“When our emotions summon ghosts
They scratch the wound and feed the host
The past, the lies are all revealed
The layers of guilt can never heal”
From “Amoral” by Napalm Death
This week on the Hardcore Humanism with Dr. Mike podcast, we got the chance to talk with Mark Greenway, the vocalist of the band Napalm Death. Napalm Death is considered one of the originators of a style of music called grindcore, which is a fusion of two already intense genres – hardcore punk and extreme metal. Not only is Napalm Death considered a grindcore pioneer, but also perhaps the greatest grindcore band in history.
One of the most notable aspects of grindcore in general, and Napalm Death in particular, is the content of the lyrics, which often directly confronts and challenges societal issues. For example, in describing their 2015 album Apex Predator/Easy Meat, Pitchfork described Greenway’s vocal delivery as akin to, “Big Bad Wolf’s cousin from a nuclear dystopia,” as the album took on the damaging effects of capitalism and animal agriculture. And their new album Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism continues in that tradition, examining the very human costs of our current political strife.
In previous conversations with Greenway, we have talked about the importance of humanity and individuality to one’s personal well-being. During this discussion, he expands the conversation to address the socio-political implications of those concepts. On a political level, Greenway advocates for what is known as peaceful anarchism – which can be defined as moving away from governmental control of society that favors compulsory laws to a more voluntary organization that relies on cooperation. From Greenway’s perspective, separate governments and nationalist agendas have made people more vulnerable to exploitation and war, whereas peaceful anarchism will help unite people who may otherwise be at odds over governmental allegiance.
When Greenway talks about humanity, he is particularly talking about being humane, or having compassion and benevolence towards others. There is substantial interest in how compassion can affect us as individuals and as a society. There is evidence to suggest that compassion is a distinct emotion that can impact moral judgment and behaviors such as altruism. For example, in one experimental study, 132 participants witnessed a simulated unfair financial exchange. Those with higher levels of compassion were more likely to help the victim of the unfair interaction. In another study using the same sample, participants were trained in either a compassion-based meditation or control group. Two weeks later, those in the compassion-based meditation group were more likely to help the victim. The potential clinical implications of compassion are captured in the recent development of compassion-focused therapy, which is designed to help focus on enhancing self-compassion as a method for reducing shame within patients.
So, let’s listen and learn from mark Greenway about his approach to being more humane on a personal, creative and societal level!
Photo credit: Gobinder Johitta
