Anarchy in Modern Punk Culture
If Punk culture was on sale at the K-Mart, you would be sure to find a bottle of Anarchy taped to the
side, as a free promotional offer. Anarchy is ingrained in this culture, so much so that the two are almost
inseparable. Ask any punk on the street what his views about Capitalism are, and you will probably get "Anarchy
Forever!," for an answer. Question why exactly he is in favour* of it, and some uncertainty arises: "Um...well...fuck

you, you shit-taking capitalist." Punks know that they are "meant" to be anarchists by default. But rarely do
they question why, or examine what the benefits and downfalls of such a system are. And isn't that what this
whole scene is all about? Questioning the norm, even in their own culture?

1) Anarchy wants to have a classless society, but it denies a
controlling body. Any kind of governing bodies is impinging on basic human freedom, they are inherently
repressive. Proponents of anarchy want to live in a world removed from bureaucracy.

It is very hard to maintain a state of complete anarchy, to the point of it being useless to try.
Certain people are leaders by birth and therefore naturally take control. Structure to society isn't
inherently a bad thing. Suppose Caveman Ug was hunting for mammoth. Ug thinks "Mammoth me kill."
He then gathers all his friends and thinks "Mammoth lots of people no kill." And then Ug draws
out his plan to kill the mammoth, and all his friends are given specific jobs to achieve their goal.
Ug is a leader, anarchy is no more (to the benefit of caveman society). For the vegans out there,
who will e-mail me calling me a mammoth-hater, this can easily be applied to something else.
As populations increase, the hierarchy will have to become more complex. Far from being restricting,
it is essential for the progress of the human race.

2) Anarchists believe that even democracies are controlled by a privileged group of politicians and
civil servants. These repress the masses by imposing their will upon them.

The problem here isn't with the basic structure of democracy, but with that specific democracy.
Therefore, reform need to be undertaken, and anarchy is not the correct solution. This reform can take
the shape of more equal, proportional representation, and more referendums. The democracy then becomes
a true and fair representation of the society it rules over.

3) Anarchy will probably never achieve its aim of universal non-hierarchical living, but is it still
important as it gives a voice to the minorities, and environmental issues.

Anarchy is often used as a vehicle for terrorists and criminals to justify their behaviour. Their
bombing, and their killing of civilian lives, is in the name of anarchy. These acts should revealed
as antisocial attacks, hidden by a smokescreen misnomer.

4) Many anarchists are completely self-sufficient, growing their own food and bartering for clothes
and other essentials. These are true anarchists, opting for a pacifist and naturalist lifestyle.

A true anarchist will not wear, eat or make use of anything produced by the organised state. Let's
hope that he fed the sheep, sheared it, wound the wool, and knitted it (using twigs) all by himself,
and it wasn't produced in a factory for Topman.

In conclusion, if you still want to, choose anarchy with a capital "a" by all means. But make sure it
is an informed choice, and you will be able to back up your theories. Anarchy is NOT the perfect solution;
NOT the be all and end to all for our troubles by a long way.

*Yes, some of use don't use the bastardised American version.

Feel free to e-mail me with comments, suggestions, etc., so long as it is more eloquent than
"You are wrong, for sell out fuck."

[email protected]

Written By: Dominic 1

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