John Dolmayan, the drummer of System Of A Down, has caused some controversy over his personality in recent years. Now he spoke out on his Instagram page and explained that he has lost many friends and hundreds of thousands of fans because of his opinion.
Donald Trump, Black Lives Matter and Covid-19
The musician first made his highly polarizing views public during the term of office of former President Donald Trump. He publicly supported the Republican and went against not only the opinions of many of his fans and friends, but also those of his bandmate Serj Tankian. The System Of A Down frontman had always criticized Trump and called for his resignation. Dolmayan explained at the time that this disagreement would not pose a threat to him as a band member and that he would not be fired.
The next controversy was not long in coming when John Dolmayan called “Black Lives Matter” a “propaganda tool” of the Democratic Party. His opinion on Covid-19 also caused a stir when he claimed that the pandemic was always about money.
“And I will do it again”
Now the drummer has spoken out on Instagram about all the debates surrounding him to clarify the motivation behind his actions: “I’ve lost people who I thought were friends in the last few years, mainly because I wasn’t ready. to accept the narratives whose validity they now question. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of fans who couldn’t handle my opinions here on Instagram. When you strive to help those who are in danger or to guide those who are being betrayed, sometimes you lose because of it. But you do it anyway.” In the caption, he declared: “And I will do it again.”
Dolmayan has repeatedly stated that he is not prepared to remain silent about his views. In 2020, when many fans criticized him for his opinions, he explained in a now-deleted Instagram post: “If I just kept my mouth shut, as some of you would prefer, there would be one less voice speaking out against the wanton destruction and speaks out the hatred that consumes so many people, hate and anger that only provoke a stronger and more violent reaction from opposing ideals. That doesn’t help anyone.”
Disagreements in the band
The band members’ views differ greatly and ensured that both John Dolmayan and Serj Tankian have already commented on this. “If you think that Serj is the mouthpiece of the band, which he is vocally but not necessarily ideologically, then you don’t belong anywhere,” the drummer told fans. Tankian countered more neutrally, saying he respected Dolmayan but not his political views.