By: Renee Zon

If you know, you know. If you don’t, consider yourself lucky.

Also to be clear, I am not talking about NHV noise. Tabloids are basically defined as short form, headline focused, and sensationalist newspapers. I am applying this to an Instagram page which fits that definition.

I won’t call the page out by name, but it can be pretty easily found based on my description in the article. That said, read this article before you decide whether or not to engage. I would rather not raise awareness for a page which I consider to be fairly toxic, but also I realize it is a bit inevitable if I want to discuss what is going on.

Anyways, not long ago a new Instagram page popped up where followers could submit anonymous messages (via Tellonym), and whoever was running the page would promote those messages on Instagram to their audience. I became aware of the page when a friend of mine wrote on one of their stories that “the CT scene doesn’t need an Instagram burn book”, which is fairly accurate.

The tabloid page in question operates under the guise of being a platform where their followers can safely and anonymously make accusations against bad actors or abusers in the scene. Apparently wanting to act like a shortcut for removing abusers and the like from our local shows and bands. A nice thought, but unfortunately not really practical.

Allowing anonymous people to fling accusations around with apparently no real investigation or verification is more likely to have a chilling effect on our music scene, in my opinion. All it takes is one person looking to take advantage of that anonymity, and suddenly we no longer have art which provokes thought or breaks the norm because of the fear of retribution from a single anonymous person who doesn’t like what they are doing.

I don’t mean to sound like some free speech hyper advocate who wants no accountability for the terrible things people can say. I just like to think I understand the nuance of the court of public opinion.

People should ultimately be judged on their actions, with each individual coming to their own conclusions about the subject, and not from unfounded rumor mongering. I also think that the serious subject of abuse inside our art scene calls for a more serious process of resolution. Unfortunately, this page is not that.

Out of around 20 posts on the page in question, there is a single one which seems to call attention to someone acting abusive. Of course, the perpetrator of that abuse seems to be some younger person on an internet rampage pretending to be funny, impersonating a POC in the scene and talking like Cartman from South Park doing racist accents.

Amazingly enough, alongside that post appears to be a sincere apology from that impersonator directly to the person they were impersonating. While I agree that what they did was terrible and uncalled for, people make mistakes and should have an opportunity to right their wrongs. If we can allow people who make mistakes a route to forgiveness, we can show others that wrong doing isn’t a death sentence for their freedom of expression or reputation.

Lifting up a person who apologized for their actions can set an example for others to do the same, which ultimately will bring more of those people into reformation. Without the possibility of forgiveness, why would any bad or abusive person want to become better? Alienating and excommunicating a person who potentially is holding onto guilt they want to absolve will only push them further into bad actions. If our small scene is serious about fixing these problems, we all need to rise above being petty.

The rest of the 20ish posts are entirely ego-petting and shit-talking. Either people picking fun at amateur bands’ lack of showmanship, or anonymous people saying “*this* band is the best band in CT” and stuff like that.

The content is vapid, and on top of that the curator seems to see no issue with backing the content with really cheap AI art, which highlights their lack of concern over actual artists. If the page’s curator really cares about the scene, why are they passing over the countless visual artists who would likely be willing to contribute their work? Not even mentioning the gross references to the curator thinking of themselves as a martyr, with the use of Jesus imagery fairly prevalent.

It takes about 20 seconds of critical thought to get the ick as far as I can tell. It goes back to my first impression of the page which my friend gave me: “The CT scene doesn’t need an Instagram burn book.”

There really isn’t a better way to put it. Whatever the intentions are, this page is mostly just people complaining and being cruel. Does giving a platform for people to point out all the problems with our scene help us build a community? Or does it just highlight all the bad while providing nothing useful? I think it sows division more than anything, which is the last thing we need.

Most of the submissions to the page are pointing out a “lack of charisma” in our bands, which is extremely cheap if you ask me. Let’s be real, these people talking about showmanship or charisma are really just using coded speak to talk about music they find boring. Keep your opinions to yourself! Not everyone agrees!

Not every band needs to be high energy to be entertaining. In fact, sometimes what people consider charismatic may be contradictory to an artists intent. An artist should have the right to make calm peaceful music, or just be subversive if they decide to, rather than following norms.

Do we want a thriving and diverse art scene? Or just a safe space for people to get sloppy drunk and talk shit? It’s fine if you want to get drunk and party! But don’t claim to do so under the guise of helping our local scene.

I’m not sure what else to say about it. As usual, the people who find the page sort of grotesque are willing to keep their opinions mostly to themselves it seems. Probably because they understand that perception and opinion don’t equate to truth.

That said, unpopular opinions should be spoken. But when it comes to serious allegations which can ruin someone’s reputation, we need to have the absolute highest standards for the accountability we crave. Considering an alternative to successfully calling out someone abusive, anyone who condemns an innocent person is being more of a villain than an ally, and that will cause questions to future allegations credibility, which is not what anyone wants.

Accountability needs to be accountable. Serious issues call for a serious process to be resolved or addressed. If the intention is good, the curator of the page should consider doing a bit more than the equivalent of writing “Nathan is an asshole” on a bathroom wall. I would actually probably be way more on board if all this stuff was just crude graffiti on the stall wall of one of our dive bars. Then at least it wouldn’t take itself so seriously, or claim to be the savior of all the victimized.

I guess my final remark or request would be that if you have a serious concern or allegation about someone’s actions, that you take that concern more seriously than just writing it on the proverbial bathroom wall. Serious issues deserve to be verified, so that there are no lingering questions about wrongdoing.

We all deserve that, because we all deserve to be safe. A verified and accountable way to work through these issues is the only way to really fix our problems.

Otherwise, the court of public opinion will continuously be split between the people who will make and believe accusations as soon as they hear them, and the people who can’t help but question and doubt. It’s an unfortunate truth that humankind can be opportunistic, and anonymous rumor mongering is just as much an avenue for abusers to take advantage of as it is a safe way for people to voice their concerns. Do we really want to put the ability to discern such things into a single person’s hands? I surely hope not.

I do hope anyone reading this who has experienced abusive behavior in our little DIY scene feels comfortable enough to tell NHV Noise about it. If said people need to remain anonymous in order to feel safe, we will gladly protect their identity and then confront their abusers for them and raise awareness of bad behavior in a fair and accountable way.

We can all call out and fix bad behavior without starting a brigade of banishing anyone who makes a mistake or is a part of a misunderstanding. Apologies should be accepted, or some other form of reparation if need be. Ultimately, I have tons of faith in our group of artists to call out and punish bad behavior when needed. But each individual needs to consider making those judgements themselves rather than bandwagoning, which, in the long run, will erode the legitimacy of these accusations. If at the end of critically thinking about these serious issues and working out a serious response and resolution the abuser or bad actor is not willing to change their behavior or be accountable, at that time we can collectively exclude that person. But first we need a strong unified scene which can give victims the support they need, without any questions about sensationalism or shit-talking for the sake of it.