Questions to Consider

An Oral History of Detroit Punk Rock - Longreads
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 Concert Stage (Montreal) - Green Day is Ever Gre… | Flickr
Green Day, 2009

In what ways do the core values of punk culture influence political activism?

London's Queer Punks Are Making Themselves Heard

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Is Ideology? What Is Punk Ideology?

Image
     Ideology can be defined as a set of beliefs, values and ideas that usually refer to a political social and cultural system. A few examples of Ideology are communism, capitalism, and socialism. These are all different sets of beliefs on how a society should function.     Punk Ideology varies significantly on a wide spectrum, but the ideology I'll be focusing on consists of particular themes such as anti- establishment, individualism, non-conformity, and DIY ethics. The punk subculture is mostly known for its anarchist beliefs, but it's also well known for its political and social activism. The Sex Pistols in the 70's were largely renowned for their anti-establishment and politically based music, further influencing political activism within the punk subculture. This influence continued into the 80's, well into the 90's.    Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill Riot Grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement that started in the early 90s. Anti...
Read more

Intro

Image
     The Punk movement originated in the underground scene of New York, but made its way to Britain in the mid 1970s where it flourished. In New York, the main idea was to provoke mainstream media with its erratic fast paced music and fashion expressions of nonconformity. In Britain, the same elements were incorporated, but it became more politically centered, as it was facing political and economic issues such as high inflation and unemployment rates. With the rise of the punk scene, the young demographic found an opportunity to express their anger with the ongoing issues surrounding them. Over time, the punk movement has evolved significantly, with each decade facing its own social and political movement.  This project will show the evolution of punk politics and how the ideology behind the movement influenced how political and social beliefs were represented.   The New York Dolls, 1973. One of the first bands to develop during the early punk scene, were well ...
Read more

Political Evolution: From the 70s to the early 00s

Image
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.
Read more

Commercialization of Punk and the Question of Ideology

Image
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...
Read more

Sources

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
Read more