Punk Music & Culture
I'm a big fan of punk music and punk culture. I think that it has a strong message, a good community, and amazing people who aren't afraid to speak their minds, and we definitely need more of that.
However, I see punk watered down; both the music and culture, especially with the rise of the internet.
Punk has always been political and deviant from the societal norm--that's the point, as is the point of many alternative sub-cultures. People don't seem to realize this nowadays. Dare I say it's because of censorship, but that's a completely different thing.
The perspective on the music has changed as well. Punk music has never been about making things that just sound good for the sake of sounding good; it's meant to send a message. The punk culture is messy and loud and oppositional, and so is the music. Punk punk music is different than the more mainstream pop-punk, punk rock (yes, there's a difference between punk and punk rock), etc. As someone who has always been interested in music, alternative sub-cultures, and very opinionated with politics and human rights, punk culture and music means a lot to me.
I see some people say that punk songs I've shown them sound terrible. And, frankly, I can't argue, even if I do adore it -- everyone has their tastes, especially when it comes to art and creativity. However, like I mentioned earlier, punk culture is fundamentally messy and loud and weird and sometimes "bad", and the music reflects that, as it should.
Now, I'm not saying that derivatives of punk shouldn't exist, but I do think that all sub-cultures, even derivatives, should be recognized as different and their own.