The Punks Are Alright!

After watching "The Punks Are Alright" I can analyze the role of Punk music in Brazil and Indonesia to be extremely important to some of the people. It was a way for the people there to create some control and new ideas outside of their capitalist framework. It was also an escape for them. I found it interesting because I thought punk would be related to drugs, alcohol, etc. when actually it did the exact opposite. The movie talked about people who performed punk music would practice all day inside which kept them off the troubled streets that contains the big issue of the drug war. It was also interesting to hear them talk about their religion. Nobody ever clarified exactly what they thought, and some replied with, "no comment" because of the extremists there. One really big issue I had was when Henrike was talking about going to church and some ladies passed by him and symboled the cross over their selves. People like that are too consumed in going to church and not really understanding the true meaning of Christianity. The people at the church should welcome him but yet they essentially judged him, which is what they aren't supposed to do. So by being involved with punk music, you are viewed religiously as someone who could potentially be a threat to the church when really you aren't. As for politically, punk music is the most confrontational type that there is. Our economy, in terms of the big businesses and such, can be depicted as very capitalist-like. As discussed in class today we all know that a majority of huge corporations have factories in separate countries because of there being hardly any labor laws. Nike, for example, placed its factory in Indonesia where Dolly earned only $2.65 a day. Not only was he working with harsh hours and conditions, he also traveled to and from work each day which was a total of four hours. Punk music, being confrontational, is completely against the norm in that country. Punk music is against everything including the harsh working conditions in the countries.

The movie has completely changed my perception of the youth in the two communities. I had no clue how harsh of conditions the children had. It saddens me to hear about how even at young ages children are involved in the drug wars and die on a daily basis. I would way rather have them involved in punk music and keep them off the streets rather than dealing with drugs.

I can relate to the life ways of the artists in the movie in the sense that I have been confrontational too. I have never been in a band consumed of punk rock nor have I been the one to be extremely confrontational, but I have in little ways. Ranging anywhere from speaking my mind to my dad, listening to the music I want or even voting who I want to vote for is confrontational. But, I wouldn't say that anyone in this class can actually relate to the people of these two communities. We have it too good here and can't completely relate to their harsh conditions that they have to go to.

Our lives intersect very directly, believe it or not. The Nike shoes I buy circulates money to the places like Indonesia where Dolly is then paid. But unfortunately, since big businesses like Nike are very capitalist people like Dolly don't receive very much of the profit made. The circulation of money really effects places like Indonesia in all three aspects of cultural, political and economic influence. Since Nike is using Indonesia as a place for easy labor, the government doesn't allow any labor laws.