"Oh no, someone's attracted to the aesthetics of my -punk movement but doesn't know the praxis and history behind it like I do--"
OK. Tell them. Make it a teaching moment. Everyone who's in your movement learned the background from somewhere at some point, maybe this is that point for that person. Give them a jumping off point that they can dive into later.
"Oh but I shouldn't be responsible for teaching baby -punks about the history and the how-tos and--"
OK. Then don't tell them. You don't have to be responsible for teaching people with a budding interest in your group the ins and outs and how-tos. That's fair and valid! It can be a lot of work. Someone else will handle it
"But I'm annoyed that they would try to claim to be part of/be interested in my community without knowing all the details that I know after being in it for months/years/decades, they're dumb, they're posers, they're--"
OK. Then don't engage with them, if it's that bad. Maybe someone else will come around and tell them the history, maybe they'll pick it up on their own, maybe they'll just enjoy the fashion elements for awhile.
"But they shouldn't claim to be part of the -punk community if they don't know the--"
I feel like we have a few options here. People can either talk to them, share the history, share the values, share the praxis. Or they can just chase off anyone who even thinks about dipping a toe in their community, and then wonder why it's dying off later down the line.
I dunno, maybe I'm too naive and patient or whatever. But if people are entering your -punk spaces without knowing The Rundown of what you feel they need to know, maybe being nice about it and informing people instead of immediately assuming stupidity and malicious intent could help you make a new friend. Even the loudest voices in a space had to learn from somewhere, and not everyone has the luxury of being in the space as the History was Happening--whether it's an age thing or a not being aware of the space thing. Or maybe I just don't see what the big deal is behind people hating people who like the aesthetic of something and don't know the behind the scenes history about it yet.
Because I believe in the word 'yet.' No one comes into this world knowing everything about everything, and we're all constantly learning new things. I'm not gonna degrade someone and call them a poser for not knowing what I know. Because if it were me, interested in a scene but getting chased out and called a poser? I wouldn't hit the books and study up, I'd go 'that fuckin sucks, those people sucked' and then avoid anyone and anything having to do with it.
So chase people off and call them posers if you want. But if your community starts dwindling, don't be fucking shocked.
2K notes
·
View notes
Would Non want this?
This question has been echoing in my head, ever since I made the post about New disregarding what Non might want. To me, that was a really damning moment in the narrative for New, because it puts him in a long line of people who have used Non for their own ends, for their own gain. It shifted his goal from "righteous revenge" to "selfish revenge" and since that put him in line with everyone else who didn't care about Non's agency or his desires, to me it marked him for death.
I've heard a lot of responses to that, including "revenge is always inherently selfish so that doesn't change New's character" and "Non is dead so what he'd want doesn't matter." And I disagree. Because narratively, what Non wants does matter. It's half the point of the show, that Non wanted to stay involved in the movie, didn't want to give up his script, that people pushed him around and framed him and coerced and manipulated him - stripping him of his agency at every turn. Even the people who thought they wanted the best for him (Phee, Jin) pushed what they wanted onto Non.
So even if Non is dead (and I'm not convinced he is), yes his agency and what he'd want matters. The problem is, of course, that we don't know what he might want.
We can speculate. Because of course, Non wrote the script, condemning everyone to die. He brought a knife into the woods, intending to use it to murder Por, Tee, Top, Fluke, and Jin.
But despite this, when push comes to shove, Non backs down. When Jin darts forward to apologize, Non lowers the knife. Despite the fact that Non wrote Jin's death into the script, and crossed out his face along with the others, Non couldn't kill Jin even in the midst of his psychotic break.
Yes yes I know Non didn't know what Jin did to him, but despite that, Non had clearly decided Jin was guilty by association, but he couldn't pull the trigger.
In the further flashbacks, when we see Non working with Tee to repay Uncle Joe, we also see he has a note that he keeps nearby to motivate him. And that note says nothing about revenge. Non simply wants to get out and move on with his life. He also has Tee right there in front of him, and doesn't try to kill him. He hits Tee's chest, but even that is pathetic in comparison to pulling a knife on him before...
So all of that leads me to believe that Non didn't want revenge. He wanted to move on with his life. He didn't have that kind of violence in him. He was a gentle kid at heart, pushed to the breaking point.
But for the sake of argument, let's say Non DOES want revenge. Let's say that he wants the group of friends to die for their crimes. Because he very well might.
I think some people are missing some crucial pieces of information here. Because while Non might want the group to die, I don't think that would extend to Phee.
Non loved Phee. They broke up. And even if Non viewed Phee sleeping with Jin as a betrayal (and he might not, since they broke up AND there's some muddiness there because of Non sleeping with Keng - don't come at me, it's coercion, but the narrative establishes that Phee views it as cheating, so that's why I mention it) - he might not want Phee to die for it!
Non might not want the person he loved to die a bloody death because of his mistakes. Even if he hated Phee for sleeping with Jin. That might very well be too far for the boy who hated feeling like a burden on the people he loves.
But okay, let's assume Non DOES want Phee to die along with the others. He might not want his older brother to be the one doing it.
As I said above, Non hated feeling like a burden. He hated the idea of people inconveniencing themselves because of him. Do you really think he'd like the thought of his older brother throwing everything away, his entire life, and now his future? Non might not want New, the last member of his family, to destroy himself that way. There's no one else to carry out that revenge for Non, but if Non weighed the choice between his brother having a successful future vs revenge...? I'm not sure what he'd choose.
There's a lot of complexities to the question of what Non might or might not want. And while I personally think he wouldn't want revenge, because Non was at his heart a gentle person until he was pushed to the absolute brink... I think there are layers to the revenge that he may or may not want. And I think that desire matters, and it frustrates me that people are once again taking Non's agency out of the story.
40 notes
·
View notes
cw suicide mention & imagery
original play idea where people seem to live their normal lives but the audience gets the feeling that something’s wrong, there’s a tension and there are things that obviously go unsaid that hang in the air between the characters uncomfortably long enough until the last member of the audience has filled in the blanks in their own way.
there is a figure off to the side, a very young man in a suit, watching them, unmoving and silent, and as the scenes and progress, as characters leave and appear, as the setting changes, the young man is always there. no one interacts with him, but there are moments when they almost do. when the characters stop what they’re doing when they stand close to him, and appear to listen. but there’s nothing.
the sound of TV news reports, all playing over each other, create an uncanny and uncomfortable buzzing that never, never stops, and there are too many to really make out the words. they get more silent the closer they get to the young man in the suit, quieting down to nothing when they stand by him to listen — but the characters seem unaware of the change. so does the young man, statuesque though he is.
then there’s a little girl, covered in dirt, her hair askew, her cheeks rosy — the image of having spent the day outside, playing in the dirt, a smile on her face, her eyes big, as she skips towards the young man and asks, “can we go now? can we play?”
the young man cards his hands through her hair and says, “you go ahead, i’ll be right there.”
but still he stays there, seated.
everything continues as before, but the characters slowly undergo a complete change in character, in routine, in appearance. the old man who wore suits is not dressed in sweats and old, worn out, dirty shirts. the sweet, kindhearted young adult is now quiet and apathetic. the woman who, in the beginning, was talking her friend’s ear off and could barely stand still is unmoving now, staring out into nothingness.
the buzzing and bustling background noise is slowly, gradually getting louder as the characters become increasingly nonverbal and unmoving. the lights dim down.
then all at once, after a crescendo, the noise stops suddenly, the lights turn off completely, before, with warm, yellow light, a woman we’ve seen before — as she stares into nothingness — appears on the stage, slowly approaching the young man as if unsure of her body but undeniable in her grace.
they smile at each other for a moment.
m, whispering: you’re not supposed to be here, not yet
w, cradling his cheeks: i was always supposed to be here long, long before you
m: i know. i’m sorry, i—
w: i know. i forgive you. i’ve always forgiven you
m, after a while: but not yourself
the woman shakes her head.
w: a mother will never forgive herself for burying her child, and a father will forgive himself even less. (a beat) you have such a handsome face.
m: it’s not your fault
w: so beautiful, those eyes, i’ve missed you so much
m: listen to me, it’s not your fault!
w: and your hair! papa would be so glad to know that—
m: mother. mama. listen to me. it’s not your fault
w, tearful and whispering: you were supposed to be fine. you were always supposed to be fine. it was never supposed to be this bad, we were supposed to help, but—
m: i know. i tried, i really did. both times
in that moment, the little girl comes skipping on stage again, approaching them with her wagging ponytail.
g: what are you doing here, mama? will you play with me now? it’s been so long!
the woman gasps, her tears getting the better of her as she falls to her knees and pulls the girl to her chest, who readily returns the hug
w, sobbing, kissing her cheek: hi, baby. yes, i’ll play with you, of course i will. let’s go.
the young man helps his mother up, allowing her to pull him into a hug, and she whispers: “as much as i love her with all my heart, i’m so proud of the young man you’ve grown into. and now i have you both, just as i always did.”
the young man brushes a kiss to her cheek, then lets her go, watching as his mother disappears with the little girl.
m: i have to stay a while. i’ll follow you soon.
(woman and girl, hand in hand, exeunt)
the lights dim, and the buzzing returns, accompanied by the sound of dragging footsteps the audience cannot see, until everything’s back in total darkness. the noise stays. growing louder in increments, leaving the audience uncomfortable and unsure if this was it.
as they quiet down, we hear a man, sobbing uncontrollably, before eerie silence takes his place, too.
the curtain falls.
43 notes
·
View notes