Anarchy sounds good to me (part 2)
historically more elections would have an anarchist candidate involved. There is a limited theory as too why anarcho-punk is fleeting and has less impact on political systems is because as critics, punks often choose to remove themselves from the system rather then participate in active change. I bring up the song where do you draw the line to continue the basis for support of the self-marginalized against the rest of society in describing why anarchy comes from punk:
Ever notice hard line radicals can go on star trips too
Where no one's pure and right except themselves
"I'm cleansed of the system." ( 'cept when my amp needs electric power)
Or-"the party line says no. feminists can't wear fishnets."
You wanna help stop war? well, we reject your application
You crack too many jokes and you eat meat
What better way to turn people off than to twist ideas for change
Into one more church that forgets we're all human beings
There is an inherit elitism in the idea that individuals become self-marginalized as they are no longer participants in the collective mainstream. This elitism often fosters a type factionalism based on differences of opinion or on conflict over deciding the best course of action towards reaching the same goal.
Anarchy in the UK: Two ideas on factionalism
An example of this factionalism can be seen in British anarchist ideology from the late seventies. A surge of popular interest in anarchism occurred during the 1970s in the UK following the birth of punk rock, in particular the situationist-influen ced graphics of Sex Pistols artist Jamie Reid, and that band’s first single, Anarchy in the UK.
However, while this early punk scene appropriated anarchist imagery mainly for its shock value, the band/anarchist collective known as Crass, expounded serious anarchist and pacifist ideas after forming in 1977. As such, many anarcho-punks became either supporters of issues such as animal rights, feminism, the anti-war movement, the anti-globalization movement, and many other social movements, or accepted a direct action approach to nihilistic anarchism, robbing, looting, assault and general lawlessness and riot. Though Crass espoused pacifism as a belief, this is not necessarily the case for all anarcho-punks, most favoring direct action, by its participants. An example of the obvious differences between political anarchy and lifestylism, or anarcho-punk can be made by a comparison between the “punk bands” Crass with The Exploited as two different types of anarcho-punk bands in England. A sample of the lyrics from The Exploited’s song, “I believe in Anarchy” is representative of basic nihilistic anarchy where politics are seldom considered, except as a way of escapism and a justification of rebellion and violence:
I believe in Anarchy, let's see you pogo!
GO!
I'm not ashamed of being a Punk
and I don't care and don't give a damn
and I don't care what you say
cause I believe in anarchy
I I I I'm not afraid
and I I I I I'm not ashamed
cause I still believe in anarchy
Go to a pub and pick up a byrd
you take her back for the casual fuck
you drive her home in your old mans car
but you have to go duchess cause you've got no doms
[Chorus]
I'm not afraid of having a Fight
and I’m not ashamed about getting drunk
and I don't care what you say cause
I believe in Anarchy
In the case of CRASS who viewed anarcho punk in a different context Direct action, although considered by some to be violent action is almost always deemed appropriate and sometimes necessary within context by its participants . Anarcho-punk has been highlighted as one of the social phenomena which took anarchism in the direction of identity politics, also described as lifestylism where ones daily lifestyle of dress, consumption, and idea became based on some form of personal political freedom. Where you shopped, what you bought, whether you were a carnivore or vegetarian, or your stance on eco-friendly or fair trade consumption reflected upon your anarchist principles. That crossed over into the United States with the lifestylism of straight edge punk, vegan punk, and others. Problematically, lifestylism does not always translate into how someone votes.
Punk ideology and Punk Voter
With Punk voter the ideology of punk societal rebellion is applied to today’s political situation in the United States. Punk Voter is a coalition of Punk bands, musicians, record labels and like minded organizations which aim to “educate, register and mobilize young voters.” They are about uniting the different youth movements into one voice for political change. Punk Voter arose out of its organizers ethos that punks have “always spoken out and preached social change no matter whether their political orientation is left or right.” Punk Voter also organized Rock against Bush a series of concerts which followed by CDs which were a compilation of songs from participating bands and DVD materials containing comedy skits as well as political video content. Punk Voter has three objectives: to activate punks and other young people to participate in elections. This objective focuses on getting young people to actually vote, to expose the chaotic policies of George W. Bush and his current administration. Punk Voter runs interactive and creative voter education programs by taking its message to the streets and including other interested groups, to build a coalition of informed voters who can “individually and collectively influence public policy”. I understand my research will not be all encompassing mostly because this subject is very broad with many sub genres and categories, but I believe my methodology is sound and a thorough study of available media will produce a substantial body of academic knowledge.
Works Cited:
The Sex Pistols Anarchy in the UK 1976 BMI
Charles Case McDermott meshes with punk band Anti-Flag March 29, 2006
Greg Graffin A Punk Manifesto Bad Times 12/98
Jessica Rosenberg; Gitana Garofalo Riot Grrrl: Revolution from within
Seth Kahn-Egan Interchanges Punk Comp and Beyond Pedagogy of the Pissed: Punk Pedagogy in the First-Year classroom
Dead Kennedys Where do you draw the line? 1986 Decay Music
W. Philips Shively The Craft of Political Research
Daniel S. Traber L.A.’s “White Minority”: Punk and the Contradictions of Self-Marginalization ”
www.punkvoter.co m
George Berger, The Story of Crass (Omnibus Press, 2006)
The Exploited I Believe in Anarchy from Punk’s Not Dead 1981
Craig Turnwall, The apparent indeterminable classification of counterculture: An essay on punk culture and thought
Craig O'Hara, The Philosophy of Punk, AK Press, 1999
William Tsitsos, Rules of Rebellion: Slamdancing, Moshing, and the American Alternative Scene, Oct., 1999 Cambridge University Press http://links.jstor.o rg/sici
Geoffrey Sirc, Never Mind the Tagmemics, Where's the Sex Pistols?
College Composition and Communication > Vol. 48, No. 1 (Feb., 1997), pp. 9-29
Blog Category: News and Politics
Playing (Music): Six Pack (W/ Mike Patton ) from Rise Above the West Memphis 3 CD
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Added on: 05/12/2006 14:33:04
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Anarchy sounds good to me...
I just finished this paper for my quantitative methodology class...
Anarchy sounds good to me: A research design to understand punk ideology, self-marginalization , and anarcho-politcs on the influence of direct political participation
Introduction:
Since 1976 the world of political discourse has had a large undercurrent of radicalized youth moving amongst the many theorists, activists, and scholars of political science. Since Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols first sang “I am the anti-Christ… I am the anarchist…. ” politics and punk have been intertwined. Thirty years later the band Anti-Flag released their song “Depleted Uranium is a war-crime” referencing the words and policy positions of Democratic Representative Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) There has not been, to date, a comprehensive study on the political ideology of punk. In this proposed study I will attempt to define the political ideology of punk and apply this definition to actual political practices and influences on punks politically over the course of the past thirty years.
Is Self-marginalization the reality of rebellion?
In seeking to better understand the political ideology of punk I will perform research into the historical record of music and published articles. Many theorists such as Daniel S. Traber and Simon Frith have placed an emphasis on style politics, often considered personal politics. Style politics and personal politics become the political ideology of Anarcho-politics. There is also emphasis on the ideas of self-marginalization of youth culture to explain the origins of punk. Traber, in his work L.A.’s “White Minority”: Punk and the Contradictions of Self-Marginalization ” theorizes that Los Angeles punks in the beginning of the 1980s chose to live in the margins of society to rebel against their parents and the success of white mainstream society and middle class suburban culture, therefore developing into a “Sub-urban” self or “Other” which apes the disparities of city dwellers in slums and ghettos . The development of a new “white minority” is merely for show and not a realistic lifestyle but instead a substitute for the creation of their own identity away from their parents. I plan to research beyond the limited theory of self-marginalization and grow these parameters to show, by logical deduction, that it is assumed that by marginalizing their selves punks participate through traditional political rejection or rebellion. Specifically, punks reluctantly participate in the political process by either not voting or not being politically active. For example, to be a rebel or a punk, someone may have broken the law in their youth, received a conviction, and then lost the right to participate in the voting process. A great deal of formal theory in political science has based itself on the economists core assumptions that individuals choose their actions in order to maximize some valued object, and minimize the costs expended in achieving this goal. Does this account for the popularity of punk culture? Answering this question becomes the most important of points, not to clarify why self-marginalization is popular but why do individuals take themselves out of society and maintain the air of criticism of the society they left to begin with.
Punk Ideology: Rational Choice assumption and the Struggle against Fear.
Individuals choose to be punks because they can maximize a certain sense of belonging and identity through a constant struggle against fear of social repercussions . This constant struggle becomes a movement that serves to refute social attitudes that normally are perpetuated through willful ignorance of human nature . In the late 1970s, punk initially had been very do-it-your-self (D.I.Y.) with a strong ethic of self-empowerment and independence from authority . For example: Anarcho-punk, a system of classifying identity politics, is based on the argument that style is an essential ingredient of this movement embracing a wide diversity of approaches in both format and ideas. Anarcho-punk itself was produced by fans of punk, for fans of punk, removing it from the marketing mechanisms of big music corporations. An anti-consumerist ideology is pervasive in all aspects of D.I.Y culture certifying it as a true independence from authority. In Pedagogy of the Pissed: Punk Pedagogy in the First-Year Writing Classroom, Seth Kahn-Egan identified five main tenants of punk-ideology: The D.I.Y. ethic, a sense of anger and passion, a sense of destructiveness that calls for the attack of institutions which are oppressive or dislikeable, a willingness to endure or even pursue pain to make their art, and a pursuit of the “pleasure principle”, a reveling in some kind of Nietzchean chasm . From this basis a definition of punk ideology has its foundation.
It is easy to assume that the rational choice to subscribe to punk ideology in an effort to avoid the fear of retaliation against social repercussions through anarcho-punk is the main reason individuals become punks, but this brings us to what they do as punks. How does punk ideology affect the political process?
The Methodology of Punk Ideology
With the central understanding that punkers are producing their own culture, what ideas are they basing their creations on? In choosing the title of this study, I considered a slogan encompassing a certain criticism of the D.I.Y. politics of punk ideology, anarcho-punk, self-marginalization , and identity politics. The Dead Kennedys, one of the main punk bands of the late seventies and early to mid- eighties wrote many songs critical of established norms and mores of punk culture and ideology. Jell-O Biafra, the bands front man and main lyricist, also typified a type of progressive, albeit leftist political candidate when he ran for mayor of San Francisco in 1980. From the Dead Kennedys last album, Bedtime for Democracy I have chosen the song where do you draw the line?
Seems like the more I think I know the more I find I don't
Every answer opens up so many questions
Anarchy sounds good to me then someone asks, "Who’d fix the sewers?"
"Would the rednecks just play king of the neighborhood?"
How many liberators really want to be dictators?
Every theory has its holes when real life steps in
So how do we feed and make room for all the people crowded on our earth
And transfer all that wealth from the rich to those who need it.
(Emphasis added)
Anarchy, in the above song, is significant because it includes everything a punk wants in political ideology, but at the same time leaves unanswered the questions brought about by self marginalization and identity politics. The main use of formal theory would be to construct a set of conditions from which we can explain how anarchy logically flowed from the music of punk and where the actions of punk ideology have taken its participants. That being the case, my methodology will include two types of data research. First and foremost, a strong basis of theory is needed to understand how certain primary questions should be answered. This approach will require an examination of the body of punk recordings and written material. The historical record is extensive as punk ideology has existed for over thirty years and continues to produce relevant political material in song, film, and text format. A systematic examination of records, zines, and video based on anarcho-punk is necessary to form the context of the second approach to data research. The second approach for how punk ideology and its effect on political systems will be measured will include interviews with participants in the punk music and political scenes, including performers, famous non-politicos, social and political activists, and punk music fans to determine how politics of punk ideology have shaped their outlook and activities. I will conduct online interviews and when possible, interviews in person, documenting these interviews on camera. An online survey of 1000 punk participants (fans, performers, members of the community) should be performed to quantify the voting trends associated with punk ideology. This brings the scope of this study from the abstract into the empirical combining a comprehensive measure between the establishment of marginalized punk culture and actual practical examples of how this culture impacts political systems. According to W. Philips Shively, research mix is often necessary to produce complete works of research. In the book, The craft of political research “normative philosophers are not required to provide evidence for all their assumptions leaves them free to devote more energy to other parts of their research”. So there will be a mix between normative and empirical research with the types of research questions in this study. The questions asked will divulge a wide range of ideas to which punk ideology influences the voting activities. Do punks vote? How has political subject matter in music and media influence their actions and perceptions? Are punks apolitical? Will grant a foundation to the theoretical and other questions such as Did you vote in the last elections? Do you consider yourself to be “political”? Do you follow the news? Has a bands lyrics or political views ever influenced your purchasing decisions? will focus the study into the data of the empirical. In this research project I will also attempt to give an outline of the conservative, nationalistic, progressive, anarchist, and leftist movements historically associated with punk. My theory is that the influence of punk ideology is fleeting and does little to define the overall description of what politics are. Punk ideology has no direct impact on mainstream political movements but instead support periphery progressive non-mainstream candidates and causes. If punk ideology, specifically anarcho-punk ideology had a stronger influence, historically more elections would h
Blog Category: News and Politics
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Current mood: accomplished
Added on: 05/12/2006 14:28:58
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I learn something new everyday. Did you guys know this? Tell me what you think.
Copyright 2006 The Brownsville Herald
The Brownsville Herald (Texas)
Distributed by Knight/Ridder Tribune News Service
April 27, 2006 Thursday
SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL NEWS
ACC-NO: 20060427-BV-0427-Mix ing-punk-and-politic s
LENGTH: 1020 words
HEADLINE: Mixing punk and politics: Former ?Misfit' spreading conservative message on concert circuit
BYLINE: Mike Moody, The Brownsville Herald, Texas
BODY:
Apr. 27--His music is the stuff of smoky bars and screaming lyrics. His politics are more polite. It's a compromise rather than a contradiction for politically conservative punk rocker Michael Graves, who for the first time is working on a cause usually aligned with the political left. The former lead singer for seminal punk band the Misifts -- who paints his thin face black and white to resemble a skull -- has joined the fight to free three young men convicted of murdering three children in West Memphis, Ark., in 1993. Graves brings his "Almost Home 2006" tour to Brownsville's Chapa's Bar The Pit tonight. The tour is part of the nationwide Almost Home Campaign.
Created by a group of private individuals working to free Damien Echols, Jessie Miskelly and Jason Baldwin, the campaign brings music, art shows and other events to cities across the nation. Its goal is to raise awareness on what it says is a justice system that has failed to provide the three men with a fair trial. The group will mark the 13th anniversary of the arrests of the so-called "West Memphis Three" with concerts and film screenings across the globe on June 3. Like many others, including celebrities such as Winona Ryder and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Graves was drawn to the campaign after watching the documentary films "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" and "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations." The films, released by HBO in 1996 and 2000, chronicle the trials of the West Memphis Three and were strongly critical of the case that resulted in their convictions.
Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky argued that the suspects were wrongly convicted of murdering Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore, all 8 years old at the time of their deaths. Graves decided to join the cause after reading Echol's autobiography, "Almost Home," last December.
"I saw that Damien had written a book, and then it kind of clicked," Graves said from his home in Dumont, N.J. "I had this tour coming up, and I couldn't find the motivation, but then, there it was. I thought to myself ‘I'll get a copy of the book and go around the country and show people and talk to them and tell them about Damien Echols.'" Before reading "Almost Home," Graves had mostly given up on performing and was at a crossroads. His politically conservative leanings, he said, almost ruined his career. In 2004, Graves started contributing essays touting conservatism and supporting President Bush to the Web site conservativepunk.com , created as a reaction to the popular Web site punkvoter.com, set up by Fat Mike of the band NOFX to encourage the young people to vote against George W. Bush in the 2004 election.
Graves' music also became more political. Visceral songs like "Punk Rock is Dead" are unabashedly pro-conservative and challenge liberal ideology. "I checked out Punk Voter and got a taste of their direction and I got pissed off," Graves said. "Everything that was punk, as defined by Punk Voter, which includes bands from Green Day to NOFX to Bad Religion, every single thing you could identify as punk was aligned with the left in this country." Graves challenged the creators of punkvoter.com to create a dialogue with him and other conservativepunk.com contributors. "I started to challenge them and say let's get together and disagree with each other but together show the kids that are looking up to us that we can disagree in this forum but still carry on as a punk movement or as a scene," Graves said.
"All I got in return was personal attacks and tours cancelled and Web sites saying ‘Die Michael Die' and death threats and literally thousands of e-mails that are just the most horrible things that you could say to a human." The backlash hit Graves hard, but Echol's book inspired him to rebound. Now, he works hand in hand for a common cause with those who might have shunned him in the past for his political views. Graves said he's received support from a number of liberal-minded artists and activists, including punk rock singer/songwriter Henry Rollins, who's well known for his biting criticism of the Bush administration.
"The walls are coming down and it's getting to the point where people are saying ‘Alright, we can completely disagree with some of these things, on our politics but we can work together and do great things regardless.'" Graves still has his share of detractors. One of them is Joe King, frontman for New Hampshire-based punk rock band the Queers.
"His political thing, I think, is just a scthick. I don't know how much he believes in it. Does he really care about it? If he really cared about that stuff he wouldn't look like and dress like a (f-ing) clown," said King, whose band plays Chapa's Bar on Friday. Graves said his show tonight will be more about Echols than waving a red state flag. The show will begin with an audio clip of Judge David Burnett reading the death sentence to Echols. Then, Graves said, he performs with his band and speaks candidly about his views concerning the West Memphis Three.
"With this tour, I want to expose Damien as a man and his soul and who he is. I certainly inject my personal beliefs that I believe that he is completely and totally innocent, but I think that I'm more of an advocate for who he is." Graves has been on the road since early March. His tour will culminate with a performance at an art show featuring work by Echols in San Francisco on May 11. There, Graves will perform "Frost Bite," a song written by Echols. Graves plans to collaborate with Echols, through letters, to write an upcoming album after the tour. Right now, though, he's focused on advocating the innocence of the West Memphis Three.
Tonight's show will also feature Brownsville's the Livends. Doors open at 8 p.m.
mmoody@brownsvil leherald.com
ON THE WEB
www.punkvoter.co m
www.conservative punk.com
www.wm3.org
michaelgraves.ne t
Copyright (c) 2006, The Brownsville Herald, Texas Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com .
LOAD-DATE: April 27, 2006
p.s. I the the michalegrave.com site might be a dead link- Lane
Blog Category: News and Politics
Playing (Music): Dead Kennedys "Saturday Night Holocaust"
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Added on: 22/09/2006 12:38:26
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QUICK DEFINITIONS OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM
The federal government’s elastic public use of the term "eco-terrorism" has drawn some criticism from the public and officials.
The FBI doesn’t necessarily define these actions strictly as domestic terrorism but instead as “Special interest terrorism” which differs from traditional right-wing and left-wing terrorism in that extremist special interest groups seek to resolve specific issues, rather than effect widespread political change . The exact federal criminal code, USC 2331, states:
(5) the term "domestic terrorism" means activities that - A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; B) appear to be intended - (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
Do ELF / ALF fall into this category? What do you think?
-SOURCE-(Added Pub. L. 102-572, title X, Sec. 1003(a)(3), Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4521; amended Pub. L. 107-56, title VIII, Sec. 802(a), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 376.)
Blog Category: News and Politics
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Added on: 14/09/2006 08:46:32
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Academic Punk Rock Document
Assessing the policy impact of Backfire / Green Scare
The following is from a proposal I am putting together for a public policy class I am attending here at Winthrop University. I think the issues of ALF and ELF and the accompanying prosecution form the Federal Government are important topics and of interest to everyone in the Punk Movement
The federal prosecution program referred to by the Justice Department as Operation Backfire but known idiomatically as Green Scare has been credited with an increase in arrests of the membership of radical environmental activists groups such as the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front for a variety of crimes such as arson, use of a destructive device, and conspiracy to commit murder. Many supporters of the Operation Backfire program condone its procedures and policies but for those who call it Green Scare, the program is seen as an illegal attempt to violate the rights of environmental activists. In this paper I am writing I will attempt to weigh the available material from a variety of sources such as Justice Department press releases, court records, news media Items such as newspapers, news broad casts, blogs, and communiqués from the FBI, ATF, regional Sheriff agencies and the opposition forces of groups like ALF and ELF. Relevant data will be gathered and analyzed in an attempt to judge standards of government interference, such as statutes from similar cases and whether the Backfire is similar to past Government programs such as COINTELPRO , (Counter Intelligence Program) is a program of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at investigating and disrupting dissident political organizations within the United States. The term Green Scare, alluding to the Red Scare of the 1940s – 1950s is an expression used by environmental activists to refer to legal action by the US govt. against the radical environmentalist movement.
“Investigating and preventing animal rights and environmental extremism is one of the FBI's highest domestic terrorism priorities,” said FBI Director Robert Mueller. “We are committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle these movements, to protect our fellow citizens, and to bring to justice those who commit crime and terrorism in the name of animal rights or environmental issues.” Taken from the FBI Website 09-13-2006
Defining a Terrorist Threat
Though Justice Department officials publicly refer to the ALF and ELF defendants as "terrorists," none is formally charged under terrorist criminal statutes, nor are the terms "eco-terrorism" or "domestic terrorism" in either indictment. Legally, "domestic terrorist" refers to a specific category established in the federal criminal code, USC 2331, as enhanced by the USA PATRIOT Act.
The federal government’s elastic public use of the term "eco-terrorism" has drawn some criticism from the public and officials. Taken from the ELF Website 2006-09-13
Blog Category: News and Politics
Playing (Music): Life during war time by the Talking Heads & Disconnect by Rollins Band
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Added on: 13/09/2006 18:10:07
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