Research: what is punk, who is punk.

“Though it seems that punks had little or no fashion sense, they were in a sense so anti-fashion that they made an even bigger statement” . One of the main shops that specialized in punk fashion was Malcolm Mclaren’s shop Sex.

“Sex specialized in leather and bondage clothing `and pre-mutilated or modified clothing that not all punks could afford, those that could ate it up though. The punks were fond of leather jackets, torn and ripped clothes, clothing that in no way matched, and accessories such as safety pins, swastikas, and communist symbols. Basically punk fashion emphasized individualism and embraced anything that stood out from the norm”

Their dress also became a means of identification. “Punk as a subculture was beginning to take shape, conformity was what punk stood against

Punk fashion, such as it is (and many Punks are anti-fashion) is characterized by the color black, leather jackets, studs, chains, heavy work boots, and short or unusual (such as mohawk, spiked, and skinhead) haircuts. Sometimes the hair is dyed unusual colors. Band stickers and punk slogans distinguish punk leather jackets from those of other subcultures. Appearances, however, are diverse, not uniform: clothes do not make a Punk.

 “Punk is more than just music; it has an in depth philosophy, based on anarchist political views and liberation”

Themes: urban lifestyle, social issues, youth rebellion,  showcase dissatisfaction with the current society, adolescent feelings of isolation and estrangement

In the past, the main appeal in punk music came in it’s do it yourself attitude and “emphasis on individuality and self expression. Punk was simple, powerful music that had energy and made a statement. All you needed were three chords and the truth and you could virtually start a band. Punk as a scene tried at its’ barest to resist commercialism and make recordings and shows affordable to fans

“A safe assumption is that the majority of Punks are young, white and middle class. The amount of youth in the culture is one of the factors why the Punk rock is fast-paced and energetic” (Cahill 1998: 5). Punk nowadays is comprised of a majority of middle class whites as opposed to the original inner-city working class minorities. An important aspect to note here is that youth have consciously chosen to reject their privileged places in society. Source A says that punks often join the subculture at age 13. Source B says that the people who join are often very artistic, clever, introverted people. They tend to have deep insecurities and seem to be able to find an outlet for this in the punk movement.

THE PUNK ETHOS

What is the Punk ethos? There is great variation, of course, and perhaps no single Punk matches the pure archetype, but in general Punk seems to have these characteristics:
It is passionate, preferring to encounter hostility rather than complacent indifference; working class in style and attitude if not in actual socio-economic background; defiant, unconventional, bizarre, shocking; starkly realistic, anti- euphemism, anti-hypocrisy, anti-bullshit, anti-escapist, happy to rub people's noses in realities they don't wish to acknowledge; angry, aggressive, confrontational, tough, willing to fight — yet this stance is derived from an underlying vulnerability, for the archetypal Punk is young, small, poor, and powerless, and he knows it very well; sceptical, especially of authority, romance, business, school, the mass media, promises, and the future; socially critical, politically aware, pro-outlaw, anarchistic, anti-military; expressive of feelings which polite society would censor out; anti-heroic, anti-"rock star" ("Every musician a fan and every fan in a band!"); disdainful of respectability and careerism; night-oriented; with a strong, ironic, satirical (often self-satirical), put-on-loving sense of humor, which is its saving grace; stressing intelligent thinking and deriding stupidity; frankly sexual, frequently obscene; apparently devoted to machismo, yet welcoming "tough" females as equals (and female Punks are often as defiant of the males as of anyone else) and welcoming bisexuals, gays, and sexual experimentation generally; hostile to established religions but sometimes deeply spiritual; disorganized and spontaneous, but highly energetic; above all, it is honest.

"Punks hang out wherever they're not thrown out!" We love to criticize each other, but stick together in the face of common hostility from the rest of the world. Being Punk is an adventure. Punks are outcastes by choice, by habit, or by necessity, being sick of the real values of the social order. We are contemptuous of a majority which Punks criticize as manipulated by the mass media, unthinking, unaware, sleepwalking through life, conformist, fashion-controlled sheep who are being led to subtle economic slavery and martial slaughter.

Punks may not be able to change the world, but we are dedicated to creating an island of freedom, a community of dissent and experimentation, and we are determined not to go down with our sinking civilization without a howl of protest and an angry fist shaking and hurling curses at the inhuman gods above.