society (Barker 430). By clashing with the majority, the subculture is demanding attention and
is exhibiting its refusal to allow society to continue with its behavior. The resistance clearly
defines a group's purpose. The members in agreement will automatically form a union against
their opposition and work cohesively as a group unit rather than thousands of individual voices.
The argument also simply brings more attention to the subject. If someone is fighting for
something, that means two groups are discussing one topic. It does not matter if they see it as
positive or negative. It is in the consciousness of twice as many people as before. This means
more people are becoming aware of the issue. They can form their opinions about the issue
and have the opportunity to make a stand against it. Even if people choose to oppose the Punk
side, Punks still force people to form their own philosophy. Punk confronts ignorance and
apathy and facilitates action.
Crass was notorious for their resistance (see Berger). They viciously attacked organized
religion, sexism, war, and general authoritarianism. And every social concern that they tried to
bring to light, brought about aggressive resistance. The band struggled against police, lawyers,
and general citizens. They even had confrontations with notable groups such as Baader
Meinhoff, the KGB, the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and Margaret Thatcher (“You’re Not Punk"). This
only fueled their ambition to continue. For every person that opposed them, they grew more
adamant in their idealistic pursuits. The reactionary mentality to fight those that fight one’s self,
pushed Punks like Crass to strive for more. When people oppressed them, it only solidified
their belief that something was wrong. In Crass’ song, “Banned from the Roxy," they illustrate
the resistance that they experienced from people’s perception of them.
Banned from the Roxy... Okay
I never much liked playing there anyway.
They said they only wanted well behaved boys
Do they think guitars and microphones are just fucking toys?
Fuck’em, I’ve chosen
to make my stand
“Banned from the Roxy”
Again, one can see others trying to pervert Punk’s message by indoctrinating a specific set of
expectati ons. Bands are supposed to be “well behaved boys” who play inoffensive music and
get off the stage. Crass rejected that and “made [their] stand.”
The final aspect of their success was anonymity (Butler). Anonymity allowed for
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