Ideology: The Punk Movement and its Political Standing

The 1970’s was marked by social and political upheaval across the globe. Anti- war movements were prominent in countries around the world, as well as environmentalism, civil rights activism, and economic hardship. This page will explore some of the political movements and events throughout the decades that were important in the punk subculture.

The commodification of any subculture or movement that is threatening or different than the mainstream culture, is almost always inevitable, ultimately dulling their social resistance. They are turned inside out and exploited for a profit as they grow in popularity and become marketable. The defining look of punk DIY fashion has often been incorporated into luxury designer brands. The punk style can now be bought at retail stores like Hot Topic or Dolls Kill, a style that specifically advocated against corporate consumerism and for individualism and the ability to make your own clothing. The music industry has exploited the movement for profit, furthermore helping to commercialize punk and strip it of its root values. Essentially everything that the punk ideology was (DIY, individualism, anti-capitalism, anti-establishment and non-conformity), has now been reduced down to nothing but a product of popular consumption.  But is this entirely true? There's an argument that the domest...

Negative Approach, 1982 Throughout time, punk has evolved into a mass movement ultimately becoming mainstream. A big part of the punk ideology is that it's against mainstream culture, and some have argued that by becoming a commercialized success, punk has lost its purpose. Would you say you agree with this argument, why or why not? Green Day, 2009 In what ways do the core values of punk culture influence political activism?

Works Cited Barett, D. DIY Democracy: The Direct Action Politics of U.S. Punk Collectives, p 23-39 Bleyer, Jennifer. "LAPD Unleashes Horses-Pepper Spray-Rubber Bullets" Scoop Independent News, August 15, 2000 Dunn, K. "Never mind the bollocks: the punk rock politics of global communication", p 193-210 Kyle Williams, J. "Rock Against Reagan": The punk movement, cultural hegemony, and Reaganism in the eighties, 2016 Polyphonic. "Riot Grrrl: The '90s Movement that Redefined Punk", YouTube, 2018 Sabbagh, Dan. "Anti-Nazi League founders call for new national campaign", The Guardian, 2018 Savidge, Martin. "Protest Concert Due Tonight Outside of Convention, Security Tight in Los Angeles", CNN Archives, August 14, 2000 Taylor, Tom. "In What Ways Was Punk a Rebellion Against the Social Conditions of the 1970s?", The Bristorian