That's so Punk Rock

I used to think "punk rock" was a type of music. That, it is. But it is so much more. It has become an encompassing definition for an attitude, or behavior that is characteristically anti-establishment. There is not one word synonymous to the expression "punk rock", but here are some that when combined best describe it; deviant, courageous, bold, unique, independent.

Rosa Parks, punk rock. Dalai Lama, punk rock. The Beatles, punk rock. Lady Gaga, definatly punk rock. Me when I was 16, punk rock. (although it never really leaves, does it?)

I watched Dogtown and Z boys this afternoon. All the while thinking of how punk rock the skaters in the film were. Their movement was way before the genre and really didn't have anything to do with music, but I couldn't come up with another phrase. As the movie shows, their fame doesn't stay within the scope of punk, as some sold out and became mainstream, but the origins of street skating was a movement that defines what I'm getting at.

After the movie, I dressed up fancy for a fundraising dinner for my work. I put on my prettiest dress, put on makeup, curled my hair and as I was saying goodbye to Brandon in the driveway I noticed that I hadn't dry cleaned my dress from the last wedding I went to, where I had drank a bit to much and probably spilled some wine all over it. Luckily, it had a pattern, so it wasn't too obvious and I didn't care. When I told Brandon with my lip curled to one side "Ah, whatever!" He laughed and said "you're pretty punk rock!"

It made me think, if I can bring a punk attitude in to kiss the asses of a bunch of rich people to raise money for charity and I cause I believe in--punk can follow me everywhere.

We could all use a little more punk in our lives. As greedy politicians take away the rights of fellow citizens, as media influences our thoughts, as our daily interactions constrain how we act and tell us how we are supposed to feel--I want to remind myself of what punk means and how I can use it to shape my life and thus, the lives around me.