If we are going to talk music, then lets talk music. I used the phrase ska "scene" because before it was popularized on MTV and commercialized in saturn adds, there actually was a very rich, vibrant midwest ska scene. The music, in addition to its intrinsic value, had a powerful message of racial unity and social conscience--hence the checkers and black and white suits. While some may think "skanking" to be hilarious, i find jumping around with glo sticks whilst on x to be a silly form of dancing. My point was that as ska became more popularized, trendy little high schoolers who knew little about the music, its jamacian/british roots, or its message swarmed venues because of a few popular MTV videos and "diluted" the scene. I'm not one of these "i liked it before you did so you suck,"---but I also hate little trendy teenie boppers who listen to music simply because its popular and have no clue about its culture or roots. After 1996, many shows became cross-over shows with EMO bands opening for the flavor-of-the month MTV ska band. Dance halls that used to be populated with a racially diverse mix of rudies and skins skanking together now turned into pseudo jock mosh fests with self-loathing, depressed 16-old suburbanite girls crying because someone grabbed them while they got body passed and kids like the one in the picture crying because someone kicked him in the mosh pit or made fun of their reel big fish t-shirt.

The picture simply reminded me of a scene i witnessed countless times where some skinny crybaby teenie booper who was pissed at their parents doned a pair of cheap plaid pants from goodwill toped with a weezer shirt got their a$$ kicked at a ska show.

I could care less whether anyone here likes my music---i listened to ska before it was popular in the 90s, still listen to it now and plan to be around for the fifth wave revival.