i don’t normally like to add onto posts but i thought this thread was pretty insightful (link)
(via Jovishark)
Whatever you think of the music Imagine Dragons are exmormon and the lead singer is a huge donor to LGBT groups in Utah. His like sole political cause is like fighting the astronomically high lgbt youth suicide here in Utah. I fucking hate this webbed site
yeah, this tweet thread fucking sucks.
1. i don’t like Imagine Dragons’ music and i think it is arguable that much of it’s a commercial product, but their members are, as stated above, more or less ex-Mormon.
the lead singer, Dan Reynolds, has discussed his active struggle with his faith and the cult of Mormonism. leaving a cult--especially one that practices shunning--is extremely difficult and can take years. and yet, despite this, he’s made it his mission to help combat issues affecting the LGBT+ community, including conversion therapy, LGBT+ youth suicide, and LGBT+ homelessness.
he has been a consistent and active ally to the point that he has an annual music festival called Loveloud that is dedicated to raising awareness about LGBT+ issues, featuring and promoting LGBT+ artists, and raising money for several charities. he has also donated his own money to LGBT+ organizations and gave his $1 million childhood home to Encircle, an LGBT+ advocacy group in Utah.
the guitarist, Wayne Sermon, has also given talks at conferences dedicated to assisting Mormons in leaving the cult and healing from their trauma.
2. the Lumineers have a history of holding shows solely so they can donate all profits to various charities and causes, including Planned Parenthood in Texas after Republican efforts to defund PP, Dakota Access Pipeline protestors, and LGBT+ charities in North Carolina following the passing of anti-LGBT+ legislation. a lot of their music that doesn’t make it to the radio focuses on issues like poverty, the working class, addiction, and trauma.
3. Marcus Mumford has explicitly stated that he doesn’t actually identify as a Christian, despite using Christian imagery in some of his songs. a person’s parents being Evangelical conservatives should not be an indictment on them. he and the other band members also kicked out their guitarist when he started spewing alt-right talking points and supporting Andy Ngo. i’m still not totally sure i trust his politics--he strikes me as pretty centrist--but good lord, he’s not an Evangelical.
do y’all not realize that you’re allowed to dislike music for purely surface level reasons? like that it doesn’t have to be that it’s made by terrible people--you can just seriously not like how it sounds?
making up bullshit theories where you falsely charge people--especially people actively fighting for progress--with being part of some kind of conservative religious extremist conspiracy theory to justify “i don’t like how they sound” is fucking awful and appalling. go outside.
Really not a fan of tumblr's renewed obsession with "if I don't like it, it must be morally corrupt." Especially with the "shadowy cabal of ne'er-do-wells" flavor, which has a history of being Not That Great for certain communities.
I didn't want to get angry about this post, but I think rednines and iwilleatyourenglish are right. I didn't spend my adolescence being forbidden from listening to Imagine Dragons at youth activities for y'all to say that Mormons love them. In my experience, the only ones who do are the "progressives," the Jacks, and the ones on their way out.
YES, there's an issue with this weird, corporate, uplifting "alt rock" that has been invading rock stations for the past few years. I'm sick and tired of it I miss my rock stations, etc. etc. etc. and YES, Imagine Dragons has a place in this. HOWEVER, I absolutely despise the way some of y'all talk about them.
Are there genuine criticisms to be had? Yes. Do I appreciate what has been done with Loveloud? Also yes.
And you guys need to understand that leaving Mormonism is HARD. It's HARD AS HELL. I was raised in it and I don't think I'm ever going to be able to fully shake its influence. If Dan Reynolds can do a bit of good in this fucked-up state, if he can help kids who don't know where else to turn, then he's fine by me.
