(D.Boon & Mike Watt circa 1985. Minutemen = God.)
Punk rock has one enduring ethos: Do It Yourself.
Barack Obama embodies that spirit.
His campaign was based in the garage band philosophy. It was not an ivory tower corporate media monster, it was a grass roots expression of the power of the individual. It gave each of us a voice, and we screamed it loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
If you weren't one of the lucky generation to live through the punk rock movement, the Minutemen documentary is available on iTunes, and this link includes my extended essay alongside a contest to win a free download if you were. There are some killer personal stories entered already.
Now that the interwebs have given each of us our own private broadcast network, I hope everyone realizes how fully places like Daily Kos embody the DIY revolution.
Back then we had to produce our zines on photocopy machines for 25 cents a sheet. We shared our stuff on cassette tape. The only message boards were tatty flyers stapled to the wall outside the club. Communication was a mission.
But we prevailed. Our voices were heard, and our legacy caught fire. What we used to send in a paper envelope or copied five hundred times to pass out at a show is now right on the end of my fingers when I click this little plastic thing that rolls around the table.
The computer gives the punk rock ethos wings.
The new president has a suggestion box.
Speaking of which, did anyone else notice that the issues pages at change.gov are currently down?
When I click this link today, it says "The page you requested is not available right now."
Two days ago, it said this:
Barack Obama’s Plan
Arts
Our nation’s creativity has filled the world’s libraries, museums, recital halls, movie houses, and marketplaces with works of genius. The arts embody the American spirit of self-definition. As the author of two best-selling books – Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama uniquely appreciates the role and value of creative expression.
The role and value of creative expression is the cornerstone of punk rock, and that role is demanded for each and every person on Earth. Barack Obama knows that, and his campaign demonstrated how the revolution has pervaded American life.
Especially here at Daily Kos. Do you realize how completely punk rock this community is? Do you realize how totally impossible this level of interaction between individuals was just 20 years ago?
I do, and it makes me want to slamdance around Google for a while. At least that's what it sounds like inside this old punk's skull on this glorious Veterans Day morning.
Do It Yourself.