Would ya lookie there? I finally brushed the dust off my PC and got to work. Beta 1 of MiraMag completed at exactly 31 minutes before the stroke of midnight. We’ve got a couple things up for ya to look at. So kick back, relax, click around, and perhaps leave a message in the guestbook.

(This article is a personal opinion of the writer and is in no way associated with the views of Sneak Past Security, material reviewed, or bands interviewed within.)

I know what you’re thinking, but the title of this article doesn’t mean quite what you think it does. I’m not implying that Punk is a bad word, nor am I going to talk about why the term brings about a strong emotion – both positive, and negative, depending on who you talk to – in a lot of people. What I’d actually like to explore is the opposite: why Punk has lost its bite, and seems to be losing its political, social and emotional core.

Back in the day, swearing and the use of curse words was shocking and surprising to the ears of the public. It wasn’t expected of someone to mutter out explicit language in every sentence. It just wasn’t in the norm, and those who did it without caring stood out from everyone around them. Those words contained strong meaning and emphasis, which both empowered and frightened people. Today, however, someone can scream out “Fuck you, you motherfucking piece of shit!” on a busy street, and no one will even turn their head. When did “Punk” – including such distinguishing icons as mohawks, piercings and tattooes – suddenly go from being surprising and even threatening, to becoming perfectly acceptable to everyone, just like swear words? Even more, how did such a powerful counter culture which stood against society and the status quo transform into a watered down version of itself, and actually become the status quo? How did Punk rock go from being the state of mind of a unique portion of society – and their way of expressing themselves – to a fashion trend that can be bought at the mall? When did Punk go from being meaningful to being the next big fad that all the”cool” kids migrated towards? Continue reading →