Chaos Punks, Fuck Off!
by
Adam

Today, many say that politics do not belong in punk. They argue that it's just "about the music," or "about having a good time," but in actuality, it is its radical politics that separates punk from mainstream music. Listen carefully to the sound and you will understand what I am saying. So-called "crust" punk is, musically speaking, heavy metal. Oi and pogo-punk is basically just a louder version of 50's-60's rock and roll music. Why then, would anybody dare call these genres "punk?"
It is the message that the songs convey that makes the difference. Take Zounds, for example. Had their songs been about, say, high school and girls, they'd be just another run-of-the-mill pop bands. However, it is their attitude towards life, society, and politics that defines them as a punk band. Granted, many of the early "punk" bands such as the Ramones had little or no political stance, but they also didn't stay true to the D.I.Y. ethic inherent in the scene, as within a year or two they were catering to the middle- and upper-class values that they once rebelled against.
Therefore, if having political opinions is one of the major factors in our so-called "punk culture," why is there suddenly a resurgence of apolitical bullshit in the scene? Has mass media really gotten to us to believe that it's futile to resist the authority they create? Whatever happened to the days of old that I heard about, where punks actually got off of their high horses and made a difference, rather than getting drunk and starting fights?
It sickens me to think that this is what the counterculture has turned into. Punk is now the new Hippie movement, a big failure. In fact, it's even worse, because those who are still out there trying to make a change are getting shut up by the "Chaos Punks" who go to shows in the hope of getting drunk and/or laid. Then there are those who rip off those who set up shows, put out demos and zines, and help with Food Not Bombs. It is this apathy that is destroying the message of D.I.Y. and community and turning it into another capitalist mallrat fad.
If what they say is true, if punk truly isn't about having a sense of politics, then I want no part of it. I admit that everyone should have a sense of humor and not take everything so seriously, but not to the point of forgettting what this whole "movement" is about. If we really want to have a revolution, if we really want to destroy the power the system holds in its hands, then let's get off of our asses and get rid of the thugs, the thieves, and the fakes that are ripping us apart from the inside. I know we shouldn't be exclusive, but there needs to be a point where you draw the line.