Vik Drama: Round 3

[Chokey Chicken]

I'm not gonna quote everyone that took offense to what I said because that would take up too much room, but let me elaborate on what I meant when I said



Vic hating on homosexuals isn't going to stop people from being homosexuals and people giving shit to Vic for his opinion isn't going to change it. in fact it will probably just fortify it further: "look at all these gays and gay-sympathizers giving me shit. I sure am glad I hate those gays and gay-sympathizers". It would honestly be better to have just let the comment pass. He was surely doing it to garner attention for himself and use his position in the community to further his views and he's been successful in doing that. Wether people are talking bad about him doesn't matter, because here we all are talking about him. And just to further clarify, I don't agree with his position. Shit, I was hit on by a gay guy not too long ago and just laughed it off because, according to him, I gave off that vibe


Edit: but as far as my side of the "privilege fence" is concerned, I'm sorry I was born a piece of CIS scum.

Raising awareness to something isn't something that should be swept under the rug. The guy made homophobic statements. If people didn't talk about it, then some people would never know.

Seriously, I never would have known about this if people didn't speak up. I'm currently saving for a custom guitar. It's good to know that I should avoid this prick, since giving him money means helping give someone a good life when they actively try to make mine hell.

As for your edit, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being cis gendered, white, and straight. (Ierivileged). It's when you speak out as if you understand the struggle that's the issue. It's like a guy with two fully functioning legs telling a guy with one leg that a bike is easy to pedal. Seriously, just ignoring bigots isn't going to take a lot of the suit they do back. I suppose blacks should have just kept their mouths shut, drank from different fountains, and generally stayed being okay with being treated like sub humans right? If they adopted your "live and let live" ignore the bigotry views, blacks, women, and whatever other minority you care to mention would still be treated as garbage.

 

[fps]

Well honestly, as mentioned on page 1, this whole deal probably became a shitstorm mainly because sexuality seems to be a touchy subject. If Vik would have said "Man, I hate those mainstream-music listening plebeians", he probably would've gotten more support than criticism (altough the progressive music community is far more open on this subject than the 'mainstream' metal/rock community) despite also voicing hate for a group of people who just share love for a genre of music.

I don't support the guy at all and I really really don't give a shit about what/who people love (as long as they don't inflict damage upon eachother), I just feel like society in general has become so sensitive to diverging opinions on matters such as racism, gender, sexuality, etc that we ourselves are becoming intolerant of different opinions (despite all of you trying to convince yourself that this isn't the case).

And I understand all the disappointed reactions on the FB-post he made, but all these people actually going through the effort of actively boycotting his business for this is just a step too far in my opinion.

Lots of people make great custom guitars AND aren't scum. So I'll go with one of them

 

[DaddleCecapitation]

Wow! Just wow!

I guess today's the day Vik leaves through the proverbial door.

I personally hope that it hits him on the way out, he trips over and gets his dick stuck in a gay man's arse.

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

Well...I see he deleted his original post on FB and his "likes" on the brand's FB page have gone down. And yet Vik is still running his mouth on social media...

Is it over yet?...

 

[Rook]

inb4 Godwin

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

inb4 Godwin

Second. ^

 

[chopeth85]

I dont usually talk about it but this time ill make an exception. Im gay and i havent any problem to admit it. I love Vik guitars and i can " understand" that he has been educated in a country that refuses this reality. You can have your hard thoughts about this but you need to respect people, is the only way to go. I cant stand people that not only "hate" this reality but also try to show us that this behaviour is awuful...which is the main difference between me and straight? The way i work? The way i protect my family? The way i try to help people that im able to help? Ah , wait, i love another person of the same gender? The main difference between someone like Vik and me is that i dont judge people that his NATURAL way of being is different from me. I love vik guitars, i was thinking in getting a new custom guitar soon and ...all i can tell you is thank you vik, now that i refuse to get your guitar the choice wont be as complicated haha. This video is dedicated to people that want some laughs life is two short to loose our time in this things

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A57iSuX8OVU

 

[DaddleCecapitation]

Anal .... - You Own A Headless Guitar

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

Wait a minute...I could've sworn Vik didn't like gay people? And didn't he just bash these guys?

Nolly dropping the bomb and pulling a very classy (and courteous to us) move.

And yet Vik still continues to run his mouth...

And, my little thing here again.

 

[will_shred]

Being intolerant of intolerance is not the same as being a bigot, I don't understand why that needs to be explained. People choose to be bigoted, however people do not choose to be homosexual. Vik has a right to be a bigot, however expressing in on a public form in the social climate was just stupid. If he made instruments that were targeted at a different crowd (say, if he made bluegrass instruments where the target crowd is usually more right wing), his comments might have gone totally unnoticed, but he couldn't have been ignorant to the fact that homophobia isn't exactly accepted in a scene who's core values include tolerance and acceptance of people as they are (the metal crowd in my experience is one of the friendliest, most accepting music scenes as far as the culture goes). The dude should know his market better than that.

 

[7 Dying Trees]

Never heard of Vik guitars before this, and now never have the desire to know about them again.

 

[ElRay]

I'll start-off nice. Randal @ XKCD put it rather nicely:

If you get what's wrong with your comment now, then stop reading.

Not trying to stir shit here and in no sense do I condone his behavior (big Cynic/Masvidal fan and have nothing against gay people)

As said by pretty much every closet biggot/hypocrit out there.

EDIT: At least two people took this as me calling ItWillDo a bigot. I just stated that the "I don't condone ... but ..." line is often used by bigots that don't want to admit they are. It ranks up there with "I'm not a racist, but [insert some racist comment]". I'll just add something I tell my kids, "If you preemptively deny something you've not even been accused of, it makes you look guilty." Again, I'm not accusing ItWillDo or the neg-repper, because only they know their own thoughts, words and deeds.​

but when/why does someone earn a public execution for voicing an opinion?

When it's hateful, bigoted crap that is damaging to society as a whole when it's passively condoned/tolerated.

Is it when it deviates from standard ethics? In my opinion, just like you can't force a sexual orientation on someone, you shouldn't really force an opinion on someone either.

Nobody's trying to change Vik's bigoted, hateful BELEIFS, they're just letting it be known that he's a bigot and allowing others the opportunity to make an informed choice. I don't use opinion there, because opinion implies that you have some data supporting your view (e.g. New York pizza is better than Chicago pizza), it's debatable, there's no truly objective measure and an opinion can be changed with sufficient evidence. Vik's homophobic nonsense is in the same league as Flat-Earthers, Moon Landing Deniers, Anti-Vaxers, Creationists, etc. -- It's a BELEIF that there is no logical support for, plenty of counter-evidence against and held so tightly that no amount of evidence will change their minds.

If the man has problems with gay people, it's obviously his problem and now you know who to avoid.

Yes, that's the whole point.

But this whole internet-crusade thing nowadays, can't say I'm a big fan.

This sentence conflicts with the previous one. Are you saying that Vik is free to express his BELIEFS, yet people that rightfully feel Vik's a bigot aren't free to express themselves? Your statement implies that Vik has free reign to spew his nonsensical BELIEFS and the non-bigots have limits placed on their speech -- They're allowed to complain, but only "so much". What's your objective standard for an acceptable level of discourse before it turns into a "crusade"?

The ignorant are entitled to their BELIEFS; however, Free Speech doesn't protect them from the repercussions of spewing their hateful, bigoted, hypocritical, conflicted by reality nonsense. And the nonsense especially doesn't get a pass just because it's some form of modern mythology (aka religion).

Nonsense from the anti-Vaxers, anti-Anthropogenic-Climate-Change, ID/Creationists and anti-LGBT nuts needs to be squashed and publicly condemned. Otherwise it adds complicit support and we get crap like we have here in the U.S.: outbreaks of diseases that were practically eliminated, people that BELIEVE Anthropogenic-Climate-Change isn't happening, people that arrogantly BELIEVE ID/Creationism because "The Theory of Evolution due to Natural Selection" seems stupid from their position of ignorance and people legislating hate/discrimination/bigotry. Nonsense like this needs to be squashed, because if it isn't, there will be fence sitters that start to BELIEVE and the numbers of these ignorant bigots will increase.



Ray

 

[Edika]

The guys that have facebook should see the comments left on the various posts left by people on Vik guitars FB page. He'll have a hard time banning and deleting all these comments now hahaha!

 

[crg123]

It just kills me that people think it's okay to be intolerant of homophobes and no ok to be intolerant of homosexuals when they're both just 2 sides of the same intolerant coin.

WAT? So in your mind this would be fine?

It just kills me that people think it's okay to be intolerant of racists and not ok to be intolerant of black people when they're both just 2 sides of the same intolerant coin.

^ Its the same shit dude. Switch out the words and see how dumb that sounds.

edit:

I can't believe that he really said that. Disgusting.

 

[ElRay]

... all these people actually going through the effort of actively boycotting his business for this is just a step too far in my opinion.

So, in your opinion, Vik's bigoted nonsense is protected speech, Vik is protected from the consequences of offending people and those that find his nonsense distasteful are restricted from pointing this out and choosing to purchase their guitars elsewhere?

 

[Tyler]

I wouldnt be surprised if he tries to pull out of it saying his account was hacked and never said it

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

STRAIGHT AGAINST HATE

2014

 

[StevenC]

Astral EXR Systems changed their cover photo on Facebook, just now:

 

[stevexc]

Well honestly, as mentioned on page 1, this whole deal probably became a shitstorm mainly because sexuality seems to be a touchy subject. If Vik would have said "Man, I hate those mainstream-music listening plebeians", he probably would've gotten more support than criticism (altough the progressive music community is far more open on this subject than the 'mainstream' metal/rock community) despite also voicing hate for a group of people who just share love for a genre of music.

I don't support the guy at all and I really really don't give a shit about what/who people love (as long as they don't inflict damage upon eachother), I just feel like society in general has become so sensitive to diverging opinions on matters such as racism, gender, sexuality, etc that we ourselves are becoming intolerant of different opinions (despite all of you trying to convince yourself that this isn't the case).

And I understand all the disappointed reactions on the FB-post he made, but all these people actually going through the effort of actively boycotting his business for this is just a step too far in my opinion.

Your opinion is flat-out wrong.

Hatred of ANY group of people - whether due to nationality, skin color, sexuality, political leanings, musical taste - is NOT a "divergence of opinions". It is HATRED. It is one of the major things that is wrong with the world today. Clearly you're too young to remember it, but there's no way you haven't heard about the civil rights movement in the US in the 60s - you can't honestly tell me that the world would be a better place if we had allowed people to go on segregating black people and treating them as second class citizens because their "opinions diverged".

It is the exact same thing with gay rights right now.


There is never any reason to support intolerance, except to those who are intolerant of others. Twist that all you want, I don't care, you know exactly what I mean.

If you can find any justification to allow someone to continue to spout hatred towards any group then you are a despicable, disgusting human being.

 

[RustInPeace]

I think SSO should write a book called "How to not F up your luthier business - For Dummies!"