Conservative Punk is back

[the Left™]

Yes, the counter-cultural social conservatives, the punk-rocker imperialists, you name it. What a wonderful gem of website!


http://conpunk.com/forums/

[Ocean Seal]

So its pro-war punk rock?

I guess I've really seen it all.

[socialistjustin]

Meh, nobody really listens to the lyrics anyway. If the tunes are sweet, maybe I would even listen to it.

[Charlie Watt]

Conservative punk = contradiction in terms.

These guys are fucking clown shoes.

[Искра]

Conservative punk = contradiction in terms.I guess that you haven't heard for RAC then.

Conservative punk is really good. More than half of Oi! bands are conservatives.

Also, Ramones were conservatives - at least Johnny. Still, they'll allways be better than Crass.

[Charlie Watt]

I can't get my head around the desire to join a subculture that is more or less utterly anti-establishment, while you, yourself hold pro-establishment, reactionary views, but everyone's views are their own, so fuck it, there is wriggle-room. They do, however remain clown shoes. Bands that actively promote those views in their music are not punk.

[Azraella]

I can't get my head around the desire to join a subculture that is more or less utterly anti-establishment

Punk subculture is about thinking for yourself and being an individual first and foremost. Though there is a tendency for the punk subculture to be involved with leftist politics. I can envision a conservative or lolbertarian punk though I don't agree with their politics.

[Leftsolidarity]

Conservative punks and skinheads are annoying but they're alright if you stick to just chilling at shows and getting smashed to good music together. Their views on other things are complete shit though. Watevz UP THA PUNX BRAH!!!

[Charlie Watt]

As I said, on an individual basis, people can think what they want, but songs extolling the virtues of our masters is antithetical to punk.

[Leftsolidarity]

As I said, on an individual basis, people can think what they want, but songs extolling the virtues of our masters is antithetical to punk.

Conservative punk bands suck ass. I can't stand them. There was one that I ran into at one point "The Free-Market Anarchists". Great tunes but their lyrics just can't be promoted in the punk scene in my opinion. Can't stand that shit.

[Charlie Watt]

Free market anarchists - another contradiction in terms.

[Искра]

Free market anarchists - another contradiction in terms.
Lol. Read proudhon, tucker, stirner...

[TheGodlessUtopian]

It was like reading a bunch of dimwits who had no clue but were high so they decided to talk about their deluded views on politics...so,it was a lot like real life.:laugh:

[Tim Finnegan]

Wait, this is a thing? I mean, Nazi punks I get, because as reactionary as Nazism is, at least allows the cultivation of an image of rebelliousness, but this is just kinda weird. :confused:

That said, I just looked at a thread there about the Communist Manifesto, and while it seemed not to take into account any developments in Marxist thought since 1900, it wasn't actually filled with the incoherent ramblings that righties usually vomit up on topics like that. So I guess they could be worse?

[Искра]

Come on people. Punk is nothing but a music! Politics and looks sells punk. Do you really think that all those punk rockers are anarchists/communists?

Ok, here are few bands we all love which are conservative: Ramones, Bad Brains, 4 Skins, Sex Pistols, Agnostic Front (and whole NYHC/NY skinhead scene), whole bunch of UK82 bands from Special Duties to The Exploited, half of "anarcho-punk" bands after they took a bath... There's even conservative crust band in Croatia. Most of the Oi bands are conservatives, most of Japanese punx are conservatives, a lot of American hardcore bands are conservaives, Finnish/Swedish hardcore punx from 80's etc etc.... get a grip :)

[Искра]

And just to make this thread special, enjoy in one classic of conservative punk rock Oi!....

3X-x17OPsS8

[bcbm]

punk is dead

[Искра]

punk is dead
satan lives - hail satan!
Eyt3GO7DpSo

[Tim Finnegan]

Come on people. Punk is nothing but a music! Politics and looks sells punk. Do you really think that all those punk rockers are anarchists/communists?

Ok, here are few bands we all love which are conservative: Ramones, Bad Brains, 4 Skins, Sex Pistols, Agnostic Front (and whole NYHC/NY skinhead scene), whole bunch of UK82 bands from Special Duties to The Exploited, half of "anarcho-punk" bands after they took a bath... There's even conservative crust band in Croatia. Most of the Oi bands are conservatives, most of Japanese punx are conservatives, a lot of American hardcore bands are conservaives, Finnish/Swedish hardcore punx from 80's etc etc.... get a grip :)
Wait, what definition of "conservative" are we actually using here? At least with the examples I'm familiar with, you seem to be conflating the expression of certain conservative sentiments with a coherent and concious body of conservative politics, which doesn't really follow. I agree that punk doesn't have to come packaged with any particular politics, but the fact that it's just an aesthetic doesn't explain a contradiction that would still appear to exist in aesthetic terms. I mean, do these Japanese punks actually sing songs about how much they love business cartels, filial piety and the emperor?

[Искра]

I'm talking about people who support certain values of present society and promote them trought their music or public statemants.

For example Bad Brains are homophobic idiots and religious fundamentalists, Johnny Ramone was a Republican who supported KKK, 4 Skins support war in Afganistan and Iraq, Agnostic Front guys are also Republicans and right wing American trash etc.

[NewLeft]

The Ramones are my favourite conpunk band. JK Eww the Ramones.

[Dragonaut]

Conservative punk is really good. More than half of Oi! bands are conservatives.

I wouldn't say this is true. Considering that Oi! is "working class music", many bands hold left wing views. The scene was sort of hijacked by the far-right/neo-Nazi movement, but I would hardly call these people conservatives.

I hate to quote Wikipedia, but just to prove my point:


The prevalent ideology of the original Oi! movement was a rough brand of socialist, working-class populism. Lyrical topics included unemployment, workers' rights, harassment by police and other authorities, and oppression by the government.

[Искра]

Yes, Oi! is singing about working class but that dosen't make them socialist. They actually want Keynesian economics or to put is simple - welfare state. After all, many of those bands who sing against unemployement have anti-communist or anti-labour songs/statemants. You can not deny that Oi! was music of conservative working class people. After all many of them were against immigration even they are not Nazis.

[Ocean Seal]

Yes, Oi! is singing about working class but that dosen't make them socialist. They actually want Keynesian economics or to put is simple - welfare state. After all, many of those bands who sing against unemployement have anti-communist or anti-labour songs/statemants. You can not deny that Oi! was music of conservative working class people. After all many of them were against immigration even they are not Nazis.
Yep although Oi often sings anti-Nazi songs and songs about the working class, they often touch on rather conservative themes like nationalism, having pride in what you do, and class collaboration. I wouldn't call it an especially right-wing genre though, more of a centrist populist kind.

[Искра]

It is right-wing genre. Most of bands are conservatives and patriots. Traditional skinheads like to say that they are patriotic but apolitical. Well, that all what Oi, in most cases, politically is about. You just have to admit that.

I'm skinhead and I have no problem with that, because skinhead subculture rejects politics on subculutral level, but on your personal level you can be what you want. That's why a lot of Oi bands sing only about football, beer, girls, fights etc. This is gang music not political. Still, you can't run away from conservative belifes of people in the bands.

[Tim Finnegan]

It's a hell of a leap to go from "a lot of Oi bands express conservative sentiments at times" to "Oi is an intrinsically right-wing genre". There's more than enough explicit examples to the contrary for that to make any sense. Like RedBrother says, that sort of thing is more of a gut-populism than any sort of coherent political position; if it skews rightwards, it's more likely because the whole damn world is skewed rightwards at this point than because of anything intrinsic to Oi.

[NewLeft]

Only on revleft are songs about class struggle considered not left enough and "centrist." :rolleyes: