punk vs. not punk
some of you (okay, just jk) have been giving me a hard time about my now-prior appellation as "punk rock lawyer", suggesting that i am not fit to claim that label. there's some merit to that. i definitely used to be a lot more punk rock than i am now. but to me that term doesn't just include the 15-year-old with a mohawk, living on the streets of berkeley and listening to the sex pistols. i think it can encompass a lot of different possible traits and interests and styles, with the central theme of an attitude of defying conventions and supporting others who do the same. (here's what wikipedia thinks it means.)
what is left of my youthful rebellion?
(1) i cling to a few external signals of outsider status, like weirdly-cut and -colored hair and a lip piercing.
(2) a lot of the music i listen to is, if not "punk" per se, than at least loosely-defined "post-punk" or "indie".
(3) i am a big admirer of any art or music or culture that represents the DIY (do-it-yourself) ethos, and i try to contribute, too, a little (playing music, writing, etc.).
(4) i'm an (armchair) activist with a lot of pretty-far-out-of-the-mainstream political views. even though i don't do a lot of political stuff out in the real world, i try to be aware of and analyze and fix or avoid fucked-up dynamics with political implications in my personal life.
(5) i'm a sex radical! :) okay, TMI. but i try not to let mainstream puritanical ideas of what's normal or PC restrict my quest for an always-interesting, fun, satisfying sex life. and i think everyone deserves that.
(6) i try to be proud of the things that make me quirky and weird compared to other people (e.g., being a nerd, having weird aspirations like competitive scrabble playing, being gay-or-formerly-gay-or-bisexual-or-whatever-it-is-i-am) and i like pushing past my embarassment and talking about things that other people are embarassed to talk about (e.g. being obsessed with silly things, having no friends, being insecure).
(6) &c.
so, whatever. i guess i'm punk rock the way that my parents are hippies. i.e., not so much, currently - but, sort of, in spirit.
what is left of my youthful rebellion?
(1) i cling to a few external signals of outsider status, like weirdly-cut and -colored hair and a lip piercing.
(2) a lot of the music i listen to is, if not "punk" per se, than at least loosely-defined "post-punk" or "indie".
(3) i am a big admirer of any art or music or culture that represents the DIY (do-it-yourself) ethos, and i try to contribute, too, a little (playing music, writing, etc.).
(4) i'm an (armchair) activist with a lot of pretty-far-out-of-the-mainstream political views. even though i don't do a lot of political stuff out in the real world, i try to be aware of and analyze and fix or avoid fucked-up dynamics with political implications in my personal life.
(5) i'm a sex radical! :) okay, TMI. but i try not to let mainstream puritanical ideas of what's normal or PC restrict my quest for an always-interesting, fun, satisfying sex life. and i think everyone deserves that.
(6) i try to be proud of the things that make me quirky and weird compared to other people (e.g., being a nerd, having weird aspirations like competitive scrabble playing, being gay-or-formerly-gay-or-bisexual-or-whatever-it-is-i-am) and i like pushing past my embarassment and talking about things that other people are embarassed to talk about (e.g. being obsessed with silly things, having no friends, being insecure).
(6) &c.
so, whatever. i guess i'm punk rock the way that my parents are hippies. i.e., not so much, currently - but, sort of, in spirit.
posted by ilona @ 12:49 PM
2 Comments:
At 5:53 PM,
jk said…
to paraphrase dewey finn from our favorite movie, SCHOOL OF ROCK, "that 15 year old kid listening to the sex pistols isn't punk rock. he's just a poser!"
i'm not exactly "happy" about you changing your description from "punk rock lawyer" to "nerd core," but i do think it's a lot more descriptive.
At 1:19 PM,
Anonymous said…
why you gotta label yourself?
just do you :p
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