The Power of Punk, by Rosie Maynard

Punk: a word usually used as an insult. "You're such a punk," is commonly used to mean "you're such a jerk," or something pertaining to that. It mainly means someone who is not nice, or maybe weird. To many people, punk may seem to be a fairly new thing, but in reality it's not just something that the 90s produced. Punk started out in the 1970s with bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Ramones. Punk has been brought from just a handful of these bands to a handful of these types of bands in every city. It has been a movement, not just a style of music. Punk has come a long way, knocking things down while building others up on its way. Contrary to what anyone says, over the decades punk has had significant power with its listeners.

While being a powerful force, punk has changed since it first appeared on the scene. Punk of the 90s is not the same as punk of the 70s. 90s punk is very different in the way that it affects people, but at the same time it has elements and similarities of the "Old Skool" generation that is punk's roots. This "New Skool" form of punk is just as powerful as its predecessor, but in other ways.

The 70s were a time of extremities for punk. Everything was new, so it had to be tried and tested. Spikes and bondage pants were all the rage, along with other styles that had been usually forbidden in what was though of as "the normal society." Bands such as The Sex Pistols had power and influence over their fans concerning the way that they dressed. People wanted to be like their newly found icons, so they went out and bought (or in many cases made) clothes that were deemed "punk rock." In the 90s the same thing was very present, and dressing like your favorite band member was not an uncommon thing. The difference here is that the extremities of the 70s were fading. "New Skoolers" toned down their image, because the bands that they listened to did also. It was no longer felt that you had to go as far as you could to be "punk rock," all you had to do was be yourself.

Social issues have been a part of punk since the get-go. Since for "Old Skoolers" everything was new, there was nothing to not write songs about. Bands stood up for what they believed no matter what. That was what punk was all about, not conforming to other peoples ideas. When bands stood up for certain issues, it empowered their fans to do the same. They no longer felt ackward confronting people about things that had been uncomfortable before. Punk gave them the boldness that they needed to stand up. One issue that was big then, and still is, was Racism. Punk was for everyone; nothing mattered, so why should race? There are many popular issues in the punk of today, one of the many being abortion. As Dogwood puts it (from the view of the aborted baby): "Abortion, am I responsible for your actions? Life versus death, you made the choice to let me go...What if your parents did this to you? A victim of circumstance, this is our last dance."

One thing that punk bands of the 70s were forbidden to do was "sell out." If you played any music that was not punk, or had an attitude that was not punk then you were out. No one wanted to go with the flow, everything had to be against it. Punk bands were never popular; if a band professed to be punk but were popular, they obviously were not truly punk. That is one thing that has changed over the past 20 years. Now being popular is ok, in fact it is encouraged. Bands like Blink 182, The Suicide Machines, and Green Day are bands that have 'made it' into the mainstream radio play. In the early days of punk this was unheard of, but now it is accepted with open arms. Now that it is 'ok to be popular' punk music reaches to all different sorts of people. Punks had tended to stay to themselves, but now that the music is reaching everyone so are friendships. It's ok to be a jock who listens to punk, and punks feel that it is ok to have friends that are jocks. It should have been this way all along since punk preaches of being yourself, but this change has just recently been made.

Society has also been something that has been targeted by punk of every decade. Bands find the things that they think are wrong with society and rip them apart. by listening to The Sex Pistols music, it is very easy to tell that they did not look too highly on the 'class structure' perpetuated by the royal family in Britain. They, along with many other early punk bands, preached Anarchy for all. This has not changed very much over the decades. "New Skool" bands may not preach it as strongly as the "Old Skool" bands did, but it is evident in almost every punk bands music. Lines like "Every single copper gets a bullet in the head!" sung by Rancid and other anti-cop/anti-government songs are just some examples. The examples of band members were again widely followed by their listeners in both the early and late punk scenes. Riots were not an uncommon thing, and "pulling a 187 on a.....cop" was something that many bands sung about. Punk has not always influenced people in good ways, and this is one example of that.

Even though in different ways, punk has influenced many people over the past three decades. Punk fashions, ideas and attitudes are as present today as they were in the 1970s. Yes, change has occurred, but the punk movement and lifestyle continues to have power none the less. All the evidence is clear, and it is a proven fact that over the decades punk has had significant power with its listeners.