Requirements to being alternative

Hi guys! this is was an essay i put in for a grade, but i wanted to redo a bit of it to be blog worthy.

Some notes: 

This is my opinion mixed with facts. 

You dont have to believe my perspective, or respect it, but dont spread hate on my blog, as it'll only boost it.. and affect my ego. 

This is not meant to offend, its sole purpose is to be an outlet for me, and maybe a reminder to you. 

If you like this blog, you may enjoy some of my other stuff! go check it out. 

Requirements to being alternative.

In this blog, I’ll argue that you need to meet different requirements if you want to consider yourself alternative.

I don’t necessarily like the word requirement for this, but for lack of a better term that’s what I’ll be using.

Firstly, we need to look at what alternative is. I’m not talking about the dictionary definition; I'm talking about the music and culture. Alternative is more of a type of lifestyle, with certain beliefs mostly circled around politics.

The music emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, originating from punk. The main point of alternative music was to provide an outlet for musicians and bands who didn’t fit into other genres and label agendas.

As alternative music grew, so did alternative fashion and subcultures, including but not limited to goth, emo, punk, hip-hop, and cyber-punk.

There’s many ways that politics are involved with alternative, and extremely involved with punk. Alternative ideologies are anti-capitalist, anti-nazi, anti-war, anti-sexism/racism/homophobia, and so much more. Usually, you’ll see alternatives supporting gender equality, freedom of speech and protest, animal rights, queer and transgender rights, and mutual aid. A lot of alternative’s are anarchists, which is usually stems from punks. A lot of Alternative ideologies are from punks, since alternative can be considered to be a product of punk music.

Alternative isn’t just an aesthetic or a music genre. It’s a lifestyle, a place where people can belong, and it’s a movement.

The other side of this argument believes that,

Alternative is just a mere fashion style or just an umbrella name. The people who argue that anyone can be alternative, no matter their lifestyle, are usually uneducated on the alternative origins; they have no idea how and where alternative came to be. It’s simply people who want to fit into the “label”. When alternative was created for people who didn’t fit into society's "norms’ it wouldn’t make sense if someone who is alternative preaches all day about being alternative and then goes and supports racist, homophobic, sexist, etc, corporations, brands, and even politicians and influencers.

They argue that alternative culture is supposed to be “accepting”, which is true, but not to people who claim to be alternative and go against it. Alternative people accept people of likeness, not people who are hypocrites or go against alternative ideologies.

The media has dumbed alternative over time, to where people no longer associate it with punk culture or music.

Music is the supporting pillar of alternative; it’s what made alternative. Now, there are “alternative” people who clamor to be alternative without listening to any sort of alternative music. That's not to say you can’t listen to pop, rock, country, heavy metal, or indie and be alternative, but you need to listen to alternative music along with any other genre.

There’s even alternative people, who are dead set on the ideologies.. and beliefs, that are still getting one thing wrong.

Alternative is to provide an outlet for people who don’t fit in, It gives a safe ‘place’ for these people, you’re meant to stand out, be easily spotted in the crowd. Express yourself through fashion, wear crazy things, and be confident in that, yet there's something I personally call “copy and paste alternatives” who dress like every other alternative YouTuber or TikTok user. It's depressing to see so many alternative people fall into a watered-down state of self-expression at the expense of fitting in or being liked on social media.

I hope my points and argument were enough for this audience to be convinced on this topic.

I argued that alternative isn’t just a fashion sense, I also argued that there are requirements to be alternative, despite what the media has portrayed alternative to be, it is still, and will always be a safe “space” for people who want to stand out, have a place to belong with people who share the same beliefs.

Thank you.

Sources:

https://www.gleech.org/punk

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a4b2457254c94cc4b33461ba3c98b776

most of the information in these websites was already common knowledge for me, as ive considered myself alternative for months now, I mainly used them to fact check and make sure I was being as accurate as possible. Thank you. 

Thank you so much for reading! 

A few extra links. 

Linktree: linktrreee 

Strawpage: strawpage 

discord server: discord<3

in my linktree you'll find:

tiktok, twitter, roblox, google forms, my discord server google form, secret share, and my strawpage!! 

have an amazing day, smoochie!!!