Punk ideologies
Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture and punk rock. It is primarily concerned with concepts such as mutual aid, is opposed to selling out, hierarchy, white supremacy, authoritarianism, eugenics, class and classism, and supports anti-consumerism, anti-corporatism, anti-war, anti-imperialism, anti-globalization, anti-gentrification, anti-racism, anti-sexism, gender equality, anti-homophobia, racial equality, animal rights, free-thought and non-conformity. One of its main tenets is a rejection of mainstream, corporate mass culture and its values. It continues to evolve its ideology as the movement spreads throughout North America from its origins in England and New York and embraces a range of anti-racist and anti-sexist belief systems. Punk does not necessarily lend itself to any particular party politics as it is primarily anti-establishment and often anarchist.
Punk ideologies are usually expressed through punk rock music and lyrics, punk literature such as amateur fanzines, spoken word performances or recordings, punk fashion, or punk visual art. Some punks have participated in direct action, such as protest or demonstration disruption, political violence, ecotage, street barricades, squatting, pirate radio, off-grid energy, graffiti, vandalism and public and business property destruction, and indirect action through counter-propaganda, protests or boycotts. They support and squat in urban and rural collective houses, with group funds held in common. Punk fashion was originally an expression of nonconformity, as well as opposition to both mainstream culture and the status quo. Punk fashion often displays aggression, rebellion, and individualism. Some punks wear accessories, clothing or have tattoos that express sociopolitical messages. They stage Punk Rock Food Drives, such as D.O.A's Unity for Freedom. Punk visual art also often includes political messages. Many punks wear secondhand clothing, partly as an anti-consumerist statement.
An attitude common in the punk subculture is the opposition to selling out, which refers to abandoning of one's values and/or a change in musical style toward pop and embracing mainstream culture or more radio-friendly rock in exchange for wealth, status, or power. The issue of authenticity is important in the punk subculture—the pejorative term poseur is applied to those who try to associate with punk and adopt its stylistic attributes but are deemed not to share or understand the underlying core values or philosophy.
Because anti-establishment attitudes are such an important part of the punk subculture, a network of independent record labels, venues and distributors has developed. Some punk bands have chosen to break from this independent system and work within the established system of major labels. The do it yourself ideal is common in the punk scene, especially in terms of music recording and distribution, concert promotion, and photocopying magazines, posters and flyers. The expression DIY was coined by commentators after the fact.
Specific ideologies and philosophies
The following include some of the most common ideologies and philosophies within the punk subculture.Anarchism
There is a complex and worldwide underground of punks committed to anarchism as a serious political ideology, sometimes termed "peace punks" or "anarcho-punks." While some well-known punk bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Exploited had songs about anarchy, notably the Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK", they did not embrace anarchism as a disciplined ideology. As such, these bands are not considered part of the anarcho-punk scene.Anarcho-punks typically believe in direct action. Many anarcho-punks are pacifists and therefore believe in using non-violent means of achieving their aims. These include peaceful protest, squatting, applying legal graffiti, culture jamming, ecotage, freeganism, boycotting, civil disobedience, hacktivism and subvertising. Some anarcho-punks believe that violence or property damage is an acceptable way of achieving social change. This manifests itself as rioting, illegal graffiti, vandalism, wire cutting, hunt sabotage, participation in Class War-style activities, melee weapons and in extreme cases, bombings. Notable anarchist punk artists include: Aus-Rotten, Dave Insurgent, Crass, Subhumans, Colin Jerwood, and Dave Dictor.
Animal rights and veganism
In the 1980s, both straight edge hardcore punk in the United States and anarcho-punk in the United Kingdom started to become associated with animal rights. This association was made possible through activism by bands such as Napalm Death, Icons of Filth, Conflict, and Electro Hippies. Some musicians in these bands were vegans and vegetarians themselves and publicly advocated for these ideologies. In addition to this, bands at the forefront of this movement included lyrical themes pertaining to animal rights, vegetarianism and veganism. Consequently, these ideas became a feature of the punk subculture and this association continues on into the 21st century. A notable example is Jack McGarry of the band SX-70 citing messages of animal rights in lyrics of music he listened to as an influence in becoming vegan. It is additionally evidenced by the prominence of vegan punk events such as Fluff Fest in Europe.Apoliticism
Some punks claim to be adherents to apoliticism, such as the band Charged GBH and the singer GG Allin, although some socio-political ideas have appeared in their lyrics. Some Charged GBH songs have discussed social issues, and a few have expressed anti-war views. Allin expressed a vague desire to kill the United States president and destroy the political system in his song "Violence Now". Punk subgenres that are generally apolitical include glam punk, psychobilly, horror punk, punk pathetique, death rock and pop punk. Many of the bands credited with starting the punk movement were decidedly apolitical, including The Dictators, Ramones, New York Dolls, Television, Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, and Richard Hell & The Voidoids.Christianity
is a subgenre of punk rock with some degree of Christian lyrical content. Some Christian punk bands are associated with the Christian music industry, while others reject that association. Ideologies within Christian punk vary, though a number of bands lean towards traditional left-wing politics, most prominently Crashdog, Showbread, Ballydowse and The Psalters, the latter three of whom identified as Christian anarchists. Further examples of notable Christian punk bands include Altar Boys, The Crucified, Five Iron Frenzy, Flatfoot 56, Side Walk Slam, and pop-punk band MxPx, who earned a gold record in 1998.Conservatism
A moderate number of punk bands and artists are conservative, rejecting liberalism, communism and socialism in favor of conservatism. Notable conservative punks include Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Cherie Currie, Forgotten Rebels, John Kezdy, Billy Zoom, Exene Cervenka, Joe Escalante, Bobby Steele, Ross the Boss, Duane Peters, Leonard Graves Phillips, John Knight, Jon Moss, Lee Ving, Klamydia, Dave Smalley, U.S. Chaos, Cro-Mags, and Agnostic Front. John Lydon of the Sex Pistols has also expressed some conservative views as early as the 80s. During the 1980 United States presidential election, Iggy Pop became a vocal supporter of Ronald Reagan. Ian Curtis of the post-punk quartet Joy Division was a loyal Conservative voter who not only voted for Margaret Thatcher in 1979 but persuaded the Liberal candidate to give him a lift to the polling station to do so.Some Christian punk and hardcore bands have conservative political stances, in particular some of the NYHC bands.