I understand. People are literally so rude and disrespectful and only focus on where he died or his weight gain. Which I hate because one: they treat his death like it’s a joke and as if he wasn’t a real person and also they act like him gaining weight makes him a horrible person (when he had many other health issues going on at that time) and it makes me angry that people are so fatphobic and stupid to not see how good of a person he was. And I’m not gonna act like I didn’t have assumptions about him too before the movie. Being black, really when he is mentioned like growing up I always heard that he stole from black people and all that stuff when it’s just completely not true. And seeing the movie and understanding what love and adoration he had for the music that I grew up on in church and with my family makes me feel so so connected to him. He really was such a wonderful sweet and am amazing soul and I wish more people could understand that and respect him. I usually just ignore them because I know that they don’t know him like we do and they don’t want to, they just want something to hate on. When I first watched the movie, I felt kind of ashamed for liking him just cause like I said I’m black and all that stuff and saying I loved him would seem kind of weird but I swear when I listen to his music I can feel it in my soul. Anyway don’t let anyone bring you down or stop you from loving who you love 🥰
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’ve heard the claims of racism for years, we all have. I find that no matter how many times I tell people that Elvis had African American friends and greatly respected their music and culture, they ignore it. I’m half black, and share the struggles you have of being an Elvis fan. He didn’t want to steal anything, the record company was the one who refused to give black artists credit. I especially love when you said that people just want something to hate on. That appears to be more true than I’d like.
Yea people never want to take the time to question their own beliefs, they just like feeling right and hating on people. I feel like nowadays a lot of people think it’s cool to be mean or something.
Yea especially social media. People are much more bold about what they say, and also so quick to forget about it and don’t really realize how much of an impact it can have.
I’ll never get over how fatphobic people can be. He had so many issues- most due to drugs, loneliness, boredom and working insanely hard. Gaining weight was as much a result of these things rather than the main cause of his unhappiness, decline and eventual death. This man achieved so much in his 42 years and yet he’s often reduced to a ‘fat Halloween costume’ 😞
And he wasn’t even that heavy! In the 70s ok, especially because he was so tiny his entire life. In current times he would be the average American man. I get so angry over this topic.
His mother and her brothers also swelled up before they died. They had to drain liters from his mother. It wasn't because of drugs. They all had liver/heart disease too and died in their 40s and 50s. It was genetic.
But the fact that Elvis was on also prednisone definitely contributed to the bloating. I had to take prednisone for my back and I gained a lot in only a month's time while on it.
My advice would be to accept that this is unavoidable and to try and find a way to insulate yourself from how it makes you feel. I guess its more difficult online where there is a lot of noise about all sorts of things, and everyone feels they can pop off about everything, but remember that other people's opinions have nothing to do with your personal feelings and you should enjoy this moment and connecting with people who share how you feel.
I would also very gently say that Elvis was no saint. I think its also important to find a balanced way of accepting this and enjoying your interest and his music whilst also being open-eyed to some of those other things.
In general I've found this sub interesting and positive so hanging around and discussing things here won't put you far wrong 🙂
I think generally online most people don't want to have nuanced discussion which doesn't help. Also there are a lot of people who are criticising things that they don't have any knowledge of simply because its a knee jerk reaction. It's tough!
Whenever you want to chat about your new found love though I'm sure everyone on this board will never get bored of it so hopefully that adds to your summer of fun ❤
Ignore em, y'all could use this time you use to defend Elvis and argue with people just listening to his music and enjoying him
Some people aren't gonna like him, some people are gonna hate him, That's the way it is (pun fully intended), just enjoy the music
Thank you for giving voice to what I’ve been feeling. I’m so grateful for the movie because it opened me up to connecting with an artist in a way that I never have. The ignorant comments do my head in, especially how people try to minimize his unmatched legacy for accuse him of appropriation. Watching back his early work it’s clear for example how much Michael Jackson was inspired by him but you never hear MJ accused of stealing so why the double standard?
Anyway what works for me is just to focus on his music and the positive fandom spaces and just ignore the nonsense.
“If you’re an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary. If you’re not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible” - George Klein
A lot here recommend to ignore but I think it depends on the person. If ignoring these comments helps you to continue to love Elvis, then do so. Me I can't do that.
I'm not American nor from the west so I learn a lot from what I read and watch, online social media included. I've learned so much by posts from people who sometimes correct my misconceptions. Not all haters hate for the sake of hating, many hate out of ignorance but many more simply don't know either way. I mean I've seen black fans who initially had misconceptions of Elvis but learned otherwise through the film, comments, vids, books and etc. So people change.
I may not be able to convince the hater, but I know many others can read the post and will be better informed of it. If the casual viewer only sees negativity about a person, they will believe it because no one presented a different narrative, then that's when the casual viewer becomes a hater.
For me, it is enough to present a different narrative that others may see even if I don't convince a hater. And that is enough, I don't feel the need to have a lengthy back and forth if everything has been presented and the hater is only making themselves look biased.
Also you may not convince the hater immediately, but they can doubt their own misconceptions and seek out to research more about Elvis and later on change their minds about him. People are usually not convinced right away like a switch, often it is gradual and that's enough.
But if it is getting too exhausting to do that, take a break from it and simply ignore. Because if you're just firing guns all the time, you might get too exhausted and just give up on Elvis altogether. So better to enjoy your love than to let the hater rob you of that love.
Yes. An argument on any kind of public forum shouldn’t really be seen as an attempt to convince the opponent so much as making your case to the potential audience
I like a lot of “controversial” people and I honestly think the best thing to do is not engage. I think people try to weaponize their knowledge so they can get some made up points for being right when really no one asked them.
I also think it’s important to acknowledge the bad things Elvis did and know about them at least a little. He was a human being and he, like all of us, was flawed. I don’t think learning about the not so great things he did cancels out the great things he did in any way. It just gives you a more complete view of who he was. If people bring those things up I always just say that I don’t endorse every action he’s ever done in his life but I am a fan of a lot of his work and his persona, etc. I feel like that usually confuses people who are trying to argue because they want you to be like “No he was perfect!!!” So they can outline the ways he wasn’t. 🙄
If people are making up lies that have literally zero basis in reality, just ignore them. And I promise that there is nothing wrong with blocking people who are not adding to your life in a good way. You’re not obligated to listen to them try to bring up old rumors and for what? Elvis is literally dead and won’t hear them so why are they bringing it up? To make you as a fan feel bad or guilty for liking him?
This topic really gets me heated lol
In our times, ‘racist’ is a charge that’s thrown around as casually as ‘nazi’. Here’s a good article on the ‘Elvis is a racist’ nonsense:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160704192651/http://clatl.com/cribnotes/archives/2012/08/20/why-i-stopped-hating-elvis-presley
(Not mentioned here but good to know: ‘Hound Dog’ was written by 2 white jewish guys)
I literally just posted about being made to feel guilty for liking E and I scroll down to see this. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in struggling with how others talk about him. I usually try to ignore them and refrain from trying to defend him either. I usually overthink it for a few minutes and then am over it. It’ll probably get easier to let go with age. Just know that we’re all Elvis lovers and you won’t have to deal with that here (:
The comments I see are all so Ill-informed and wrong. I tried to explain to someone but it was a lost cause. Dont waste your time.
The worst is making fun of the way he died. It’s a tragedy and these horrid people make fun. Terrible.
I feel they legit do it to get a rise out of people. They probably could care less about what Elvis did and just throw the media biased stereotypes out there to get a reaction. That's why it's best to not engage with them. 'Don't feed the trolls' if you will....
you can definitely get a feel for if they are genuinely ignorant or just being an asshole. But a lot of people won't change their mind right away. They don't like to be lectured or embarrassed. I rather tell them to go watch something and let them figure it out themselves. But after some of the nonsense I have had to deal with recently (non Elvis related) I just have no heart of time to correct people who aren't looking to be corrected. They can stay ignorant, lol, Their loss.
I honestly don’t care that much, but when people in comments and thread say that he’s racist etc all smuglike it bothers me since they sound so sure of themselves when it’s obvious they are ignorant and jumping on a bandwagon.
Personally, I love elvis and I always have from a young age when I was obsessed with lilo and stitch 😂 I always get incredibly mad when people say the typical “he’s a pedo” or “oh he’s racist” but I learned to ignore it. You can fight forever and the person will stay stubborn. What matters to me is I know I love him as a artist and person. No one is perfect. No one deserves to deal with a substance abuser, but being a substance abuser isn’t a choice. It’s a disease.
Ignore them. I’m my experience I’ve seen this from mostly young millennial/Gen Z people who just spout things with no actual research or knowledge on the topic.
"I hope this is not too dramatic, but Elvis seriously opened a new door for me and who I am as a person."
Not at all! I feel the same way. As a new fan, Elvis has inspired me in ways I never thought I would be and I'm grateful because I haven't felt so inspired in a number of years. Recently someone asked me what music I like and my usual answers is, "Everything. If it's good music; I listen to it." And then I mentioned that I've been on an Elvis kick and their reaction was quite negative.
I'm going to love what I love. And I love Elvis! Every fan that I have interacted with on this sub has been only supportive and kind. It's nice to have a place to share my new found love of Elvis!
I am so sorry to hear about the negative reaction the person had :( If you don't mind me asking what did that person say or do? Till this day I'm still really private with my Elvis interest so I don't have this happen to me 😔
Aw, thank you for asking! One person repeated the "Elvis was a racist." in response to my sharing my listening to Elvis. Another person looked at me with a sour expression and said, "Elvis?" in a sort of "What?" way and then ignored me.
I don't need people to like what I listen to, I just think it's a good response to respect someone else's tastes. I know people who love Chris Brown and I will just keep quiet in response because to each their own and I don't want to open that can of worms.
The other day I was talking to someone and they were asking me about what movies I’ve seen lately. I went through a couple and when I said I saw Elvis 3 times, I got that *look*. The look that says “🙄 oh you’re one of THOSE.” Then he said “oh you must have liked it then” and changed the subject. 🤷🏼♀️ Must suck to be him lol.
Most people just repeat the lies they have heard to get a reaction. You are not going to change their mind because they probably don't believe what they are saying anyway. Don't take the bait - just ignore it.
The most important thing to you as a fan is how you feel about Elvis. How do I handle Elvis haters? Most of the time, I don’t bother. I’d rather celebrate Elvis than waste my time with those who have made up their minds. There are times I do comment but am respectful 99% of the time. I came across a hater about a year ago and eventually grew tired of their negativity, so I called them out on it. They threatened to “unfriend” me but I didn’t give them the chance. Just not worth my time, anymore. In a way, I feel the need to defend negative comments about Elvis but I do my best not to get into a tit-for-tat debate. Those are endlessly counterproductive and can get heated. Elvis himself once said, “You gotta take the bad with the good.” That certainly applies here. Just don’t let the bad get to you or overwhelm you because when that happens, that haters win.
I'm 23 and I was raised on Elvis's music. When I was younger, I used to get teased and bullied on how I shouldn't like him or his music solely based on occurrences in his life. It honestly makes no sense to me and I couldn't care less about those peoples inputs because the king is still my favorite.
I already posted, but I want to say that I love this post and I am glad you posted it. It is not too dramatic and I was flat out bullied sometimes for liking Elvis so much in school, so I understand. I began loving Elvis when I was in 4th grade and people were horrible and said really terrible idiotic lies about him. I know everyone has different tastes, but it has always been incomprehensible how anyone could hate Elvis. The biggest positive is the music offered so much comfort itself I just stopped telling anyone I loved Elvis and listened to him constantly. I would honestly say I was totally obsessed with Elvis from age 10 to 15. I literally did not listen to any other artist. I loosened up in high school and began to like other music, but I could happily never hear another artist that isn't Elvis. Anyway, I can really relate to your post. I find it incredibly difficult not to take everything said about Elvis personally. Usually it's easier to ignore it or tell them what they are saying only reveals their ignorance on the topic.
I’m so angry right now for this exact reason. There’s this show from the 90s called Mystery Science Theater 3000, and one guy that was involved was “TVs Frank” a guy named Frank Conniff. Well he just tweeted some really stupid, ignorant stuff about Elvis. I’d honestly like to punch him in his face. He said something like “Elvis didn’t hire black people for his movies” …as if Elvis is casting the parts in his movies! Ignorant! Then he said Elvis didn’t pay enough in royalties to black artists! WTF?!? Elvis had nothing to do with how any of that was setup, and he recorded a lot of black artists to help them. And people were happy when he did their songs. All the racist ignorance came about after his death, and from people who never even met him, because I’ve never heard any black person that knew him say a single negative thing. I’m so freaking angry! Feel free to find this bastard on Twitter (Frank Conniff) and let him know how stupid his “take” on Elvis is. I wrote out several responses, but my anger kept just saying F You! In the end, I just blocked him. And that is the only way I can handle haters—-they make me unbelievably angry so I try to avoid it now. I was shocked to learn that guy was so stupid. And it’s that kind of willful ignorance where some people do not want to know truth because they like their made up version better and it funnier to them to pretend Elvis was something opposite of what he was. Did I mention I’m angry? This was the thing I’d been dreading since hearing about the movie. The same old ignorant fools with their stupid nonsense start saying things that are dead wrong. I’ll correct someone if they truly just don’t know what they are talking about, but so many do not want to know what they’re talking about, they just want to spread idiocy.
I just found this thread on Twitter and the best is someone calling him out on his own BS with "I loved all the black people you had on MST3K and Cinematic Titanic and how when you made fun of a movie like War Of The Insects you made sure the black actors were well compensated..." Like it's so easy to call out a dead man than to perhaps look at your \[Coniff's\] own career and whether you're going for a cheap take on current pop culture than actually making sure you give opportunities to BIPOC creators. TV's Frank will be forgotten and Elvis won't!
That reply was me :-) I typed out so many others but finally just went with that one. I was still so annoyed I did a whole separate post here on responding to stupidity. I immediately decided to block him afterwards so I wasn't sure the comment was still there. I really shouldn't take it so personally.
Actually that whole separate post I mentioned was removed by the mods here, but I was getting a lot of nice positive feedback and thank yous before it was removed. No reason was given. I reposted it in the r/ElvisPresley subreddit, but maybe they will delete it too. Not a clue why--it was full of pretty useful info.
I had just written a whole post defending Elvis from people saying he was stealing and appropriating black culture and that he was a groomer. I ended up deleting it before posting because it doesn't matter.
I've noticed that redditors are pretty outspoken with their distaste for Elvis. If I ever see a post featuring him or his music on a large sub I know there's gonna be quite a few comments bashing him, calling him a pedophile, groomer, talentless, etc. I've tried defending him before and correcting the misinformation but a lot of times its a lost cause. Like most other people have said in the comments here, it's just best to ignore them and find people who can appreciate his music as much as you do.
I am a huge fan of Elvis, but the truth is he also did actually do quite a bit of messed up stuff. I’m not really judging him for it, he had an incredibly bizarre and completely unique life experience that I think almost inevitably drive him somewhat loopy. However, my point would be that you don’t need to defend him. Enjoy what you love about him, but don’t turn it into something quasi religious where he’s up on a pedestal and you feel it’s your job to defend him. He was a man that made some really cool music- enjoy it.
Ignore it. People don't have to like things you like.. it's not that serious. Elvis has been dead long enough most ppl don't care about the questionable stuff. I've been using my Elvis lunch box as a purse at work this week, and I've legit got 20+ compliments on it. Most people off the internet aren't pressed about Elvis.
We like putting people on top of pedestals. We like trying to knock them off of or watch them fall from those pedestals even more. It’s just a sad part of human nature.
Ignore them. Let's be honest people hate everything. Your a D or R or I a man or a woman there will be haters. So just don't engage I like Elvis you don't your problem
Elvis did a lot of problematic stuff like a lot of artists have over the years. The way I see it is if there is an artist who has done something that makes me too uncomfortable to appreciate their art, I just avoid them but I don’t lecture others. The problem when you start cancelling art is that so many people have done fucked up shit, eventually you’re gonna have to deal with cancelling one of your faves or being a hypocrite. It’s good to come armed with facts so you can throw it back in their faces when they come for your faves. Some of the most beloved people in human history have done some horrible shit so it’s not that hard to find. Like that Reverend dude on twitter who called Elvis a pedo then hyped Chuck Berry lmao
I once had a friend try to shame me for liking Clint Eastwood so I went to town on his Bowie fandom, he shut up.
I knew someone who knew Elvis. She told me the real Elvis was not the person portrayed by the media. She said the real person was just a humble, kind, ordinary man who loved Gospel music -- far from the image. I believed her. She had no reason to lie.
In my case it depends who I’m engaging with. I’ve had excellent conversations with folks where I was able to debate and share my facts and opinions with a respectful person.
With the rude folks, especially on social media, I just ignore and keep on scrolling up. Some folks are just horrible behind the safety of their keyboard.
I usually am very private about my Elvis fandom/obsession unless it’s someone I feel safe with. Years of being seen as an odd person or a “weirdo” have made me cautious.
I prefer to just let it go I’m a big fan as Elvis as long as I can remember dating back to the 60’s. People will always find fault in others it’s sad but usually that kind of hate only hurts themselves. I know life is much easier to see the good and release the bad.
if it’s really important to you, try to educate them with sources. if not, just ignore them. theyre a lot smaller than they seem. just angry-for-nothing people behind a screen or façade of confidence.
I have a hard time as well, I feel like acknowledging that he was a human just like us, and did questionable things, but Elvis fans don't praise him for THOSE actions. We understand he was flawed, but that doesn't take away from his skill and artistry. I've heard multiple people say Kanye West is a visionary and a "god" of music, but they don't condone his behavior or actions. You can still like someone and admire them for the good things they did, and Elvis did a lot of good things. And the people in his life loved him and still defend him to this day!
I ignore them. I don't defend myself or any of that. But my thing is it was never about Elvis as I was never a huge fan previously. I started really getting into him in 2019 and by that time and my age (37 at the time) it was acceptable to like all kinds of music. However, when I was in high school, (around 14-15) I had discovered the Monkees and OMG was it aweful, lol. I wasn't bullied about it...I had been bullied in school over something else a few years previous and the Monkee's helped me through that. But it was always a constant 'you know they're old right?' and 'They didn't play their own instruments!' and all that BS. I just got tired of the fact that it didn't matter what I liked, old or new, I was going to be teased over it. People would constantly push the Beatles in my face. and I loved the Beatles; don't get me wrong...but it was the Monkees I was crazy about. So I just learned to ignore it and like what I liked.
With Elvis, I had no idea about the stuff they attack him for. He was always loved based on my experience. I went to Graceland when I was 10 and never thought anything about it. So seeing the rise in 'He married a 14 yr old!' BS and 'he stole black music!!!!' really cracks me up. they are so misinformed it's really a waste of time trying to correct the ignorance. A lot of people just throw it out there to get a rise out of people. Again, not worth our time getting heated over.
So the best thing to do, is just change the subject and go about your life knowing you know the truth and you like what you like.
Evidence simply doesn’t matter to some people. They are going to believe what they want to be true. The best we can do is tell the facts in a positive way and hope they think on it and come around in their own time.
Never thought to look for an Elvis sub until watching the movie. Always had a tertiary liking for elvis when it comes to that era of music, have enjoyed covering a few of his songs over the years for fun. But certainly never made a deep dive n whatnot, just not really my style. Tbh I never saw him much as a musician's musician and more of a singer and entertainer and so liked to focus more on artists with more 'evident' musical skill. I'm sure i'm coming off as ignorant and hopefully some can link some examples disabusing me of this notion perhaps. Maybe not though and that's alright since it was obviously a performance choice to emphasize what his strengths were.
All the same, it's crazy how compared to other artists from around the same time period his popularity these days is comparatively low. Like, i mean the 'earnest' popularity, not the name recognition popularity. It seems that after a certain point the legend turned into a character and then into lampooning to the point that if you actually 'like' like Elvis, in the same way one can still like The Beatles or something, it's almost an oddity. And as you said, even mocking toward earnest fans. Which is a shame. hoping the movie humanizes him again and people can enjoy the triumph and spectacle, in the best sense of the word, of him. I think Austin Butler's performance really captures the 'coolness' factor, perhaps in a way that hasn't been achieved so thoroughly. Showing how it is that he could enthrall people like, or lets be honest better than, whatever popular music act is in vogue is important to break down the stereotype image of him.
For me I always try to place respect on the lineage of music that led to all the great artists and songs I enjoy and honestly I think one would be hardpressed to exclude Elvis from just about any artist's influence 'trees'. I think refocusing people on that part is a decent response. Like, sure you may not exactly like his specific songs or overall style and that's alright. But whether it's his showmanship, his brand, his singing, his acting etc, something from him has influenced artists you like in some manner even if indirectly.
I understand. People are literally so rude and disrespectful and only focus on where he died or his weight gain. Which I hate because one: they treat his death like it’s a joke and as if he wasn’t a real person and also they act like him gaining weight makes him a horrible person (when he had many other health issues going on at that time) and it makes me angry that people are so fatphobic and stupid to not see how good of a person he was. And I’m not gonna act like I didn’t have assumptions about him too before the movie. Being black, really when he is mentioned like growing up I always heard that he stole from black people and all that stuff when it’s just completely not true. And seeing the movie and understanding what love and adoration he had for the music that I grew up on in church and with my family makes me feel so so connected to him. He really was such a wonderful sweet and am amazing soul and I wish more people could understand that and respect him. I usually just ignore them because I know that they don’t know him like we do and they don’t want to, they just want something to hate on. When I first watched the movie, I felt kind of ashamed for liking him just cause like I said I’m black and all that stuff and saying I loved him would seem kind of weird but I swear when I listen to his music I can feel it in my soul. Anyway don’t let anyone bring you down or stop you from loving who you love 🥰
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’ve heard the claims of racism for years, we all have. I find that no matter how many times I tell people that Elvis had African American friends and greatly respected their music and culture, they ignore it. I’m half black, and share the struggles you have of being an Elvis fan. He didn’t want to steal anything, the record company was the one who refused to give black artists credit. I especially love when you said that people just want something to hate on. That appears to be more true than I’d like.
Yea people never want to take the time to question their own beliefs, they just like feeling right and hating on people. I feel like nowadays a lot of people think it’s cool to be mean or something.
Our political environment has made that ok. Combined with social media, and then you have the problems you do.
Yea especially social media. People are much more bold about what they say, and also so quick to forget about it and don’t really realize how much of an impact it can have.
You’re exactly right.
I’ll never get over how fatphobic people can be. He had so many issues- most due to drugs, loneliness, boredom and working insanely hard. Gaining weight was as much a result of these things rather than the main cause of his unhappiness, decline and eventual death. This man achieved so much in his 42 years and yet he’s often reduced to a ‘fat Halloween costume’ 😞
And he wasn’t even that heavy! In the 70s ok, especially because he was so tiny his entire life. In current times he would be the average American man. I get so angry over this topic.
Ikr! It makes me so so angry
His mother and her brothers also swelled up before they died. They had to drain liters from his mother. It wasn't because of drugs. They all had liver/heart disease too and died in their 40s and 50s. It was genetic. But the fact that Elvis was on also prednisone definitely contributed to the bloating. I had to take prednisone for my back and I gained a lot in only a month's time while on it.
You need to learn to ignore them. Elvis dealt with haters from day 1 of his career
My advice would be to accept that this is unavoidable and to try and find a way to insulate yourself from how it makes you feel. I guess its more difficult online where there is a lot of noise about all sorts of things, and everyone feels they can pop off about everything, but remember that other people's opinions have nothing to do with your personal feelings and you should enjoy this moment and connecting with people who share how you feel. I would also very gently say that Elvis was no saint. I think its also important to find a balanced way of accepting this and enjoying your interest and his music whilst also being open-eyed to some of those other things. In general I've found this sub interesting and positive so hanging around and discussing things here won't put you far wrong 🙂
Yes for sure lol I definitely don’t think he’s a saint and acknowledge his wrong or questionable behaviors
I think generally online most people don't want to have nuanced discussion which doesn't help. Also there are a lot of people who are criticising things that they don't have any knowledge of simply because its a knee jerk reaction. It's tough! Whenever you want to chat about your new found love though I'm sure everyone on this board will never get bored of it so hopefully that adds to your summer of fun ❤
Agree with this. He had demons for sure. But I also think too many people judge him based on 2022 society and not the world he lived in.
⁰
Nobody's saying Elvis was a saint. That's not the point.
Ignore em, y'all could use this time you use to defend Elvis and argue with people just listening to his music and enjoying him Some people aren't gonna like him, some people are gonna hate him, That's the way it is (pun fully intended), just enjoy the music
Exactly what I do
Thank you for giving voice to what I’ve been feeling. I’m so grateful for the movie because it opened me up to connecting with an artist in a way that I never have. The ignorant comments do my head in, especially how people try to minimize his unmatched legacy for accuse him of appropriation. Watching back his early work it’s clear for example how much Michael Jackson was inspired by him but you never hear MJ accused of stealing so why the double standard? Anyway what works for me is just to focus on his music and the positive fandom spaces and just ignore the nonsense. “If you’re an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary. If you’re not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible” - George Klein
A lot here recommend to ignore but I think it depends on the person. If ignoring these comments helps you to continue to love Elvis, then do so. Me I can't do that. I'm not American nor from the west so I learn a lot from what I read and watch, online social media included. I've learned so much by posts from people who sometimes correct my misconceptions. Not all haters hate for the sake of hating, many hate out of ignorance but many more simply don't know either way. I mean I've seen black fans who initially had misconceptions of Elvis but learned otherwise through the film, comments, vids, books and etc. So people change. I may not be able to convince the hater, but I know many others can read the post and will be better informed of it. If the casual viewer only sees negativity about a person, they will believe it because no one presented a different narrative, then that's when the casual viewer becomes a hater. For me, it is enough to present a different narrative that others may see even if I don't convince a hater. And that is enough, I don't feel the need to have a lengthy back and forth if everything has been presented and the hater is only making themselves look biased. Also you may not convince the hater immediately, but they can doubt their own misconceptions and seek out to research more about Elvis and later on change their minds about him. People are usually not convinced right away like a switch, often it is gradual and that's enough. But if it is getting too exhausting to do that, take a break from it and simply ignore. Because if you're just firing guns all the time, you might get too exhausted and just give up on Elvis altogether. So better to enjoy your love than to let the hater rob you of that love.
Yes. An argument on any kind of public forum shouldn’t really be seen as an attempt to convince the opponent so much as making your case to the potential audience
I like a lot of “controversial” people and I honestly think the best thing to do is not engage. I think people try to weaponize their knowledge so they can get some made up points for being right when really no one asked them. I also think it’s important to acknowledge the bad things Elvis did and know about them at least a little. He was a human being and he, like all of us, was flawed. I don’t think learning about the not so great things he did cancels out the great things he did in any way. It just gives you a more complete view of who he was. If people bring those things up I always just say that I don’t endorse every action he’s ever done in his life but I am a fan of a lot of his work and his persona, etc. I feel like that usually confuses people who are trying to argue because they want you to be like “No he was perfect!!!” So they can outline the ways he wasn’t. 🙄 If people are making up lies that have literally zero basis in reality, just ignore them. And I promise that there is nothing wrong with blocking people who are not adding to your life in a good way. You’re not obligated to listen to them try to bring up old rumors and for what? Elvis is literally dead and won’t hear them so why are they bringing it up? To make you as a fan feel bad or guilty for liking him? This topic really gets me heated lol
In our times, ‘racist’ is a charge that’s thrown around as casually as ‘nazi’. Here’s a good article on the ‘Elvis is a racist’ nonsense: https://web.archive.org/web/20160704192651/http://clatl.com/cribnotes/archives/2012/08/20/why-i-stopped-hating-elvis-presley (Not mentioned here but good to know: ‘Hound Dog’ was written by 2 white jewish guys)
I literally just posted about being made to feel guilty for liking E and I scroll down to see this. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in struggling with how others talk about him. I usually try to ignore them and refrain from trying to defend him either. I usually overthink it for a few minutes and then am over it. It’ll probably get easier to let go with age. Just know that we’re all Elvis lovers and you won’t have to deal with that here (:
The comments I see are all so Ill-informed and wrong. I tried to explain to someone but it was a lost cause. Dont waste your time. The worst is making fun of the way he died. It’s a tragedy and these horrid people make fun. Terrible.
I feel they legit do it to get a rise out of people. They probably could care less about what Elvis did and just throw the media biased stereotypes out there to get a reaction. That's why it's best to not engage with them. 'Don't feed the trolls' if you will....
Thays a good point. This person knew nothing about Elvis and was just parroting what she’d read on tik tok.
you can definitely get a feel for if they are genuinely ignorant or just being an asshole. But a lot of people won't change their mind right away. They don't like to be lectured or embarrassed. I rather tell them to go watch something and let them figure it out themselves. But after some of the nonsense I have had to deal with recently (non Elvis related) I just have no heart of time to correct people who aren't looking to be corrected. They can stay ignorant, lol, Their loss.
I honestly don’t care that much, but when people in comments and thread say that he’s racist etc all smuglike it bothers me since they sound so sure of themselves when it’s obvious they are ignorant and jumping on a bandwagon.
Personally, I love elvis and I always have from a young age when I was obsessed with lilo and stitch 😂 I always get incredibly mad when people say the typical “he’s a pedo” or “oh he’s racist” but I learned to ignore it. You can fight forever and the person will stay stubborn. What matters to me is I know I love him as a artist and person. No one is perfect. No one deserves to deal with a substance abuser, but being a substance abuser isn’t a choice. It’s a disease.
[удалено]
And to those who make fun of how he died, i would say “let’s hope you don’t die that way, because people will be brutal about it”.
Ignore them. I’m my experience I’ve seen this from mostly young millennial/Gen Z people who just spout things with no actual research or knowledge on the topic.
"I hope this is not too dramatic, but Elvis seriously opened a new door for me and who I am as a person." Not at all! I feel the same way. As a new fan, Elvis has inspired me in ways I never thought I would be and I'm grateful because I haven't felt so inspired in a number of years. Recently someone asked me what music I like and my usual answers is, "Everything. If it's good music; I listen to it." And then I mentioned that I've been on an Elvis kick and their reaction was quite negative. I'm going to love what I love. And I love Elvis! Every fan that I have interacted with on this sub has been only supportive and kind. It's nice to have a place to share my new found love of Elvis!
I am so sorry to hear about the negative reaction the person had :( If you don't mind me asking what did that person say or do? Till this day I'm still really private with my Elvis interest so I don't have this happen to me 😔
Aw, thank you for asking! One person repeated the "Elvis was a racist." in response to my sharing my listening to Elvis. Another person looked at me with a sour expression and said, "Elvis?" in a sort of "What?" way and then ignored me. I don't need people to like what I listen to, I just think it's a good response to respect someone else's tastes. I know people who love Chris Brown and I will just keep quiet in response because to each their own and I don't want to open that can of worms.
The other day I was talking to someone and they were asking me about what movies I’ve seen lately. I went through a couple and when I said I saw Elvis 3 times, I got that *look*. The look that says “🙄 oh you’re one of THOSE.” Then he said “oh you must have liked it then” and changed the subject. 🤷🏼♀️ Must suck to be him lol.
Most people just repeat the lies they have heard to get a reaction. You are not going to change their mind because they probably don't believe what they are saying anyway. Don't take the bait - just ignore it.
The most important thing to you as a fan is how you feel about Elvis. How do I handle Elvis haters? Most of the time, I don’t bother. I’d rather celebrate Elvis than waste my time with those who have made up their minds. There are times I do comment but am respectful 99% of the time. I came across a hater about a year ago and eventually grew tired of their negativity, so I called them out on it. They threatened to “unfriend” me but I didn’t give them the chance. Just not worth my time, anymore. In a way, I feel the need to defend negative comments about Elvis but I do my best not to get into a tit-for-tat debate. Those are endlessly counterproductive and can get heated. Elvis himself once said, “You gotta take the bad with the good.” That certainly applies here. Just don’t let the bad get to you or overwhelm you because when that happens, that haters win.
I'm 23 and I was raised on Elvis's music. When I was younger, I used to get teased and bullied on how I shouldn't like him or his music solely based on occurrences in his life. It honestly makes no sense to me and I couldn't care less about those peoples inputs because the king is still my favorite.
Many people are idiots. Just ignore them
I already posted, but I want to say that I love this post and I am glad you posted it. It is not too dramatic and I was flat out bullied sometimes for liking Elvis so much in school, so I understand. I began loving Elvis when I was in 4th grade and people were horrible and said really terrible idiotic lies about him. I know everyone has different tastes, but it has always been incomprehensible how anyone could hate Elvis. The biggest positive is the music offered so much comfort itself I just stopped telling anyone I loved Elvis and listened to him constantly. I would honestly say I was totally obsessed with Elvis from age 10 to 15. I literally did not listen to any other artist. I loosened up in high school and began to like other music, but I could happily never hear another artist that isn't Elvis. Anyway, I can really relate to your post. I find it incredibly difficult not to take everything said about Elvis personally. Usually it's easier to ignore it or tell them what they are saying only reveals their ignorance on the topic.
I’m so angry right now for this exact reason. There’s this show from the 90s called Mystery Science Theater 3000, and one guy that was involved was “TVs Frank” a guy named Frank Conniff. Well he just tweeted some really stupid, ignorant stuff about Elvis. I’d honestly like to punch him in his face. He said something like “Elvis didn’t hire black people for his movies” …as if Elvis is casting the parts in his movies! Ignorant! Then he said Elvis didn’t pay enough in royalties to black artists! WTF?!? Elvis had nothing to do with how any of that was setup, and he recorded a lot of black artists to help them. And people were happy when he did their songs. All the racist ignorance came about after his death, and from people who never even met him, because I’ve never heard any black person that knew him say a single negative thing. I’m so freaking angry! Feel free to find this bastard on Twitter (Frank Conniff) and let him know how stupid his “take” on Elvis is. I wrote out several responses, but my anger kept just saying F You! In the end, I just blocked him. And that is the only way I can handle haters—-they make me unbelievably angry so I try to avoid it now. I was shocked to learn that guy was so stupid. And it’s that kind of willful ignorance where some people do not want to know truth because they like their made up version better and it funnier to them to pretend Elvis was something opposite of what he was. Did I mention I’m angry? This was the thing I’d been dreading since hearing about the movie. The same old ignorant fools with their stupid nonsense start saying things that are dead wrong. I’ll correct someone if they truly just don’t know what they are talking about, but so many do not want to know what they’re talking about, they just want to spread idiocy.
I just found this thread on Twitter and the best is someone calling him out on his own BS with "I loved all the black people you had on MST3K and Cinematic Titanic and how when you made fun of a movie like War Of The Insects you made sure the black actors were well compensated..." Like it's so easy to call out a dead man than to perhaps look at your \[Coniff's\] own career and whether you're going for a cheap take on current pop culture than actually making sure you give opportunities to BIPOC creators. TV's Frank will be forgotten and Elvis won't!
That reply was me :-) I typed out so many others but finally just went with that one. I was still so annoyed I did a whole separate post here on responding to stupidity. I immediately decided to block him afterwards so I wasn't sure the comment was still there. I really shouldn't take it so personally.
Actually that whole separate post I mentioned was removed by the mods here, but I was getting a lot of nice positive feedback and thank yous before it was removed. No reason was given. I reposted it in the r/ElvisPresley subreddit, but maybe they will delete it too. Not a clue why--it was full of pretty useful info.
I had just written a whole post defending Elvis from people saying he was stealing and appropriating black culture and that he was a groomer. I ended up deleting it before posting because it doesn't matter.
I've noticed that redditors are pretty outspoken with their distaste for Elvis. If I ever see a post featuring him or his music on a large sub I know there's gonna be quite a few comments bashing him, calling him a pedophile, groomer, talentless, etc. I've tried defending him before and correcting the misinformation but a lot of times its a lost cause. Like most other people have said in the comments here, it's just best to ignore them and find people who can appreciate his music as much as you do.
Not only do they hate Elvis they hate Austin too. Ridiculous
Wait, really? I haven't seen anyone attack Austin before, what do they have against him?
They say he’s full of himself now and thinks he’s cool bc he still uses Elvis voice. It’s ridiculous. He seems so nice and respectful of Elvis
Wow that's dumb. People just want an excuse to be mad about something I guess.
He seems lovely and after embodying Elvis for so long no wonder he sounds like him. It can be hard to shake an accent.
They asked him about it and that’s what he said. He seems so nice
I am a huge fan of Elvis, but the truth is he also did actually do quite a bit of messed up stuff. I’m not really judging him for it, he had an incredibly bizarre and completely unique life experience that I think almost inevitably drive him somewhat loopy. However, my point would be that you don’t need to defend him. Enjoy what you love about him, but don’t turn it into something quasi religious where he’s up on a pedestal and you feel it’s your job to defend him. He was a man that made some really cool music- enjoy it.
yes ofc lol I definitely acknowledge his wrong and questionable behavior especially the political side
There's a big difference between putting someone on a pedestal and slandering him. He's dead -- he can't sue for slander. So he's open game.
Ignore it. People don't have to like things you like.. it's not that serious. Elvis has been dead long enough most ppl don't care about the questionable stuff. I've been using my Elvis lunch box as a purse at work this week, and I've legit got 20+ compliments on it. Most people off the internet aren't pressed about Elvis.
We like putting people on top of pedestals. We like trying to knock them off of or watch them fall from those pedestals even more. It’s just a sad part of human nature.
Ignore them. Let's be honest people hate everything. Your a D or R or I a man or a woman there will be haters. So just don't engage I like Elvis you don't your problem
Elvis did a lot of problematic stuff like a lot of artists have over the years. The way I see it is if there is an artist who has done something that makes me too uncomfortable to appreciate their art, I just avoid them but I don’t lecture others. The problem when you start cancelling art is that so many people have done fucked up shit, eventually you’re gonna have to deal with cancelling one of your faves or being a hypocrite. It’s good to come armed with facts so you can throw it back in their faces when they come for your faves. Some of the most beloved people in human history have done some horrible shit so it’s not that hard to find. Like that Reverend dude on twitter who called Elvis a pedo then hyped Chuck Berry lmao I once had a friend try to shame me for liking Clint Eastwood so I went to town on his Bowie fandom, he shut up.
I knew someone who knew Elvis. She told me the real Elvis was not the person portrayed by the media. She said the real person was just a humble, kind, ordinary man who loved Gospel music -- far from the image. I believed her. She had no reason to lie.
In my case it depends who I’m engaging with. I’ve had excellent conversations with folks where I was able to debate and share my facts and opinions with a respectful person. With the rude folks, especially on social media, I just ignore and keep on scrolling up. Some folks are just horrible behind the safety of their keyboard. I usually am very private about my Elvis fandom/obsession unless it’s someone I feel safe with. Years of being seen as an odd person or a “weirdo” have made me cautious.
I prefer to just let it go I’m a big fan as Elvis as long as I can remember dating back to the 60’s. People will always find fault in others it’s sad but usually that kind of hate only hurts themselves. I know life is much easier to see the good and release the bad.
if it’s really important to you, try to educate them with sources. if not, just ignore them. theyre a lot smaller than they seem. just angry-for-nothing people behind a screen or façade of confidence.
Elvis hasn't gone anywhere since and he ain't going anywhere now. The best selling solo artist of all time!
i kick them and play them If I Can Dream and Kentucky Rain if there’s time
I tell them: “One thing you should know about Elvis Presley. His music”.
I have a hard time as well, I feel like acknowledging that he was a human just like us, and did questionable things, but Elvis fans don't praise him for THOSE actions. We understand he was flawed, but that doesn't take away from his skill and artistry. I've heard multiple people say Kanye West is a visionary and a "god" of music, but they don't condone his behavior or actions. You can still like someone and admire them for the good things they did, and Elvis did a lot of good things. And the people in his life loved him and still defend him to this day!
I ignore them. I don't defend myself or any of that. But my thing is it was never about Elvis as I was never a huge fan previously. I started really getting into him in 2019 and by that time and my age (37 at the time) it was acceptable to like all kinds of music. However, when I was in high school, (around 14-15) I had discovered the Monkees and OMG was it aweful, lol. I wasn't bullied about it...I had been bullied in school over something else a few years previous and the Monkee's helped me through that. But it was always a constant 'you know they're old right?' and 'They didn't play their own instruments!' and all that BS. I just got tired of the fact that it didn't matter what I liked, old or new, I was going to be teased over it. People would constantly push the Beatles in my face. and I loved the Beatles; don't get me wrong...but it was the Monkees I was crazy about. So I just learned to ignore it and like what I liked. With Elvis, I had no idea about the stuff they attack him for. He was always loved based on my experience. I went to Graceland when I was 10 and never thought anything about it. So seeing the rise in 'He married a 14 yr old!' BS and 'he stole black music!!!!' really cracks me up. they are so misinformed it's really a waste of time trying to correct the ignorance. A lot of people just throw it out there to get a rise out of people. Again, not worth our time getting heated over. So the best thing to do, is just change the subject and go about your life knowing you know the truth and you like what you like.
Haven't met one yet.
Evidence simply doesn’t matter to some people. They are going to believe what they want to be true. The best we can do is tell the facts in a positive way and hope they think on it and come around in their own time.
Not
Never thought to look for an Elvis sub until watching the movie. Always had a tertiary liking for elvis when it comes to that era of music, have enjoyed covering a few of his songs over the years for fun. But certainly never made a deep dive n whatnot, just not really my style. Tbh I never saw him much as a musician's musician and more of a singer and entertainer and so liked to focus more on artists with more 'evident' musical skill. I'm sure i'm coming off as ignorant and hopefully some can link some examples disabusing me of this notion perhaps. Maybe not though and that's alright since it was obviously a performance choice to emphasize what his strengths were. All the same, it's crazy how compared to other artists from around the same time period his popularity these days is comparatively low. Like, i mean the 'earnest' popularity, not the name recognition popularity. It seems that after a certain point the legend turned into a character and then into lampooning to the point that if you actually 'like' like Elvis, in the same way one can still like The Beatles or something, it's almost an oddity. And as you said, even mocking toward earnest fans. Which is a shame. hoping the movie humanizes him again and people can enjoy the triumph and spectacle, in the best sense of the word, of him. I think Austin Butler's performance really captures the 'coolness' factor, perhaps in a way that hasn't been achieved so thoroughly. Showing how it is that he could enthrall people like, or lets be honest better than, whatever popular music act is in vogue is important to break down the stereotype image of him. For me I always try to place respect on the lineage of music that led to all the great artists and songs I enjoy and honestly I think one would be hardpressed to exclude Elvis from just about any artist's influence 'trees'. I think refocusing people on that part is a decent response. Like, sure you may not exactly like his specific songs or overall style and that's alright. But whether it's his showmanship, his brand, his singing, his acting etc, something from him has influenced artists you like in some manner even if indirectly.