Rock and heavy metal music have millions of fans worldwide, with each fan enthusiastically supporting their favorite bands with a wide arsenal of band T-shirts. As many have noticed, there is an unnecessary number of “fake” fans sporting the T-shirts of bands they know absolutely nothing about.

     Among the popular poser’s attire are groups such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Sublime, Metallica, AC/DC, and more. These bands do not deserve to be disrespected and represented by people who don’t even listen to them.

     “[The fake rock fans] should realize it’s not a trend,” junior Colin Ferreria said, a competent rock fan. “They deserve to be embarrassed.”

     A lot of this grief towards poser fans comes from metalheads’ common opinion that mainstream pop and rap get way more recognition than deserved. For instance, it’s believed that the amount of work and talent that goes into a metal album far exceeds that of a pop album. It’s as if these pop and rap fans don’t understand or appreciate metal music enough to be representing it.

     In a personally conducted study, I alone came across 27 Rolling Stones shirts just at Monte Vista so far this year. This is not to disclude the many other Beatles, Sublime, and AC/DC shirts   spotted around campus. 

     “If you think wearing shirts of bands you don’t know makes you look cool, [then] don’t you think listening to them would be even cooler?” Ferreria said.

     While uneducated people wearing these shirts is annoying to the rock community, it isn’t totally bad that the bands are getting some more publicity. 

     “It could be a way for someone to get exposed to these bands that they never would’ve known without the shirts,” former rock and metal club president and senior Justin Wu said. “If you don’t know who [the band is], you should really go check them out.”

     Personally, I am a rock and metal fan, and love supporting and representing my favorite bands. I also don’t find it a necessarily bad thing that all these bands are getting recognition; however, you can’t be going around sporting something you don’t even know about.

     Have some respect for rock and know what you’re representing. Or just wear a different shirt.