The idea of punk as sub-culture or counter-culture, as somehow being isolated and distinct from mainstream culture, I am coming to believe, is a naive one. The ease with which punk iconography and culture is assimilated into mainstream, capitalist culture should be a constant and unfortunate reminder of this. We are a product of culture-at-large and we are subject to its same flaws. We are apathetic, we are greedy, we are short-sighted, we are irrational, we are ignorant, we are unwilling to confront our mistakes.
If there is something, however, that distinguishes us punk kids from the rest of the world we live in, it is that we are able to make things, even if for a short while, that reflect a greater sincerity, and that we can, perhaps, respond to these ideas with a greater compassion, or greater reason, or a greater willingness to change our lives.
With all the flaws we have in ourselves, and in effect, our politics, projects, and institutions, it is every bit as reasonable to level criticism against ourselves as it is to attack the corporation or the government or the church. Certainly, I would not say that these things should not be challenged. They are so large, so powerful, and often so corrupt that for the survival of any, even miniscule, alternative, it is neccessary for there to be some continued challenge, some continued conflict. However, I would strongly disagree that any self-critique is somehow less legitimate or comes at the expense of this struggle. At best, it fortifies such struggles by grounding them in more reason and better , more clear intententions.
For many reasons I have chosen to live my life surrounded by punk rock music and culture and other people who have made similar choices. I’m glad of this and I don’t really care for the alternatives. So, it makes sense that in trying to challenge myself and ideas that might be negative, I would look first to my own community and my own friends, and to myself. I think that the idea of the failure of preaching to the choir comes not from the redundancy of the audience, but from that of the message.