July 25, 2023 - Striking stuntman Mike Massa walks in the SAG-AFTRA picket line while on fire. [video]
So, so, so badass. What a chillingly powerful message this sends. People have been lighting themselves on fire as a form of protest for centuries, but this might be the first time it’s been done by a professional who knows what he’s doing while under the supervision of professionals who know what they’re doing.
not as an act of self-destruction but as a display of skill
logically I know that a cool and simple way to do Punk Fashions is to go buy something from a thrift store and modify it/add patches/do what I want
but also
i feel bad???? going to thrift stores and taking stuff??? like what if someone else who liked the item as is/needed said item more than me misses out because I wanted to buy a jean vest to beat up and do bad first-timer embroidery and patches on
I’m having the same dilemma about modifying stuff I already own 😭 like what if someone in my buy nothing group could’ve used it as is?
I mean, as a baby punk who also has yet to modify her own clothes (because for the most part all I’ve got is graphic tees and hoodies), if you already own it then I think modifying it to suit your needs/wants is fine?
Like the way I’d think of it at that point is, if you’d use it more post-modifications, instead of it sitting in a drawer or in part of the closet you don’t look at, that’s already an improvement? Idk if that makes sense but homie I am encouraging you to go for it
Yall are allowed to find and create joy in your lives.
Whoever yelled at you for like, eating the last bite of food at a party (cause some nebulous “someone” might have wanted it more) was wrong to do so.
Whoever taught you to feel guilt over using resources to create joy and express yourself was WRONG
Buying thrift clothing is giving that clothing a home and giving yourself an opportunity to create.
You aren’t stealing from someone else! The person who donated it wanted it to be used.
Using your own things isn’t depriving someone of your things, my sweethearts.
Please try letting yourselves create, make messes, take up space, express yourselves and use resources.
You aren’t mugging someone or doing violence or even being rude by buying thrift clothes, or using your own items.
You’ve been taught to feel guilt over using resources.
The thing is, we need to “waste” resources to create and practice art. But it isn’t a waste! It created something and enriched a life!
Be brave and spit at the memory of those who tell you to be ashamed. That’s punk!
All of that!!!!! But also– and this may sound harsh, and I’m sorry, I’m pressed for time and can’t think of how to gentle this without getting my point across– holy shit, you’re allowed to exist for yourself, without sacrificing your desires on the altar of the imaginary people your brain makes up to worry about because you were taught ‘you aren’t important enough to do the things you want just because you want them.’
And like, maybe I am off-base and wildly out of line here, but I’ve had these thoughts and it took me A LOT of therapy to kill them. Even if this isn’t applicable to the folks upthread, I’m hoping it’ll be useful for another person who stumbles across it, because– oh, my god. “What if someone else, what if someone else.” Dude, why is this hypothetical someone else more important than you? Why do you think it is YOUR job to take care of this imaginary maybe-person’s wants, as if they can’t do that for themself?
If– IF– someone wanders in who could have used that thing more, here’s what will happen. One: they’ll think they never missed anything. They’ll have no idea. Two: they will find a different thing! Maybe something that they like more, that they would have missed if they had found your thing and stopped there! you don’t know! Why is your desire only a potential detriment to the people around you, instead of a potential blessing? Why is your desire not allowed to simply exist in neutrality? Who taught you that? It’s wrong!!!!
As for stuff you already own…good lord, it’s yours! Do what you want with it, someone may still want it when you’re done! I have a friend who modifies her clothes with patches and paint and I’d snap it up in a heartbeat. And if nobody does, that doesn’t mean it was all worthless, it just means you made it yours and gave yourself an experience, as the person immediately upthread from me noted. Why is that not worth it?
No, seriously, why do you think you’re not worth it?
“What if someone else.” Here’s a radical concept: what if you?!
What if you treated yourself with the respect you deserve, and let yourself be important to you? That thing in the shop is there for someone who wants it. You are someone who wants it. Why isn’t that enough?
Fuck whoever made y'all think you aren’t important enough for your desires. You ARE worth it. Everyone is. Capitalism thrives on killing our self-worth so it can sell us shit and keep us in line, don’t buy into it! Be punk! Treat yourself like you matter! Because you do matter!
I wanted to add, as someone who’s worked in reuse & makes it a habit to go to community swaps – there is always more than enough to go around!!! Our society as is produced soooo much waste. Thrift stores regularly have to trash items because there just isn’t room.
The non-profit I worked at was specifically dedicated to reuse as a major strategy of environmental justice. I’ve never seen the commitment to reuse and repurposing like the staff there had, and we STILL had to stuff things in the dumpster every week.
If you’re worried about using resources and prioritizing your needs is hard for you, reframe it. Thrifting things does not deprive others of resources, it only reduces how much stuff ends up in a landfill.
(I think there might be a /few/ exceptions. I’m aware there’s often very limited selections of plus size clothing, so that might be something to avoid if you’re thin/smaller-bodied.
Where I live in the US, mobility aids were available in different degrees. Wheelchairs and wheelchair parts were scarce and in high demand, but underarm crutches abounded. I’m not sure if this would vary regionally, so my advice would be if youre interested in repurposing parts from mobility aids, talk to a staff member first about how often they see equipment like that come through.)
As somebody who actually *works* in a thrift store, let me add to this.
Literally the only thing I can think of being less okay with people taking to modify if it’s not directly meant to be work are indeed plus sized clothes. Like the previous addition also said! Why? Because if you’re plus sized, buying clothes can be harder. My thrift has a decent plus sized section and it’s one place I personally wouldn’t browse for… say, black pants to cut into patches.
Otherwise please go wild. Please buy the jewelry to take apart into chains and beads. Please buy that shirt with the fun pattern and use it for fabric. Please cut up the belts and bag straps for hardware and get a funky hat while you’re at it.
We’ll get another denim vest tomorrow and we’re drowning in jeans. I’ve seen 20 pairs come through when I sorted clothing in 3 hours, I swear. But you might not buy the cool vest if you feel too guilty about using the store for its intended purpose!
i know we’re all sick of self-care being a marketing tactic now, but i don’t think a lot of us have any other concept of self-care beyond what companies have tried to sell us, so i thought i’d share my favorite self-care hand out
brought to you by how mad i just got at a Target ad
One thing about researching world around you is that it becomes a bit friendlier once you know it better. If you see a random spider- you get scared. You see plants and consider them just weeds. You look at night sky and see a bunch of stars.
And then, you learn names.
Now, it is an orbweaver, and you consider them a friend. The greenery around is a laurel, or an alium, or osmanthus, andyou know which of them to keep away from, and which of them are great herbs for tea. Now, you look up and see a whole parade of Venus, Ursa Major, or Orion. You now know their names, and, if you respect them- they become allies of yours.
one of the reasons why “what if people went on a road trip and it was weird” is one of the oldest story types is that a lot of sense of personhood has been, historically, tied to place. the weird road trip says “what if we went somewhere else, where no one knows us, and tried out being a different person”.
Odysseus, the famous liar, goes on a weird road trip & over the course of it becomes several different people, and then comes home & is all those people as well as himself, wearing the echoes of those other people
What’s that quote? There are only two kinds of stories: a man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.
Not parasocial love nor parasocial hate but a secret third thing where I respect the celebrity for their talents and achievements while acknowledging that I do not have a personal relationship with them and that they are a human with flaws
Thank you for acknowledging that parasocial hate is just as weird as parasocial love. You don’t know them. Stop speculating about them actually being horrible.
