The Unseen: Some Words on Punk

I have a huge stack of magazines, most of them music journals or punk fanzines, that sit in a precariously balanced pile in my basement gathering dust. Occasionally, mostly when avoiding homework or procrastinating, I pick one up. However, rarely do I find anything interesting. Rarer still do I find something that genuinely impresses me, something that makes me nod and think "That's exactly what I believe!" This is one of those increasingly rare finds. And how appropriate that it should come in the form of an op-ed by Tripp, the bassist for Boston punk band the Unseen, who's music has often caused me to nod in the same way I did as I read his piece (if slightly more violently). This piece Tripp wrote addresses issues of conformity, homophobia, and the "punker-than-thou" mentality among modern punk fans: issues I have often contested in the calm, safe world of blogs and in the secure environment of online message boards. Tripp, however, lives his massage, sings about it, and tattoos his skin with it. And for this I congratulate him.

--The below was originally published on p.18 in AP (Alternative Press) #211, released in February of 2006--

EDITOR'S NOTE: Some people call punk an attitude, others swear it's a musical style; and a handful more, such as Boston street-punk road warriors THE UNSEEN, are too busy living it to worry about fitting into anyone's rulebook. And while you'd think it would be easy to go against the grain in a scene that was founded on just that idea, you've probably never had to deal with the sort of sniping and backbiting that these guys put up with every time they read their e-mail. This month, during a rare break from touring in support of the Unseen's late Hellcat album, State of Discontent, bassist Tripp issues a wakeup call.

"WTF: YOU GUYS USED TO RULE BUT YOU SUCK NOW. YOU'RE TURNING INTO EMO FAGS! QUIT RUINING PUNK ROCK..." This is a typical example of the hate mail we in the Unseen receive on a semi-regular basis. All the letters say essentially the same thing, and about 90 percent of them use the term "emo fags" or the more-to-the-point "faggot" (as well as a lot of really bad grammar), in their ranting. I'm not sharing this to evoke sympathy; I'm sharing it to prove a point about our subculture and its tendency to preach equality while turning a blind eye to homophobia.

As a member of a band for the past 12 or so years, I understand that every time you release something to the public you make yourself a target for abuse. I also know that my band has evolved over the years, both musically and in terms of how we look, and I'm well aware that this is going to rub some fans the wrong way. While I do expect backlash from some people, the excessive use of the word "faggot" in their complaints sickens me.

A majority of these e-mails are centered on reoccurring topics. People don't like the fact that we've signed to a bigger label or have made a few videos, and to a certain extent I understand their frustration. Some kids don't like the fact that we don't look the same today as we did 10 years ago. It's not Scott's fault he went bald and can no longer grow a Mohawk, or that I'm at a point in my life where I no longer fell it necessary to decorate every square inch of my clothing with the logos of 20-year-old bands. Sorry, kids, but people change.

While I don't fully understand this fashion-conscious mentality, I accept the fact that people find fault with us over it, and I still manage to sleep at night. What really sickens me is that these people accuse us of selling out their subculture and then use homophobic terminology to drive home their point. Call me whatever insult you can muster from you glue-addled teenage brain, but if you're going to blame us for ruining an entire subculture, please do so within the accepted language and social structures of your precious little "open-minded" scene. I mean, if you're so worried about the sanctity of your spiky-haired utopia, why do you sound like every other redneck, racist asshole who perpetuates the same fucked-up society you claim to oppose?

Like any other freethinking, mildly intelligent human being, I believe that being gay or lesbian is a perfectly acceptable lifestyle, it's no different than being born black, white, rich, poor, American, Iraqi and so on. And as punks, we all learned from our record collections that judging people on these traits alone is wrong, right? Why then, is one form of derogatory speech so openly accepted in our subculture, which claims to value personal freedom so much? How is it that sentences like 'I used to like them, but they're all emo fags now" can be typed hundreds of times without censorship in punk-rock message boards, but if someone were to say they don't like a band anymore because "they're all filthy Jews now" they'd (hopefully) be run out of their local scene?

Speaking out passionately against racism, sexism and classism while openly walking all over the personal rights of another minority isn't just stupid; it's detrimental to our movement and how others perceive us. If you want people to respect your views and yet you contradict yourself in the statements you make, it's no wonder the rest of the world doesn't take punk seriously when we try to voice an opinion beyond our love for getting wasted and hating the police.

Ignorance is a horrible part of human nature, and it will never go away. However unpleasant a thought this may be, I feel it's the truth, and I have come to terms with it. But what isn't a part of our collective damaged psyche is hypocrisy, which I find even more offensive then ignorance itself. The ignorant man is the one who acts appallingly, passes judgement on others different than himself, but through stupidity or upbringing doesn't seem to know any better. The hypocrite is a person who condemns the ignorant man while being to lazy to realize his self-righteousness is completely backward and just as offensive. Being too dumb or preconditioned to understand how your actions hurt others is one thing, but being capable of rational thought and preaching against the ills of exclusion, and then turning around and doing it yourself, is fucking inexcusable.

I am in no way implying that all punkers talk like this; in fact, I'm convinced that it's a small minority of people within our scene who go out of their way to call strangers "faggots" over the computer. Unfortunately, the anonymity the internet provides only helps these closeted bigots spread their filth without fear of reprisal, thus ensuring it's not going anywhere any time soon. But that doesn't mean we have to accept it.

Homophobic speech may be common in George Bush's America, but that doesn't mean it's not offensive or vile, and I would expect punks to be the first people to understand that. Forty-five years ago, the word "nigger" was used freely by people of all colors, and only through education, understanding and hard struggle did America learn to see the error of its ways. The same thing will be proven for other minorities of this country, from Muslims to homosexuals. In my opinion, you're either part of the solution or part of the problem, and I would expect our "socially-aware" subculture to act accordingly. Years ago, I would have said with unconditional resolve that I knew where most punks stand on civil rights issues; now it saddens me to say that I'm not so sure.

Wow, you read all the way to the end. You rock! I want to mention that all textual errors in the above piece have remained intact out of respect to the author.