My First Introduction To Socialist Politics Before I Read Marx Was Actually Through A Variety Of Socialist

My first introduction to socialist politics before I read Marx was actually through a variety of socialist and anarchist punk bands so it’s funny watching people respond to the false notion that punk is inherently radical with an also false notion that antifascist, socialist and anarchist politics are incidental to and not disproportionately represented in the punk scene.

It’s a subculture of working class kids that’s not inherently political and yet has also been the site of antifascist brawls that successfully scared off neo-Nazi attempts at entryism. “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” a song describing real issues with fascist entryism in the punk scene, was succeeded by repeated beat downs of open fascists until they no longer could explicitly promote fascist politics at concert venues. Punk music is an example of an antifascist success story.

This shouldn’t be downplayed when we rightfully counter the idea that punk is inherently politically radical. Many if not most punks are apolitical hardcore jocks or left liberals but in my experience working in kitchens where punks congregate (their natural habitat) and having attended various antifascist rallies, punks are disproportionately socialist or anarchist. Antifa is mostly young punks who grew up on stories of Nazis getting severely injured when they attempted to show up at hardcore punk shows, myself among them. In a weird way the post-2016 American situation is the politics of the 80’s punk scene spilling over into general society. These rallies are often just punks vs Nazis.

I cannot emphasize enough how much of a life hack it is to exclusively be friends with, date and marry people who are not constantly mean assholes to you.

IMPORTANT!

It’s the no-internet dinosaur’s birthday!!

Turn off your internet! He has a hat!!

The SS Warrimoo, a passenger steamship traveling from Vancouver to Australia, was silently knifing its way across the mid-Pacific waters. The navigator had just finished calculating a star fix and handed the results to Captain John DS. Phillips.

The Warrimoo's coordinates were LAT 0º 31' N, LONG 179 30' W. The date was December 31, 1899. "Know what this means?" First Mate Payton announced, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line."

Captain Phillips was prankish enough to seize the opportunity to do the nautical feat of a lifetime. He summoned his navigators to the bridge to double-check the ship's position. He altered his course slightly to focus directly on his target. He then altered the engine's speed.

The calm weather and clear night worked to his advantage. At midnight, the SS Warrimoo rested on the Equator, exactly where it had crossed the International Date Line. The ramifications of this odd arrangement were numerous.

The ship's bow was in the Southern Hemisphere, in the middle of summer. The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere, in the midst of winter. The date on the aft portion of the ship was December 31, 1899. The date on the forward half of the ship was January 1, 1900. The ship experienced multiple days, months, years, seasons, and centuries simultaneously.