Punk rock in the present-day is incredibly diverse due to its regionality and tendency to change with the political landscape, so I was curious what exactly we would be learning about the genre/culture during this seminar. I was somewhat involved in the punk community in my high school, but had just barely scratched the surface of what being punk meant.

Because of the subversive nature of punk, the word itself seems to come with a negative connotation in the mainstream. Many seem to associate punk with delinquency, but I view it as an exercise of free thought and expression, which is inherently anti-authority. Every person experiences punk in a different way depending on the demographics they fall under. For instance, the Mexican kids that Rich met in El Paso saw the punk community in West Texas as a place where they could be accepted. 

Furthermore, I find that punk is more than just rock, it can be any form of expression, as long as that expression is anti-system. Graffiti and verbal protest are some very outstanding examples of this, but the ideals of punk apply to smaller actions such as the repurposing and repair of items, since not purchasing items new goes against the consumerism that is constantly being pushed onto us. This also goes to show how punk has evolved over time to address modern issues.

One thing that Rich mentioned that I found very interesting was that many of the few girls that got involved in the hardcore/punk scene during the 80s and 90s started off as photographers for shows, because that is exactly how I found myself going to shows in which my friends were performing. I also believe that the gender ratio at these shows has since shifted due to an increasing number of female artists in the scene.

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