Who ever thought punk was not progressive? At minimum it was blatantly anti-authoritarian and counter to the conservative culture in Thatcher’s UK and Reagan’s US. Why would anyone be shocked to find out that it was also pro-choice, feminist, and anti-discriminatory?
Because the Nazi skinheads did a great job of co-opting the punk title for most people who weren’t actually interested in punk. The news media were very complicit in pushing that specific image to undermine the punk movement to the general public.
The Nazi skinheads co-opted skinhead. After the Geraldo Rivera episode everyone I knew let their hair grow out because they didn’t want to be associated with that shit. Before that there were only a few isolated scenes where you’d see Nazi skinheads. Cutting off your hair was popular in the hardcore punk scenes because it was contrary to the long feathered hair popular in the 70’s and 80’s plus it was a lot easier than trying to get a Mohawk to stand up straight. That took a whole can of hairspray and we were all broke.
I was so sad when I discovered the Hammerskins were a thing (a White Power band inspired by Pink Floyd’s Waiting For The Worms, but without the irony, with a corresponding militant movement). The Hammerskins took their logo:
From the Hammers banner from the movie version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Which means when I reference the Hammers in parody of white power movements, I risk being associated with an actual white power movement.
If they had balls, they’d call themselves The Worms.
<looking up to make sure The Worms isn’t a social movement yet>
Who ever thought punk was not progressive? At minimum it was blatantly anti-authoritarian and counter to the conservative culture in Thatcher’s UK and Reagan’s US. Why would anyone be shocked to find out that it was also pro-choice, feminist, and anti-discriminatory?
Because the Nazi skinheads did a great job of co-opting the punk title for most people who weren’t actually interested in punk. The news media were very complicit in pushing that specific image to undermine the punk movement to the general public.
The Nazi skinheads co-opted skinhead. After the Geraldo Rivera episode everyone I knew let their hair grow out because they didn’t want to be associated with that shit. Before that there were only a few isolated scenes where you’d see Nazi skinheads. Cutting off your hair was popular in the hardcore punk scenes because it was contrary to the long feathered hair popular in the 70’s and 80’s plus it was a lot easier than trying to get a Mohawk to stand up straight. That took a whole can of hairspray and we were all broke.
That’s new to me. Where I live, punks and skinheads are natural enemies
Like skinheads and goths, or skinheads and greasers, or skinheads and other skinheads
Labor skinheads and neonazi skinheads.
I was so sad when I discovered the Hammerskins were a thing (a White Power band inspired by Pink Floyd’s Waiting For The Worms, but without the irony, with a corresponding militant movement). The Hammerskins took their logo:
From the Hammers banner from the movie version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Which means when I reference the Hammers in parody of white power movements, I risk being associated with an actual white power movement.
If they had balls, they’d call themselves The Worms.
<looking up to make sure The Worms isn’t a social movement yet>