Critical Review - Andes 10-17

The Andes essay brought up some interesting points regarding authenticity in the punk community, and how punks of different ages and class distinctions each construct the punk identity differently. "Poseurs" come in several possible variations: those who dress "punk" but don't know the unspoken rules of hardcore shows (for example, if someone falls down while moshing and you don't help them up, you betray your neophyte status in the subculture); those who just wear the clothes because their trendy but don't embody punk values; and those who dress punk and listen to the music just to piss their parents off. What separates the authentic punks from the poseurs is the internalization of the punk ethic, or the adoption of the punk "state of mind." Of course, a precise definition of this state of mind would be impossible to agree upon within the subculture, but what is important is that a state of mind cannot be mass-produced or sold in stores. If punk authenticity is judged by commitment to an ethic, how do incorporation, commercialization and "trendiness" function within this scene?

Andes highlights a quotation by one self-proclaimed punk who claimed others were not really punks because they did not have Doc Martens -- ironically, this reliance on commercial status for subcultural identity is exactly the "middle class bullshit" that punk opposes. Since the punk ethic cannot be reproduced and sold, the commercial incorporation of punk cannot be an authentic spreading of the subculture. However, it could create "poseurs" who could potentially gain the subcultural capital of "punk rock gods." After all, the poseur-punk binary is not very concete; specifically, as Andes says, a person can change between these two identities over time, and often genuine punks started out being viewed as poseurs. The gender and age divides are clear in this subculture, and since it is seen by many as a working-class culture, and suburban teenage punks might be seen as "just pissing off their parents" even if they are actually committed to punk values.