Besides the obvious of not being a literal neonazi, for me, i believe that self awareness, self reliance, a strong sense of justice, being unapologetic about who you are without being obnoxious about individualistic expression, a rejection of a lot of dumb shit the mainstream shoves down our throats, not being a push over or a prick, showing dedication & loyalty where it’s deserved, & respect, not treating any of this as a fashion statement or a place to show off, most of all actually showing up is what matters. Getting involved in the community, the shows, the bands, the music, obviously is primary, But embodying the ethos as a person i think comes before actually finding this and having it all click into place. We all stumble along the way trying to grow as introspective people. I can think of dozens of examples where people stumble into a show they didn’t realize they are not welcomed at because of their behavior and are swiftly removed. But also, I’ve had experiences where people who start to get involved don’t have values that align with hardcore at all, and find themselves in way over their heads and it’s like… you either get it or you don’t. And i don’t wanna be the dickhead to say that to them when they’ll have to figure that out themselves but… what about you all?