What Is Punk?
2 punk girls
What defines punk? The literal definition ranges everywhere from homosexual cats to bark on a tree. That makes no sense to me. We could also argue that it is simply music, a style of playing instruments and singing. I choose none of the above. I instead choose it as a sub-culture that appeals to the unhappy people in society who hate the norm and don’t like everything shoved down their throats. People like you and me that hate mainstream society and broke free of those bonds and created their own style.
For this revolution to work, it couldn't be based solely on a certain appearance or sound. It had to be based on a mentality, a state of mind. If it was based off of appearance, I wouldn't look the way I do. My look is commonly accepted in many cities as of late. It is normal to see people with crazy hair and outfits that stand out.
The entire fashion aspect of punk is based off of DIY, or do it yourself. Anything that a punk can make, he or she does instead of buying it. This has led to many interesting and different styles. My jacket, for one, is completely handmade. The studs reflect my O.C.D for things to be symmetrical and even. The patches on the back represent the bands I love, or have some kind of meaning to me. That was and still is common in the punk community. It is a way to support the bands you like.
There is no common mentality in punk. You have straight edge, crust, street, political, anarchist, chaos, and many others. So how can we set a certain lifestyle that we all have to live by? We can't. Instead, it’s these differences we celebrate. We sing songs of unity, help out those who are different and sing with them beside us. We may disagree, but we get along when it matters. Punks are just people who are unhappy with society’s norms, so they seek the shelter of people who are also unhappy.
They aren't afraid of what other people think of them. They aren't afraid to be an outcast – in fact, most of them wear that as a badge of pride. Punks’ spirits can't be broken, simply because they can endure whatever is thrown at them. Punks pride themselves on being different.
Given this information, no one can honestly say when punk started. Did it start in the 60's with The Sonics? Did it start in the 70's with the Velvet Underground? To me, it started much earlier than that. I believe it started in the 1920's with the French art revolution. People were unhappy with what art was and wanted to create a new style of art all their own. They were not accepted at first, but they did it anyway. Why? Because, like punks, they were not happy with society.
Now let’s clear up these common misconceptions about punks. They are not all poor, dirty, smelly, rude, stupid, violent, squatters, druggies, drunks, and many other negative terms. In fact, all those negative terms about punks are largely false. Many punks actually own a house or apartment. Street punks (or squatters) choose not contribute to corporate America and deeply believe in protecting the environment, so many of them do not have regular jobs and choose to live on the outskirts of society.
However, most punks do have normal jobs and contrary to popular belief, are not dirty or smelly. Punks also will accept just about anyone into their ranks because they know what it is like to be thrown away. They will take anyone under their wing, as long as they are willing to stand up and sing the song of unity next to them. Punks are not naturally violent, but they will stick up for each other and fight if they have to. If someone is going to hit them, they will hit them back. Who can say that they wouldn't either?
The music aspect of punk is huge and doesn't all sound the same. You have punks with beautiful voices, others that yell their lyrics. Some play with trumpets in their bands, others keep the typical guitar line up. Punk has also created many new genres of music by itself – emo, for example, came from hardcore punk.
From punk also came psychobilly, which is a mixture of rockabilly and punk. It is played with a stand up bass and has a punk attitude. Ska is also largely listened to in the punk community. Ska is a reggae influenced music played with a heavy horn section. Many punks also listen to those music genres, and people who like those genres also enjoy their fair share of punk. This just proves how punk is about unity.
Punk and mosh pits mix very well. But unlike other genres, it isn't about beating up the person next to you, it’s about letting all that anger and violence out in a safe way. When I say safe, I don't mean you won't get hurt, but you aren't going to be afraid of a fight breaking out over it, either. I have seen people get knocked down, but they’re almost always helped back up by others.
As much as I have tried to help other people understand what punk is, this is a very false article because punk cannot be defined. It can only be outlined. It is open to interpretation by anyone who chooses to be part of punk. They may agree with me and think I am spot on, or they could say I am wrong and don't know a thing about it.
Punk is not a secret club. It is not a selective thing. We don't choose to be punk. Punk chooses us and we evolve into it. So stop trying to prove how punk you are, and just accept people and show them the roots of the culture.
