A Look into Anarchist-Punks: A Subculture

By Spenninger Melissa.

Written in 2019.

Subcultures are defined as a negative reaction to a mainstream movement, spawning as like-minded individuals form groups where their new identity can be expressed. A key identifier of the different subcultures that exist within various communities would be the way members of said subculture dress.



Although certain subcultures may have been formed as a reaction to political changes, or perhaps technological advancements, members have always found a way to cultivate a certain style of dressing or ‘uniform’ within the group that others could gravitate to. An example of a subculture with a strongly-defined sense of style would be the Anarcho-punks of America during the late 1970s.



During that era, the American population still very much hung onto the idyllic “American Dream” as their ideal lifestyle, idolising the idea of the nuclear, white, middle-class family living in suburbia. The decade proved to be a tumultuous time for American society, as the country experienced a rise in number of right-wing forces that favoured conservative stances and political aggressiveness toward other countries, such as the Soviet Union. On the other hand, many young Americans started developing more progressive and open-minded mindsets, wanting nothing more than to “throw it all away, to trash, and burn it” (Farren).



Through this period of time, the anarchist-punk movement began to pick up in America, particularly around the Sunbelt areas of the South and Southwestern states. The original punk movement resounded greatly with the frustrated working-class people of the UK and America as both countries were going through tough spots and had unstable governments. America was experiencing Watergagte and the aftereffects of the Vietnam War, while the UK suffered from severe budget cuts and IRA bombings. Both countries were ruled by right-wing governments, and were on the cusp of the AIDS crisis, amongst other issues, leading to the birth of the punk movement that would resonate with the frustrated masses, giving the individuals a sense of community and belonging. (pp.10-11, Salden & Yedgar)



The anarchist-punk movement fused this punk scene with anarchist imagery-- initially this was simply used for shock value, but the punks gradually started to adapt to anarchist ideologies as well. As the punk scene gained traction in the Sunbelt states, its focus shifted from the class anger that was prominent in the UK punk scene to more extreme and hardcore influences, adapting to the cultural and social happenings of the time. (pp. 48, Rombes) Hardcore Californian Punk bands like Black Flag and Dead Kennedys often had military influences in their music styles and presentation, even conjuring “almost militant orthodoxy enforced, dutifully and sometimes, pitilessly, by its fans” (pp. 152, Rombes) which would have confused outsiders and “normals”, considering how said bands were associated with anarchy and anti-government movements. This military-like uniformity, ironically, was a large part of the anarchist and anarchist-punk movement. Although this seemed to take away the voice of the individual, with this uniformity and lack of hierarchy, the anarchist-punks could unite these individuals, acting and speaking as a whole community rather than as an individual.



This movement’s identity revolved around protest and defiance against “the violence of state and capitalism” (Young), building their identity and empowering the community through the use of protest. To prevent identification by authoritative figures during protests, many participants used extremely dark sunglasses to mask their identity, forming the concept of the Black Bloc. In this case, instead of donning personalised leather jackets and other DIY-ed clothes that many have come to associate with the punk movement, anarchist-punks would utilise conformity as a tactic to confuse and disarray, hiding their identities behind dark sunglasses, balaclavas, and head-to-toe black clothing. The combination of this “uniform”, as well as the sheer number of participants of such protests ensured the safety and anonymity of everyone in the group, as it would be more difficult to single any one person out. Camaraderie and a sense of unity is further instilled amongst members, as they would have to rely on everyone following this dress code to keep each other safe and anonymous. (Crimethinc) Straying from this dress code would result in an unsuccessful Black Bloc, putting the participants at further risk. The dark sunglasses are essential to the Black Bloc uniform, as they not only aid in masking the wearer’s identity, but they also aid in preventing objects from damaging the wearer’s eyes. Police are known to use tactics such as pepper spray, stun grenades and other chemical weapons to dissipate crowds of protesters, and dark sunglasses, or in some cases, goggles, are frequently worn by protesters to protect their eyes from the effects of these weapons.



Besides the all-black ensembles worn during Black Bloc demonstrations, many anarchist-punks opted for faux leather jackets that they would personalise. It was essential that these jackets were made of faux leather and not genuine leather, as many anarchist-punks advocated and stood for animal rights, and frowned at the idea of wearing clothing items made at the expense of an animal’s life. Additionally, faux leather was definitely cheaper than genuine leather, and many anarchist-punks belonged to the working-class, or were from a younger generation, thus many had unsteady incomes or more stringent budgets, and were unable to spend a small fortune on a genuine leather jacket. Faux leather jackets were purchased from more affordable outlet stores, and were given makeovers unique to the wearer’s tastes using badges, pins, patches, and white-out text and drawings. Punks would decorate these jackets with the names of their favourite bands, political slogans, or mini manifestoes, some with intentionally-offensive messages that represented the punk movement. (DangerousMinds)



The anarchist-punks’ ideologies and stances are ultimately the biggest influence on the aesthetics and design choices within the subculture. The importance of animal rights has not only influenced the material choices for their clothes, but has also greatly influenced their sense of aesthetics and style. For example, a fur coat or a genuine leather jacket would not appeal to members of this subculture due to the garment’s history and material choice. The garment’s aesthetic quality would be compromised and tainted from an anarchist-punk’s perspective, while someone who shares no such concern for animal rights would simply concern themselves with the aesthetics and style of the garment.



Another driving factor behind the anarchist-punks’ sense of design and style would be their rocky relationship with authority.  Regardless of whether the individual actively participated in Black Bloc demonstrations and protests or not, anarchist-punks dressed to convey their rebellion and distaste towards the right-wing movement and the authority that seemed to sympathise with the right-wingers. Casualwear garments were peppered with manifestos and slogans, and often drew elements from workwear, prioritising practicality over aesthetics, which pretty different from the mainstream punk scene back in the UK. Another disparity between the two strains of punk movements was that UK punks tended to enjoy appropriating symbols for shock value, such as anarchist imagery, and even Nazi symbols and images, while anarchist-punks from the US refrained from such design options, despite having been “born” due to mainstream punks appropriating anarchist imagery. Although mainstream punks often did not mean anything by using offensive images and symbols, hardcore punks and anarchist-punks steered clear from them altogether, or were extremely firm in their political stances, such as when hardcore Californian punk band Dead Kennedys released a track titled “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” in response to the increasing number of right-wingers that invaded the American punk scene. The anarchist-punks were extremely anti-right-wing, not tolerating the alt-right’s racist ideologies that directly conflicted with their own anti-segregation stance.



The Anarchist-punk movement could, in a way, be counted as a subculture of a subculture, as it shared its differences and diverged greatly at times from the mainstream punk scene. It also reacted fiercely against the mainstream political stance of the country led by a right-wing government which was backed up by extremely vocal alt-right groups. Although people today may joke that “punk is dead”, referring to the drastic shifts in music tastes, what they fail to realise is that “punk” refers to more than a music genre, fashion trend, or design aesthetic. The punk movement, ultimately, revolves around the social liberation of the oppressed and outcasts, showing that the movement is still very much alive today, as seen from the many Black Bloc demonstrations against the marginalisation and oppression of the masses.

 

References:


Sladen, Mark & Yedgar, Ariella, Panic Attack! Art in the Punk Years. Merrell Publishers Limited, 2007.

Farren, Mick, “L.A. Punk”, New Musical Express, 11th April 1981.

Young, Daniel Dylan, “Autonomia and the Origin of the Black Bloc” A-Infos, 10th June 2001 http://www.ainfos.ca/01/jun/ainfos00170.html
Date accessed: 9th April 2019

Author unknown, “Fashion Tips for the Brave”, CrimethInc., 11th October 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20170121191958/https://crimethinc.com/2008/10/11/fashion-tips-for-the-brave
Date accessed: 9th April 2019

Paulas, Rick, “What to Wear to Smash the State”, The New York Times, 29th November 2017 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/style/black-bloc-fashion.html
Date accessed: 25th March 2019

“Black-clad Anarchists Storm Berkeley Rally, Assaulting 5”, CNBC, 28th August 2017
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/28/berkeley-protest-rally-stormed-by-anarchists.html
Date accessed: 9th April 2019

Gallagher, Paul, “’It’s Called Anarchy Arsehole’: The Art of the Punk Black Leather Jacket”, DangerousMinds, 6th October 2015
https://dangerousminds.net/comments/its_called_anarchy_arsehole
Date accessed: 25th March 2019