Slaughter To Prevail frontman Alex Terrible has opened up about his frustration with the criticism he receives online, drawing a comparison between his experiences and those of Falling In Reverse vocalist Ronnie Radke.
Terrible addressed the subject in a pair of since-deleted social media posts today, September 12, arguing that public figures should be able to defend themselves when people deliberately enter their social media spaces to provoke or insult them.
The Slaughter To Prevail vocalist began by explaining why he feels he understands the position Radke has found himself in over the years.
“I understand Ronnie Radke better than most people.”
Terrible argued that the dynamic becomes particularly frustrating when someone publicly insults him and he responds, only for the response itself to become the focus of criticism.
“First, people come onto YOUR page and leave comments trying to insult you, mock you, make you look like a piece of shit, or deliberately provoke you. Then, when you publicly respond to the exact same comment — repost it to your story or make a post about it because you simply want to defend yourself on your own platform — suddenly YOU’RE the bully. Suddenly YOU’RE the bad person.”
He questioned why having a large following should mean he is expected to simply absorb criticism without responding.
“So somehow I’m supposed to be responsible not only for what I say and do, but also for the shit YOU choose to write to me publicly — or even send directly to my DMs?”
Terrible went on to acknowledge that everyone is responsible for their own words and actions online, but argued that people should also accept that their comments can generate a response.
“I’m a human being just like everyone else. I’m responsible for my own words and actions, especially online. If I write something to someone publicly, I understand exactly what that means. Thousands or even millions of people might see it. The person might respond. Other people might respond. People might agree with me, disagree with me, laugh at me, criticize me — whatever. I’m an adult. I understand that my words can have consequences.”
The vocalist also pushed back on the idea that responding to a critic amounts to putting that person “on blast,” particularly when he is simply sharing what they already chose to say publicly.
“PUT WHAT ON BLAST? WHAT THEY LITERALLY WROTE THEMSELVES? WHAT THEY CLEARLY BELIEVE?”
Terrible further argued that people cannot dictate how others react to their public statements.
“You have the freedom to say what you want, but that doesn’t mean you’re entitled to control everyone else’s reaction to it. If you decide to publicly say something about another person, especially directly on their page, then be prepared for that person — and other people — to react to what you said.”
He ultimately questioned whether being a musician with a substantial following means he is expected to operate under different rules than everyone else.
“Someone calls you a piece of shit. You answer, ‘Go fuck yourself.’ And somehow the conclusion is that YOU’RE the bad guy because you told someone to go fuck themselves in front of everyone?”
“Am I supposed to live by some completely different set of rules just because I have followers?”
Terrible and Radke have previously publicly supported one another amid backlash, making the comparison particularly notable. Both musicians have also developed reputations for responding directly to criticism rather than ignoring it.
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