A Tough Time To Be a Punk

And now for another breaking announcement. It’s basically old news at this point, but I feel compelled to weigh in on the "drag queen story hour" debacle in progress, mostly to make some broader points about subcultures in general. And before I scare anyone away, I should start by saying that no part of any criticism I might have is a conservative one on behalf of mine or other people's children. On the contrary. There is something incredibly lame to me about trying to turn anything that was once as cool as drag culture was into a Disney show. But I'm already getting ahead of myself.

When I first heard that this was a thing, my thought was that it sounded like another petty, politically-driven distraction from anything more worthwhile, and that it probably came about to trigger reactionary conservatives. If that was any part of the intention, congratulations. It worked. But it's easy to come to that in retrospect considering people were already triggered by the time the story came into my feed. Another option is to trust the mission statement of the creator, which goes something like, "to be more inclusive and affirming to LGBT families" and to "reflect the diverse cast of storytellers." Despite using not one, but two obnoxious cliches (inclusive and affirming) in that first quote (seriously, why does it always sound like a script written by the same person?), I understand and generally agree with the sentiment. And for every salty conservative that vehemently disagrees with the cause, don't bring your kids to these events. Problem solved, at least for the most part. I am aware that some portion of the backlash is not exclusively towards those reading the books, but towards the content of select titles that are being read. And while I think it’s totally valid to address this slice of the controversy, it should be dealt with on a case by case, book by book basis. The broader point still stands regarding our hypothetical conservative who is opposed to drag queen story hour existing at all; if you disagree with the cause, you and your children need not attend. And regarding your fellow countrymen attending, make good on your belief in the sanctity of personal freedom and liberty.

But it gets way more interesting to me beyond this point. Aside from the lingering suspicion that there is some amount of pettiness involved, another more general feeling comes to mind around this topic. It's the same feeling that pops up every time I see the words affirming, inclusive, and especially "normalize" associated with either something that arguably should remain stigmatized (let's say adult-diaper fetishists, for instance), or in the case of something that derives it's power exactly from the fact that it subverts cultural norms and thrives regardless (like drag culture.) As far as I can tell, all of these words refer to the same trendy impulse to force something that is or formerly was underground towards being subsumed into broader, popular culture. And my feeling about it goes like this: isn't the entire point of certain subcultures to provide and foster an alternative to popular culture? And in certain examples-especially in the case of something like a very taboo kink-isn't it naive to think that the taboo isn't part of the appeal?

There are a couple of reasons why drag might seem like an imperfect example here, but let me explain. First of all, it's not like anyone is exposing something that wants to remain underground. The scene went commercial of its own volition a long time ago (everyone knows RuPaul and The Birdcage and etcetera), so the self-normalizing has been in motion for decades. But something worth noting is that, at least until recently, its popularity had grown over time in a genuine way, all while lacking the "benefit" of an aggressively conformist cultural trend trying to help force its place in the world. A second thing one might say is that no part of the mission statement behind DQSH (I refuse to keep writing it out in full) is to explicitly "normalize drag queens." Not that I've read, at least. But expanding the idea of them being "normal" to a new demographic of people is sort of built into the program, whether stated outright or not. So there you have it.

A relevant point to make here is that any defiant subculture you or I might love would not exist if not for the societal norms in place that it defies. Or it would be a totally different thing if it existed at all. This might be something that everyone knows but doesn't want to think about-that an oftentimes less than tolerant society might be essential for meaningful forms of expression to flourish. But the more I think about it, the more it just seems like an inevitable trade-off that there isn't a clean workaround for. Two sides of the same coin. Maybe it's naive and greedy to try and have your Disney and your subversion all in one package. Because even if you think that you are hacking that trade-off, you are actually diluting what makes the subversive element mean something in the first place. Everything can't be for everyone all the time.

This last thought reminds me of a phrase I've had knocking around in my brain for awhile now: the importance of having something to rebel against. It again sounds like a point that one who values the act of rebellion ironically might not like the implications of, perhaps because it requires admitting value in the people and ideas that you disagree with. This is not a popular sentiment to hold these days. I suspect that most people out there shouting for something to be normalized or affirmed are saying much more about what they wish for themselves than they are about whatever they are speaking on behalf of. And if there is anything universal that you could say about the mindset of one making these arguments, it's that they seem to value being normal and accepted over much else. It's sort of sad. But also likely not an important set of virtues to members of any active subculture. If drag queens wanted to fit in to normie society, they probably wouldn't be drag queens.

I am trying my hardest to keep this about the trend in general, and not speak too much on behalf of cultures that I'm not more invested in. Obviously, every drag queen who is participating in DQSH is choosing to do so, and therefore would either disagree or maybe hasn't considered what I am saying here. On the other hand, no culture is one monolithic thing, and I have to imagine that some individuals within it would agree with me. At least that's what I am going to tell myself.

A scene that I have felt a strong connection to for a long time is the first wave of New York punk, which drew a lot of parallels and often blended with the drag scene of that same era throughout the 1970's (The New York Dolls and Jayne County being just two examples that spring to mind.) I have to imagine that part of this cross-pollination came out of both having a similarly non-conformist and confrontational ethos, at least as they were at the time. Like Patti Smith said, "outside of society, that's where I wanna be." Or what Jayne County said about being out on the town in drag: "shaking people out of their normality, just trying to see what nerves we could push." Between the music and the ethics that it lived by, the scene helped shape my worldview in a lot of ways, which is probably why I feel so protective of this idea that “normal” and “accepted” aren't necessarily the highest things to aspire to, much less to try and force the rest of society to view you as. In fact, it feels like a full inversion of the punk ideal. I happen to think that you would be better off with whatever your version of "fuck you if you don't like it" is.

And that's where I will leave this. But not before reiterating that this quest to conform everything is oftentimes a totally misguided one, especially in the case of something whose sole purpose is to defy and reject the idea of what normal is in the first place. You need to have rules in order to break them, or whatever version of the same sentiment you might want to use. There seems to be two possible outcomes of this project if it were to be a fully successful one: a fake world where people pretend that every possible way of being is normal, and meanwhile hide their real prejudices for fear of reputational damage (I think we might already be a good way down this path), or a world where everyone is genuinely desensitized to every possible way of being, and culture is flattened by conformity and a total lack of contrast. Where can I sign the petition to reject both options?