The early 80s punk rock film, American Hardcore, features bands such as Black Flag, Minor Threat, and Minutemen amongst others. The documentary addresses the birth and evolution of punk rock, beginning in 1978 and ending in 1986. Interviews from former members of these punk rock bands are included in the film. Throughout the film we are taken behind the scenes into the real world of punk rock, including riots, music production, performer’s attitudes and distinctive looks that made punk rock the phenomenon that it was. Members from the bands featured in the film state that the passion for punk rock music fueled their desire to make more music. Despite the constant backlash they received, these punk rock bands continued to impress …show more content…
The film briefly mentions the influence heavy metal plays on punk rock, transforming and evolving their sound. Men predominantly ruled the punk rock industry, women were never seen as lead players or singers. Behind closed doors, many women who contributed to the making of hit singles were never credited for their contributions, they were at many of the events as contributors to the band’s work or as supporters in the crowd. The concept of collective conscience applies to the punk rock bands featured in the film. The shared morals and beliefs that are common to each punk rock band foster their social solidarity. They served as a product of the distinction between sacred and profane and the creation and participation in shared rituals. This makes for social solidarity to be possible and is regularly renewed through shared rituals. Through rituals the punk rock groups can revitalize their sense of self and unity. Fans that participated in punk rock events, album releases, concerts, rally’s, etc. serve as an example of the collective effervescence. The intense energy in shared events where people feel swept up in something larger than themselves is what makes up the …show more content…
Each structure being the punk rock bands and the stability is attained through both parties’ contributions, bands and their supporters. Here we may see how symbolic interactionism plays a key role in the interaction amongst group members and the relationship they have with their supporters. The idea of mechanical solidarity- types of social bonds present in postmodern societies in which shared traditions and beliefs create a sense of social cohesion-highly impacted how punk rock bands in the early 80s justified their dominant beliefs. Postmodernism in punk rock was taking place, at the time, heavy metal played a huge role in the evolution of the sound of punk rock. All these functions are derived and maintained through culture. We use culture to understand the world around us. Culture’s influence on the formation of our opinions is what sets each culture apart, in this case the 80s punk rock era. The decisions made by this generation of influencers was set by each according to their culture. We depend on culture to deal with the demands of life in society. Culture is learned, not inherited and learned in a gradual process. Frequently, we are not even aware that we have learned anything from our imposed culture because it