Come As You Are: Punk Stereotypes
Come As You Are
Overview/Abstract
Punk may be too abrasive, too noisy for the mainstream, and for that exact reason it appeals more and more to younger crowds. It speaks for people who feel disillusioned, angry, written off, or unheard. In doing research and conducting interviews, I found that for a lot of people, finding punk is a life-altering experience. It’s a sort of lightbulb moment for a confused, messed up kid, like they’ve finally found where they belong. Punk becomes a lifestyle - even without the conformity of the punk “uniform” - which I don’t think can be said about every genre of music. Mainstream society doesn’t have a place for punk music, or the people who listen to it. Teenagers, especially the ones with piercings and unnatural colors in their hair, are looked at as “bad kids”. It’s thought that these kids are too wild, on drugs, and drinking too young. …show more content…
Cass is nineteen years old. We met at a cafe in Queens to talk punk rock theory. Our discussion brought up some really interesting things about punk - some obvious to me from being a part of the scene and an avid people-watcher. We talked about posturing and aging within the scene, among other topics. I had interview questions set up, but I didn’t want it to feel awkward for us to talk as just two friends, so I started with a simple question to get it going.
Me: What does punk rock mean to you, personally?
Cass: Punk is the music I turn to when I have excess emotions that I don’t know how to deal with. I feel like it touches a side of human nature that is relatable to everyone, but not many people are willing to get in touch with that angry side. A lot of punk music speaks to the disenchantment of recent generations... Punk is a way to stand up to the way we’re told to live.
Me: What attracted you to punk rock in the first
Overview/Abstract
Punk may be too abrasive, too noisy for the mainstream, and for that exact reason it appeals more and more to younger crowds. It speaks for people who feel disillusioned, angry, written off, or unheard. In doing research and conducting interviews, I found that for a lot of people, finding punk is a life-altering experience. It’s a sort of lightbulb moment for a confused, messed up kid, like they’ve finally found where they belong. Punk becomes a lifestyle - even without the conformity of the punk “uniform” - which I don’t think can be said about every genre of music. Mainstream society doesn’t have a place for punk music, or the people who listen to it. Teenagers, especially the ones with piercings and unnatural colors in their hair, are looked at as “bad kids”. It’s thought that these kids are too wild, on drugs, and drinking too young. …show more content…
Cass is nineteen years old. We met at a cafe in Queens to talk punk rock theory. Our discussion brought up some really interesting things about punk - some obvious to me from being a part of the scene and an avid people-watcher. We talked about posturing and aging within the scene, among other topics. I had interview questions set up, but I didn’t want it to feel awkward for us to talk as just two friends, so I started with a simple question to get it going.
Me: What does punk rock mean to you, personally?
Cass: Punk is the music I turn to when I have excess emotions that I don’t know how to deal with. I feel like it touches a side of human nature that is relatable to everyone, but not many people are willing to get in touch with that angry side. A lot of punk music speaks to the disenchantment of recent generations... Punk is a way to stand up to the way we’re told to live.
Me: What attracted you to punk rock in the first