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Description
If you disagree with me, I welcome it. If you're going to be a douche because you disagree with me, this stamp might be directed at you. Please keep in mind that I don't consider myself a punk. I do however, like a lot of the music and go to a bunch of local shows.

BEGIN RANT:

When punk first began in New York, it was a huge amalgam of many different, sometimes even conflicting ideas (the Rimbaud-ian musings of Patti Smith, the back-to-basics mentality of the Ramones, Wayne/Jayne County's enlightened-yet-crude philosophy on sexuality, etc.) and music styles. (There was the three-chord one-two punch of the Ramones, the more metal influenced sound of the Dictators, the trashy cabaret of the New York Dolls, the nine-minute prog stylings of Television and many more.) All of these ideas and music styles were considered part of the punk movement.

This diversity even carried into the English scene for a time (one can hardly say Siouxie and the Banshees could be mistaken for the UK Subs) and, to at least a certain degree the Los Angeles scene too (with the likes of X and Black Flag introducing new approaches to punk.) In my world of the current Bay Area punk (and I use the term loosely) community, we've got loads of diversity (whether it's the street-klezmer of the Hobo Gobbelins, the stoner Bossa Nova of Mystery Dope, the hardcore stylings of Oppressed Logic or the sweet girl-meets-girl love songs of the Wisdom Teeth.)

So why do so many people think that they know exactly what punk is and isn't? Yes, there may be a few prerequisites of punk (the DIY ethic, at least some degree of free-thinking, etc.) but nobody can truly ever pin down punk. Ask enough people and you probably won't even get one cohesive definition.

I agree that the actual punk movement is dead (though punk music is still alive and well.) People have found better ways of rebelling and thinking for themselves. The thing is, that's probably because all the ex-punks and would-be-punks couldn't take the elitism that every punk community seems to spawn these days. (You can't go to two shows where I live without someone telling you you're not punk enough. At a Subhumans show, some girl gave me a hard time for "not dressing punk". And this is the Subhumans! That band's members wear t-shirts and shorts!)

Such people will complain that the reason the punk movement died is because of the "poseurs" or kids who have a limited knowledge of the history of punk or only like mainstream bands (you all know what bands I'm talking about) but still consider themselves "punk". However, so-called "poseurs" can be educated. Don't complain that little Jimmy hasn't heard of Rudimentary Peni. Give him "EPs of RP" for his birthday. Pissing off his parents will be an added bonus.

"Poseurs" can discover good music and are thus temporary. Elitists, with their fixed mentality of what punk is and isn't are permanent. They are the reason why all the new so-called "punk" bands sound the same, the reason why punk just isn't a viable form of self-expression anymore and why, as they would say "punk's not dead, it just stinks now."

END RANT

Description
If you disagree with me, I welcome it. If you're going to be a douche because you disagree with me, this stamp might be directed at you. Please keep in mind that I don't consider myself a punk. I do however, like a lot of the music and go to a bunch of local shows.

BEGIN RANT:

When punk first began in New York, it was a huge amalgam of many different, sometimes even conflicting ideas (the Rimbaud-ian musings of Patti Smith, the back-to-basics mentality of the Ramones, Wayne/Jayne County's enlightened-yet-crude philosophy on sexuality, etc.) and music styles. (There was the three-chord one-two punch of the Ramones, the more metal influenced sound of the Dictators, the trashy cabaret of the New York Dolls, the nine-minute prog stylings of Television and many more.) All of these ideas and music styles were considered part of the punk movement.

This diversity even carried into the English scene for a time (one can hardly say Siouxie and the Banshees could be mistaken for the UK Subs) and, to at least a certain degree the Los Angeles scene too (with the likes of X and Black Flag introducing new approaches to punk.) In my world of the current Bay Area punk (and I use the term loosely) community, we've got loads of diversity (whether it's the street-klezmer of the Hobo Gobbelins, the stoner Bossa Nova of Mystery Dope, the hardcore stylings of Oppressed Logic or the sweet girl-meets-girl love songs of the Wisdom Teeth.)

So why do so many people think that they know exactly what punk is and isn't? Yes, there may be a few prerequisites of punk (the DIY ethic, at least some degree of free-thinking, etc.) but nobody can truly ever pin down punk. Ask enough people and you probably won't even get one cohesive definition.

I agree that the actual punk movement is dead (though punk music is still alive and well.) People have found better ways of rebelling and thinking for themselves. The thing is, that's probably because all the ex-punks and would-be-punks couldn't take the elitism that every punk community seems to spawn these days. (You can't go to two shows where I live without someone telling you you're not punk enough. At a Subhumans show, some girl gave me a hard time for "not dressing punk". And this is the Subhumans! That band's members wear t-shirts and shorts!)

Such people will complain that the reason the punk movement died is because of the "poseurs" or kids who have a limited knowledge of the history of punk or only like mainstream bands (you all know what bands I'm talking about) but still consider themselves "punk". However, so-called "poseurs" can be educated. Don't complain that little Jimmy hasn't heard of Rudimentary Peni. Give him "EPs of RP" for his birthday. Pissing off his parents will be an added bonus.

"Poseurs" can discover good music and are thus temporary. Elitists, with their fixed mentality of what punk is and isn't are permanent. They are the reason why all the new so-called "punk" bands sound the same, the reason why punk just isn't a viable form of self-expression anymore and why, as they would say "punk's not dead, it just stinks now."

END RANT