An aesthetic under capitalism is like a culturally distributed type of brand. Punk used to have more common and distinct cultural signifiers, but capitalism forces us to abandon those in favor of aesthetic ones. Aesthetics are easy to recognize, to sell, and to consume. So that’s what survives. This doesn’t change anything about the history of punk and what it used to mean to be punk. It also has a queer history as well as a leftist one.
There is still plenty of DIY underground punk mostly done by leftists and there’s a worldwide network of bands, traveling kids, people operating venues or community centre’s etc. It’s just really underground and inaccessible. Pink belongs to the punks. It still exists, you just aren’t necessarily part of it.
An aesthetic under capitalism is like a culturally distributed type of brand. Punk used to have more common and distinct cultural signifiers, but capitalism forces us to abandon those in favor of aesthetic ones. Aesthetics are easy to recognize, to sell, and to consume. So that’s what survives. This doesn’t change anything about the history of punk and what it used to mean to be punk. It also has a queer history as well as a leftist one.
There is still plenty of DIY underground punk mostly done by leftists and there’s a worldwide network of bands, traveling kids, people operating venues or community centre’s etc. It’s just really underground and inaccessible. Pink belongs to the punks. It still exists, you just aren’t necessarily part of it.
Yeah, I had a folk punk musician crash on my couch after a show at one point but that’s about it.
Folk punk doesn’t count either.
Then I’m completely out of touch. I got nothin