Punk ideologies

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Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture that began in the late 1970s.

In its original nature, punk culture is concerned primarily with an individual's perceived right to freedom. Devotion to the idea of freedom tends to create strong beliefs in concepts such as individualism, anti-authoritarianism, political anarchism (though not necessarily), free thought, and ethics. Punk ideologies often have a critical view of the world, seeing modern day societies as placing extensive limits on humanity. Punk ideology usually achieves its expression through music, zines -- independently published literature, and spoken-word albums.

Punk culture originated as a movement of shock, rebellion, and discontent. From certain points-of-view, it has evolved into an overt socio-political movement. Bands like MC5, Discharge, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Crass, Conflict, The Sex Pistols,The Clash, and the Subhumans have helped to contribute to this ideological climate. Lyrically, punk bands express serious discontent with the systems and institutions that influence society. Some may hold the opinion that this spirit is active to this day in punk music and has matured and expanded in its range.

The political ideology most often associated with punk is that of anarchism, however others are often associated with other leftist ideologies, including left-liberalism, socialism and communism. Despite the similarities punk ideologies may have with the left-wing, some perceive the efforts of the left as ineffectual, and sometimes just as objectionable as the right-wing. Although not as common, various right-wing ideologies can also be found within punk culture, including libertarianism, conservatism and neo-Nazism. When engaging in activism, the demands made by punks can be described as progressive.

This article provides a rough generalization of the philosophies of individuals who identify themselves as punks, and doesn't completely represent the views of all of those who do so.

Political ideals

Anti-authoritarianism

Some punks see authority figures like the police, the clergy and governments as dangerous and oppressive. Anarcho-punks believe authority leads to corruption and abuse. Punk ideas about authority partly derive the ideology of anarchism. Police brutality and institutionalized discrimination against punks also account for their opposition to authoritarianism.

Others believe that a government is needed, but it needs to be kept under constant scrutiny by the people to ensure civil liberties and reduce corruption in public life. They would argue that independent checks and balances are a part of the political process.

See songs on authoritarianism.

Non-conformity

Punks see conformity as dangerous social coercion because it is a method of forfeiting free thought. They believe conformity prevents people from seeing the true nature of society, and forces people to be obedient to the desires of those who hold power. However, a person who dresses like a punk and listens to punk music may be conforming to the punk movement. Some view punk as a state of mind instead of a set style of dress or music.

Some critics of punk see punk, like all youth cultural movements, as replacing one form of conformity with another. However, the generally held belief is that atrociously wild and flamboyant styles of clothing and hair are an act of rebellion against the societies established standards of dress. At a point in time in early punk history punk styles were considered dangerous and were an act of rebellion. However, thanks to the popularity of punk subculture in modern times, it is as much an act of conformity as anything. See songs on conformity.

Anti-militarism

A segment of punks reject the use of military force. To them, the military is the most extreme form of authoritarianism. However, not all punks are pacifists: some openly embrace violence as a personal choice. There have been many punks in the military, and the life of a soldier is a frequent subject of punk rock songs.

See songs on militarism.

Anti-capitalism

Punk draws heavily from anti-capitalist movements, and opposition to wage slavery. Most believe that capitalism is authoritarian, exploitative, unfulfilling, and mind-numbing. Some segments of Punk advocate anti-consumerism and a DIY-lifestyle (including dumpster diving and shoplifting), and destruction of corporate property as forms of direct action. Some (mostly socialist and communist leaning) punk bands have written songs promoting right to employment, better working conditions, trade union recognition, and an end to discrimiation in the workplace. Critics argue that the DIY ethic that many punks subscribe to is inherently capitalist. Michale Graves, an ex-frontman of The Misfits, believes that despite its socialist, communist and anarchist rhetoric, punk is really youth culture's equivalent of Thatcherism.

Secularism and spirituality

Most punks see spirituality as a private matter of choice, and take a dim view of religious evangelism and proselytizing. The lyrics of some punk songs criticize the authority of the Church and conformity inspired by religion. Many punks are atheists, who see spirituality as a social construct used to control society. Some punks follow a spirituality outside of mainstream religions (although sometimes based on philosophies such as Buddhism or Taoism). They believe organized religion is a form of authoritarianism which causes more problems for humanity 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. A few punks subscribe to "post-Christianity", referring to modern Biblical criticism such as that of John Shelby Spong and John Dominic Crossan. They accept the core ethical message of the Golden Rule in the purported teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, however they reject the supernatural elements of Christian tradition as merely metaphor. There are practicing Muslim punks in Malaysia, who are involved in Straight Edge.

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. Nationalism as devotion to one's government conflicts with the anti-statism of anarchism. Punks often criticize nationalism as providing governments with unwarranted public support. Other punks view patriotism and support of the government as two separate and distinct beliefs. In many ex-Soviet countries, punks played an important role in their country's anti-nationalistic and anti-Soviet movements. In the 1980s this was a way to protest Soviet authority.

Nazi punks are highly nationalistic and often accuse others of being "Communists". Some have used the slogan "Punk's Not Red", which is a play on the expression "Punk's not Dead". The slogan implies that punk is not a left wing movement. An example of a Nazi punk band is Skrewdriver, who were part of the Rock Against Communism movement, which is popular with Nazi Skinheads.

Media

Some punks portray the mass media as an instrument of propaganda and social control. Some believe television is a waste of time and a distraction from reality and healthy habits. Punk music often laments the commercialism, and the power interests controlling the media.

See songs on the media.

Environmentalism

Some (but not all) punks are environmentalists. One stream in the punk subculture resembles deep ecology, which is a non-anthropocentric philosophy that posits that humans are merely one of many species, with no special importance. Other areas of punk (more specifically the anarcho-green variety) hold environmental beliefs more in-line with primitivism, social ecology, and a general belief in organic/green living.

Since not all punks are environmentalists, others see this as a continuation of the hippie's beliefs and ideals that punk was supposed to challenge.

See songs on environmentalism.

Vegetarianism, veganism, and animal rights

Some believe that the brutal way humans treat animals is psychologically connected to the way humans oppress each other. Another view considers the use of animals for food and clothing, as a form of oppression. Some punks are concerned with vivisection and other types of experiments conducted on animals for cosmetic and medical purposes. Others see medical tests on animals as justified, and some punks see vegetarianism and veganism as an example of political correctness, puritanism and conformity.

See songs on environmentalism and animal rights.

Other punk ideologies

Punk can take a wide range of ideological beliefs, some of which in complete opposition to the left-wing norm. Nazi punk and Rock Against Communism, for example, have a nationalistic, fascist and racist ideology. Conservative Punks ascribe to a punk lifestyle but reject the typical leftist views of other punks.

Hardline straight edge punks associate with 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 affiliated with third wave feminism, wishing to challenge the sexism within their scenes. They advocate female autonomy, through women's involvement with playing in bands, creating zines and running record labels. They have connections with the queercore movement, which challenge what they perceive as the empty consumerism of gay culture as well as homophobia in the punk scene, while challenging stereotypes of homosexuals in both scenes.

Oi! aligns itself with a rough form of socialist working class populism. Some Oi! bands weren't political, and mostly sang about day-to-day topics like football, alcohol and streetfights. However, many Oi! bands sang about politically charged topics like unemployment, police harassment and working class power. Like the skinhead subculture it's connected to, Oi! is sometimes mistakenly branded as racist, due to media sensationalism. Although some Oi! bands, such as Skrewdriver, did hold these views, most Oi! bands are not racist, and some are staunchly anti-racist, such as the Angelic Upstarts and The Oppressed.

Punk is sometimes associated by the media with nihilism although few punks express nihilistic belief's. Lyrics by musician's such as the Sex Pistols and G.G. Allin expressed nihilistic and egocentric beliefs (Pretty Vacant and Tough Fuckin' Shit respectively for example). Although such extreme beliefs are not common amongst Punks however the songs Work-Rest-Play-Die by Subhumans and Rotten Future by Anti-Flag seem to imply the existence of nihilstic punks.

Another punk minority are those who claim not to be political. Examples of this would be Charged G.B.H., The Casualties and G.G. Allin. However, in practice socio-political ideas do find their way into these musicians' lyrics: Charged G.B.H. have sung about social issues, The Casualties have songs about the war in Iraq and even G.G. Allin expressed some vague desire to kill the U.S. President (as evidenced by his country and western song, Fuck Authority).

Aesthetics

Music

Punk music has evolved and mutated to create a diversity of sounds. Punks may enjoy the earthy harmony of folk-punk, the nostalgic (but often still relevant) anthems of 80s peace-punk and anarcho-punk, the more abrasive offerings of hardcore punk and its sub-genres (i.e. crust punk, grindcore, metalcore, thrash metal, power violence) or the raunchy, party hearty spirit of garage punk. In general, punk music is loud, fast, and usually didactic. The loud and fast sound is meant to express impatience, frustration, discontent, anger and aggression. 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

Punk fashion was originally an expression of nonconformity with mainstream culture, as well as that of hippie counterculture. Punk fashion displays many of the things that punk music expresses: aggression, rebellion, and individualism. This use of fashion to shock may have been partly influenced by the Futurist art movement. Early British punk clothes were an example of polysemy, which is the appropriation of everyday items as clothing to changed the original meaning of the item. For example, safety pins and bin liners were worn by some early punks. Early punk styles have been linked to dandyism, because they were concerned with making the body a work of art.

It's common for punks wear to bondage bracelets and heavy chains (possibly symbolizing oppression), and bullet casings (possibly representing anti-military or anti-police views). Some Punks have body piercings and tattoos, some of which are politically oriented. Many punks wear vintage or thrift/ charity shop clothing, partly as an anti-consumerist statement and partly harks back to dandyism.

In 1990s USA, there were distinctive east and west coast styles. West coast style became more aligned with a loose, surfer or skateboarder style, while in the midwest and east, the style was more prim, in alignment with indie. In 1990s Britain, punk fashion sometimes mixed with heavy metal and nu metal styles. Examples of this include hoodies and baggy trousers. The streetpunk punk fashion of leather, chains, patches, mohawk hairstyles and boots persists as a distinctive fashion. The newer punk fashions can be said to be apolitical, but they make a statement constructing affiliation and difference in society. However this is based more on cultural differences than ideology.

Visual arts

Punk visual art is usually straightforward with a clear message. Album covers contain potent messages concerning social injustice, economic disparity, and images of suffering. 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, because it was distributed in fanzines created at copy shops. Other imagery can be cartoonish, especially in less overtly-political and apolitical bands. The Ramones often had cartoon images on album covers, reflecting their love of campy 1950s and 1960s pop culture.

Behaviour

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 the do it yourself (DIY) ethic. "Don't hate the media, become the media" is a motto of this movement.

Direct action

Punks sometimes participate in direct action such as protests, boycotts, and in some cases even violence. Some of the most militant punks have bombed gas stations, destroyed animal research laboratories, alterred billboards to include political messages, and occupied abandoned buildings. Hacktivism has become 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.

See songs on direct action.

Not selling out

Selling out refers to any abandonment of personal values in exchange for reciprocal gain, in the form of wealth, status, or power. Because anti-establishment attitudes are such an important part of punk ideology, a network of independent music labels, venues, and distributors has developed. These networks bypass the traditional systems of 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.

Sometimes punk artists will choose to break from this independent system and work within the established system of major labels, incurring criticism from the punk community. Some argue that these artists have betrayed their communities, and that their creative integrity is necessarily compromised. However, some artists argue that working in the major label system is a necessary evil, allowing the widest distribution of their messages.

Another meaning of selling out is for a punk band to change its musical style, such as to prog rock or mainstream pop music. This could be the result of a natural artistic progression or a realisation that punk rock has limitations. Selling out also has the meaning of adopting a more conservative, mainstream lifestyle and ideology. This could come about as either result of disillusionment, a punk realising that they are to old for the punk subculture, or deciding it's time to settle down and move on to other things. For example, Garry Bushell shifted from socialism to the right when he became disillusioned with the punk movement. See songs on selling out.

Criticisms of punk ideology

Punk ideology has been criticized from outside and within. The Anarcho Punk band Crass wrote songs such as "White Punks on Dope", which accuses Joe Strummer of selling out and betraying his socialist principles, and "Punk is Dead", which attacks corporate co-optation of the punk subculture. Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra accused Maximum RocknRoll of "punk fundamentalism" when they refused to advertise Alternative Tentacles records because they said the records "weren't punk". Another criticism of punk from within is from Conservative Punk, which argues that punks have become "hippies with mohawks".

From the 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. He writes that many act poor, while hiding the fact they come from middle class backgrounds. In "Farts from Underground", he argues that the DIY ethic never produces anything original, and it allows poor quality work to be championed. He feels that in being politicized and propagandist, punk contributes to a model of alternative culture that is more bland than the mainstream. Goad even says that punk is as out dated and obsolescent as the mainstream it rails against.

Another external criticism of punk comes from Aristasians. They argue that punk accomplishes nothing but kick the 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 fanzine, their media representative (Marianne Martindale) implies that by declaring oneself non-conformist, one conforms to a societal norm. [1] Aristasians claim that this theory equally applies to other youth cultures, such as hip hop, goth, skinhead, black metal, hippie, junglist and new age travellers.

Some commentators have criticised DIY culture as a form of laissez-faire libertarianism only available to those who already have access to resources and leisure in this society. In short (so the argument goes), only the rich can run a small punk/indie record label, have the time to go on protests or make their own costumes.

Individuals involved in specific punk ideologies

Anarchist

Liberal

Socialist and communist

Neo-Nazi and Nationalist

Straight edge

Libertarian

Conservative

Nihilist

Undefined

See also

Links to songs

On government

On conformity

On authoritarianism

On drug legalization

On racism and homophobia

On environmentalism and animal rights

On consumerism

On militarism

Books and essays on punk ideology

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