parallel to mainstream society (Clark 2-3). These so called subcultures were tolerated and
embraced. New cultures simply became a part of the mainstream. Punk turned into simply
music as opposed to a subculture or a political movement. It lost its meaning and became an
eclectic fashion. If traditional Punk were based on criminality and anarchism, then this new
Punk was just a fake imitation. It did not challenge the mainstream in any capacity because it
was accepted. Therefore, it failed to meet the definition of what it meant to be Punk and what it
meant to be a subculture.
“White Punks on Hope”: Crass
To better understand this phenomenon, one can examine a forerunner of Punk
idealism: Crass. Crass was a Punk band that formed in 1977 Britain (Berger 80). The band
primarily included Gee Vaucher, Penny Rimbaud, Eve Libertine, Pete Wright, Mick Duffield,
Phil Free, Joy De Vivre, Steve Ignorant, and Andy Palmer (Berger 9).
Crass is significant for two reasons: 1) they became a symbol for the representation of
Punk and 2) they directly mirrored the narrative of the Punk culture (see Berger). This is
because they had complete control over their works, an uninhibited willingness to attack all
things authoritarian, and a persistence to sustain their anarchic pursuits. Crass proposed their
anarchist, no-authority-but-yourself message and they lived their lives in sync to this message
arguably greater than almost any other Punk group. They showed youths that anyone could
decide how to live. Songs like “Big A, Little a” and “Do They Owe Us A Living” became their
anthems and preached their two biggest theses: you are an individual and have the ability to
live the life you want and that political systems and large scale institutions are stealing that
ability from you. Crass’ message became so popular that it eventually created the AnarchoMovement which impressed upon listeners to become politically active and demand social
change (Savage 584).
With Crass in mind, one can examine the successes of Punk to understand its failing.
Punk attempted to use a three step process to optimize its effectiveness. Members created an
ideal to strive towards. As they worked for this ideal, they were inevitably met with resistance.
They used that resistance to compel themselves to further action and formed a collective
identity to distinguish resisting forces. They became known as their Punk identity. These three
principles of ideation, resistance, and anonymity made political movements like Punk
successful (Butler).
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