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ForeverAutumn
07-26-2007, 06:25 AM
Well sign me up!

Man gets sick benefits for heavy metal addiction
Published: 19th June 2007 15:12 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/7650/

A Swedish heavy metal fan has had his musical preferences officially classified as a disability. The results of a psychological analysis enable the metal lover to supplement his income with state benefits.

Roger Tullgren, 42, from Hässleholm in southern Sweden has just started working part time as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.

Because heavy metal dominates so many aspects of his life, the Employment Service has agreed to pay part of Tullgren's salary. His new boss meanwhile has given him a special dispensation to play loud music at work.

"I have been trying for ten years to get this classified as a handicap," Tullgren told The Local.

"I spoke to three psychologists and they finally agreed that I needed this to avoid being discriminated against."

Roger Tullgren first developed an interest in heavy metal when his older brother came home with a Black Sabbath album in 1971.

Since then little else has mattered for the 42-year-old, who has long black hair, a collection of tattoos and wears skull and crossbones jewelry.

The ageing rocker claims to have attended almost three hundred shows last year, often skipping work in the process.

Eventually his last employer tired of his absences and Tullgren was left jobless and reliant on welfare handouts.

But his sessions with the occupational psychologists led to a solution of sorts: Tullgren signed a piece of paper on which his heavy metal lifestyle was classified as a disability, an assessment that entitles him to a wage supplement from the job centre.

"I signed a form saying: 'Roger feels compelled to show his heavy metal style. This puts him in a difficult situation on the labour market. Therefore he needs extra financial help'. So now I can turn up at a job interview dressed in my normal clothes and just hand the interviewers this piece of paper," he said.

The manager at his new workplace allows him to go to concerts as long as he makes up for lost time at a later point. He is also allowed to dress as he likes and listen to heavy metal while washing up.

"But not too loud when there are guests," he said.

The Local spoke to an occupational psychologist in Stockolm, who admitted to being baffled by the decision.

"I think it's extremely strange. Unless there is an underlying diagnosis it is absolutely unbelievable that the job centre would pay pay out.

"If somebody has a gambling addiction, we don't send them down to the racetrack. We try to cure the addiction, not encourage it," he said.

Henrietta Stein, deputy employment director for the Skåne region, is also puzzled by the move; "an interest in music" is not usually sufficient to qualify for wage benefits.

"Certain cases are confidential but in general there is always a medical reason that is well-documented," she said.

Tullgren currently plays bass and guitar in two rock bands and says that he tends to get a lot of positive reactions for daring to be himself.

"Some might say that I should grow up and learn to listen to other types of music but I can't. Heavy metal is my lifestyle," he said.

GMichael
07-26-2007, 06:52 AM
This forum is our group therapy.

I'll go first:

Hello,
My name is Michael.
(group response) Hi Mike!
(waves and puts head down. clears throat) I haven't listened to music for.. (looks at watch) about 5 minutes.
(group cheers)
I once...(starts to shake. looks around with a guilty expression) I once went.. (looks at watch again. turns and runs out to his car. music can be heard blasting from the parking lot)

basite
07-26-2007, 07:16 AM
:lol:

why don't they do that in belgium?

kexodusc
07-26-2007, 07:33 AM
LOL!

I can't help but wonder who much of a creative tilt was placed on the article. As I understand employment services agencies, a lot of thier decision to subsidize employers for hiring workers is just to keep a person as productive as possible.
The argument being him working partly on the state's dime, paying taxes is better than him not doing anything at all.
I wonder if they really believe his heavy metal addiction is a disability, or if it's just an exercise of calculating the cost of human capital?

Damn, this would be a dangerous precedent on this side of the pond. Imagine all the goth wannabees and upper-class emo kids working on your state's dime?

I'm lazy...does that count as a disability?

Luvin Da Blues
07-26-2007, 07:47 AM
I'm lazy...does that count as a disability?

Certainly does....But sorry, NO Benefits for ya today tho.

3-LockBox
07-26-2007, 09:28 AM
Hi, my name is Todd, and I'm a musicholic.

Now excuse me while I go to my speaker building forum and confess my addiction there as well.

(note lack of smiley)




















oh geez, who'm I kiddin :D

JDaniel
07-26-2007, 06:06 PM
Can I collect my Long-term disability? It pays 70% of my salary. I could probably live on that, stay home, listen to music all day. Of course, I go to work and listen to tunes all day already......

JD

bobsticks
07-26-2007, 06:32 PM
Not to turn a light-hearted thread too dreary but it's getting pretty bad here in Indy with this kind of trash. Y'all can probably find some stuff on Google, but long story short, the legislature has seen fit to raise property taxes a cool 300%!!! on residentials. It's to the point where assessers are being accompanied by armed escorts. You ought to see all the signs popping up saying "For Sale Due To Unfair Taxation". The largest housing contractor in the US has pulled out of he Indiana market siting lack of profit and negative expansion.

This state boasts one of the highest rates of unmployment payout and accordingly boasts one of the highest rates of unemployment. The situation is made more paradoxical with a estimated 85,000-97,00 jobs available ranging from entry-level (read:minimum wage) to executive level.

I love going grocery shopping to watch my tax dollars hard at work buying others full racks of ribs, shrimp, and the like. I wonder if these people consider that they're not contributing to Social Security.

Too many people trying to get something for nothing.

nobody
07-27-2007, 07:36 AM
The metal guy is bizarre and ridiculous and also not in this country.

In the US, I am more than happy to pay taxes to help feed, cloth and provide medical care for the less fortunate. Yet, I am quite angry about my money going to military actions and subsidies for large corporations, which take up a much larger share of the budget. So, we can all get pissed about our taxes, or we can just enjoy the fact that we pay about the lowest taxes in the developed world and not get so bent out of shape that some of our taxes get spent on things we would prefer they not go to. Cause, frankly, no matter how they decide to spend the tax money, each individual will be able to find things they would prefer not to fund and things they are glad to fund.

3-LockBox
07-27-2007, 10:36 AM
military actions and subsidies for large corporations

one and the same

PeruvianSkies
07-27-2007, 01:30 PM
one and the same

haha ...good call!

bobsticks
07-27-2007, 03:34 PM
The metal guy is bizarre and ridiculous and also not in this country.

In the US, I am more than happy to pay taxes to help feed, cloth and provide medical care for the less fortunate. Yet, I am quite angry about my money going to military actions and subsidies for large corporations, which take up a much larger share of the budget. So, we can all get pissed about our taxes, or we can just enjoy the fact that we pay about the lowest taxes in the developed world and not get so bent out of shape that some of our taxes get spent on things we would prefer they not go to. Cause, frankly, no matter how they decide to spend the tax money, each individual will be able to find things they would prefer not to fund and things they are glad to fund.

I can appreciate the tone of gratitude in your post and I know we agree on our views of the military industrial complex. I think we have common ground in the recognition of the need to address our nation's health care debacle, it's education woes, and aid for the truly "less fortunate".

Also, I'm willing to admit that I probably blurred the line of direction in my reasoning with my cheap shot on the"ribs and shrimp" dealio. What we're talking about here is a 300% increase in property tax levied without notice. This is only a few weeks old so there is no hard data available as to its effects but one can draw a few conclussions based on the deluge of "For Sale" signs springing up around neighborhoods of all demographics (although one can also assume that this hurts the elderly and those on fixed budgets the most).
Most folks when planning their expenditures don't plan on a 300 percent increase in anything--I have friends from all walks of life, one who's property tax will rise from $1600 to 5k and another who's debt will rise from 9.8k to $28,000 per annum. Yes, their homes reflect disproportionate incomes but they are both hurt proportionately.

Frankly, I find it hard to come up with any cause that would justify such a radical increase all at once. It's also worth noting that property taxes did not increase one cent on businesses which lends further credence to your assertions of corporate subsidies.

In any case, heavy metal dude is bizarre and ridiculous and I probabl;y should have kept my big trap shut :ihih:


Peace