working class, tradskin pride.
I graduated. I'm done. Board exams here I come.
I've been thinking lately about a scene... people, music, places. How different it is here than in Grand Haven. I've always been more into the old stuff. The old sound. Not screaming, screeching guitars and vocals. Since moving to Ypsi I've found amazing bands like Cocksparrer, The Blitz, Agnostic Front, Angelic Upstarts, The Business, Mad Sin, The Warriors, and Sham 69 along with an entire array of other English and English influenced working class music. Here within the world of trads its completely different. There's no backstabbing bitches or unfiltered rumors like there were where I grew up. Around here I find myself being proud of being Tony's girlfriend, a trad's girlfriend. People know who we are and its odd. We're expected to be at certain events and places with the other trads and if we're not people wonder why. Within this culture Ypsi is well known (as far as I know) as a trad controlled area. I feel lucky to have never encountered Nazis, or Aryans as they're calling themselves now. But when I hear about Gabe and Bradley running into one of them somewhere and making them leave town I'm proud. Proud to be part of something I believe in and something that has all the support it needs within its own. Something that isn't superficial like everything was were I grew up. It's not about being dirty and drinking and smoking yourself to death. Even tho a lot of the trads may very well drink and smoke themselves to death. Its about being who you are and supporting it. Working for it and letting everyone know that you're working for what you've got and have the decency to support what you need to support and being proud of doing it. Its so much more than anything I knew before. I know not everyone where I grew up sucked. But a lot of them did and I'm glad I can say I'm part of something that matters to me now.
I've been thinking lately about a scene... people, music, places. How different it is here than in Grand Haven. I've always been more into the old stuff. The old sound. Not screaming, screeching guitars and vocals. Since moving to Ypsi I've found amazing bands like Cocksparrer, The Blitz, Agnostic Front, Angelic Upstarts, The Business, Mad Sin, The Warriors, and Sham 69 along with an entire array of other English and English influenced working class music. Here within the world of trads its completely different. There's no backstabbing bitches or unfiltered rumors like there were where I grew up. Around here I find myself being proud of being Tony's girlfriend, a trad's girlfriend. People know who we are and its odd. We're expected to be at certain events and places with the other trads and if we're not people wonder why. Within this culture Ypsi is well known (as far as I know) as a trad controlled area. I feel lucky to have never encountered Nazis, or Aryans as they're calling themselves now. But when I hear about Gabe and Bradley running into one of them somewhere and making them leave town I'm proud. Proud to be part of something I believe in and something that has all the support it needs within its own. Something that isn't superficial like everything was were I grew up. It's not about being dirty and drinking and smoking yourself to death. Even tho a lot of the trads may very well drink and smoke themselves to death. Its about being who you are and supporting it. Working for it and letting everyone know that you're working for what you've got and have the decency to support what you need to support and being proud of doing it. Its so much more than anything I knew before. I know not everyone where I grew up sucked. But a lot of them did and I'm glad I can say I'm part of something that matters to me now.