[Thanks to Susan for the nooze tip]
I try not to take any notice of certain aspects of pop culture; but the recent “fatal crowd surge” incident at “Astro World”–some kind of rap music festival held in Houston–has the usual “fact-check” crowd in a tizzy (https://www.newsweek.com/priest-compares-satanic-astroworld-gates-hell-travis-scott-1649617).
I don’t think I’d liken the “Astro World” to “the gates of Hell,” as has been done. To me it looks like the kind of thing you’d see at a spook house on the Jersey boardwalk. Displays like that are a dime a dozen.
Anyhow, ten people died when the crowd got out of hand, rapper and organizer Travis Scott is being sued, and investigated by police… and a 9-year-old boy has just died of his injuries. What would possess anyone to take a 9-year-old to a rap festival?
I don’t know about any “demonic imagery and symbolism” involved herein–nor have I ever heard any of this man’s, er, “music.” The fact-checkers are calling the whole “gates of Hell” scenario “a baseless conspiracy theory,” but that’s what they always say, these days. Honk if you believe anything they say on any subject.
I fully agree that certain features of our popular culture are depraved, disgusting, and without value, and probably harm us spiritually. Yes, a city or a nation can contract a spiritual pollution: the ancient Greeks were right about that. But if they locked up every, um, “entertainer” who dealt in corrupt, unwholesome images and evil words, Hollywood would be a ghost town.
If nobody goes to rap festivals, there will be no rap festivals.