"Man gets sick benefits for heavy metal addiction"

From The Local SE: Man gets sick benefits for heavy metal addiction

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.

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.”

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.

Jeez, I thought this kind of crap only happens in America. Thank goodness there are just as many lazy idiots outside of the US as well.

“I got a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell.”

I’d love to be able to show up to a job interview in my normal everyday punk clothes and not have to cover my tattoos, but I’d have to kick my own ass if I ever tried to get my taste in music classified as a disability.

I’m having a really hard time coming to terms with the fact that neither this or the “Woman sues for not winning the lottery” article were pulled straight from The Onion.

Add Bioware doing a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG and you have the hat trick.

I know a guy who lost his entire left leg that was denied disability 3 times. He’s still awaiting word on the 4th. He worked as a waiter.

Maybe your “waiter” friend just listens to the wrong kind of music.

When I read the title of this thread, all I could think to myself was, “Christ man, addiction to arsenic or cyanide isn’t a disability, it’s psychosis!”

Heavy metal fandom is considered a disability in Sweden?

WHat’s with all the , “I thought the only crazies were in the US” shit. It shows up now and again here and in the P&R forum. Like we are the only company with weirdos, lazy fuckers, and plain dumbasses. Like we are somehow inherently goofier because we are here in the land of the free? WHy would that be? Is it corporate America and Republican politicians that are forcing us into ignorance through the poisoning of our Granola bars?

I am trying to come with some valid reasoning be it valid for this view that seems fso requently purveyed, but I can’t come up with anything plausible. Unless, putting down your own country and its citizens is hip again like it was in the 60’s.

Hey, it’s clearly not stopping him from waiting.

Saw an article about this in my local paper actually. I’m just as dumbstruck as anyone.

My best guess is that he’s been unemployed for ages and ages and collecting benefits, and due to his unwillingness to groom or work at places where the schedule isn’t flexible enough to allow him to go to concerts he was likely to stay that way for the forseeable future. Some bright civil servant figured out that they could fudge the rules a bit and get him classified as a disability so they could find him a job where they only needed to pay him supplementary wages. He gets a job, the case worker can write him off, and less money is being paid out than would have been if he hadn’t been set up with a job.

Of course, I might be completely and utterly wrong, but it makes a weird kind of sense.

I’m totally guessing, but my theory is that the United States has a bunch of people walking around who in other countries would be receiving treatment for mental disorders. But they aren’t receiving treatmeant because the United States doesn’t have universal health care.

Shit, what did I just do?

Um, state the obvious?

So this guy’s mentally ill and not just someone who is trying to manipulate the system?

I could totally see this as a plot from a Dethklok episode.

Hell, I’m just picturing the part where Nathan Explosion is working at the burger place.

Maybe. So instead of walking around they would be in a 9-12 month long line awaiting treatment.