having long hair as a guy in the 80s wasnt particularly gender non-conforming and even if it was mike's long hair was ugly asf and I'm glad he chopped it off
people: "saying that will byers is fem/bottom/omega is misogynistic and harmful against gay men."
the same people: "omg mike is SKINNY and feminine and he should be allowed to wear skirts and dresses and take it up the ass and have his SKINNY waist held by his alpha muscular boyfriend"
There is a rather large section of "leftist" activists who perceive themselves as some sort of paragons of virtue, of possessing a superior form of morality than "ordinary" folk, who view anyone not in activist circles as people who don't care about the world around them or can't be bothered and are somehow more likely to be bigoted or narrow in some form.
And I've honestly found that it's ordinary people living ordinary lives, performing small acts of kindness for their neighbours, caring for their communities, and forming genuine human connections with each other who do the most good in actuality, and those activists who set themselves apart and above others with their saviour mentality, who pick apart every word and action, that foster fear and anxiety.
I really have to add to this, that the reason I know this to be true, is that I used to *be* one of those leftists I'm talking about here. Back in my early 20s, so a good 15 years ago now, I had this mindset that I was oh so open minded and worldly, much more so than the people around me in my daily life, on my estate, in my town, at work.
In truth, I was intolerant and dismissive of any political or social opinion that deviated from mine in any manner, thinking that the people who held them were just less evolved (I mean, eww). I frequented leftist online spaces that were obsessed with ideological purity, who jumped on anyone who deviated from the group think or just used the "incorrect" wording as fascist (the actual fucking irony). Thankfully, I grew tired of this pretty quickly and my presence there didn't last long.
I'm approaching my 40s now, with *a lot* more life experience and actual interaction with a diverse array of people and I can safely say that that mindset is not only incredibly harmful and reductive, it achieves absolutely fuck all. It's simply a way for shitty people to imagine that they're better than everyone else and pat themselves on the back for their superiority.
What kind of music do YOU think the gang would listen to?
What music do I think the party would listen to? I'm glad you asked đI know everyone is dying for yet another opinion on this
I made (but will not be linking) spotify playlists for each of them. I am keeping this period accurate. If you want non period accurate, that's gonna have to be another post another day. This got long, so details below the cut. Please note I am limited by my own tasteâI did not really do research beyond my own music library.
Will
The party member whose music taste we know most about! We have canon proof he likes The Clash, The Cure, David Bowie, and Little Shop of Horrors. This tells me he likes punk, goth rock, and musicals. I could expand this to allow for new wave and classic rock. The Smiths is an obvious choice. Sad gay music. Unlike his brother, I think he knows who Siouxsie Sioux is and loves them banshees. He would like the Rocky Horror and Jesus Christ Superstar soundtracks. He likely also enjoys the Talking Heads, Joy Division (more than New Order), Depeche Mode, The The, Pink Floyd, Pixies, and Lou Reed. I also think he grew up on Joyce's music, which I think is a lot of Steve Nicks/Fleetwood Mac, Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, and Bob Dylan. (I've always had this headcanon that he used to dance around to "Rhiannon" and pretend he was her...) Many have pointed out that "Lullaby" by The Cure would be terrifyingly relatable to Will. I agree with that assessment. I also think that lyrics would be really important to Willâmore so than sound, but his artist self can appreciate both.
Dustin
We know the second most about his music taste. We know he likes movie soundtracks (Neverending Story) and Weird Al enough to wear him on a t-shirt on the first day of school. It's not unlikely that Eddie has introduced him to heavy metal. In season 5 he's gonna be in a dark place, so there will be some new music with darker, more emotional themesâwe might start to see some overlap between his taste and Will's. I don't think he's immune to top 40 either, but he will gravitate towards songs with thought-out stories and unique rhythms. I'll bet he listens to Metallica, Michael Jackson, Oingo Boingo, Dio, Iron Maiden, Rainbow, Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, Rush, the Labyrinth soundtrack, the Grease soundtrack, Queen, and Prince. He is also the most likely to share music opinions with Will! I could see him also liking The Cure and Talking Heads.
Mike
We don't have much to work with here. We know he thinks "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is "weird." So, no punk, nothing too alternative or political. We know he likes one song: "Never Surrender"Â by Corey Hart, and he likes it enough he knows it by heart. This tells me that he listens to the radio a lot. He likes chart-toppers. This was the best-selling single of 1985, and it peaked at #3 on the charts about 6 weeks after the majority of the events of Stranger Things 3. (Source: my dad has 80s charts stats memorized and responds to my texts very quickly) He is going to enjoy artists such as Hall & Oates, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, The Police, Prince, REO Speedwagon, and Bryan Adams--but nothing beyond their singles. His dad seems like the type to be too boring to listen to music, so Mike might feel like he's rebelling by liking music. Listening to "Something in the Air Tonight"Â really loud in his room is rebelling. He is not going to give a single fuck about his mom's music. Too girly. Cyndi Lauper and Madonna will have him changing the station. Heavy metal is not his thing sorry.
Lucas
We know the least about his taste đ. He says he likes Kate Bush, but he follows this statement with "because she saved [Max's] life." He's probably about sick of "Running Up that Hill" by now too. I'm drawing this from his interests and personality and we're well into headcanon- and venturing into projection- territory. So be warned.
If we consider Lucas on the Line to be canon (which we kind of have toâthey give us little to work with in regard to his interests beyond D&D, basketball, and Max), then his personal journey with self-love and acceptance is going to come into play here as it does with both Dustin and Will. LOTL tells us that by the events of season 4, this is something he is coming into his Black identity. Hip-hop started to come into the mainstream in the 80s, so there's no way Lucas isn't coming across this and, naturally, seeking it out. I could see him liking artists like Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash,/& the Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang, and Public Enemy. He's probably going to like playing and singing along to "The Magic Number" (De La Soul) whenever he's in a group of 3 because he's cute and corny like that. But he's not immune to top 40 either. I think he'll listen to some of the same artists as Mike without much complaint but gravitate toward more upbeat music, and female pop singers aren't going to have him changing the station (his parents, Max, and Erica wouldn't stand for that). These will be artists like Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Prince, Hall & Oates, & Michael Jackson. I can see him tolerating heavy metal more than Mike can. Heâd like Deep Purple.
actually I think you should be normal about ordinary citizens of authoritarian countries and yes that applies even to that country you're thinking of right now
"but they support [dictator] and [violent action]!" okay is it possible that a combination of propaganda, election rigging, and authoritarian crackdowns on dissent could lead a population to look like it supports something most people would find distasteful under more reasonable circumstances
