My punk friends felt like society’s outcasts. They
were from all over Southern California, coming from
many different schools, and were mostly in their teens
and early twenties. All my life, I had been a loner and felt like I did not fit in; however, now, I feel that I did belong.
Although my punk friends were mostly white, middle
class, and “privileged”, they were often tormented. Some
were ignored by their parents, gay, abused, or, like me,
just didn’t conform to society’s mold. We had trouble
doing what was expected of us and yearned to find a
better way to build a better world. For some, alcohol and
drugs filled a void and helped dull whatever pained them.
For others, the substances helped them feel accepted.
Me and a few others saw what excessive alcohol and
drugs were doing to our friends and opted not to partake.
This became the straight edge movement, popularized by
Washington D.C.’s Minor Threat, which featured a clear-
headed lifestyle punctuated by no alcohol, no drugs, and
no indiscriminate sex. Suddenly, nerds like me were cool.
The punk scene afforded me the first group of solid
friends I ever had.