Punk is a protest against injustice

In the 80s, rebel movements of youth and women in Indonesia emerged and spread to every region. They call themselves Punk. The emergence of the punk community in Indonesia started with a teenager who studied in the United States. It is said that there he joined a punk group and learned about the subculture of punk. Arriving in Indonesia, the teenager was introduced to music and zines about punk. Many young people are interested so punk ideas have spread throughout Indonesia to this day.

Many ask, why do they want to be Punk? Before answering, I will tell you about the beginning of punk which was born from the youth movement in England. In the mid-late 70s, teenagers who came from the working class took issue with the unequal economy and also the oppression carried out by the government at that time. This group of teenagers also responds to the situation to take individual freedom. They took to the streets to protest against the government. Their way of protesting against the government is usually through music, art, and fashion.

The same thing happened in the United States. The youth and the working class are so annoyed with government policies that often exploit workers to increase the wealth of investors. The punk community in America often gathers to initiate protests against their activities. Their protest activities are closely related to music and art events. In punk movement in music, CBGB is the center of the punk movement in New York. From there, many punk bands became the pioneers of the punk movement in the United States.

Do it Yourself (DIY) is the main understanding for the existing punk community. DIY has become an ethic that must be carried out by a punk so that punk musicians and punk artists release their songs or collaborate with independent music labels as a protest against the financially profitable major label music industry. In terms of art, punk artists do not commercialize their art because art should be enjoyed by everyone.

After punk entered Indonesia, the punk movement not only became the ideology and lifestyle of teenagers in Indonesia. However, punk has become an identity for radical teenagers who have an anti-establishment and anti-government vision. At first, punk was considered a group of uneducated teenagers, who had no future, to criminal groups because of their terrible appearance. Anyone would look suspiciously at the tattooed punk, Mohawk hair, ripped jeans, and boots. But over time, that view began to shift (although there are still those who have a negative view of punk).

It took a long time for punk to be accepted by the social community. In 1996, punk groups in the city of Jakarta experienced suspicion and intimidation from the public. However, they often help and advance the community in the fields of art and education, and eventually people like them. They often hold entertainment events for the surrounding community. In 1998, the punk movement also participated in protests and overthrew the New Order era which was considered the dictator era. Punk along with other students took to the streets to protest against oppression and injustice. To this day, punk still exists with a culture of music, art, and protests against injustice.

All image by screenshoot of Youtube (People Watcher)