Lol, if I went by this, I'd probably only be a fan of like ten bands.

The whole punk era actually started protesting against the policies of a left wing government.

I actually dig the Special Duties song it rocks, too bad their career got ruined by taking a stand against a BS band like Crass.

heeeeeere's the thread.

Should Punk have an ideological starting point that it works from? Is minimalism that base? is the DIY ethic that so permeates the genre the political equivelent of independance, freedom, or non-intervensionist governemnt? Is the ragged every-man image a stance on the struggle between the filth at the bottom and the rot at the top?

I think this is one of the more interesting threads on the boards in awhile, even as I'd hope that politic and policy remain largely outside of the discussion.

Can punk ever agree with something? or does it work anathma to any going trend. Assuming of course that whatever politicans are doing is screwing the little guy.

I think a central ingredient in punk is anti-establishment sentiments. I suppose one could have a conservative perspective of this by saying that the government is the establishment and advocating less government intervention in the market. However, that fails to take into account that the Laissez-faire approach that most conservatives advocates produces another for of establishment, that of big businesses, which may help to further advance economic and social inequalities. That is why I have hard to respect conservative punk.

Was that supposed to be a "hard time"

I didn't understand any of that apart from the unintentional knob gag. :(

Why does A have to lead to B?

I've seen quite a few posts suggesting that punk artists tend to lean left, at least for the most part, and I disagree with some confidence. Some may claim that they endorse and embrace leftist ideology, but isn't one of the most prominent themes in punk the incompetent and sinister nature of government and the forces that try to stifle creativity and individualism? Though right-wingers tend to sympathize with this view, it's an issue that really crosses party lines, isn't it? I think that punk music, by and large, is a medium that, theoretically, allows artists to demonstrate social ills and injustice wherever they may find it. It(punk) does not, or should not rather, adhere to a set of strict political views. At that point it ceases to be punk, which is in all rights a very individualist movement. In fact, at that point it ceases to be music, or an abstract expression of anything other than some sad brand of politics. Personally, I think this thread is self-defeating.

Let me clarify something,

One of the biggest problems I see with overly politically leftist punk is that the performers aren't singing about issues that directly affect them. Why are white kids screaming about racism? Why are human beings talking about the plight of animals some farm out in the country? Why are some straight guys complaining about sexism and "heteronormism"? Why not, instead, sing about issues which directly affect them?

...add to that the _vast_ majority of the performers were white, born in an advanced Western nation, and I have hard time believing their proclaimed politics is just a gimmick.