Reference no: EM134002372

Question

In discussing social deviance, I wanted to shine some light on on the punk subculture, and specifically a form of categorizing beliefs within the broad span on the punk subculture- Lace Code. This form of identification started in the 1970's in London, when the look of cuffed jeans and combat boots were becoming more prevalent in the Nazi scene, being stolen from the original radical free-thinking punks.

In order to keep their functional attire and signature appeal, punks started using colored boot laces to communicate who they were and what they believed. For example, if you wore purple laces, it meant you were openly gay, if you wore yellow laces you were anti-fascist, and if you wore red, well you were a fascist. Many people learned that using this form of communication went under the radar of most of society, to many it seemed to be a harmless form of self-expression, but it became a way to easily spot those who believed in more extreme ideals. When this movement of self-expression became more widespread, people in the underground community recognized their strength in numbers and would band together in arms at the sight of a red laced fascist, protecting their peers in a symbol of solidarity, to beat back the oppressor that tried to steal their form of identity, and their autonomy. In today's society, this is still practiced in many active punk subcultures, and is still a form of communicating who is safe to speak to, and who is not, and overall, has been a good movement in making young punks feel safe within their community, having clear visuals of who will support them communication went under the radar of most of society, to many it seemed to be a harmless form of self-expression, but it became a way to easily spot those who believed in more extreme ideals. When this movement of self-expression became more widespread, people in the underground community recognized their strength in numbers and would band together in arms at the sight of a red laced fascist, protecting their peers in a symbol of solidarity, to beat back the oppressor that tried to steal their form of identity, and their autonomy. In today's society, this is still practiced in many active punk subcultures, and is still a form of communicating who is safe to speak to, and who is not, and overall, has been a good movement in making young punks feel safe within their community, having clear visuals of who will support them whether its a patch or a shoelace color. To an outsider, they may not think much of it, or think it simply looks unkept, which is usually frowned upon in support of a more corporate and clean-cut appearance. However, to them, they enjoy the freedom of self-expression, and the safety in knowing who is friend or foe; communicating what you think, and what you're like, simply by looking at you. This directly opposes the cut and paste of men and women in suits in times square, where the goal is conformity and appearances.

In hindsight, many punks would likely see me today and see me through the same lens, as I've exchanged radical underground attire for a more corporate appeal to make ends meet but I'll never forget to dust off my yellow-laced boots in the back of my closet, just in case I want to reminisce on the good times of long nights in small dark corners with blaring music, living in the bliss of freedom and safety in a community built on the acceptance of deviants.