I would guess that everyone involved in Hardcore for a significant amount of time has some injury story. At least people engaging in the physical portion of hardcore (which, IMO, is kinda the whole deal). I see the whole ecosystem a lot like skateboarding. Where the inherent danger and possibility of injury is what makes it so exciting. If there was no possibility of getting hurt while skateboarding, the rush of pulling off something exciting wouldn’t be nearly as high. And, the bigger you go, the higher the probability and severity of that injury comes along to match.
Hardcore is supposed to be dangerous. People have to get hurt. There has to be a credible threat of danger for the system to work, just like in skateboarding. Some sub-genres this is more true than others, but anywhere location where there is moshing and stage diving, there is a chance for bodily injury. I don’t think this is a bad thing. I’m very much about it. Let’s talk about why.
disclaimer: I’ll be using “femme” and “women” interchangeably in this article, same with “men” and “masc”. I know these aren’t always necessarily the same thing, but for the purposes of this article, I’ll be meaning people identifying In male and non-male ways.
It seems that the mainstream never really has a stomach for any kind of real violence. The corporate tendrils of greedy investors comes for all subculture. If there is something marketable, there will always be people lined up to squeeze as much money out of that thing as possible. Just like firing some gunshots out of your window keeps your property values down, the violence and danger inherent to the subculture has largely kept the main stream out of real hardcore. When you take a look at the bands that have broken the barrier, or at big corporate festivals for bands from 20 years ago, the pits are very tame by a normal hardcore show standards. The more public appeal that these bands have, the less of a stomach for danger you’ll see with the bands crowds. This is quite literally what keeps the normies away, is the fear of some bruises or some blood. If that keeps things DIY and free of any corporate influence, I’m all for it.
I’m sure you’ve seen the video from Charlottesville in 2017, and street skuffs between Neo-Nazis and Antifa before and after then. I believe that some level of political violence is inevitable in the US, as long as fascists exist. And with the current administration, the emboldening is very apparent. Essentially, there are 3 scenarios for the rise of fascism correlating to street violence in this country, and you. Either 1. The fascists will fight with people in the streets, and the people will win. You didn’t have to fight. 2. The fascists will fight people in the streets, and your are fighting with them. 3. The fascist will fight people in the street, and they will win. They will eventually end up at your house. (lets be honest, if you’re reading this blog, no matter what flavor of white you are, you will be on a target list for not falling in line).
2 out of 3 of these scenarios see you in altercations with fascists. These fascists will want you dead, and they are not going to be nearly as kind as people at hardcore shows.
If you talk to people in hardcore, even the ones that beat the most ass, you’ll find that most of them are nice or kind people. There’s generally no real malice in what they’re doing, they’re just playing a very rough game. If someone get’s hurt, generally the same person will check on you to make sure you’re ok, or at least not be opposed to talking to you after the show.
Being used to getting hit takes practice. If you get in a fight having absolutely no training or experience, getting hit can be very jarring. I think getting knocked around at hardcore shows can help harden you in situations where things won’t be in as friendly of an environment. Hell, if may even be an good step on the path to being prepared to fight fascism, or other people you may encounter that might really wish you harm.
Getting hit hurts. Getting hurt is unpleasant, but I don’t think we asp people generally should fear pain. It’s just a sensory receptor in your body letting you know something is happening. And understanding what pain is something you can learn to ignore, which pain is serious will serve you well in life, outside of the setting of an altercation.
This might be a more personal thing, but I honestly kinda like feeling a little bit of pain. You might see this as masochism or something, but It just genuinely makes me feel a little more alive. I am straight edge, so when someone clocks me in the face, I feel that 100%. I let myself fully feel that strike, and it’s a reminder that this is a real experience. This isn’t some movie or curated experience like an escape room or a theme park. This is something 100% real, happening to me right now. This is what being a person can really feel like, apart from the things that everyone is always trying to sell you. I know this feeling wasn’t manipulated out of me by some person or corporation that wants something from me. Getting kicked in the chest or punched in the head is a genuine, 100% real experience, that can’t really be replicated in any other setting.
So, I had a little altercation tonight, and I think it’s probably a good idea to make my stance on the subject know. I believe in everyone’s bodily autonomy. I believe that if anyone wants to do anything with their bodies, that they should be allowed. And that includes doing things and entering spaces that are dangerous. I believe that everyone, Man, Woman, and one in between on the gender spectrum should be allowed to engage in spaces and situations that are dangerous if they choose to. I do not see femmes as people who are less than in this regard. I think if someone femme presenting wants to engage in the happenings at a hardcore show, they should be allowed to, without mascs trying to keep them out of harms way for their own safety. And, as I stated before, coming to a hardcore show is inherently dangerous. That’s kindof the whole point.
Personally, I’ve had so many strong women in my life. From age 7 to age 16, my martial arts instructor was a woman, and would routinely kick my ass in sparing matches. She was a huge inspiration on me showing the strength that women could have. I’ve had countless woman friends in hardcore that do not want anyone protecting them from people crowd killing or stage diving. Plenty of women who mosh, some harder than the men in the room. Just like you shouldn’t exclude women from skateboarding because of the possibility of bodily injury, I don’t think you should do that with hardcore shows either. Everyone should have the freedom to enter this space and feel the same sensations as everyone else. I think denying femmes of this part of the subculture is really robbing them of what one of the things that makes it so powerful.
I feel the same way about younger kids in attendance. I started going to hardcore shows when I was 15. I was moshing as hard as I could back then, and dealing with 20 to 30 year olds in the space twice my size. But it was a space where I had bodily autonomy, where I felt like most of what I could do with my body was dictated for me. Being able to put myself in that situation, though quite dangerous, was freeing. It gave me a lot of confidence in my own autonomy and the power that I could have in my regular life. Yeah, I got beat around on. Even got knocked out once. But I feel wrong denying that experience to someone that really needs the same environment that I did.
This article is not an endorsement of violence against women at hardcore shows. If you’re going around and exclusively or mostly targeting women while moshing or stage diving, hoax-kicking, ect, you are just doing the patriarchy again. Violence at hardcore should never be malicious, or with the intention of hurting anyone. Bruises and cuts are to be expected, but if you want to actually hurt someone, go square up in the parking lot. I would think that any woman wanting to be involved in this part of hardcore would expect the same treatment as any other man in the same setting. If not, you stand in the back with all of the other people also not wanting to be involved.
I have never moshed, or acted on stage with the intention of seriously injuring anyone. Yeah, I’ve kicked my share of people in the chest, thrown my feet and fists into crowds, and stage dove and even head walked back when that was the style. But my only intention is keeping hardcore dangerous for anyone that wants to be involved. And if you’re in the front or around the pit, I’m going to assume that’s you. I’ve got no intention of doing any serious damage. I’m sure you can ask most of the people that I’ve made contact with (there are many) and they would not report any lasting damage to their body, nothing that didn’t heal in a couple days at most.
I really believe that hardcore is for anyone. And that we are stronger when we don’t separate ourselves out by the same divides that those in power would benefit from. I believe that women can have strength through this subculture, and that depriving them of the same formative experiences that men can have in this space is detrimental to our subculture as a whole. I think that hardcore should be dangerous, and that people should be a little afraid, and get a little bruised and scraped up. I also think that truly malicious violence in hardcore should be reserved for those who need to be taken out of the scene.
I would probably be living on the street, trying to live if it wasn’t for the family I’ve made in hardcore. Every hit that I get reminds me that these bonds can’t be broken through pain. Even with all the danger and injuries, I won’t change a thing, and I would never want to deprive anyone that feels the same way I do to be deprived of these experiences.
