If you’re the type of person who has the internet and made your way to this site, then you’ve also no doubt already seen the video of The Story So Far frontman Parker Cannon kicking a young, female fan in the back, off the stage, for taking a selfie during a recent show.
For most of us, the reaction to seeing the video was some combination of horror and disgust. Why would the singer perform a potentially paralyzing act of violence as punishment for what is, at worst, an annoying superfan move? And I get it. It IS annoying. I kind of can’t believe that people pull this selfie move at shows.
But since this is the internet, a large contingent of people have come forward to actually defend Cannon’s action against this annoyance. The defense revolves around this being “the punk scene, maaan,” and that it’s a subculture that’s meant to be “dangerous.” This defense almost exclusively comes packaged with the NOFX lyrics “When did punk rock become so safe?”
This line of reasoning is always baffling to me and represents not only a fundamental disconnect with what the punk scene is all about, but it also misinterprets said song, “The Separation of Church and Skate.” When Fat Mike sings:
I want conflict! I want dissent!
I want the scene to represent
Our hatred of authority
Our fight against complacency
He’s yearning for bands to sing out against authority, to create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the establishment. Writing lyrics that call out the injustices that come with a man like Donald Trump gaining political power? Absolutely. Physically assaulting a teenager? Nope. (Even though Fat Mike has had his own experience physically assaulting fans, he knew it was wrong, apologized, and went out of his way to make that right).
Punk isn’t about studded jackets and butt flaps and danger. I say, let’s follow the example of what punk is actually supposed to stand for, and speak out against a system that allows people to create an unsafe environment for fans. Because let me put this in clear terms for anyone going with that defense: if you think someone deserves to be physically assaulted in response to a minor offense because it’s “punk,” you are the exact antithesis of what punk rock is all about.
Change starts with everyone. If you see someone contributing to an environment of hostility towards any one person or group of people, especially those already marginalized, like what Cannon did at this show to this young girl (who is probably fairly used to being marginalized at pop punks shows), let everyone know that this kind of behavior won’t be tolerated, period. The most punk thing you can do is take a stand against the established behavior of being an asshole.
-Emily Matview
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