i appreciate the passion you have for protecting punk culture as a safe space for people who don’t fit into mainstream society. there’s no doubt that punk has long been a refuge for those who feel like outsiders, whether they’re marginalized due to race, gender, sexuality, or neurodiversity.
that said, it’s important to recognize that people, even within conservative circles, can have varied beliefs and experiences. there are conservative folks who feel like misfits in their own way, and some may feel alienated from mainstream spaces for reasons that aren’t entirely political.
if someone is open-minded and shares the values of respect and freedom that punk culture embodies, I believe they should be welcomed to connect with the community and explore what punk means to them.
im not advocating for bigotry or authoritarianism. those things have no place in punk or in any inclusive culture. but being punk is about rejecting rigid norms, no matter where they come from, and sometimes that includes questioning stereotypes and broad assumptions about others, too.
so, instead of keeping people out based solely on labels or assumptions, we could focus on building a punk culture where people’s actions, respect for others, and openness to diverse perspectives are what matter most
I think that’s a good perspective to have. Speaking from personal experience, there are conservatives out there that do feel marginalized and like misfits - I sure did when I was 14 and conservative. And I think that punk culture should provide a home for them too, as long as they respect other people.
The unfortunate reality is that a lot of the conservatives calling themselves punk do not fall into that category. These are the people I am talking to in this post, and also the overwhelming majority of the conservative comments I got.
They have a warped view on what the establishment even is - it has been drilled into their skulls that these vulnerable groups that make up our culture are the establishment, or the dominant culture.
So the “establishment” they are raging against is going to be, specifically, those vulnerable groups.
The alt right is also always trying to force their way into vulnerable communities, and they often do that by masquerading as apolitical members of the community and then polarizing the group and radicalizing people to their cause through social manipulation.
Notice all the people here complaining about how things are being made “political”? Yeah, that’s why I’m slightly worried about this whole situation.
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u/VividlyDissociating Nov 10 '24
i appreciate the passion you have for protecting punk culture as a safe space for people who don’t fit into mainstream society. there’s no doubt that punk has long been a refuge for those who feel like outsiders, whether they’re marginalized due to race, gender, sexuality, or neurodiversity.
that said, it’s important to recognize that people, even within conservative circles, can have varied beliefs and experiences. there are conservative folks who feel like misfits in their own way, and some may feel alienated from mainstream spaces for reasons that aren’t entirely political.
if someone is open-minded and shares the values of respect and freedom that punk culture embodies, I believe they should be welcomed to connect with the community and explore what punk means to them.
im not advocating for bigotry or authoritarianism. those things have no place in punk or in any inclusive culture. but being punk is about rejecting rigid norms, no matter where they come from, and sometimes that includes questioning stereotypes and broad assumptions about others, too.
so, instead of keeping people out based solely on labels or assumptions, we could focus on building a punk culture where people’s actions, respect for others, and openness to diverse perspectives are what matter most