Overall, I found this reading compelling and interesting. I was very impressed with the depth into the history and current internet culture of the white power movement, especially the first hand accounts, which I felt added a level of authenticity to discussion of a subject that is all to easy to judge from a distance. I found the personals section both entertaining and revealing, and it added a touch of pathos to a group of people I find difficulty sympathizing with. There were a few issues I have with the article, though. First, I found the title to be very misleading. The Wagner/Power Chord dynamic is attention-grabbing, to be sure, but I don't think the one line where it was mentioned merited titular status. Furthermore, the title implied that the central focus of the article would be music, whereas I found that music was more of a periphery.
On the other hand, the discussion of upper-middle class youth joining the movement was riveting. The progression from a group searching for soldiers to searching for leaders is a telling step in their evolution. It marks the point where they stop being a collection of people and start becoming a group that is bigger than the sum of their parts--in this context, a very scary thing. Interesting, but still scary.
Discussion Question (having very little to do with my review, and I am assuming I don't have to post it seeing as I am one of the discussion leaders): Can white power music be appreciated on it's purely musical merits?
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