How do I know if I'm stilll punk?
There is a myth in punk culture that you can only be punk if you are dressing, smelling, and acting in a certain way. But once you are truly a punk, it is in your heart. It is beyond the appearance and living in a house with a million 40s on the porch. It is about a deep commitment to critical thinking and decolonizing your mind/heart/body. If you go all the way with punk, your politics will expand to the point that it doesnât even make sense to be a punk anymore. Early punk development is about rejecting things, saying âI donât fucking need you or your shitty system,â but later punk development is about embracing that you do have needs. It is about the radical act of loving, defying, creating, and surviving in a system that is terrible and finding something beautiful despite the terribleness of a white supremacist patriarchal capitalist landscape. And it comes out in your actions everyday of your life. So, is it still in your heart? Or are you watching your politics slowly plateau and fade away as you justify the exploitation of others? Only you can answer this question. - Mae Winters, ex-punk/still a punk





















