Punks

Born from the post-war, middle-class youth cultures of Britain and inspired by the music of American and black cultures, Hebdige presents punk as the subculture most determined to separate itself from the dominant culture. With its profane style and simple rhythms, punk embraces chaos as a virtue, subscribing to a "no future" philosophy that borders on nihilism. Determined to shock and challenge, nearly everything about punk style is orchestrated to puncture polite society.

Punk style is comprised of objects refused or rejected by society. Torn and soiled clothing, garbage, bondage attire and similarly profane things give an undeniable impression of otherness. Punk behavior is equally anti-social including acts of destruction, spitting and recreational drug use. In choosing to frame themselves in such undesirable terms, punk wards off the influence of mass culture, its style placing the group far outside the dominant discourse.

Unlike most subcultural styles, punk doesn't...