On the surface this may appear as a song centred on the idea of disengaging from personal confrontations, or even as echoing old adages like "say nothing if you have nothing nice to say" and variations thereof. There is a deeper meaning here, connected once more to the state of modern society, particularly in the online sphere.
In the age of outrage culture, an incredibly effective way to attract clicks is to call attention to the vitriolic, the bigoted and the otherwise obscene. It is done even by the well-meaning, who may not even wish to farm attention or engagement of any kind, merely to point and laugh at the atrocities they are bringing up. In many of these cases, those people are actually being deceptively played as pawns by the very ones they are seeking to tear down. Anger is easily farmable.
Algorithmically speaking, there is absolutely no way to distinguish whether engagement is positive or negative - to the algorithm, a click is a click, and the poison is allowed to further seep. If reprehensible names and deeds are allowed to circulate more and more via repeated online sharing, they gain traction, and eventually, at worst, become normalised. We must deplatform those who do irrevocable harm to our society, disperse their audiences, and dismantle their echo chambers.
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lyrics
You might feel a corrosive sting
From every word that tumbles out their mouths
You might be tempted to throw fists
And watch them fall and crumple to the ground
But what for?
(What for?)
They know exactly what they do
(And all they do to you)
Who'll break the chain of their untruths?
It must be you
Do not engage
Don't take the bait
Don't give in to the rage
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Do not resuscitate their lies
Attention only gives them life
Just breathe and turn the other way
Do not engage
I know you've waded in it deep
And now your world just seems beyond all help
I know how far anger can seep
And how you'd rather see them burn in hell
It's all for nought
(For nought)
They've got you led on by a leash
(Oh, oh)
Who'll cut the cord and see release?
It can't be me
Do not engage
Don't take the bait
Don't give in to the rage, no
(Oh, oh, oh, oh)
Do not resuscitate their lies
Attention only gives them life
Just breathe and turn the other way, yeah
Do not engage
Step out of the ring
They mean not a thing
Do not engage
Don't take the bait
Don't give in to the rage
(Oh)
(Do not resuscitate their lies, no)
(Just breathe and turn the other way)
supported by 12 fans who also own “Do Not Engage [Deluxe-Only]”
this is rock & roll. this is metal. this is an album by esselfortium, an extremely exciting artist in exciting times for indie music.
if this is what she's doing now, what the hell is she gonna do next? wallets out, everyone, and join me (& this album) in looking forward.
listen front to back: it's a movie in your head. jamesedwardand
supported by 10 fans who also own “Do Not Engage [Deluxe-Only]”
Absolutely sublime, an essential to any MIDI enthusiast. Vanilla compatible as well.
Of course if you don't know, you should play BTSX using a source port of your choice: You can use ZDL to load up source ports and cleanly select multiple pk3s and WADs to run.
The interface of ZDL is a bit clunky but, to play BTSX all you would really need to do is drag and drop the WAD to a sourceport exe to launch it.
I recommend GZDoom for utility, Woof for authenticity, and DSDA if you're speedy boi. BrickDickRick
More far-flung techno from a Spanish artist who combines whiplash-inducing tempos and rave synths to achieve maximum danceability. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 7, 2024
A stunning, minimalist contemporary classical piece by the Glasgow-based composer, performed by the chamber music duo GAIA. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 13, 2023
supported by 8 fans who also own “Do Not Engage [Deluxe-Only]”
Transmission Control is a delightful soundtrack. The songs all have a delightful vibe (that also really well matches the original game), and are great to listen to. Excellent music.
Additionally, the game is also absolutely worth checking out. Kamani