One Skins Opinion

Street Punk/Oi' Fest Y2K. Why? Why the hell not. And if you didn't, you missed out on a well put together, well executed, and well performed two-day show. It definitely lived up to the expectations built up from last years inaugural event. Kansas City, and our guests, owe a big OI' to Saint Tim and American Upstart, the Hooligan Empire, the El Torreon management and staff, All the bands that made the trip and played for our enjoyment (as I am sure as much their own). I can say with most confidence that a good time was enjoyed by one and all.
  With all the due gratis given, I would like to get up on my soapbox about the behavior of a small group of skins at the show. They personified one of my biggest complaints about a mass gathering. I freely admit that when you mix a bunch of skins, punks, and other malcontents with alcohol and good, loud, driving music things will happen. People get hot and itchy, tempers get short, and a little too much Oi' gets flowing through their veins. It is inevitable. HOWEVER ... seeing two grown men throwing words back and forth, having their friends and ladies 'hold them back', and the bystanders aggravating the situation by getting in the middle of it and making it a cluster fuck of a mixed up testosterone bungle, really looks stupid. It is like two little kids standing in the playground drawing lines with their feet saying, " Step over this line and I will knock your block off." Juvenile.
  After seeing these events take place it really got me thinking. Those who know me know that I am not a violent person. I do not condone or promote violence. I have pride in my scene and have a personal sense honor. And I have a theory regarding fighting. It has a lot to do about being nice until it is time not to be nice. I do admit that there is a line at which one must stand up for your rights, privileges, and values. When that time comes, 'Katie bar the door' because all hell will break loose. So when it comes time to take care of business, just do it. I don't mean self-defense, that is a whole other topic. I am talking about just plain out standing up for yourself and your beliefs. Don't doodle in it. Don't play around with games. I don't know any of my friends, which if motivated to that extent, could truly be held back from a situation. BUT ... too often I see a staged show of machismo and fluffed plumage. If you don't have the conviction to get down to bare knuckles and brass tacks, get off the battlefield. You do not deserve to be there. Rooting and cheering is for the sidelines, not the field of honor.
  As much as I hate to admit mates, we were shown up at the show by a young skin chick and a little punk girl. They had the right mindset: spoke about it; disagreed; decided it was that time; did it; and it was done. Short, sweet, and too the point. Neat and clean. No He said/She said bullshit, just business. They parted and continued with the remainder of the day. Problem solved and conflicts quelled, no fluff, no plumage.
  History has provided us with several examples of warrior class people. On the battlefield they were all judged by the honor they showed on the field. This is demonstrated by the near influences of Colonials dueling in the Boston Commons to the far reaches of the Samurai in feudal Japan. Each caste of warrior had it's own rules and guidelines. This chivalric code was the guiding principal on which they governed their personal and external honor. This living up to this code, keeping their honor, was a very heavy burden. It was a life style. It was the way they lived their lives and dictated their actions.
  As a skinhead I too have honor and a personal code of conduct, as many skins. Within this I know that whatever I do has an effect, like ripples of water on a lake. Everyday I weigh the consequences of my actions. Live up to the responsibilities before me. When someone does not do this, they adversely affect the scene in which they hang.
  Let me make this a bit easier for those monosyllabic ultra-violent skins that get aggro just to feel their balls swell and hear their head rattle, you might know who you are. Use your heads for more than your opponent's punching bag. Fighting for the sake of the fight is not honorable. Standing up for yourself or protection of yourself or others is honorable. Honorable ... not honorable.
  You need an example. (The following examples are true events. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. ) Ok! You are at your favorite neighborhood bar. A drunken guy looks at you and says, "What's your problem?" So you punch him a good one in the puss for mouthing off to you. You get kicked out of the bar and now you are barred from one of your favorite hangouts. Not honorable. Or you are walking through an area having a 'Free Hemp" rally. A krusty hippie trying to bum some change approaches you. So you beat him down for the request. Not honorable.
  Now let's take a lesson from this. If you are in a situation which your honor requires satisfaction. Take a second to think about your actions. Is it just a hurt ego and a whim of a thought that has brought you to this point of violence or is it a matter of honor? Then if you still feel strong enough on a topic to go to the extent of violence, then for Pete-sake just do it. Don't just stand there with your dick in your hand waving it around. Either use it or put it away. When it is over go your separate ways or go have a beer and compare your cuts and bruises. Don't act like little schoolboys. Or go strutting about fluffing your plumage like little peacocks. Be men, or women if it so applies, and take care of business.
  I was once told that the path a warrior walks is one of truth and burden. One must be true to yourself and guided by your honor and discipline. A skinhead is a warrior. Like all other castes, we have the young gung-ho green recruits which area ready to jump on command and the old aged retired story- telling battle scarred generals who are there for guidance and entertainment. In the middle there is the seasoned disciplined soldier. We are the backbone, the example, the trendsetters, and the blood of the body. We teach the recruits and honor the generals. It is time that we step up and accept the responsibility of the life we choose to live. It is time to live it by the code of honor, which goes with being a skinhead.