San Diego Punk - Punk rock and indie music from San Diego, California

If Blind Acceptance is the Future of Political Punk, Count Me Out.

"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." – S. A. Kierkegaard

Unlike the political punk bands of the first (e.g. The Clash) and second wave (e.g. Dead Kennedys), generally, punks are not presenting intelligent arguments as to why they disapprove of the leader’s job performance or the state of the country; but instead, explain their disapprovals by stating: “he’s just a bad president” or “he’s an idiot.” Punk bands just aren’t tackling the issues. Instead, they are merely defaming the face of the national figurehead. This kind of lazy activism may generate votes come November ’08, but at what cost? When did voting for a candidate stop being about what the candidate represents and start being a fashion statement? The intricacies of political ideologies are too complex for the short attention span of our country’s youth and more importantly, aren’t marketable. So punk bands sell political convictions for cheap, with a simple formula: 1 part rebellion + 1 part conformity + 1 part instant gratification + 2 parts juvenile defamation = “mobilization” of punks into voters.

A Bush icon found on punkvoter.com

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of Bush either; but I’ve noticed that many punk fans despise the man without have a clue as to why. It is ridiculous to place the woes of a nation or even the world on one man’s shoulders. Furthermore, the relentless ad hominem, the mindless defamation of Bush’s image is childish and barely warranted. So the guy choked on a pretzel—Get over it! In some of the

early political cartoons of punkvoter.com, Bush is depicted as a monkey, with a monkey ears and a tail. Songs like NOFX’s “Idiot, Son of an Asshole” convey a similar message. On February 15, I interviewed a woman going to the Authority Zero show at Soma. Cherie, 33, described Bush as a “worthless piece of shit.” Is this kind of defamatory political activism constructive? Is it useful?   Yes and no to both questions. Essentially, it acts as a means to an end. This approach will not necessarily produce the “informed voter” that is so carefully protected by the Bill of Rights, but it will generate democratic votes in the 2008 election.

            Punks have always raised the “Fuck Authority” banner, but who is questioning the actions and beliefs of our “authority figures?” If Bush or Cheney speak, they’re indisputably full of shit; but if Fat Mike or Billy Joe say the sky is red, then surely, it must be. Granted, I’m generalizing the blind allegiance ascribed to the rebellious juvenile punk, but this pandemic of thoughtlessness is rampant and bulldozing through the punk landscape.

            Given this blindly rebellious attitude, it seems funny to me that punks would have such a genuine concern with politics. When did the “I don’t give a fuck” culture start giving a fuck? Well frankly, in my opinion, they still don’t.   The culture just needs something to direct their anger toward and Bush is an easy target. At the Authority Zero show, I talked to a few more of San Diego’s own and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. The most profound statement I heard the whole night was from Anthony, 20, “We are born and raised to believe that fighting doesn’t solve anything, [yet] kids are fighting for other people’s problems.” This was one of the most refreshing things I had heard all week.

            I’m not blaming Fat Mike. And I’m not blaming Billy Joe or any other band. I just think that the punk scene encourages “mob mentality” behavior leading to hasty decisions and when applied to political discourse or activism is not constructive and hypocritical. This “us against them” approach to politics mirrors that of the Bush administration itself. Conor Oberst once proclaimed on network television that Bush had “creepy fascist agendas.” Well, if the punk/indie scene claims that Bush is a fascist, I guess it takes one to know one.

            So, what is the cure to this pandemic of mindless political discussion? Frankly, if you want to speak endlessly about the woes of society and who’s to blame for them, you have to do your homework to know what those woes are. I don’t think it is necessary for every punk voter to become a New York Times subscriber, but it is important to have some sort of non-partisan (as much as one can be) news source to keep current on what’s happening in the world—specifically, in politics. And if you’re going to read a partisan publication or website (like punkvoter.com or conservativepunk.com), keep a critical eye. And secondly, don’t believe all the shit that’s handed to you, even if it is from someone you trust. Given that rebellion is a major theme in the punk world, I don’t think that’ll be much of a problem.

            Read. Listen. Watch. And think critically. This is the only way we can combat this mass brainwashing. If our purpose is to not have a purpose or to be individuals, let’s be individuals. If you want to change the world, you better have a damn good reason. Rebels without causes often run once bullets start flying, but those who know why they believe what they believe stand steadfast and unafraid.

-Andrew Navarette

(Send all feedback to andrew@sandiegopunk.com, if you have a coherent, well-written response, we will consider publishing it. Please indicate in your e-mail if you would like your response to be considered for publication).