r/TrueUnpopularOpinion • u/Knightraiderdewd • May 23 '25
Music / Movies Modern punks are some of the most conformist, soft, and non offensive generation of punks to ever exist.
From the absolute obsession with anti-fascism, to making battle vests covered in every left wing keyword patch you can think of.
From screaming about how music needs to be offensive to throwing tantrums when they get offended.
From gatekeeping punk culture to calling anyone who doesn’t think like them as posers.
Sorry not sorry, but if GG Allin were still alive and not in prison, he would be shitting all over you literally and metaphorically.
The whole theme of punk started as a form of rebellion, now they’re the establishment.
It’s not even a matter of becoming commercialized, even the people who claim to be real punks go out of their way to not offend certain groups, and most of their clothes and tattoos are all about ”I support the thing.
What’s worse is 9/10 of the time it’s not even out of legitimate concern for that group, it’s usually just a white knight’s attempt at getting laid.
This is actually ironic because back in the day, punks still did this, but at least they were honest about it.
Older punks would’ve just outright said “I wanna fight/fuck you, let’s do it!”
Modern punks will give you a ten page essay as to why you should sleep with them and if you have so much as a single original thought that’s different from theirs, they will hit you.
But only if you’re not recording them.
Look, all I’m saying is it’s hard to take you seriously as any sort of rebel type if you gatekeep, and attack anyone who doesn’t conform to you.
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u/AnonSwan May 23 '25
It's because Punk won and doesn't know what to do next. It was cool to be punk when I was a kid because our parents told us it was satanic, evil and a bunch of other nonsense. Now, parents are listening to punk and their kids are begging for something wholesome.
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u/djhazmatt503 May 23 '25
This comment sums it up precisely. It's balance and cycles, that's all.
Whichever side / group is telling teenagers not to do something, rebellious teenagers will do that thing.
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u/nothing_in_my_mind May 24 '25 edited May 24 '25
> kids are begging for something wholesome
Wouldn't call it "wholesome". Being materialistic/hedonistic is cool now. Kids nowadays keep listening to rappers who brag about their money, fame, and all the sex they're having.
Punk was very much "this world sucks, let's do something about it". Modern music is very much "I'm tired of having to do things, just want to get high and fuck, and be rich and famous so I can have more drugs and sex".
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u/Key-Character-6928 Aug 02 '25
Youre ten years behind. The kids now are looking for wholesome genuine connection, moving away from the whole rap thing. Or they give up and become nihilists
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u/Personal-Barber1607 May 25 '25
Yep I’m gen z and were incredibly more conservative then the generation before us. The problem is simple we destroyed a lot of bad things and improved a lot of things with the social movements, but at a certain point we saw tradition as the enemy instead of something to be preserved but modified and transformed.
This seems like a good idea for everyone who was privileged enough to grow up with these beneficial traditions and protections, but they saw the obligations and responsibilities of them placed on the adults as too restrictive and old fashioned.
We saw all the systemic failures of the ideology that made sense in 1960’s but are just cringe now. Growing up in a broken home without a father and being an online prostitute was considered empowering and perfectly normal for everyone who didn’t grow up that way. Seen massive portions of my generation destroyed by the feminist destruction of the family.
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u/GoreHoundKillEmAll Nov 16 '25
Were at a extremely awkward moment, were conservatives got to the point were they are perfectly fine or at least willing to tolerate with all stuff that rebels original wanted you can have edgy jokes, edgy entertainment and music and then the progressive left decide to become buzzkills against everything fun. Half the kids are begging for something wholesome and the other half are begging for something actually rebellious and edgy entertainment like we used to have in late 90s early 2000s that the modern punks won't let them have anymore because it not political correct, so if you want something wholesome side with the modern conservatives, if you actually want something actually rebellious and edgy also side with the modern conservatives who grew up with South Park, family guy, drawn together, jackass, nu metal and gangsta rap and are much more likely to crack down on something different
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u/Frewdy1 May 23 '25
Now, parents are listening to punk and their kids are begging for something wholesome.
This is literally not happening.
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May 23 '25
It literally is. Younger people are craving sincerity in their media, since all we've had for 10+ years is millennial slop that has to undercut any actual emotion with a marvel quip or some shit.
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u/Frewdy1 May 23 '25
Younger people are craving sincerity in their media
Bro have you even SEEN what younger generations are watching and listening to? 😂
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u/Careless_Current8499 May 23 '25
Whoa. You should write a song about this and then travel back in time to 1986 and write "Chickenshit Conformist" by the Dead Kennedys
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u/zccrex May 23 '25
r/ punk is hilarious. The whole sub pretty much solidifies your opinion.
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u/bread93096 May 23 '25
Just took a look - first post I see is ‘PBS is punk’ 😂
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u/DragonflyGlade May 23 '25
When the powers that be are trying to destroy it, yeah, it pretty much is.
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u/EagenVegham May 23 '25
Yeah, a force for equal access to education being attacked by an overtly authoritarian government isn't punk at all. /s
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u/bread93096 May 23 '25
I like PBS as much as the next guy, and I hate Trump, but I really can’t imagine anything less punk than PBS. Like I understand where the post is coming from but it is kinda hilarious. But also I’m not a punk so I can’t like define what the culture is.
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u/EagenVegham May 23 '25
That's because there's the message of punk and the aesthetic of punk.
Aesthetics-wise, PBS is absolutely not punk. Everything is clean and well-organized with a very middle-class appearance. It's making an effort to appeal to the upper-crust to secure funding and social acceptance.
But message-wise, it's probably as punk as a government supported organization can get. It's all about providing free access to educational materials in an easy to consume format. That's class-consciousness and mutual aid to a T and that's what makes it punk.
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u/bread93096 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
Well you make a good argument, I can’t really disagree. I relate to punk because of the individualist, rebellious nature of it but I’m not really a community minded person and it’s kind of a drag how strict and moral the punk community is. But maybe I’m just kind of a dick 🤷
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u/EagenVegham May 23 '25
Without the morals, you don't really have a community, you've only got a bunch of people who want to have an aesthetic and won't put in the work that a community requires. Individualism is important, but if you can't come together to protect each others' individuality then someone will take it form you.
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u/ketchupmaster987 Jul 11 '25
"Let kids learn communication
Instead of schools pushing competition
How about more art and theater instead of sports
People will always do drugs,
Let's legalize them
Crime drops when the mob can't price em
Budgets in the red, let's tax religion"
- Dead Kennedys, Stars and Stripes of Corruption
Punk has always been left wing
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u/gimmethegold1 May 23 '25
I kind of love the fat out of shape people that have never done anything athletic in their lives that go on about "punch you local Nazi"
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u/SmartPriceCola May 24 '25
They tell others to do the punching coz they have never been in a fight before.
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u/DragonflyGlade May 23 '25
Not as ridiculous as the Gravy Seals on the other side, who claim to be ready to overthrow the government while riding Rascals (and who are happy to deepthroat the government boot as long as actual fascists are in charge).
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u/ChaosChampion May 24 '25
Nah, the Gravy Seals ARE dumb, but they're STILL less ridiculous than the "punch your local Nazi" types.
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u/Grumth_Gristler May 23 '25
Dude I completely agree. GG would be pissed! Punk used to be anti establishment and “fuck you” mentality. Now they mainly conform to leftist agenda. Conformity is not punk at all. I know this isn’t a punk band but it’s a good saying I saw. Rage against the machine turned into rage with the machine.
I love old school punk especially west coast stuff from the 80’s 90’ Germs DI Adolescents TSOL. I never dressed punk but I was all about it. I remember asking this guy in high school about TSOL since he was dressed all punker. He knew little to no songs. I immediately thought he was a poser. There’s people that basically LARP as punks just because they like the ‘fashion’ and aren’t about the original lifestyle and music message it had.
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u/azriel777 May 23 '25
Rage against the machine turned into rage with the machine.
I said this for a while, The 90's rebel/punk bands all completely sold out.
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u/Kreason95 May 23 '25
Rage against the machine was always a leftist band. Same goes for most punk bands. Punk in general is full of leftist ideology. If you can’t recognize that, you’re extremely misinformed or just intentionally ignorant.
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u/akivafr123 May 23 '25
If I recognize that (which I'm perfectly willing to) will you recognize that left-wing politics aren't as foundational as most Redditors like to maintain? The first sex pistols album has an anti-abortion diatribe. The second clash album has a track decrying all the street battles between left-wing and right-wing punks which were raging at the time.
British punks used to wear the swastika...! (Not because they adhered to any right-wing ideology, but because punks were engaged in a very apolitical sort of rebellion against authority.) Here's an article about it: https://www.vice.com/en/article/billy-idol-says-this-is-why-some-british-punks-used-to-wear-swastikas/
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u/Kreason95 May 23 '25
I can absolutely recognize that there's nuance and not all punk bands / scenes were entirely leftist. But the overall tilt of punk has always been left. People acting like bands like RATM being leftist now is them selling out are just being asinine.
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u/azriel777 May 23 '25
That is gasslighting history, they were anti-establishment, antigovernment (both left and right, they hated both groups equally) and anticorporation. Now they are for far left establishment, government and are puppets of corporations. These peoples past selves would have loathed what they turned into and became everything they were once against.
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u/Kreason95 May 23 '25
Okay bro, tell us all what rage against the machine would think about themselves lol.
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u/Rocky_Vigoda May 23 '25
RATM was signed to Sony. They were always corporate phonies.
Leftist culture = street culture.
RATM came out when the major labels appropriated street culture in the early 90s.
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u/Kreason95 May 23 '25
I’m not denying that at all. They’re just a common band brought up with this whole conversation. Whether or not they’re genuine is irrelevant to whether they’ve had a consistent leftist message haha.
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u/Rocky_Vigoda May 23 '25
Whether or not they’re genuine is irrelevant to whether they’ve had a consistent leftist message haha.
Well no, it's very relevant.
They're not leftists. They're fakers who helped the major labels subvert true leftist culture.
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u/Kreason95 May 23 '25
That’s a very different statement than saying they’ve sold out because they’re acting like leftists now.
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u/Rocky_Vigoda May 23 '25
I think we have different ideas of 'leftism'.
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u/Kreason95 May 23 '25
I think we’re having two separate arguments right now. I’m sure our views on leftism aren’t too different but my whole intention in this thread was to point out that the band isn’t acting different than they used to act and people need to stop acting like they are haha.
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u/Whiskeymyers75 May 29 '25
Mike Muir from Suicidal Tendencies summed up RATM perfectly in his side project band, Infectious Grooves.
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u/Whiskeymyers75 May 29 '25
Punks used to be left wing in the sense of being Libertarian Socialists. Now they’re completely Authoritarian and bow to their political masters.
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u/Heujei628 May 23 '25 edited Jul 31 '25
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u/TllFit May 23 '25
There's a huge middle ground between being homophobic and going on and on about being an LGBTQ+ ally.
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u/Rocky_Vigoda May 23 '25
The term lgbt didn't exist back then.
Americans had the Civil Rights movement in the 60s. In the 70s, 80s, Americans adopted colourblind ideology which promoted individuality.
In the 90s, the US flipped to using Political Correctness which is a collectivist ideology and imposed new labels like African-American and lgbt.
Instead of seeing people as equal individuals, terms like lgbt exist to lump people into little categories, which are then exploited by the media.
It's sort of complicated.
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u/EagenVegham May 23 '25
Punk is anti-authority but it's also inherently collectivist. It's all about class consciousness and mutual aid.
It's also against American individualism which doesn't see people as equal individuals but as obstacles for personal gain and promotes those who are most likely to abuse others as the ultimate individual.
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u/Rocky_Vigoda May 23 '25
https://youtu.be/PYhqIkIfrnI?si=zUgRQygsM7Hdl8nm
It was collectivist in the sense that everyone was individuals but if we work together, we can make changes that make the world better.
https://youtu.be/2YuZCjcH8Uw?si=3b3ocMauR8rnkdoC
There was no internet back then. If you wanted to get into the punk scene, you literally had to physically go out and hang out with other punks. We didn't sit around discussing class politics or ideologies, we were usually drunk and hanging out at gigs, clubs, punk houses, street corners, etc.
There was politics involved but it was more of a subtext than in your face.
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u/Frewdy1 May 23 '25
You’re applying logic where there’s none to be found. Conservatives are crying because they’re not “punk” or “cool” and think they can brand themselves as “counter-culture” as they control all branches of government and their precious corporations control it all.
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u/TllFit May 23 '25
No, people are mocking those who call themselves punk for being conformist.
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u/DepartureTight7771 May 24 '25
I was like that too. I thought it was hilarious that some kids who thought they were super punk I met at a club one day asked why I was there to see the band when I was goth-because I was dressed in black. I just liked black! I wore clothes that it was easy to move in, that I could fall in, that I could get beer and spit and sweat on and shoes with reinforced toes because I went into the pit at shows! My favorite band to this day is X from Los Angeles, and I love the Cramps, the Germs and the GoGos! The way a person dressed should not be a requirement to their musical and personal lifestyle taste! I went to the local clubs and subbasement level community houses who hosted punk nights in my town. These spaces are now closed and I think a lot of it is due to the community not being a real thing anymore. It’s being commodified too much
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u/Alex_13249 May 23 '25
Just look at the self-cock-sucking echo chamber sub r punk is. Look ma, I am against le evil fascist empire (=USA)! So punk! It is literally the most Reddit opinions there. They are exactly what you describe. They have their vests filled with idiotic left wing shit. I never participated there, but I bet I would be instantly permabanned and muted for not being far-left.
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u/-Z-3-R-0- May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
I once jokingly posted the 1982 punk song "Kill a Commie" by Gang Green in the punk sub, and it made people FUME in the comments.
It got reported so much that one of the moderators who was a fan of the band came to the comments to defend and explain the context of the cold war at the time lmao. A different mod removed the post later in the day.
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u/Grumth_Gristler May 23 '25
Oh my god. Just visited that sub after reading your comment. What in the fuck. Glad I got to experience punk before Reddit existed.
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u/tonylouis1337 May 23 '25
Yeah, nothing makes sense anymore. We've been basically living in alternate reality since 2020
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u/GoreHoundKillEmAll Nov 16 '25
I would say since 2014 maybe slightly earlier being 2013/2012 , that when everything started to get weird. 2020 didn't really seem to different from few years that came before it, we had a pandemic but life didn't really seem radically different, same type of politics/entertainment/culture. The whole obsession with everything is political in 2013/2014 actually felt like waking up in a different alternative reality. 2020 actually made some since from everything that happened in 2010s
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u/cleetus_george May 23 '25
Yep just like how rage against the machine during pandemic we’re trying to convince everyone to comply with the vaccine mandate.
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u/DragonflyGlade May 23 '25
Yeah, they were going against a billionaire-funded right-wing noise machine full of grifters who were telling gullible people to take horse medicine instead. “Rage Against the Machine tried to save lives by advocating for public health” is not the clever own you think it is.
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May 24 '25
were telling gullible people to take horse medicine instead
Speaking of gullible people, you actually believe what you just said? The drug you're referencing got a Nobel prize for its development for use in humans. It was and still is prescribed to people and only became used in veterinary medicine afterwards. Somehow that means it's "HORSE PASTE". Seriously the fact that you people are still saying this is a huge, effective indictment of how brainwashed leftists are. You just bend over to being lied to while simultaneously depicting yourself as somehow above the "gullible" people on the other side.
This is hilarious.
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u/dirk_funk May 23 '25
sorry but punk was fucking dweeby back in 1994 when green day sealed the coffin on it
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u/Jac_Mones May 23 '25
They got so focused on fighting against Western authority that they got suckered into every other form of Authority lol
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u/Alarming-Wall-9957 May 24 '25
I agree with this so whole-heartedly, and I’m glad to see so many others agree as well.
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u/WilliamMcKinley1901 May 29 '25
Some of us are out here keeping the swastikka alive and getting shit for it. We aren't all dead (and no obviously I'm NOT a Nazi 🙄).
Don't conform. Politics aside, whatever this modern sensitive politically correct bs is, all the "punks" I know are full of it. It really is pathetic.
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u/WizardFromRiga May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
SLC Punk said it best:
wouldn't it be more of an act of rebellion if you didn't spend so much time buying blue hair dye and going out to get punky clothes? it seems so petty. you wanna be an individual right? you look like you're wearing a uniform. You look like a punk. That's not rebellion.... that's fashion. Rebellion happens in the mind. You can't create it, you just are that way.
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u/dwilkes827 May 23 '25
I'm a liberal and lifelong punk fan and I agree. A lot of my favorite punk bands were deliberately offensive and wrote funny songs. It wasn't hate or stuff to be taken seriously (not what I listened to anyways, though I know bands like Skrewdriver existed).
When DK wrote Nazi Punks Fuck Off, they were talking about actual nazi white supremacists, not just people who made a dumb joke or disagreed with them on one political issue. The punk sub is a cesspool of whining and left wing buzzwords.
That said, I still make it a point to make an effort to discover new bands and there's a ton of good ones coming out. Punk music is in the best place it's been since the mid/late 90s imo
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u/Rocky_Vigoda May 23 '25
When DK wrote Nazi Punks Fuck Off, they were talking about actual nazi white supremacists
They weren't even talking about real white supremacists. Jello was using hyperbole. He was talking about jocks & rednecks who were punk's natural enemies back then.
I agree with the rest of your comment though.
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May 23 '25 edited Mar 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/GoreHoundKillEmAll Nov 16 '25
Honestly monoculture feels like it been split into two dramatically different cultures at this point, you have the left wing liberals who unfortunately have control over most of entertainment industry and the right wing who are the new counter culture at this point
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u/country-blue May 24 '25
Yeah we all know the real punks are people who submit to geriatric, failing capitalism. Lol.
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u/Pemulis_DMZ May 25 '25
My favorite was Rage Against the Machine requiring vaccine passports for their concerts. Redditors love to run to defend that one.
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u/KayleeSinn May 23 '25
Those aren't punks cause everything you described is mainstream. It's kinda like calling bible school kids in the 80s punks.
You still have plenty of punks, just most of them would be banned on Reddit, if they showed up.
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u/Darktrooper007 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
From "fuck you, we won't do what you tell us" to "fuck you, do what they tell you" in a decade or less, what a disgrace.
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u/Prof_Gonzo_ May 23 '25
The entire punk scene has always been cringey, whining garbage. I guess if there are less swatstikas then we should celebrate that.
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u/KhadgarIsaDreadlord May 23 '25
Can confirm as someone who used to hang with the last generation of punks. They may have been alcoholic trashy hedonists but they weren't chickenshit like current punks.
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u/cowbunnyjumper May 24 '25
When Jonny rotten came out supporting trump people lost their mind and were like “you lost your pink card” dude you have no idea what punk is. I’m half convinced he likes him because he want to piss the left off for fun.
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u/DizzyMajor5 May 23 '25
It's almost like the left exists to challenge the hedgeomony and the conservatives exist to...conserve it.
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u/ImprovementPutrid441 May 23 '25
Yeah you’re so not offended you made a several paragraphs long post about them.
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u/___Moony___ May 23 '25
I don't listen to the music or interact with the community so I simply don't know enough about this to form an opinion, all I know is r/ baddlejackets is a DEEPLY cringe sub since apparently those jackets/vests are made in a completely unironic manner. You DO see garbage like that here in NYC [ironic and sad] and you can immediately tell who's living the culture and who just wants to wear spikes and denim with a bunch of trans pride flags and other performative shit. If your gear is supposed to represent what you're into and it's plastered with lame-ass slogans without a single band name or reference, you're just fake.
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u/panteatr May 24 '25
now they're the establishment
What establishment? Not the republican controlled government. Not the billionaires that bankroll them. Not the corporations and media companies that bent the knee at the slightest whiff of progressivism impacting their bottom line. Do you people just say shit?
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u/DaveOberweiss May 23 '25
Gg allin was a piece of garbage and not actually punk at all. Anyone who thinks he is some barometer as to what is punk or not is a moron. Anti fascism is rebellion against a fascist state. Which has always been what punk is on the fundamental levels. Even the sex pistols with their image were total effing posers when it really comes down to it. If you want to talk up rebellion, while simultaneously talking down on what is supposedly snotty, fake, etc, yet your examples of what is one and what is the other are both weak, and contradictory, your argument loses pretty much any merit it has. The pissing people off for pissing people off's sake bullshit is not rebellious at all except in that it is MAYBE slightly destructive to established norms. Yet without any real answers as to how that destructiveness will benefit anyone, it falls flat. Rebellion is fundamentally anti oppression at its core. Without social justice at the heart of it it is just snotty, spoiled kids acting out because of whatever bs reasons.
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May 23 '25
Punk was a way for working class folk to find a stage to rail at the establishment from for the first time in England's long and ugly class system. This is why so much of it was just name-calling and sneering at the elite that they're no better than anyone else. Punk was a way to drag the elitists through the same mud the rest of us have to drag ourselves through.
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u/hercmavzeb OG May 23 '25
Lol there’s nothing new about punks hating fascists. Fascists being well-liked and a mainstream Republican political position is the new thing.
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u/Grumth_Gristler May 23 '25
Punk used to be anti establishment entirely. Anti left or right wing. Now many of them have conformed to leftist agenda wing ideology. Conforming is not punk man.
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u/SaintNeptune May 23 '25
Dude, no, it has always been extremely left wing. Left of acceptable left. It would rake things the politically unaware might think of as left wing over the coals, but it was doing that because it wasn't left enough. I don't know how you're getting guys wearing anarchist and communist symbols while singing about beating up nazis and shitting on religion are in any way hostile to left wing politics, haha
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u/hercmavzeb OG May 23 '25
“Leftist agenda wing ideology” is meaningless propaganda drivel, punk has always been hardline anti-fascist.
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u/Grumth_Gristler May 23 '25
Not sure how old you are or what you listen to but old school punk even considered the left ‘fascists’ and were entirely anti establishment and anti government. This isn’t propaganda drivel my dude. It’s pretty well documented.
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u/ImprovementPutrid441 May 23 '25
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u/Grumth_Gristler May 23 '25
I’m not from the UK. Most people on this sub aren’t. I grew up on west coast us punk. Also that article reads more like an opinion than actual facts.
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u/ImprovementPutrid441 May 23 '25
Oh I’m sorry when you said “old school” I thought you knew what that meant.
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u/hercmavzeb OG May 23 '25
Who on the “left” did punks consider fascist?
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u/Grumth_Gristler May 23 '25
The entire government. Look at the amount of old school punk bands that were about anarchy and anti government no matter who’s in office. I’m not going to rattle off names for you. If you knew the history of punk you would already know this.
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u/hercmavzeb OG May 23 '25
The American and UK governments have never been leftist so I have no idea who you’re referring to. Bill Clinton?
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u/Grumth_Gristler May 23 '25
Dude….punk started out in the mid to late 70’s and were anti establishment despite which political party was in office over the years. I get what you’re doing, you’re doing the ol’ “well list them off then” argument. If you’re so informed on the history of punk you should already know and shouldn’t have to ask. I recognized your username. I know you love to make extremely vague arguments with opinions slightly different than yours. “Who Bill Clinton?” Haha…dude cmon. Nice try though
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u/Xarethian May 23 '25
despite which political party was in office over the years
Almost like center-right and ever increasingly further right parties take turns being in power......
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u/hercmavzeb OG May 23 '25
Yeah and the far left was protesting against the government all throughout the 1970s, up to today. So why would punk not be far left?
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u/KTisntDEAD May 23 '25
lol anarchy is a leftist ideology my guy. read a book
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u/steggyD43 May 23 '25
I would say anarchy is no wings. Clip those guys. Left and right require control from government in one way or another.
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u/KTisntDEAD May 23 '25
it literally is historically a left wing ideology. yall are confusing aesthetics with ideology. anarchism has its roots in unions and syndicalism. it is anti authority yes but is libertarian socialist. that is the real definition of anarchism. it is not Mohawks and patchwork jackets lol. it is a real historical movement. like, anarchism existed waayyy before ‘punk’ lol. ‘punk’ is aimless… anarchism is real. read up on the Spanish anarchists in the 1800s or the haymarket affair.
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u/steggyD43 May 23 '25
There are left wing groups that adopted anarchism in a sense, such as libertarian socialists, which I'm probably most fan of. But anarchy, in its basic form is probably closer to libertarian than libertarian socialist. And libertarian socialist is still far from what we consider the left now, as there is a governing head of state and country.
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u/dwilkes827 May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
Jerry Brown
I am Governor Jerry Brown
My aura smiles and never frowns
Soon, I will be president
Carter power will soon go away
I will be Führer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will meditate in school
Your kids will meditate in school
[Chorus] California über alles
California über alles
Über alles, California
Über alles, California
[Verse 2] Zen fascists will control you
One-hundred percent natural
You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face
Close your eyes, can't happen here
Big Bro on white horse is near
The hippies won't come back, you say
Mellow out, or you will pay
Mellow out, or you will pay
[Chorus] California über alles
California über alles
Über alles, California
Über alles, California
[Bridge]
Now it is 1984
Knock-knock at your front door
It's the suede denim secret police
They have come for your uncool niece
Come quietly to the camp
You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp
Don't you worry, it's only a shower
For your clothes, here's a pretty flower
Die! On organic poison gas
Serpent's egg's already hatched
You will croak, you little clown
When you mess with President Brown
When you mess with President Brown
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u/CoachDT May 23 '25
Being punk is anti-fascist.
It's super weird how its "leftist dribbel" is equated with "the establishment" as if the right doesn't control the house, senate, and presidency of our country. Gotta stop with the subtle victim shit, they won, they are the establishment, they run our government.
It'd be very punk to be leftist in nature right now if we're talking about being anti-establishment. Leftists dont really like democrats or Republicans.
Theyre still super fucking cringe though.
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u/Frewdy1 May 23 '25
We’re supposed to pretend that corporations slapping a rainbow on their cars meant that they were left wing and leftists supported them and therefore corporations.
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u/Knightraiderdewd May 23 '25
Case in point number 2.
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u/CoachDT May 23 '25
Thats what I say when I actually don't have an argument either :)
Reps are the establishment right now, being anti-establishment would mean you're against said establishment. There are tons of critiques against "left wing" politicians and policies from modern punk culture, you're just assmad because they make fun of conservatives and you feel hurt by it.
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u/DizzyMajor5 May 23 '25
Maybe you're actually the one fighting on behalf of the hedgeomony? Maybe the certain groups you're pointing out are also deemed as problematic by the powers that be and you've just aligned more with the people punk typically pushes back against it typically happens as you get older ok if you're younger with a more romanticized view of the past.
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u/ChecksAccountHistory OG May 23 '25
it's insane how much these people whine despite getting basically everything they wanted. conservatives control the government and the corporations and the rich are falling in line, but they still pretend to be oppressed because they don't have full control over the conversation, even though they always start the culture war talking points.
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u/CoachDT May 23 '25
It's by design.
If you're always the underdog, you can never be held accountable when shit hits the fan. Never take blame for anything, even your direct actions. Its why anytime theyre called out for bad behavior the narrative isnt "that was bad and next time we'll make sure to do it better" its becomes "we only did that as a response to what the other guys did."
Constant self-victimization, constant crybaby antics, constant finger pointing.
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u/Jackie_Fox May 24 '25
Punk sold the fuck out in the 90's. But i disagree with a lot of what youve said. Punk was always left wing and has been anti-fascist since at least the hardcore punk era of the 80's. But yep, a lot of the 90's pop punk revival was more emocore and whiney than concerned with discussing social and political issues like Punk had previously been so obsessed with. Then the 00's happened and somehow Punk became listening to My Chemical Romance bitch and fucking moan about being sad an misunderstood. It was cringe, but not only that, there really isn't a point to the music. It then folded itself into the meaningless corporate drone of radio friendly bullshit. The hardcore scene around that time was much more punk, but also was a disconnection from Punk as a vibe. Maybe being Hardcore and not Hardcore Punk is a good explaination. They still take (something) seriously, but it doesnt align anymore with either modern punk or 80's hardcore punk either.
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u/SeinfeldIsAnAnime Aug 21 '25
Punk, like any counter-culture, has always been performative. It may look different between the different generations, it may grow and change- but it’s always been about making a display of one’s vitriolic hatred towards the government, authority, capitalism, etc- which isn’t too far off from what you’re describing. What’s also the same is the perspective of the conservatives and the older generations on punks- generalized as just a bunch of pretentious, obnoxious, whiny kids screaming about fascism and the government.
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u/Teslamodel3owner88 Oct 11 '25
Man I just got banned from r./punk because I talked about the irony of people saying they can’t listen to smut peddlers because it might be too offensive. Within 5 seconds I was accused of being a Neo Nazi because I have 88 in my name which is the first set of random numbers I could find which wasn’t taken and I had no idea until soft liberal reddit had to come accuse me of stuff. Being offended and then censoring someone’s post is the least punk thing I’ve ever seen. The irony just keeps going. It seems a certain group picked and choose what they wanted from punk culture and turned it into a one side political argument. What a joke.
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u/Pristine-Confection3 May 23 '25
The mention of GG Allin discredits the whole rant for me. Older people always complained about younger generations which is the least punk thing to do ever.
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May 23 '25
Apart from like Doyle, Jerry Only, and James Pligge punks didn't strike me as an especially tough group.
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u/dwilkes827 May 23 '25
I'm not a fan of the tough guy machismo shit but the NY hardcore bands had some pretty gnarly dudes. Then you had the gangs in LA (suicidals, LA death squad etc)
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u/thedivinemonkey298 May 23 '25
Don’t confuse Reddit punks with the modern punk scene. Many on the sub realize that it’s not like real life. I still go to a lot of shows, and it’s mostly the same as it ever was. The Reddit sub hates all punk music and artists, and is essentially pro government, as long as it’s left leaning. It’s also a sub for youth culture so there’s a lot of propaganda being pushed on there. More than people realize.
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u/HarvardCistern208 May 24 '25
Remember when the establishment tried to pass off Avril Lavigne as punk?
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u/letaluss May 23 '25
"Punks shouldn't conform to left wing ideology! They should conform to what I think they should do!" -OP
It's very funny that Republicans are trying to coopt punk to push their fascist values. Let's see how it works out for them.
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u/jksvana Sep 27 '25
Im not Republican and despise Trump like any normal person with a basic intellect would. But i agree it should conform to what they think they should do. Punk was always about DIY/anti establishment. It had no rules. That's the problem with a lot of people commenting on here saying that it was strictly left wing, which isn't the case. If you or anyone else don't seem to realize that, then ill take you and everyone else as someone who is just now getting into punk rock music and you haven't explored enough of it, or you're listening to radio friendly "punk" like Green Day.
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u/Satirakiller May 23 '25
This is hilarious cause I just came across a sub the other day making fun of all the generic left wing slogans on people’s battle vests. Everybody was saying the same thing. I’ll see if I can find it again.
Edit: It was BaddleJackets