, which may sometimes require courage, but is nevertheless essential. It could also be your wife, girlfriend or daughter who is being molested!

If not everyone can feel safe at a concert or festival, the whole event has failed. Everyone present has to contribute to ensuring that every visitor has a good time. As women repeatedly report, this is all too often or even usually (!) not the case. To be clear: I am not talking about extraordinary situations here!

At the risk of making myself unpopular with some people, the problem is especially serious in the metal scene. Older men in particular, who are mainly found in the classic metal segment, have often not managed to shed the embarrassing, pubescent behaviour they displayed in the 80s, when they would openly chant along to songs like Manowar's “Pleasure Slave“. “Back then, nobody cared!“ they often reply. Yes, back then there were no women at concerts either - and sexism was actually still a taboo subject in our society for many, or a niche topic that only progressive minds seriously dealt with. Apart from that, the answer that it was done that way in the past and is therefore okay is by far the

most foolish thing you can say...

In particular, I would like to appeal to the traditional metal scene: You complain about the lack of young people, both in front of and on stage. The behaviour described above is one explanation for why many concerts are now almost exclusively attended by older men – and why only a few women feel the desire to become active in a metal band. As can be read again and again, female artists also regularly have to endure deeply humiliating sexist comments. Of course, there are many men in the scene who think differently. But these men are also responsible for these deplorable state of affairs because they too often remain passive. Sexists must be shunned – and if they are band members, event organisers or label/record company employees, then publicly named and shamed. Those who remain silent are complicit.