responsibility to be diffused among the entire group. There were no specific leaders in Punk. It
was a collective effort. Everyone had an equal opportunity to participate. The reason that this
was so useful was because with leaders, the opposition could identify a person to suppress. It
was easy to silence one person. However, if everyone involved had an equal say, it was far
more difficult to silence their collective voice. Social change was not meant to uplift one
person. Rather, it was meant to help society as a whole. The action was what was celebrated,
not the individual. Therefore, the subculture strived to deconstruct the individual’s identity by
encouraging the use of uniforms, false names, and symbols. In essence, they created their
own collective identity. By using these methods of deindividuation, the focus escaped the sole
members of the group. They entered into a unit, and as a unit, they were free to break the
rules that were imposed upon them by society.
Crass did this to an extent that surpassed almost anyone else (see Berger). Each of the
band’s members changed their names to pseudonyms. They all wore black uniforms. They
identified themselves with an ambiguous symbol and simple catchphrases. Crass also
stressed minimalism in everything they did to suppress their identity. They only spent as much
money as was necessary, their logo was just a few lines and circles, their clothes never
showed any kind of branding except for their own and at their shows, they used ‘domestic
lighting’ to represent the equality of the band and the audience (Thompson 318). All of this was
done to promote a collective identity. The band’s founder himself remarks, “we’d lost ourselves
and become Crass" (Thompson 320).
People were able to escape these constrictions of institutions through simple labels. In
Crass’ song, “Don’t Get Caught,” the band notes how institutions view subcultural efforts. They
group people as invincible large scale movements. Even against armies, these groups can still
function.
They’ll think it’s easy on the news at 10.
The commie-anar-fems are at it again.
Annoying the police and the passive grassroots.
We’re living in a country where the army shoots.
People with courage dumped and stranded
Don’ts and won’ts look on empty handed.
If you fuck up the state, don’t be a star,
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