Turning Rebellion Into Money
Yesterday I went shopping for various posters to decorate my place for my upcoming 18th birthday. I found myself walking into a few wannabe Hot Topic places which I don’t normally shop at.
I had a look in Planet 13, some new ‘punk’ chain store in the city. The moment I walked in everything looked clean cut and well organised. The place lacks any sort of character. There’s no local tour posters messily posted all over the walls, no graffiti and no crudely designed and half torn advertisements for wanted musicians. Over the speakers I don’t hear noisy hardcore punk music scaring away potential customers, but instead I hear some popular ’scene’ music.
I was happily browsing posters while trying to put up with the crappy music they were playing when an employee walks up to speak to me. She wants to know how my day had been, she asks the question through a fake smile. I’ve already found that there’s nothing I want from this store and I could very much just ignore her and leave. I foolishly decided to give her a chance and started a conversation with her. She’s impressed with my taste of music, but once she knows what I’m listening to she starts trying to sell me some band t-shirts she thinks I might like.
I was very clear when I told her I was just looking for posters, but she insisted she wasn’t trying to sell me anything. Instead it seems she just wanted to show me all the ‘awesome’ new designs they brought in. After trying to sell me some more bullshit, she rudely cuts off the conversation to piss off another customer. This shop assistant didn’t really want to know how I’ve been, what I listen to or where I hang out. She just wanted to sell me shit, and once she couldn’t convince me to buy anything, she wasn’t interested in talking anymore.
Punk shouldn’t be all about big business, endorsing products from evil faceless corporations and appearing in commercials. I always thought punk was supposed to be free from all this bullshit.
October 18th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
You’d probably enjoy reading “Commodify Your Dissent”; capitalism controls everything.
October 19th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Thanks for the suggestion. I looked for some more information and ended up reading The Problem with Music by Steve Albini. It’s a great article.
October 19th, 2008 at 4:51 am
hey. jack.. i just done my vcd assignment.. but still have to do some ‘extra’ work for the developmental work.. though i did the final one already… i probably have to stay up tonite… and about that emplyee.. i know that kind of story.. people always doing things for money.. we cant change that.
anyway. i will c u 2mor.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Sounds like she works on commission or something… \(o_O)/