History Main / TheNewRockAndRoll

* The page image is from "Angels?", a [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Chick Tract]] where a ChristianRock group hooks up with an agent named [[LouisCypher Lew Siffer]], who explains to them how he developed rock as a way to foment decadence among young people. Jack Chick previously explored the topic in an issue of his full-color comic ''The Crusaders'', with some extremely bizarre claims: rock is based on ancient {{Druid}} beats[[note]]Usually anti-rock moral guardians rant about rock's "African beat" or "jungle Negro rhythms."[[/note]] and melodies used to summon demons (with Music/TheBeatles as the ones who exported them into the mainstream), and before they're released, all rock albums get blessed by naked witches at a ceremony, where they summon one of Satan's chief demons. He places a curse on the music that leads all listeners to get possessed by evil spirits. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer No]], ''[[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer really]]''!

-->'''Jeff:''' Captain & Tennille have even tried to change their images with songs like "You Need a Woman Tonight".

Usually, within a few years, the fever has died down, and there's only vague echoes of "oh, yeah, that's Satanic" left in the communal memory. Some subcommunities forget faster than others, of course... And there's always the possibility that [[OverprotectiveDad parents]] will revive the moral panics that were popular [[TwoDecadesBehind twenty years ago]] when they were their kids' age.

If they can't tell truth from fantasy\\
Do they even know it when they lie?

* Cars, when used by teenagers, were considered this. Young people could go out without adult supervision; "parking" and drive-ins ("passion pits") were opportunities for sexual experimentation.

*** In fact, the catalyst for founding the PMRC was the song "Darling Nikki" by Music/{{Prince}}, which contained [[ADateWithRosiePalms overt sexual references]].

** The Eiffel Tower. Yes, '''THAT''' Eiffel Tower. The French version of Website/TheOtherWiki even has a whole section dedicated to all the backlash it received from publications at the time, including a petition under the name ''Protestation des artistes contre la tour de M. Eiffel'' signed by high-profile artists of the time such as Creator/AlexandreDumasFils, Creator/GuyDeMaupassant and so forth. This didn't stop it however from being a popular monument depicted by many impressionist painters of the time such as George Seurat at the time of its release. The backlash was in fact fierce enough that there existed rumors that the Eiffel Tower was to be destroyed a few years after it was finished, but that it was averted at the final second.

[[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes is corrupting our youth!]] [[WeAllLiveInAmerica America]] [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed is doomed!]]

* Turning Red itself was a victim of this overall by various parent groups. The belief in these groups was that the movie's message was "Defy your parents to get what you want". While it ''is'' true Mei does do things her mother, Ming, disapproves of despite Ming's insistence against them, the movie is much moreso about [[spoiler:the generational trauma Ming inherited from her mother and passed down to her child, causing her to act like a helicopter parent who actively causes problems for her daughter, and the fact that Ming is unwilling to accept that Mei has interests of her own and should be given some level of independence.]] Apparently missing the point completely, these parent groups warned other parents that the movie was raunchy and had extremely bad morals, and should be skipped.

* Rock and Roll is still sometimes [[{{Demonization}} demonized]]; The mini, ''Franchise/{{Batman}}: Fortunate Son'', has Batman fight against the evils of Rock and Roll and was published in 1999. The main villain of the comic is an insane and evil version of [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Kurt Cobain]] who is driven to madness by the ghost of Music/ElvisPresley. ([[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] did a [[http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/10629-batmanfort review]] of the comic.) Also, Batman hates rock music after witnessing a rocker kill his girlfriend.

-->'''Brad''': Yes, [[SarcasmMode I can see how you would have misinterpreted the line]], '''"[[CriticalResearchFailure You've got to change your evil ways]]."'''

* [[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/20/petition-netflix-cancel-amazon-prime-good-omens-christian-neil-gaiman-terry-pratchett A petition went around]] demanding the cancellation of ''Series/GoodOmens2019'' because a number of Christians claimed it was "another step to make satanism appear normal, light and acceptable" and that it "mocks God's wisdom". Two problems with this: one, at the time it was widely believed that its status as a miniseries meant it wouldn't be picked up for a second season anyways (it eventually was, but that's besides the point). Two, [[CriticalResearchFailure they petitioned Netflix to cancel an Amazon Prime show.]] The internet had a field day with this one.

[[caption-width-right:221:[-{{Satan}} explains the plan behind rock music. [[note]]([[CriticalResearchFailure Strangely]], he seems to misremember that he founded Music/MotleyCrue in 1981.)[[/note]]-] ]]

** Which created another controversy. In a very sensationalist news report about the otaku subculture that was a clear example of CriticalResearchFailure, they noted that anime distributors, who are mostly barely-legal importers of [[NoExportForYou series that don't come officially to the country]], have no guidelines for what they can and cannot sell to under-age kids. [[CriticalResearchFailure Then they claimed that all anime is either]] [[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles Hentai]], {{Yaoi}}, or {{Yuri}}. It also said that anime encourages kids to engage in precocious sex and homosexuality and used cosplayers as an example.

* Music/TheBeatles caused moral outcry with some adults simply because they wore long hair. However, their controversy was quickly surpassed by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}, who had a "bad boys" image. Wherever they played, riots broke out. They were constantly in the news causing scandals with their open use of drugs and sex. The band itself played it up with singles like "Sympathy For The Devil" that seemed to confirm that they were agents of Satan himself. Music/TheWho also caused shock for smashing their instruments on stage.

* UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} wasn't immune to anti-rock panics at all. In 1964 one mission president specific forbade Beatle haircuts. Church leaders denounced ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar''. In TheEighties a Utah-based music mogul named Lynn Bryson went on the youth "fireside" circuit with a special two-day presentation. The first day was a talk about the evils of rock, including [[SubliminalSeduction backwards messages]] (particularly the alleged Satan stuff in [[Music/LedZeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"]] and the purported "it's fun to smoke marijuana" in [[Music/{{Queen}} "Another One Bites the Dust"]]), with Music/JohnLennon and Music/YokoOno as the central figures in a vast ConspiracyTheory about rock, the Illuminati and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Lance the Spear of Destiny]]. The second day was devoted to Bryson performing a concert of his own [[TheMoralSubstitute Moral Substitute]] music, which he conveniently also had available for purchase.

* UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} wasn't immune to anti-rock panics at all. In 1964 one mission president specific forbade Beatle haircuts. In TheEighties a Utah music mogul named Lynn Bryson went on the youth "fireside" circuit with a special two-day presentation. The first day was a talk about the evils of rock, including [[SubliminalSeduction backwards messages]] (particularly the alleged Satan stuff in [[Music/LedZeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"]] and the purported "it's fun to smoke marijuana" in [[Music/{{Queen}} "Another One Bites the Dust"]]), with Music/JohnLennon and Music/YokoOno as the central figures in a vast ConspiracyTheory about rock, the Illuminati and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Lance the Spear of Destiny]]. The second day was devoted to Bryson performing a concert of his own [[TheMoralSubstitute Moral Substitute]] music, which he conveniently also had available for purchase.

** The Eiffel Tower. Yes, '''THAT''' Eiffel Tower. The French version of Wiki/TheOtherWiki even has a whole section dedicated to all the backlash it received from publications at the time, including a petition under the name ''Protestation des artistes contre la tour de M. Eiffel'' signed by high-profile artists of the time such as Creator/AlexandreDumasFils, Creator/GuyDeMaupassant and so forth. This didn't stop it however from being a popular monument depicted by many impressionist painters of the time such as George Seurat at the time of its release. The backlash was in fact fierce enough that there existed rumors that the Eiffel Tower was to be destroyed a few years after it was finished, but that it was averted at the final second.

*** It should be noted, however, that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob flash mobs]], despite having the word "mob" in the name, are completely harmless; they're just fun ways to do unusual things on a large scale and weird out bystanders. I mean, come on, Wiki/TheOtherWiki has a separate page for ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillow_fight_flash_mob pillow fight flash mobs]]''. Attempting to ban them would, indeed, be an infringement of the right to peaceably assemble.

-->'''Jeff:''' "Dancing with Mr. D." by Music/TheRollingStones...

* Music/TheBeatles caused moral outcry with some adults simply because they wore long hair. However, their controversy was quickly surpassed by Music/TheRollingStones, who had a "bad boys" image. Wherever they played, riots broke out. They were constantly in the news causing scandals with their open use of drugs and sex. The band itself played it up with singles like "Sympathy For The Devil" that seemed to confirm that they were agents of Satan himself. Music/TheWho also caused shock for smashing their instruments on stage.

[[folder:Film]]

UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 is another expression of this, resulting in the perception video games are MurderSimulators. NewMediaAreEvil is related, as is NostalgiaFilter, EveryoneIsSatanInHell, RottenRockAndRoll, and RockMeAsmodeus. Compare BannedInChina. The appearance of TheMoralSubstitute is a possible result of this trope. Subtrope of PublicMediumIgnorance. Compare and contrast ALittleSomethingWeCallRockAndRoll, when it's treated as a curious novelty rather than a dangerous influence.

** There is also ''VideoGame/SuperColumbineMassacreRPG, which was decried as a glorification of the massacre itself and violence in general. Since the game is actually doing the opposite of that, it's safe to assume the people accusing it of this never played it.

** Even white rappers were subject to this, experiencing racism by association as well as pushback based on the homophobia and misogyny of their lyrics. Music/{{Eminem}} was arguably the focal point of this particular branch of the controversy after releasing ''The Slim Shady LP''. AlterEgoActing as the AntiRoleModel Slim Shady, Eminem rapped lyrics that, while violent and shocking, were also silly and laced with MetaGuy disclaimers pointing out that the songs were all {{kayfabe}}. However, his whiteness led to him having significantly increased influence amongst white kids compared to many of his peers, resulting in concern over the use of misogynistic and homophobic slurs in his music that, while legitimate in many ways, also involved taking the lyrics out of context. Eminem was also caught in the crossfire of anti-black racism - many white critics were appalled that a white man would lower himself to making black music, inducting white suburban teens with a culture that they viewed as inherently violent and thuggish and representing the downfall of white society. His beef with the media forms the spine of ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'', in which virtually every song satirises the idea that rap music causes real life tragedy - from claiming responsibility for every contemporary violent news story (''"it's too late/I'm triple platinum and tragedies happened in two states"'') and more (''"I invented violence!"''), telling cautionary tales about how you shouldn't believe anything he says (''"And what's this shit you said about you like to cut your wrists too? I say that shit just clowning dog, come on, how fucked up is you?"''), or ironically baiting his listeners to take drugs or commit suicide. On "White America", on ''The Eminem Show'', he mocks the fact that he's viewed as an enemy due to his popularity with white children (''"Erica loves my shit!"''), and on his Music/DrDre collaboration/ghost-writing effort, "Forgot About Dre", he suggests he became violent due to listening to GangstaRap:

[[WindmillCrusader So they do]]; they make [[YouCanPanicNow great warnings]] about how it's corrupting the moral fiber of [[ThinkOfTheChildren poor, helpless children]] with [[TVNeverLies inexorable]] [[{{Brainwashed}} brainwashing]]; they claim it increases juvenile delinquency, decreases attention span, and [[Film/DrStrangelove pollutes their bodily fluids]]. If they actually bother to back these assertions up, they'll pull out a few rare examples of it "corrupting" people, that when you examine carefully, usually [[AstroTurf turn out to be exaggerated (or flat-out fabricated) anyway]] (or the lowlifes in question were pretty messed up to begin with). And people listen; not everyone, not even a majority, but [[VocalMinority enough to cause a stir]]. Often, this causes [[BannedInChina bannings]], [[RippedFromTheHeadlines panicky newspaper articles]], and {{Very Special Episode}}s about the subject.

* With the rise in popularity of 3D printers, it was only a matter of time before someone made a 3D-printed gun. The online group "Defense Distributed" hosts CAD files for a fully functional plastic gun as well as lower receivers and mags for AR-15 rifles (the lower receiver being the part of the rifle that is legally regulated and serial numbered, and in some American states mags are regulated). Despite improvised firearms having existed since the 1900s (and at much cheaper up-front costs), and that a superior metal AR-15 lower receiver can legally and easily be milled from an 80% finished "paperweight," DIY guns went largely unnoticed by the media and politicians until it became associated with the rapidly growing world of 3D printing. Add a public who is all too easily sent into a panic over guns, and suddenly you have a wonderful new headline to remind everyone that they should be [[YouCanPanicNow scared of new technology]] and that NewMediaAreEvil.

* ''Literature/TheStationOftheCross'': The Priestly Society of Saint Paul split from the Catholic Church because the Church began to incorporate secular music like that of Bach, gospel singers, and soul artists into the liturgy. The members of the PSSP see these musical genres as being works of the Devil, who uses their tempting rhythms and demonic baselines to seduce children into the evils of dance and sex.

* Creator/GradyHendrix's ''Literature/WeSoldOurSouls'' is set in or around its year of publication, 2018. Despite this, most of the characters seem to regard metal as sinister, the way it was seen in TheEighties.[[/folder]]

* [[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/20/petition-netflix-cancel-amazon-prime-good-omens-christian-neil-gaiman-terry-pratchett A petition went around]] demanding the cancellation of ''Series/GoodOmens2019'' because a number of Christians claimed it was "another step to make satanism appear normal, light and acceptable" and "mocks God's wisdom". Two problems with this: one, ''Good Omens'' is a miniseries, so no more seasons were going to be made regardless. Two, [[CriticalResearchFailure they petitioned Netflix to cancel an Amazon Prime show.]] The internet had a field day with this one.