seeing so many people claiming to be punk after the superman movie came out was genuinely such a frustrating time
also a problem i think has gotten worse is that people are finding alternative labels first and then kinda morphing themselves into that. thats why it frustrates me sm when i see people in comment sections asking "can i do this if im punk?" "can i still be goth if i do this?" etc etc, because instead of just living your life how you do and then discovering that you align with a subculture by enjoying certain music, having certain political beliefs and outlook, fashion and lifestyle, people are discovering the label first and then researching how to *become* that. theyll find the music, the politics, the clothes, the lifestyle, the books etc and kind of construct themselves around that
and then you get these people complaining about "rules" in subcultures. like bro your subculture shouldnt feel restrictive, you shouldnt feel like youre having to change/modify yourself to fit the label, you shouldnt feel like youre checking if youre "punk enough" or "goth enough" or whatever. it should give you the freedom to express yourself. and if your self expression doesnt align with the subculture, then its not yours
and its ironic that so many alternative subcultures were born out of non conformity too