fuck hardcore kids.
maybe i'm just a jaded old man, but hardcore kids need to learn about sustaining a scene. maybe it's just the kids that i have to interact with, but when everything is a contest (tightest shirt, rarest 7", saddest girlfriend, etc.) it won't lead to anything good. everytime i go to hardcore shows i recognize fewer and fewer people, and the ones that i do see that i know are more and more hesitant to speak with me at shows because a)i'm not straight-edge, B) i'm not in a hardcore band, c) i don't listen to the "hippest" bands, and d) i'm not interested in scene politics and drama. these hardcore kids have brought middle school back to the forefront of discussion. until active members of the scene start retaliating for this bullshit behavior, it's jusy going to continue in a downward spiral. i don't collect records. i don't even own a record player! and i refuse to wear the h.c. kid uniform (running shoes and plugs included), just like refusing to wear ANY uniform. punk rock (which is where h.c. came from, not opinion, just fact) is about being different and being comfortable with that. doing what you want to do, being who you want to be, and saying FUCK YOU to everybody else. the punk scene has the same problems, but it is balanced out by "old-timers" who do a pretty good job of keeping everyone in check.
man, i have no idea where half that shit came from. sorry.