For my analysis, I chose the article “Locating the Punk Preppy” by Daniel Traber. Being 18 pages long, the article served as a very thorough speculation by a man who claimed to have no real authority, but managed to create an incredibly detailed, accurate, and honest assessment anyway. This article was definitely written for a specialized audience; namely, one interested in analyzing the often overlooked area of punk rock, and the hypocrisies and commonalities inherent in it. To anyone unfamiliar with the subject, Traber’s references to “the scene” and “purists vs. poseurs” may not be fully understood, but therein lies the article’s charm. As someone who has been heavily immersed in the world of punk rock since 1995, I’ve seen countless articles and media outlets attempt to discuss and define punk rock in a way that makes me cringe at their ignorance, but “Locating the Punk Preppy” nailed the topic dead-on with an authenticity that put a smile on my face and had me nodding along in agreement.
The article focuses around the concept of punks and preppies; two opposing forces with seemingly little in common. While punk rockers aim to shock and offend with their anti-fashion biker jackets, studs, and outrageous hairstyles, clean-cut preppies wish to give an aura of upper-class style in their suits, ties, khakis, and polos. Although individuals do use clothing to define their values, lifestyles, and social status, the article analyzes what happens when people refuse to conform to a single stereotype, instead choosing to dabble in rebellion and offensive music while still remaining conservative in dress and behavior to create the once unthinkable identity of “the punk preppy.”
Punk rock was originally created as a rebellion against boring conformist ideals, however, Traber points out that punk rock music and fashion is in a sense conformist in itself in that all bands follow a certain formula and all fans dress in a certain way, branding themselves and following dress codes in the same way that they criticize preppies for. Despite claiming to be against social rankings, a clear hierarchy exists in punk rock circles, where status is gained through full devotion, knowledge of the obscure, and time spent in the “scene” or clique. Anyone with an interest in punk who refuses to submit completely to punk’s fashion and ideals [i.e., “the punk preppy”] is automatically viewed as insincere and placed at the bottom of the hierarchy by those of higher status, thus perpetuating the same elitism and snobbery that punks criticize preppies for. While the two groups appear to be outwardly different in every way, in the end they are simply two subcultural stereotypes with their own styles, fashions, and ideals. As humans, we are able to blend these opposite cookie-cutter identities together to form our own individual style and worldview that is more unique than either the punk or preppy alone.
The organization style of the article was its weakest point, going through eighteen pages without any subtitles to break up the information. While the article was very thorough with an excellent introduction and concluding points, topics seemed to overlap throughout the article with no clear structure. The article started off talking about identity construction through music, brought in the concept of the punk preppy, discussed the diversity and limitations of punk rock, described the fashion of both stereotypes, jumped back to the concept of the punk preppy, discussed social rankings, jumped back to fashion implications, then explained the reasons for the punk preppy and how the blending of the two stereotypes can in fact be beneficial. The information and ideas presented were excellent, and the writing style was easy to read, however, the layout of the information could use some improvement.
All in all, I felt that this was a great article that provided much insight to me personally. In my adult life, I’ve often struggled with the conflicting identities of remaining true to the rebellious blue-haired teenager I once was while adjusting to the responsible future-oriented casually-clothed twenty-something I’ve become. The key idea that stuck with me from this article is that this sort of conflict of ideals is okay, and that creating your own reality and refusing to conform to any strict set of rules is the definition of true rebellion, making the “punk preppy”, in a sense, more rebellious than the punk rocker himself. After all, the respected adult who spends weekdays working for the law firm and weekends stage diving at the local punk rock show is much more capable of the radical social change punks notoriously desire than the teenager standing on the corner criticizing his classmate’s polo shirt.
The final sentence of the article struck me as the most poignant, stating “If punk ideology is to be more than a stylized pose, if ‘real’ punks really want their liberatory politics to become more than audience chants or bumper sticker slogans, they will have to embrace some of the punk preppy’s strategy of critical adaptation.” No underground revolution ever found success by remaining elitist; social change occurs on a large scale by embracing mainstream non-extremist support rather than rejecting it. Being a part of the preppy-dominated system allows the punk rocker to work for change from within rather than standing on the outskirts with his nose in the air preaching to the choir, and Traber’s article nailed this unpopular viewpoint with elegance and ease.
References
Traber, D. (2008). Locating the punk preppy. The Journal of Popular Culture, 41(3), 488-508. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from OhioLink database.
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2 comments:
I really like your choice of article and what you had to say about it, Brandi. I think it just comes to show how damaging stereotyping can be! I definitely agree with what you had to say and I think you did a great job explaining yourself.
Brandi your article was very good like many of your others. Stereotyping can be cruel. For example peole would stereo tpye smart kids with glasses as a geek when i was a kid. There was alot of kids at my high school in the 90s who would dres like a prep to school, but on the weekends would be skate boarding or listening to heavy rock. Sometimes you can like to do sports also read alot and dress like a prep and like heavy music. You explained everything very well.
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