I had a bitterness in me at a young age that was rooted in socio-economic status. All of my childhood, my parents struggled to send me to Catholic schools so that I could receive an education indoctrinated with their beliefs. The end result was that I was surrounded by peers mostly coming from privileged families. I know now that there is nothing wrong with a person based on how much or how little money they or their family has. At the time though, I had this underdog sort of feeling that needed affirmation and a place to transform into something positive. Along came punk rock.My sophomore year of high school I was introduced to punk when I started going to shows at Gilman. This all ages punk club gave me a place to hangout and listen to all kinds of punk and punk-ska bands. My exposure to bands that sang about working class struggles gave me something with which to identify.
As I listened to more punk, my world views were pushed from the middle of nowhere to the left. It wasn't just songs against the elite, but songs criticizing homophobia, consumerism, racism, sexism - basically all of the isms that some people assume punk rock promotes. This music was mindful, not like the chart toppers on commercial radio (though there is commercial, crap punk, too).
The next couple of years listening to bands like Operation Ivy, Screw 32, Propaghandi, Rancid, and NOFX primed me for the progressive course that I ended up on. In college I expanded my perspective on the world. Anthropology led me to writings by thinkers like Marx and Nietzsche while my boyfriend exposed me to Taoism. During and after college, I put my ideals into action by working for environmental nonprofits. And to think that punk rock spurred this all.
Of course other things besides music could have led me to my current path. I think that for many people though, music speaks to a place deep inside of them. While much of commercial radio is fluff, fortunately there are still many artists that deliver powerful messages in their music. And certainly it's not just punk rock that is pushing people toward a higher path. Hip hop has Paris, Saul Williams, Immortal Technique, Public Enemy, etc. Reggae has Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Groundation....
Like some of my peers that came from punk, I will always credit this movement for setting me on my path.
1 comment:
Hey I totally relate to your post. I grew up in suburban Kansas. To say the least, it was whitebread conservative hell. Lucky for me, I found punk rock by 7th grade. The lyrics, usually from Bay Area bands, exposed me to a worldview rarely exposed in Kansas. And now I work alongside the post-author! I also have to give credit to my parents, who at least had the wherewithal to take me to a Unitarian church. So that was the other liberal influence for me.
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