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Punk ideologies

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Beginning in the late 1970s and continuing to the present, there has evolved a distinctive and largely cohesive system of thought associated with the punk subculture (often simply referred to as punk). The philosophy is concerned primarily with an individual's intrinsic right to the maximization of freedom and how best to encourage and live a less restricted lifestyle. Devotion to the abstract idea of freedom tends to create strong beliefs in concepts such as Individualism, anti-authoritarianism, political anarchism, free thought, and ethics among others. Punk ideology takes a hard view of the world because to a punk, most modern day societies place extensive and artifical limits unjustly on humanity as a whole. Not surprisingly, to a punk this is intolerable and rebellion against seemingly stifiling institutions comes naturally. Punk ideology usually achieves its expression through punk rock, punk zines, and spoken-word albums.

This article focuses on a perception of general punk ideology. For information on more specific types of punk ideologies see the section titled other punk ideologies. The rest of this article will use the word "punk" to refer to this generalized punk ideology or to a person who espouses this general take on punk ideology. Therefore, this article only provides a rough generalization of the philosophies of certain groups who identify themselves as punks and is not likely to completely represent the views of all or even the majority of those who do so.

History

Punk, since the mid-1970s, has been a movement of shock, rebellion and discontent. As time has progressed, punk has become an overt socio-political movement for some who identify themselves as punks. Bands like: MC5, Discharge, Avskum, Mob 47, Black Flag, The Stooges, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Crass, CPG, Conflict, Subhumans and many others helped to contribute to this ideological climate. In their lyrics, these bands expressed serious discontent with the systems and institutions that organize and control the world. They also offered analysis and potential solutions to the world's problems. This spirit is active to this day in punk music and has matured and expanded in its range.

Politics

The political ideology most often associated with punk is that of anarchism. A lot of punk activism has been done in support of anarchist goals. Whether a punk subscribes to anarchism or not, he or she almost certainly is discontent with his or her government. Punks are often very active in trying to change their governing political systems to some extent. When punks engage in activism their demands can usually be described as progressive. Despite the similarities punk may have with the left wing, many punks perceive the efforts of the left as ineffectual and sometimes just as objectionable as the right wing.

Not all punks are connected to anarchism, or have anarchist views. For example, Joe Strummer was a socialist, Michale Graves of The Misfits is a conservative and Ted Leo of Chisel is a liberal. However it's very clear that after anarchism, communism is most popular in the punk community. Also, certain offshoots of punk, like psychobilly and most garage/junk punk are apolitical.

Anti-authoritarianism

In punk thought, authority harms people to intolerable extremes. Punks see the police, the clergy, governments, and many other institutions as dangerous and despicable. Authority, punks believe, leads to corruption and abuse. Punk ideas concerning authority derive in part from the political ideology of anarchism. Police brutality and institutionalized discrimination against punks also account for this stance on authoritarianism.

See songs on authoritarianism.

Non-conformity

Conformity and non-conformity create one of the most misunderstood issues in Punk ideology. The real issue behind the Punk movement is freedom of thought, or thinking for one's self. In politics, this lead to a large population of free thinkers advocating anarchy; in music, to a new and unique sound. Conformity is viewed as dangerous social coercion because it is a method of forfeiting thought, which prevents people from seeing the true nature of society and forces people to be obedient to the desires of those who hold power be it of mainstream pop culture or the government. Non-conformity is then the result of punks thinking for themselves. However, a person who dresses like a punk and listens to punk music may simply be conforming to the punk movement, and is not truly a punk, for punk is a state of mind.


See songs on conformity.

Anti-militarism

Punk ideology uncompromisingly rejects the use of military force. To punks, the military is the most extreme form of authoritarianism. However, since not all punks, skins and indie kids are pacifists, others view self-defense as nature's way and will fight for a just cause by any means.

See songs on militarism.

Anti-capitalism

Related to the punk opposition to consumerism and "selling out" is the anarchist punk's explicit anti-capitalism. Anarcho-punk music draws heavily from anarchist political movements and theory in claiming that the wage slavery that workers must endure under capitalism is authoritarian, exploitative, unfulfilling, mind-numbing, and should be abolished. Some musicians within anarcho-punk advocate identifying one's self by what kinds of enjoyable, self-directed things one does, instead of by what kind of occupation as a wage slave one has. Anarcho-punk advocates anti-consumerism, DIY-survival (including dumpster diving, shoplifting, etc.), and occasionally destruction of corporate property as forms of direct action one can take to thwart and damage the capitalist system.

Some economists and political theorists, however, argue the DIY ethic that many punks and indie kids subscribe to is inherently capitalist. Some expand on this and argue that punk, despite its socialist, communist, or anarchist rhetoric, is really youth culture's equivalent of Thatcherism.

See also: Conservative Punk

Secularism and spirituality

The "Do It Yourself" philosophy means that many punks see spirituality as a private matter of choice, and take a dim view of religious evangelism and proselytizing.

Many punks claim a unique spirituality outside of mainstream religions (although sometimes based on philosophies such as Buddhism or Taoism), believing organized religion to be a form of authoritarianism which causes more problems for humanity to deal with than solutions. There are Christian punks who believe there is no contradiction in being punks and Christians, citing Christian anarchism as a case in point. In addition to those who self-identify as Christian, a number of punks claim a sort of "post-Christianity," referring to schools of modern Biblical criticism such as that of John Shelby Spong, John Dominic Crossan, et. al., which accepts the core moral or ethical message of the Golden Rule in the purported teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and other Christian writers (especially with reference to the various writings' socio-historical context), but rejects the supernatural elements of Chrisian tradition as anything other than metaphor. Punks with post-Christian inclination may be "ethnicly" Christian, but tend to have an equal respect for (as well as critical eye toward) practictioners of any of the world's major religions, acknowledging religion's importance as a component of world literature and history, while maintaining an agnostic or atheist worldview and believing in Jesus's teachings and theories. There are also practicing Muslim punks in Malaysia, who are involved in Straight Edge.

Other punks and indie kids are rationalistic atheists, who see spirituality as a social construct used as an agent of state control.

The lyrics to many punk songs lament the conformity that religion inspires and the authority of the Church. See songs on religion.

Anti-nationalism

Most left-wing punks are contemptuous of their governments and do not express a great deal of nationalism, patriotism or jingoism. Also, nationalism as devotion to one’s government conflicts with the anti-statism of anarchism. Punks often object to nationalism as providing governments with a means of unwarranted public support. Other punks view nationalism and the support of a particular government as two different acts, or, as writer and humorist Mark Twain put it, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

On the other hand, in many ex-soviet countries punks were right-wing. They played an important role in their country's nationalistic and anti-soviet movements. In the 1980s this was a way to protest soviet authority.

Media

Punks often portray the mass media as a dangerous instrument of social control. Television is, for the most part seen as a waste of time and a distraction from reality and healthier habits. Punk music often laments the commercialism, and the power interests that control the media. The Do It Yourself punk ethic is a reaction to this perceived imbalance of power in the media.

In the USA, a new form of highly political punks, who call themselves Individualist punks, believe that the media is used as a tool of government control. They argue that by only reporting the two leading parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, the media guarantees itself a win/win situation. They believe that Democrats and Republicans only share subtle differences in contrast to the rest of the political parties.

See songs on the media.

Environmentalism

Many punks are environmentalists. "While there will always be different opinions under the punk banner, the prominent environmental philosophy among punks closely resembles 'Deep Ecology'"*. This is a non-anthropocentric form of environmentalism, meaning that it is a philosophy that posits that humans are merely one of many species with no special importance.

See songs on environmentalism.

Vegetarianism, veganism, and animal rights

Some who identify themselves as punks see the exploitation of animals for food, clothing, and research as an extension of the oppression committed against humans. Many are also opposed to supporting multi-million dollar capitalist companies and industries which rely on the exploitation of animals for profit. Other punks unconcerned with the treatment of animals have also converted to vegetarian/veganism based on the fact that raising livestock destroys land and water resources. Some punks believe that the brutal way humans treat animals is psychologically connected to the way humans oppress each other. This is seen as a form of discrimination known as speciesism which is similar to racism, sexism and homophobia. Another animal rights issue that punks are concerned with is vivisection and other types of experimentation conducted on animals for cosmetic and medical purposes. These practices have prompted protests from the punk community and the creation of direct action organizations like the Animal Liberation Front. Many vegan punks are also involved in the straightedge movement, although they are not directly related.

See songs on vegetarians, veganism, and animal rights.

Aesthetics

Music

In its three decades of existence, punk music has evolved and mutated to create a diversity of sounds. Punks may now enjoy the earthy harmony of folk-punk, the nostalgic, but often still relevant anthems of 80s peace- and anarcho-punk, or the more abrasive offerings of hardcore punk, and its elaborate array of sub-genres (i.e. crust, grindcore, metalcore, thrash, power violence, etc.). In general, however, punk music is loud, fast, and usually didactic. The loud and fast sound is meant to express impatience, frustration, discontent, anger and aggression. The rhythm is often monotonous, but can in some cases be extremely erratic and complex.

Punk music intentionally defies the expectations listeners have from listening to popular music. Punks often accuse mainstream music of being insincere, watered down and overproduced, and thus inartistic. Punks believe the state of popular music reflects the major record labels' influence on artists, as well as artists' own desire for recognition and wealth overshadowing their creativity.

Fashion

In the mid-to-late 1970's and early 1980's, a very distinct Punk fashion became visible in the subculture. It expressed many of the things that punk music expressed: aggression, rebellion, and individualism. This use of fashion being used as a way to be shocking, may have been influenced in part by the Futurist. Original Punk clothes were also an example of polysemy, which was the appropriation of everyday items as clothing which changed the original meaning of the item. For example safety pins (now a punk cliche) and bin liners were often worn by some of the early punks. Early Punk styles have been linked to Dandyism as they can been seen to be concerned with making the body a work of art.

In the 1990's punk fashion was often regionally diverse, with distinctive East and West coast images. West coast American style became more aligned with a loose, surfer-esqe fashion, while in Midwest and Eastern America, the style was more prim in alignment with indie. In 90s Britain, punk was and still is largely a youth phenomena, and reflecting the social circles of the time punk fashion sometimes mixed with metal and nu metal styles. The examples of this are band hoodies and baggy trousers. The street punk or straight punk fashion of leather, chains, patches, mohawk and boots still persists as a distinctive fashion which generally represents (or tries to represent) a punk identity which is still aligned with the spirit of '77.

While the new punk fashions can be said to be apolitical and a marketed identity, they still are valuable tools in making a statement. The statement is less political and more individualistic, but it serves a tool for constructing affiliation and difference in society. Though this is based more on cultural differences than ideological.

Punks often have many body piercings and tatoos, some of which are politically oriented. As the punk movement matured, fashion became less important as punk ideas became more so. The worldwide scale of punk as an industry in itself allows for blending of the various fashions and regional distinctivity of fashion is blurred. Punk itself has become a fashionable commodity, even outside the scene it is common to see punk artefacts such as the safety pin or the mohawk invoked in the name of a fashion detatched from the images it utilises. However, punks still use fashion today as a symbolic represtation for what they beleive in: It is very common for punks to wear bondage braclets and heavy chains which symbolize oppression and commonly bullet caseings are worn as a symbol of anti-military and police violence. Band T shirts also are popular.

A number of punks and indie kids wear vintage clothing, as partly an anti-consumerist statement, because it's inexpensive and it can be very stylish when a bit of thought is put into it. It also harks back to dandyism, as it can look very elegant if you choose the right outfit. A good example could be Kate Jackson from The Long Blondes, who wears vintage clothing on stage.

Even the mod revivalists incorporated subtle punk influences into their dress, especially as (at first) mod suits were very cheap secondhand.

Visual arts

Visual art is usually straightforward with a clear message. Album covers contain potent messages concerning social injustice, economic disparity, and images of suffering to shock and create a feeling of empathy in the viewer. Alternatively, they may contain images of selfishness, apathy, and other things that may provoke contempt in the viewer. Much of the earlier artwork was in black and white. This was because earlier art was distributed in fanzines created at copy shops.

Ethics

As explained in the other sections of this article, punk ideology sees the world as deeply corrupt. Because of this worldview, a distinct system of beliefs has emerged from the punk movement, which tries to explain the way people ought to behave in such a bleak world.

Non-conformity

As the section on conformity pointed out, punks see this social phenomenon as deceitful and coercive. Attempting to acquire a state of non-conformity is one of the most obvious of all punk attributes, though often the most difficult. The ideas punk holds so dear are always under attack by the youth of today who purely see punk as cool and not the meaningful way of changing society for the better real punks live by. The unique, and to many abrasive, sound of punk music expresses not only aggression and discontent but also a refusal to sound mainstream or to sound acceptable to a wide audience. Punk fashion was originally an expression of nonconformity with mainstream culture, as well as that of hippie counterculture.

See songs on Non-Conformity.

Do It Yourself (DIY)

In the late 1970s, the punk movement was operating in an environment controlled by outside influences. Because this impinged on the freedom of the movement, people in the punk scene began creating their own record companies, organizing their own concerts, and creating their own print media. This became known as do it yourself, or DIY ethic. "Don't hate the media, become the media" is a famous motto for this movement.

Direct Action

Punks often participate in direct action to accomplish their desired goals. In addition to protests, boycotts and so forth, punks are also known for the use of what some may perceive as violence. More active and radical members of the community have been known to bomb gas stations, destroy animal research laboratories, alter billboards to include political messages and occupy abandoned buildings. Recently the phenomenon of hacktivism has been used as an additional method of sabotage. These acts are committed in an effort to create social change when it is known that the normal channels for change have been proven ineffective. Destruction of private property is often deemed acceptable by trendy skater kids as it conveys a cool message of disapproval without hurting people (see conformity). Because Punks tend to disdain materialism, the destruction of someone else's private possessions does not receive much sympathy. Private property itself, however, is much different from possessions.

See songs on direct action.

Never sell out

The issues surrounding the act of compromising one's ethical parameters in exchange for personal gain are of particular relevance to punk ideology and culture. Generally, selling out refers to any abandonment of personal and/or community values in exchange for some reciprocal gain, usually in the form of wealth, status, or power. However, due to the direct association between punk rock music and punk ideology, this issue has taken on a specific meaning unique to the punk rock community.

Because anti-establishment attitudes are such an important part of this version of punk ideology, a network of independent music labels, venues, and distributors has slowly come into existence (see Do It Yourself), allowing parties interested in the creation, distribution, and purchase of independently-produced punk music to opt out of the major label system. These networks bypass the traditional systems of content distribution, which are controlled by a small number of large corporations who many feel stifle creative initiative and marginalize the concepts presented in punk ideology.

Often, up-and-coming or long-established punk artists will choose to break from this independent system and work within the established system of major record labels, incurring criticism from within the punk community. Some argue that through their choice, these artists have betrayed their communities and that as punk artists; their creative integrity is necessarily compromised. However, many artists have defended their actions, arguing that working through the major label system is a necessary evil to allow for the widest propagation of their artistic message. The band Chumbawamba is well known for using this justification when they signed on with the major label EMI.

Other times, it could be either a natural artistic progression from punk to prog rock (for example, or mainstream pop), or even realising that punk has its limitations and that a punk/indie kid has to change tack.

Selling out also has the secondary meaning of adopting a conservative, mainstreamn lifestyle and ideology. It could even be as a result of disillusionment that a punk "sells out". A good example of disillusionment would be Garry Bushell's shift from socialism to the right.

See songs on selling out.

Criticisms of punk ideology

Punk is critical of the state of society, whether or not it is Hardline, Nazi Punk or Queercore. However, punk has been criticized, both from outside and from within. From within, The Anarcho Punk legends, Crass wrote songs critical of the punk movement itself. Examples include "White Punks on Hope", which accuses Joe Strummer of selling out and betraying his socialist principles. "Punk is Dead" attacks corporate co-option, while "Tribal Rival Rebel Revel" is critical of punks resorting to violence to resolve their differences.

Jello Biafra accused Maximum RocknRoll of what he calls "punk fundamentalism" when they refused to advertise Alternative Tentacles records, saying that "They weren't punk". He even likened this to the mindset of Christian fundamentalists, hence the name.

From outside, punk ideology has been criticized by people like Jim Goad. In his essay, "The Underground is A Lie!", he claims that many punks are hypocrites. That they act poor, while hiding the fact that a significant number come from middle class backgrounds. He also argues that punk is as outdated and obsolescent as the mainstream, saying:

"The mainstream's models of reality are clunky and obsolete, just like yours."

He expands on this in "Farts from Underground", where he argues that the DIY ethic never produces anything original. Instead, Goad argues, it just allows poor quality work to be championed. He also says that it allows for bitching, factionalism and back biting. In this case, between rival punk ideologies. He argues that in being politicized and propagandist, punk contributes to a model of "alternative culture" that is blander than the mainstream.

Another external criticism of punk comes from Aristasians, who argue that punk accomplishes nothing but kicking the moldering corpse of the establishment that no longer existed after 1965. They call this "The Doctrine of The Cardboard Enemy", arguing that the more punks rebel against the status quo, the more they become a part of it. In an interview with a punk/indie fanzine, their media representative, Marianne Martindale, posited the question:

"Where did this anti-establishment establishment come from?"

implying that punk is as much a part of the mainstream as what it claims to oppose. Put simply: by declaring oneself non-conformist, one conforms to a societal norm (see also Conformist Rebellion, as well as The Rebel Sell).

Another criticism of punk from within is from Conservative Punk, which argues that punks have become "hippies with mohawks". Despite the punk movement being a response to the ethos and ideals of the hippie subculture.

Other punk ideologies

Punk is typically seen as having an affinity with radical left-wing or progressive politics, but there are several important exceptions to this. In fact, punk can take a wide range of ideological extremes, some of which are far right and in complete opposition to the left-wing norm. Nazi Punk, for example, is a nationalistic, fascist and racist ideology.

Hardline punks associate with progressive ideologies like deep ecology, straight edge, animal liberation, but also have a strong affiliation with traditional Abrahamic religion. Straight Edge punk takes a strong stance against drug abuse and for sexual abstinence.

Riot grrrls are punks and indie kids who are affiliated with third wave feminism, wishing to challenge the sexism in the indie scene. They advocate female autonomy, through women only record labels and gigs, but also support gay rights. They also have connections with the queercore movement, which challenges the elitism and snobbery in "gay culture", while challenging stereotypes of homosexuals at large.

Oi! Punk aligns itself with the working class and is sometimes seen as racist and at other times as anti-racist. Many people involved in oi! are involved with socialism and the trade union movement, but others are connected to the Neo-Nazi ideology (see Rock Against Communism). Oi bands sometimes have songs about drinking football and drinking, as well as ones about unemployment, working class pride and racial unity.

Conservative Punks ascribe to a punk lifestyle but reject the typical leftist views of other punks. Streetpunks are often seen as a reaction to middle-class punks and are thought to have a tribalist mentality.

List of punk ideologies

People involved in punk ideology

Liberals

Socialists and communists

Anarchists

Straight edgers

Conservatives

Others

See also

Summary

Since the mid 1970s, punk has been in the political crossfire between left and right. From the clashes between The Socialist Workers Party and The National Front trying to claim punk as its own, to the fragmentation of today, one thing is clear: There is no one punk ideology, but several competing ideas of what constitutes "real punk" in conflict with each other.

The fact that there are even offshoots of punk that are apolitical like Psychobilly, Death rock, Death Pop, emo, the Mod revival, Punk blues, Deathcountry, garage punk and Cuddlecore is testimony to the broad scope of the punk movement.

On The Decline Of Man

On Government

On conformity

On authoritarianism

On conspiracy theories

On drug legalization

On racism and homophobia

On concerns of totalitarianism

On vegetarians, veganism and animal rights

On heroes

On consumerism

On work

On militarism

Books and essays on Punk ideology

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