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Rubyee · 05-25-2004, 07:28 AM

You know, this whole PUNK thing is a real sore spot for me. I love punk music, and it is always my number one genre. I love the old school punk, and some of the early and late 90's punk, and I agree that this new-age MTV punk pretty much sucks ass. One of my favorite bands is the Anti-Nowhere League, second to the Sex Pistols, if you must know.

Now, on to more pressing issues. What is "A" punk? There is no such thing. See, the whole punk mentality revolves around a few key issues.

1) A true punk does not care what others think of him.
2) He has disrespect for anyone who abuses power. If the power is used correctly, he has no problem with it.
3) A punk holds respect for the opinions of others, though he may not agree with them, as long as the others hold respect for his opinions, as well.

See, to be considered a punk is a very contradictory thing. Most people that are considered to be punk today wear the band tee-shirts, the wrist cuffs, the spiked jewelry; basically anything out of Hot Topic. They dress to stand out. If these people truly were punk, they wouldn't have to feel that they needed to stand out, because if they truly didn't care what others thought of them they would not want to stand out. Dressing to make yourself stand out in a crowd is a classic behavior example of caring what other people think of you (and this is different than standing out because you actually like the clothes, which is rarely done). Just to show that I am not condescending, I will be the first to admit that in the beginning, that is why I dressed to stand out- to show my contempt for the people who dressed like a herd. Now, I do a combination of the herd/standing out look.

So many people think they are punk because they disrespect all kinds of authority, and because they want anarchy (in the UK). Well, they aren't then. When the movement started, punks were only acting out against authority because they were abusing their power. It got blown to proportion to the point of hating all authority.

Also, the image of punk has turned into a very negative image due to "punks" becoming stuck up. Scenes like the one found in SLC Punk where they beat up the hicks are what cause that. Don't get me wrong, I love that movie. In the past, a true punk respected the opinions of others, even if they differed from his own. He didn't hate people just because they thought differently. That would be closer to a nazi than a punk. But, once again, time changes things.

I guess my point is that the true punk has died and turned into a spoiled brat who if he can't have his way, will wear different clothing and rebel against anything- be it ridiculous or not. A true punk could be anyone, regardless of what music they listened to or how many old school bands they could name or how many pairs of Chuck Taylors they owned (and how torn up they are). A "true punk" is someone who fits all of the guidelines I mentioned above, regardless of what they listen to.

In my opinion.

05-25-2004, 07:28 AM	#30 (permalink)
Rubyee I'm baaaaack!	You know, this whole PUNK thing is a real sore spot for me. I love punk music, and it is always my number one genre. I love the old school punk, and some of the early and late 90's punk, and I agree that this new-age MTV punk pretty much sucks ass. One of my favorite bands is the Anti-Nowhere League, second to the Sex Pistols, if you must know. Now, on to more pressing issues. What is "A" punk? There is no such thing. See, the whole punk mentality revolves around a few key issues. 1) A true punk does not care what others think of him. 2) He has disrespect for anyone who abuses power. If the power is used correctly, he has no problem with it. 3) A punk holds respect for the opinions of others, though he may not agree with them, as long as the others hold respect for his opinions, as well. See, to be considered a punk is a very contradictory thing. Most people that are considered to be punk today wear the band tee-shirts, the wrist cuffs, the spiked jewelry; basically anything out of Hot Topic. They dress to stand out. If these people truly were punk, they wouldn't have to feel that they needed to stand out, because if they truly didn't care what others thought of them they would not want to stand out. Dressing to make yourself stand out in a crowd is a classic behavior example of caring what other people think of you (and this is different than standing out because you actually like the clothes, which is rarely done). Just to show that I am not condescending, I will be the first to admit that in the beginning, that is why I dressed to stand out- to show my contempt for the people who dressed like a herd. Now, I do a combination of the herd/standing out look. So many people think they are punk because they disrespect all kinds of authority, and because they want anarchy (in the UK). Well, they aren't then. When the movement started, punks were only acting out against authority because they were abusing their power. It got blown to proportion to the point of hating all authority. Also, the image of punk has turned into a very negative image due to "punks" becoming stuck up. Scenes like the one found in SLC Punk where they beat up the hicks are what cause that. Don't get me wrong, I love that movie. In the past, a true punk respected the opinions of others, even if they differed from his own. He didn't hate people just because they thought differently. That would be closer to a nazi than a punk. But, once again, time changes things. I guess my point is that the true punk has died and turned into a spoiled brat who if he can't have his way, will wear different clothing and rebel against anything- be it ridiculous or not. A true punk could be anyone, regardless of what music they listened to or how many old school bands they could name or how many pairs of Chuck Taylors they owned (and how torn up they are). A "true punk" is someone who fits all of the guidelines I mentioned above, regardless of what they listen to. In my opinion. __________________ You don't know from fun.