We're the Punks of America
*Warning: Video contains explicit language/scenes*
The birth of punk music was an explosive one. Motivated by the shared frustrations of forgotten members of society, it was a fast burning outlet with a scornful sound.
The high intensity and energy of punk can be credited to the majority teenage participants. Loud, aggressive, vulgar and carefree, a calm punk gig was an oxymoron. Bands and audience members had no problem cursing, spitting, and throwing things around venues. The sheer violence at shows and in lyrics was strangely mirrored by the fierce respect and love that "punks rockers" had for one another. Usually standing out with ripped or leather clothing, dyed hair, piercings and thick attitudes, finding a fellow punk was a simple task.
In many situations, a punk was more likely to fall in line with a stranger at a concert rather than their own family. This kind of comradery can be traced by the common hatred for elitist government rule and social stratification. Although the ideologies of punks varied, all dealt with non-conformity to expected roles. These principles often resulted in isolation from "everyday" people, not because of the beliefs themselves but because of the way they were displayed.
The earliest recognized place for the punk scene was 80s UK, where the Thatcher era created socioeconomic rifts. Low-class citizens suffered from layoffs and mistreatment. Blue collar workers, such as coal miners, frequently took the streets in protest. Often they were met with government protest in the form of tear gas and batons. The arrival of punk was a protest to end them all. A way to support those who fought for their rights while simultaneously rejecting their work along with the politicians and upper-class. Any part of the system was still the system.
Young Americans experienced this similarly and many gravitated towards the styles and music of the scene. Rock was already popular in the states, but this sub-genre was a different playing field with a different set of rules. A different goal. Fitting in didn't matter. Punk wasn't the thing to be. It was raunchy, messy, dangerous, a cacophony of chaos that beckoned anyone restless enough to need it.
Oxford dictionary defines a counterculture as a way of opposing social norms and it is clear that the punk movement fits into this criteria. But does modern punk do the same?
As addressed in the documentary Punks Not Dead, much of punk culture in the late 90s/early 2000s and so on, focused less on being a social statement like in the 80s. Punk styles were more accepted with stores like Hot Topic becoming staples in shopping malls. Punk music was more for a hobby than a means of separation from the outer world. Many of the physical aspects of punk stayed the same but the message behind it was less aggressively present.
The birth of punk music was an explosive one. Motivated by the shared frustrations of forgotten members of society, it was a fast burning outlet with a scornful sound.
The high intensity and energy of punk can be credited to the majority teenage participants. Loud, aggressive, vulgar and carefree, a calm punk gig was an oxymoron. Bands and audience members had no problem cursing, spitting, and throwing things around venues. The sheer violence at shows and in lyrics was strangely mirrored by the fierce respect and love that "punks rockers" had for one another. Usually standing out with ripped or leather clothing, dyed hair, piercings and thick attitudes, finding a fellow punk was a simple task.
In many situations, a punk was more likely to fall in line with a stranger at a concert rather than their own family. This kind of comradery can be traced by the common hatred for elitist government rule and social stratification. Although the ideologies of punks varied, all dealt with non-conformity to expected roles. These principles often resulted in isolation from "everyday" people, not because of the beliefs themselves but because of the way they were displayed.
The earliest recognized place for the punk scene was 80s UK, where the Thatcher era created socioeconomic rifts. Low-class citizens suffered from layoffs and mistreatment. Blue collar workers, such as coal miners, frequently took the streets in protest. Often they were met with government protest in the form of tear gas and batons. The arrival of punk was a protest to end them all. A way to support those who fought for their rights while simultaneously rejecting their work along with the politicians and upper-class. Any part of the system was still the system.
Young Americans experienced this similarly and many gravitated towards the styles and music of the scene. Rock was already popular in the states, but this sub-genre was a different playing field with a different set of rules. A different goal. Fitting in didn't matter. Punk wasn't the thing to be. It was raunchy, messy, dangerous, a cacophony of chaos that beckoned anyone restless enough to need it.
Oxford dictionary defines a counterculture as a way of opposing social norms and it is clear that the punk movement fits into this criteria. But does modern punk do the same?
As addressed in the documentary Punks Not Dead, much of punk culture in the late 90s/early 2000s and so on, focused less on being a social statement like in the 80s. Punk styles were more accepted with stores like Hot Topic becoming staples in shopping malls. Punk music was more for a hobby than a means of separation from the outer world. Many of the physical aspects of punk stayed the same but the message behind it was less aggressively present.
If one thing is certain is that Punk is esentially explosive! I remember how I loved the way punks would dress and act and it was a point where I went against the social norms of what was expected of me. I definitely agree in that while the ideaologies of punks varied, they all had a similar preference in non-comformity to the roles they were expected to play in their lives. These roles can differ from different people but it can most likely involve a role that limits or completely restricts their personality and ability to express themselves. It is when this era of punk music and this messy, dangerous, and explosive way of acting came to rise, many of these supressed young people took this punk way of releasing all of that supressed emotions and turn it into what it now known as Punk. It has definitely changed since then, but I believe its main roots are still shown today.
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