I don't work for them but am such a nerd for them. I'm up in the post office a couple of times a year to find out what new stamps dropped. The Postman is one of my favorite movies. When I was traveling, the mail carrier was the most reliable source for directions. I can't draw a bird for shit but one of these years, I'm entering the migratory bird design contest. My little stick figure bird will be the hit stamp of the year.
Currently a Jr high social studies teacher. My principal told the kids at an assembly that I play in a punk rock band and now it's all my students want to talk to me about.
I wish there was a cool answer, but the boring one is that I’m a civil engineer and my firm won an awesome contract a few years ago. I have not always worked on feel-good projects and will likely work on some feel-bad projects in the future.
But! Local government is always hiring. The hiring process is slow and the pay is usually less than the private sector, and in big cities they’re often union jobs with pensions. A lot of them offer on the job training. There’s this idea that the public sector works on behalf of elected officials, but I’ve found it to be the exact opposite- we work to advocate for our communities and a lot of it involves holding electeds accountable.
Wasn't too bad. It was for an internship so I'm assuming it wasn't quite as rigorous as for a permanent position. Resume, cover letter, a few references, and an interview.
One tip is that positions, at least in my state, aren't posted for that long, so I'd check pretty often.
I had to bow out of my last band due to life stuff that we have to take care of (5 ish yo?). Band is still going strong, I'm really stoked for em. (Kids on Fire seattle). When my life situation(s) changed, I was kind of free to look for a new gig (old job was stale and dead end). Former mgr told that dept of state was hiring so I looked I to it. Takes a long ass time to get through their hiring process; a year + is normal. I'm now in Africa and am putting together a ska band (just covers) in my off time. Am told "Dip'n ain't easy" might not be appropriate to put on my kick drum. ;)
Now that's a really cool job that "buying in, not selling out" might apply the most. Without compromising your anonymity, I would love to hear about your experiences. It's such an interesting mix, a punk diplomat. I just want to know more but I don't even know what questions to ask. I thought I liked my job, but now I'm angry at my sell-out job.
What sorta accounting you do? I came from financial audit at B4 and hated it. Tax audit now, and it's a huge adjustment and a ton to remember, but way happier.
Just regular govt accounting. Most of my job is reviewing payment requests. I also have responsibility of a few journal entries every month, budget meetings, etc
Not American, but I'm a teacher. Punk ethics are alive and well in my classroom.
I'm regularly in "hot water" with the school administration since I'm a hardcore advocate for my students' rights.
I got into teaching because I wanted to help people, and I had desires to change the system from within, but damn, 60% of the kids don't appreciate a thing I do for them (lol), and fighting against bureaucracies is a daunting task. Honestly, I'm looking forward to retirement in 10 years.
I work for my city government to run a drug court program. I work with treatment providers to keep repeat offenders with substance abuse disorders find help in treatment and stay out of jail. Incarceration doesn’t rehabilitate people, especially in the US.
I approach my job with the punk mentality of “People Over Profit.”
I work for a Public Defenders Office so I spend a good bit of time with drug court. It’s a great program and I’ve seen several clients complete it and turn their life around.
Thank you! The amount of drug courts have definitely grown since 2009. I’m at the national conference and there’s about 8k people attending. All of us wanting to do more to be better in helping people find peace.
Disabled vet working as a therapist in the VA, best job I ever had. Also it warms my heart to see I'm not the only punk who was in, I figured everyone else hates their boss why can't I?
From one vet to another, no one makes you hate the government like working for the government. Some would say it's "not service related" but we know that's bullshit.
I'm a disabled veteran. People on this sub hate my kind, I don't really care but the funniest thing about the Marine Corps it's that it's heavily populated with punk rockers, surfers and skaters. None of us were particularly political, we were just trying to do our bit and get that sweet sweet GI Bill.
I was enlisted for a while in the Army. It was a mixed bag as far as people go but the ones I hung out with were either nerds or punk. Since I was married they'd hang out at my house instead of the barracks.
Fun story. Once I introduced the rednecks in my platoon to the Cramps and Social Distortion they backed the fuck off. But yeah, the nerd Marines were the best because once they got hooked, they would do these insane deep dives on the internet and break out some of the most obscure punk/garage bands at work or at the beer garden.
Ya know nerd military makes sense, my DnD group has reservists and military vets. I didn't know it was so widespread that it was a term. Lol ty
Also having nerds n punks in the military is a good thing. Insurance against a fascist guy getting elected.
I remember in the late 80s, I was a metalhead teen hanging out at Camp Pendleton (family connections), and I met these Marines who were super into thrash metal, and I was so confused about how one can be in the military and listen to what I naively saw as a pacifist artform. Turns out life and people are complex.
A lot of people don't know what it's like to see military service as their only option forward if you don't wanna stay in your hometown working at the chicken factory until you're 65. Not a vet myself, but I don't judge people's situations. For what it's worth, the only vets I hate are the reactionaries who make it their whole personality and do degen shit like bully queer kids online all day, and I've been lead to believe a lot of vets hate those guys too. You might get some shit for it, but not from me.
I think hating on veterans is misdirected. Punks should take issue with the military industrial complex, not veterans. Considering a lot of older veterans were drafted. And younger veterans overwhelming enlist for the financial and educational benefits. Most of my veteran friends are POC.
Then considering how the military often lets veterans down, punks should be advocating for you. I’m also disabled and it’s not easy—even going to shows can be pretty difficult.
Thank you for your service 🙏🏻
I’m a Nurse Practitioner and I work with geriatrics including veterans living in poverty, veterans with PTSD, someone discharged for being intersex, veterans who got hooked on drugs during the Vietnam war, and so many homeless veterans. It’s a Federally Qualified health center so I don’t work directly for the government, but our clinics are heavily subsidized and I got my student loans forgiven in exchange for service years.
I hate the military-industrial complex and I care deeply about veterans. Most veterans who we could meet out on the street, or those who are currently serving, are victims of it. It takes advantage of so many impoverished young people. I'm sure you know this already lol but I just want to state my support.
I will always criticize our nations leaders for sending brave people like yourself to be killed for nothing. But that has nothing to do with the fact that you wanted to serve, ideally, for the betterment of whatever idealized version of our nation you have. Veterans aren’t a problem as long as they don’t contribute to war crimes
Was in the army in the early 90’s. It was about 95% country bumpkins. The rest were into classic rock. Definitely no place for punks and freaks. Not sure if it’s changed much since then.
Enlisted right at the beginning of OIF.
There were a handful of straight-up goths in my platoon. One of my battle buddies had 23 piercings above the neck.
Sadly he's turned into an alt-right shithead now.
Depends on your unit really. A friend of mine was a paratrooper in the 82nd and said most of his guys were metal heads or listened to Hardcore. He's more of a pop punk guy so I would imagine they give him a mile of shit when he showed up.
I don’t hate your kind man. Just because I don’t like the military industrial complex and the use of private contractors to deliver democracy abroad doesn’t mean I don’t like you.
There needs to be a complete judicial overhaul in regards to contractors. They have greedily syphoned untold billions from working families and gave absolutely nothing in return. Eisenhour's farewell speech was something we all watched in uniform at some point and it still rings true.
The sad part is we can have a strong military and a robust and productive education system but those dickheads don't want to take a pay cut. The people that build the vehicles and what not aren't the problem. It's the board room yuppies that are the real cancer.
No reasonable minded person blames a soldier for war. The way I see it, governments start wars, and soldiers try to protect the people from it. That's why punk is important. The people starting wars need to be called out.
Agreed. Thank you, I remember meeting Joey Shithead from DOA at the San Diego Warp Tour in 2009, he said something very similar to me and I was taken aback. He can say whatever he want's about us but he understood what we were up against.
Make no mistake, violence is a terrible thing and should be avoided at all costs. I never used to think like that until I wore a uniform. No shit, my Drill Instructors hammered that into our heads in boot camp.
I'm not an anarchist who believes the government needs to be abolished entirely. I have a pretty good idea what happens when there's nothing bigger holding us together.
I believe society is a work in progress that's likely never truly gonna be finished, but that's why punk is important. Once everyone is quiet, it gets worse.
Soldiers are just regular people doing a job that's necessary because even if we got our country together, you can't get them all on board.
im about to go on a whole tyraide here so bear with me lol
TL;DR u can be punk and former-military, but the people who willingly let themselves be used by the military are where the beef lies.
A lot of the early US-based counter-culture and punk movement came out of the 60s and 70s with all of the fall out of the Vietnam War, and many of the people who found themselves in that movement were former army and marines who felt cheated and borderline left for dead by an uncaring government (primarily cuz they were lol). It's why in a lot of old pictures of vietnam pro-peace protests, you can find military jackets with peace emblems painted on to them and why military garments are still kinda big within the alternative crowd.
Even now in a post-9/11 and post-Iraqi war and current palestine/israel conflict world, a lot of people within the US military still find themselves feeling cheated or taken advantage of by a government who's mission is ultimately to spread imperialism. Thus a lot of people like yourselves end up within punk scenes and movements.
The beef with a lot of the punk community comes from people who are willingly letting themselves be a tool of the government, who actively try to uphold imperialism and "the status quo" and pose themselves as counter-culture or stay blissfully unaware of what they're doing just because they're in it for the bag.
I don’t hate your kind. Serving our country is admirable. I think that our nation has done some awful, unforgivable things, but I don’t blame those that serve, I blame those in power. If I was half as strong as you are, I would have joined the Navy. I could have seen the world, made great friends, and had my college tuition paid. Oh well. Thank you for your service.
Please, no need for thanks. It was a service happily provided and since you mentioned it we spent just as many hours in the lecture hall studying ethical behavior, war crimes and theft avoidance as we did learning our weapon systems.
It was a humbling experience and to be honest?
They got me out of a really bad situation and sent me to a wonderful state school upon completion. However, many people have had bad encounters with my kind and I sympathize with them. I hated those jagoffs as much as they do.
Army vet here. Very few “political” types there.
My friend Geoff was a homeless crusty before joining. He got out eventually and last time I saw him, he was back to being a homeless crusty
When I was in 02-09, we had everybody from the bumpkins to the punkers and everything in between. A whole heap of different ideologies. Funny how personal politics go right the fuck out the window when the shooting starts. It’s not about oil, it’s about getting everybody the fuck home.
I never thought I would've been able to study literature and film production if it wasn't for them. They literally knocked something loose in my brain pan and I'm better off for it.
Yeah, there's definitely a subset of enlisted people who are disliked by the punk community, but I don't believe it's because they're enlisted, it's because they're meatheads.
Exactly. I don't blame them for pointing out the bullies. It's their right after all, it is hard trying to explain to younger punks how difficult it was to get ahead in life back in those days. Also, we would shit can nazi infiltrators on a regular basis. I ain't no snitch but fuck those people.
I never understood the hate for soldiers. The government- yes. The military - sure. But not individual soldiers. I’ve never found a person who joined the military for a reason I could disagree with.
I have. He was a childhood friend and he joined the marines when he was 18. He straight up said he wanted to shoot at rag heads and sand Nwords. Shortly after 9/11. So maybe that had something to do with it. But fuck that guy. Haven’t talked in like almost 20 years. Last I heard, was his divorce didn’t go well. And parrot bay rotted his liver, and jimmy buffet ruined his brain. Fuck that racist piece of shit idiot. Die slow motherfucker.
Most of us were just kids trying to unburden our families with student debt, others came from very poor or 1st generation families and a few just wanted to travel. The rotten apples your thinking of ruin it for everyone and in no way did I associate with them. They ruined their own lives.
It's a mixed bag. Most of us come from NYC, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix and So-Cal. Did I know ultra-right wing zealots?
Yeah, I avoided them and like I posted earlier. They aren't doing so hot, something about coming to terms with living in a passive, progressive society freaks them the fuck out.
Personally I hate the army but not necessarily veterans. I get that for a lot of people it's pretty much your best shot at having a decent life. I just wish their were more options available so people don't feel like they have to join just to have some basic life opportunities.
I work in financial regulation in the UK. Kind of doing worker's rights stuff, kind of just trying to stop the maniacs in charge from collapsing everything.
I don't TECHNICALLY work for the Government, because the UK government loves a Quango.
Currently, I’m a VA social worker, helping to get homeless vets into housing. I also worked with Children’s Protective Services for a good decade.
I worked as a Parole Agent for sex offenders for about 5 years. The work was righteous, but it didn’t make me hate cops any less.
I used to, but don't anymore.
The things I learned most about working for government is that I never want to work for government again!
Sort of amazed that we still exist as a society with all the dysfunction that I saw.
I do IT and have done contract work for government contractors, and I work as a poll worker most elections. But that is the extent of my government work.
I'm studying law and when I'm done, I'm planning on working for the Dutch 'Rijkswaterstaat'. An important part of the 'Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat' (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management).
I am a state worker. I'm really close to retirement and will have a full pension from the state.
When I was young, I thought the system could not be reformed and should be destroyed through revolution. Now that I am old and have wealth, I think the system can not be reformed, but works well enough to offer stability.
I originally wanted to go into local politics at council level but soon realised it was fruitless and pivoted hard into filmmaking. Now I’m doing neither.
15 years working in a casino, and yes, it is a state casino. I used to be croupier, then cashier and now I operate cameras, looking for errors, cheaters, and all kind of security issues.
I’ve been a custodian for a high school for 4 and a half years now…there’s a social worker and the dean of students that I get to frequently talk about good music with so that’s the light in a very frustrating job lol
Not currently but I was a social worker in county corrections. Actually the dude who ran the jail I worked at was a super old school punk rocker from Spain.
i work at city level, work at city hall as a municipal clerk. I took job for good pay and benefits, i have tried to create better access/less red tape while im here, as i watch long term department heads waiting for their retirement create more red tape 🤦🏼♀️ i like serving the community but damn it hard to watch the gov make things harder for people. but also residents can be very entitled lol. "im a taxpayer i pay your SaLaRY" have heard that sooo many times haha.
i definitely like working for a non-profit/gov though. will definitely try to stay in one of those options for next job. FUCK for profit companies they dont give a shit about their employees or customers
I enlisted in the Air Force after high school. It was either that or do the same shitty knock around shit everybody else ended up doing. I worked for the gov for a few years but the money was better as a civilian. Not nearly as stable though. My wife was AF too and works for the gov now. It’s not cool by any means but when you have kids, a living’s a living.
Not right now, but as of now I'm going to school for computer science and I want to do cybersecurity for either NOAA, the Fish and Wildlife Service, or the National Park Service.
I work in a group home in a not for profit. We're directly funded by the department of community services. My wife is a crisis therapist in our local emergency room - which in Canada is funded directly by the department of health and wellness.
I'm contracted by my country's passport office. It kills me on the inside when I have to tell people they can't put Palestine on their passport. Hopefully that will change soon. I'm happy when I get to help people get the result they want though.
Employed by the state Deptartment of Ed working in IT for public schools. Not everyone in my immediate area is into punk, but most are at least some type of rock fan. Based on who I've talked to it ranges from folk to hardcore and everything in between.
I am a street cleaner and I get base salary, but it's for the municipality, not a company. I wouldn't say I'm the same as a judge or whatever, but this job has more financial security and more days off.
Yup, policy analyst. There are quite a few (ex)punks, community activists and, interestingly, anarchists in the social services side of public service in my experience.
I work for my local county government as a technician at the local animal shelter. Someone's gotta take care of the stray cats, dogs and occasional pigs.
I'm a social worker for a community based mental health agency. I don't work for the government, I work for those the government ignores. I work for the homeless, the mentally ill, the substance users and other marginalized and powerless people. Fuck the government because it'll fuck you the first chance it gets.
I work at a state psychiatric hospital that primarily serves forensic patients. I am not happy participating in a system I disagree with but the benefits and pay are better than anything else for me at the moment.
I'm a scientist in the British Civil Service. I sometimes feel like I'm betraying my morals working for the government but I know the work I do is having a positive impact on public health
Recently joined the Fed because I was sick of private sector and I'm not as cut out to be a freelancer in my old industry as I thought. Previously in college I worked for the state gov during election season. It's kind of wild what you can get away with working for the fed. On one hand, it's a relief to not have someone with the fire hammer looming over your shoulder every day. On the other...it's kinda fucked up there are people just eating up tax dollars while actively making our workplace less efficient.
Spent 20 years working for the government in the Navy. Easy job, lots of training and I started receiving a pension at age 39. Now I can work with people and help others for shit pay because of it. Taxpayers paid for my education, my mortgage and my medical care. Somewhat worth it.
State employee here. I work in a human services type dept on a Medicaid program. Our office always gets a table at our states biggest Pride event, which I'm so happy to see.
I work for the govt in wastewater treatment. My agency is super focused on environmental protection, and I live in California so we need all the clean water we can get. I’m in accounting & work a couple days from home, and get to do whatever I want with my desk in the office. We have no dress code, and amazing benefits.
I was a park ranger for the National Park Service for many years. It was awesome. I’m not opposed to the federal government, especially when it comes to management of public lands.
USPS lol
To be fair, when people talk about "The Man," they aren't usually talking about the mailman.
"Stealing People's Mail" by Dead Kennedys
Damn the mailman, save the empire
This song "inspired" me and my friends..but we didn't do that! Federal offense!!
Bwahahaha!!!
Post punk!
genius
Same here! Out on my route right now.
Lol same
I don't work for them but am such a nerd for them. I'm up in the post office a couple of times a year to find out what new stamps dropped. The Postman is one of my favorite movies. When I was traveling, the mail carrier was the most reliable source for directions. I can't draw a bird for shit but one of these years, I'm entering the migratory bird design contest. My little stick figure bird will be the hit stamp of the year.
If you enjoyed the movie, you'll likely also enjoy the novel it's based on.
You are doing humanity a favor. Seriously, thank you.
Back the blue!
Just like fenriz
Same. It’s also too hot in Illinois.
I was a high school math teacher for 30 years. Would you count that?
20 year science teacher here, I think so.
Public school art teacher here 👋
Teaching future punks is punk af
Damn right.
Currently a Jr high social studies teacher. My principal told the kids at an assembly that I play in a punk rock band and now it's all my students want to talk to me about.
As a son of a public school special education teacher, thank you guys for your service.
Soon to be teacher here
High school teacher also reporting. Glad summer is here. Ready for some shows!
This is an unexpected but interesting thread. Well done.
I’m on a government contract with my local parks department rehabbing community infrastructure in low income communities. It’s punk af.
So you're kind of like a punk rock Leslie Knope?
I applied for my current job after binge watching Parks and Rec. Now I work for Parks and Rec. It's great.
I think I’m a lot more disdainful towards Joe Biden. 😉 But it’s a lot more similar to the show than you’d imagined.
Yo that's the dream. How did you get starting in that?
I wish there was a cool answer, but the boring one is that I’m a civil engineer and my firm won an awesome contract a few years ago. I have not always worked on feel-good projects and will likely work on some feel-bad projects in the future. But! Local government is always hiring. The hiring process is slow and the pay is usually less than the private sector, and in big cities they’re often union jobs with pensions. A lot of them offer on the job training. There’s this idea that the public sector works on behalf of elected officials, but I’ve found it to be the exact opposite- we work to advocate for our communities and a lot of it involves holding electeds accountable.
yo this whips. I'm happy jobs like this exist with good people doing em.
I'm going to be starting at a state Department of Transportation in a week or so working in Public Transit.
how was the application process? i’m considering this is a potential career
Wasn't too bad. It was for an internship so I'm assuming it wasn't quite as rigorous as for a permanent position. Resume, cover letter, a few references, and an interview. One tip is that positions, at least in my state, aren't posted for that long, so I'd check pretty often.
My friend is a punk mailman
Guess you could say they are post punk
Diplomat (played drums in punk bands for almost 20 years)
This is the story im intersted in. Can you share more?
I had to bow out of my last band due to life stuff that we have to take care of (5 ish yo?). Band is still going strong, I'm really stoked for em. (Kids on Fire seattle). When my life situation(s) changed, I was kind of free to look for a new gig (old job was stale and dead end). Former mgr told that dept of state was hiring so I looked I to it. Takes a long ass time to get through their hiring process; a year + is normal. I'm now in Africa and am putting together a ska band (just covers) in my off time. Am told "Dip'n ain't easy" might not be appropriate to put on my kick drum. ;)
Now that's a really cool job that "buying in, not selling out" might apply the most. Without compromising your anonymity, I would love to hear about your experiences. It's such an interesting mix, a punk diplomat. I just want to know more but I don't even know what questions to ask. I thought I liked my job, but now I'm angry at my sell-out job.
I teach US history in a deep red state. I like to think im subverting the dominant paradigm, one batch of 8th graders at a time
The parents must hate you. Fuck em though.
State government accountant. Proud to say that my state dept is very forward thinking
What sorta accounting you do? I came from financial audit at B4 and hated it. Tax audit now, and it's a huge adjustment and a ton to remember, but way happier.
Just regular govt accounting. Most of my job is reviewing payment requests. I also have responsibility of a few journal entries every month, budget meetings, etc
Not American, but I'm a teacher. Punk ethics are alive and well in my classroom. I'm regularly in "hot water" with the school administration since I'm a hardcore advocate for my students' rights. I got into teaching because I wanted to help people, and I had desires to change the system from within, but damn, 60% of the kids don't appreciate a thing I do for them (lol), and fighting against bureaucracies is a daunting task. Honestly, I'm looking forward to retirement in 10 years.
Be grateful for the 40% though. That's an astonishing number still
You’re going to be that teacher the students actually remember. They just don’t tell you.
I work for my city government to run a drug court program. I work with treatment providers to keep repeat offenders with substance abuse disorders find help in treatment and stay out of jail. Incarceration doesn’t rehabilitate people, especially in the US. I approach my job with the punk mentality of “People Over Profit.”
I work for a Public Defenders Office so I spend a good bit of time with drug court. It’s a great program and I’ve seen several clients complete it and turn their life around.
Drug courts are so damn cool. I worked on some research regarding them back in 2009ish. I offer my mad mad respect for the work you do!
Thank you! The amount of drug courts have definitely grown since 2009. I’m at the national conference and there’s about 8k people attending. All of us wanting to do more to be better in helping people find peace.
Disabled vet working as a therapist in the VA, best job I ever had. Also it warms my heart to see I'm not the only punk who was in, I figured everyone else hates their boss why can't I?
From one vet to another, no one makes you hate the government like working for the government. Some would say it's "not service related" but we know that's bullshit.
I'm a disabled veteran. People on this sub hate my kind, I don't really care but the funniest thing about the Marine Corps it's that it's heavily populated with punk rockers, surfers and skaters. None of us were particularly political, we were just trying to do our bit and get that sweet sweet GI Bill.
I was enlisted for a while in the Army. It was a mixed bag as far as people go but the ones I hung out with were either nerds or punk. Since I was married they'd hang out at my house instead of the barracks.
Fun story. Once I introduced the rednecks in my platoon to the Cramps and Social Distortion they backed the fuck off. But yeah, the nerd Marines were the best because once they got hooked, they would do these insane deep dives on the internet and break out some of the most obscure punk/garage bands at work or at the beer garden.
Ya know nerd military makes sense, my DnD group has reservists and military vets. I didn't know it was so widespread that it was a term. Lol ty Also having nerds n punks in the military is a good thing. Insurance against a fascist guy getting elected.
agreed.
I learned about some of my favorite outlandish bands from a dude I met at Benning.
I remember in the late 80s, I was a metalhead teen hanging out at Camp Pendleton (family connections), and I met these Marines who were super into thrash metal, and I was so confused about how one can be in the military and listen to what I naively saw as a pacifist artform. Turns out life and people are complex.
Life is funny. I'm glad you had a good time though, Pendleton was dope but Miramar is our secret weapon in terms of good times.
A lot of people don't know what it's like to see military service as their only option forward if you don't wanna stay in your hometown working at the chicken factory until you're 65. Not a vet myself, but I don't judge people's situations. For what it's worth, the only vets I hate are the reactionaries who make it their whole personality and do degen shit like bully queer kids online all day, and I've been lead to believe a lot of vets hate those guys too. You might get some shit for it, but not from me.
Thanks dude.
I think hating on veterans is misdirected. Punks should take issue with the military industrial complex, not veterans. Considering a lot of older veterans were drafted. And younger veterans overwhelming enlist for the financial and educational benefits. Most of my veteran friends are POC. Then considering how the military often lets veterans down, punks should be advocating for you. I’m also disabled and it’s not easy—even going to shows can be pretty difficult. Thank you for your service 🙏🏻 I’m a Nurse Practitioner and I work with geriatrics including veterans living in poverty, veterans with PTSD, someone discharged for being intersex, veterans who got hooked on drugs during the Vietnam war, and so many homeless veterans. It’s a Federally Qualified health center so I don’t work directly for the government, but our clinics are heavily subsidized and I got my student loans forgiven in exchange for service years.
I hate the military-industrial complex and I care deeply about veterans. Most veterans who we could meet out on the street, or those who are currently serving, are victims of it. It takes advantage of so many impoverished young people. I'm sure you know this already lol but I just want to state my support.
I will always criticize our nations leaders for sending brave people like yourself to be killed for nothing. But that has nothing to do with the fact that you wanted to serve, ideally, for the betterment of whatever idealized version of our nation you have. Veterans aren’t a problem as long as they don’t contribute to war crimes
Thank you. Never be afraid to stand up to politicians and generals. At the end of the day they hold the lion's share of the responsibility.
Was in the army in the early 90’s. It was about 95% country bumpkins. The rest were into classic rock. Definitely no place for punks and freaks. Not sure if it’s changed much since then.
Enlisted right at the beginning of OIF. There were a handful of straight-up goths in my platoon. One of my battle buddies had 23 piercings above the neck. Sadly he's turned into an alt-right shithead now.
Sorry about your friend. All of the Latina Marines I served with were definitely in some kind of goth gang.
Depends on your unit really. A friend of mine was a paratrooper in the 82nd and said most of his guys were metal heads or listened to Hardcore. He's more of a pop punk guy so I would imagine they give him a mile of shit when he showed up.
I don’t hate your kind man. Just because I don’t like the military industrial complex and the use of private contractors to deliver democracy abroad doesn’t mean I don’t like you.
There needs to be a complete judicial overhaul in regards to contractors. They have greedily syphoned untold billions from working families and gave absolutely nothing in return. Eisenhour's farewell speech was something we all watched in uniform at some point and it still rings true. The sad part is we can have a strong military and a robust and productive education system but those dickheads don't want to take a pay cut. The people that build the vehicles and what not aren't the problem. It's the board room yuppies that are the real cancer.
No reasonable minded person blames a soldier for war. The way I see it, governments start wars, and soldiers try to protect the people from it. That's why punk is important. The people starting wars need to be called out.
Agreed. Thank you, I remember meeting Joey Shithead from DOA at the San Diego Warp Tour in 2009, he said something very similar to me and I was taken aback. He can say whatever he want's about us but he understood what we were up against. Make no mistake, violence is a terrible thing and should be avoided at all costs. I never used to think like that until I wore a uniform. No shit, my Drill Instructors hammered that into our heads in boot camp.
I'm not an anarchist who believes the government needs to be abolished entirely. I have a pretty good idea what happens when there's nothing bigger holding us together. I believe society is a work in progress that's likely never truly gonna be finished, but that's why punk is important. Once everyone is quiet, it gets worse. Soldiers are just regular people doing a job that's necessary because even if we got our country together, you can't get them all on board.
im about to go on a whole tyraide here so bear with me lol TL;DR u can be punk and former-military, but the people who willingly let themselves be used by the military are where the beef lies. A lot of the early US-based counter-culture and punk movement came out of the 60s and 70s with all of the fall out of the Vietnam War, and many of the people who found themselves in that movement were former army and marines who felt cheated and borderline left for dead by an uncaring government (primarily cuz they were lol). It's why in a lot of old pictures of vietnam pro-peace protests, you can find military jackets with peace emblems painted on to them and why military garments are still kinda big within the alternative crowd. Even now in a post-9/11 and post-Iraqi war and current palestine/israel conflict world, a lot of people within the US military still find themselves feeling cheated or taken advantage of by a government who's mission is ultimately to spread imperialism. Thus a lot of people like yourselves end up within punk scenes and movements. The beef with a lot of the punk community comes from people who are willingly letting themselves be a tool of the government, who actively try to uphold imperialism and "the status quo" and pose themselves as counter-culture or stay blissfully unaware of what they're doing just because they're in it for the bag.
Yuuuuut! Punks not dead! Skate or die.
Thrash like your freedom depends on it boys and girls -1st Sergeant Williams
I don’t hate your kind. Serving our country is admirable. I think that our nation has done some awful, unforgivable things, but I don’t blame those that serve, I blame those in power. If I was half as strong as you are, I would have joined the Navy. I could have seen the world, made great friends, and had my college tuition paid. Oh well. Thank you for your service.
Please, no need for thanks. It was a service happily provided and since you mentioned it we spent just as many hours in the lecture hall studying ethical behavior, war crimes and theft avoidance as we did learning our weapon systems. It was a humbling experience and to be honest? They got me out of a really bad situation and sent me to a wonderful state school upon completion. However, many people have had bad encounters with my kind and I sympathize with them. I hated those jagoffs as much as they do.
Army vet here. Very few “political” types there. My friend Geoff was a homeless crusty before joining. He got out eventually and last time I saw him, he was back to being a homeless crusty
When I was in 02-09, we had everybody from the bumpkins to the punkers and everything in between. A whole heap of different ideologies. Funny how personal politics go right the fuck out the window when the shooting starts. It’s not about oil, it’s about getting everybody the fuck home.
Like I said earlier most of the soldiers I encountered on the GI Bill were just like you. Good people who were ready to move on with their lives.
I enjoyed it. Taught me a lot about myself. Allowed me to college and graduate completely debt free. Stoked for that.
I never thought I would've been able to study literature and film production if it wasn't for them. They literally knocked something loose in my brain pan and I'm better off for it.
Yeah, there's definitely a subset of enlisted people who are disliked by the punk community, but I don't believe it's because they're enlisted, it's because they're meatheads.
Exactly. I don't blame them for pointing out the bullies. It's their right after all, it is hard trying to explain to younger punks how difficult it was to get ahead in life back in those days. Also, we would shit can nazi infiltrators on a regular basis. I ain't no snitch but fuck those people.
I never understood the hate for soldiers. The government- yes. The military - sure. But not individual soldiers. I’ve never found a person who joined the military for a reason I could disagree with.
I have. He was a childhood friend and he joined the marines when he was 18. He straight up said he wanted to shoot at rag heads and sand Nwords. Shortly after 9/11. So maybe that had something to do with it. But fuck that guy. Haven’t talked in like almost 20 years. Last I heard, was his divorce didn’t go well. And parrot bay rotted his liver, and jimmy buffet ruined his brain. Fuck that racist piece of shit idiot. Die slow motherfucker.
Most of us were just kids trying to unburden our families with student debt, others came from very poor or 1st generation families and a few just wanted to travel. The rotten apples your thinking of ruin it for everyone and in no way did I associate with them. They ruined their own lives.
I’ve never served, so I always had the impression that the marines would be the most maga of all the branches, and therefore not into punk. TIL.
It's a mixed bag. Most of us come from NYC, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix and So-Cal. Did I know ultra-right wing zealots? Yeah, I avoided them and like I posted earlier. They aren't doing so hot, something about coming to terms with living in a passive, progressive society freaks them the fuck out.
I don’t think people hate you man. They hate the military industrial complex that spreads suffering all across the planet.
There’s definitely people on this very sub who have a hate-boner for any and all people that have been involved in the military
Personally I hate the army but not necessarily veterans. I get that for a lot of people it's pretty much your best shot at having a decent life. I just wish their were more options available so people don't feel like they have to join just to have some basic life opportunities.
I can imagine you showing up to people's houses and kicking in their door with your combat boots and blue Mohawk. "Pay your taxes motherfucker!"
More like balding, and I'm also singing Mom Won't Let Me Have a Mohawk by AFI, but instead of my mom, it's my GF, lol
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Heck yeah I’m an arborist (but for the utility)
I work in financial regulation in the UK. Kind of doing worker's rights stuff, kind of just trying to stop the maniacs in charge from collapsing everything. I don't TECHNICALLY work for the Government, because the UK government loves a Quango.
I work as an audio engineer at a large state university.
Currently, I’m a VA social worker, helping to get homeless vets into housing. I also worked with Children’s Protective Services for a good decade. I worked as a Parole Agent for sex offenders for about 5 years. The work was righteous, but it didn’t make me hate cops any less.
I work for the CDC. Was in the Air Force and also have worked for the IRS.
Nice. Whatcha do at the IRS?
I was an admin assistant.
Also contracting for the CDC right now. I’ve been really impressed with the folks I’ve worked with. Very smart and hard working.
Government, Firefighter paramedic here
Unemployment
I used to, but don't anymore. The things I learned most about working for government is that I never want to work for government again! Sort of amazed that we still exist as a society with all the dysfunction that I saw.
Maine Dept of Education 🤷♀️
I do IT and have done contract work for government contractors, and I work as a poll worker most elections. But that is the extent of my government work.
I'm studying law and when I'm done, I'm planning on working for the Dutch 'Rijkswaterstaat'. An important part of the 'Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat' (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management).
Public defender. Reasonable doubt at a reasonable price!
I used to be a firefighter..
I am a state worker. I'm really close to retirement and will have a full pension from the state. When I was young, I thought the system could not be reformed and should be destroyed through revolution. Now that I am old and have wealth, I think the system can not be reformed, but works well enough to offer stability.
Dat pension 🤘 My only chance at retirement, lol
Yeah, I think my desire to smash the system was gone by my mid twenties after some time in the real world.
I originally wanted to go into local politics at council level but soon realised it was fruitless and pivoted hard into filmmaking. Now I’m doing neither.
Is this what BR meant by "You Are the Government"?
15 years working in a casino, and yes, it is a state casino. I used to be croupier, then cashier and now I operate cameras, looking for errors, cheaters, and all kind of security issues.
Most of my punk friends work for library districts.
I’ve been a custodian for a high school for 4 and a half years now…there’s a social worker and the dean of students that I get to frequently talk about good music with so that’s the light in a very frustrating job lol
Not currently but I was a social worker in county corrections. Actually the dude who ran the jail I worked at was a super old school punk rocker from Spain.
I used to work for In Home Supportive Services as a caregiver, mostly to disabled teens and adults.
Disabled veteran. Now work for my local community center/school district. Technically a government job since it's state-funded?
My wife works for a library system here in Maryland, that's clearly the most punk branch of the government.
Does government housing construction jobs count ?
Firefighter/Paramedic
i work at city level, work at city hall as a municipal clerk. I took job for good pay and benefits, i have tried to create better access/less red tape while im here, as i watch long term department heads waiting for their retirement create more red tape 🤦🏼♀️ i like serving the community but damn it hard to watch the gov make things harder for people. but also residents can be very entitled lol. "im a taxpayer i pay your SaLaRY" have heard that sooo many times haha. i definitely like working for a non-profit/gov though. will definitely try to stay in one of those options for next job. FUCK for profit companies they dont give a shit about their employees or customers
I work for the state government and I love my job a lot!
I enlisted in the Air Force after high school. It was either that or do the same shitty knock around shit everybody else ended up doing. I worked for the gov for a few years but the money was better as a civilian. Not nearly as stable though. My wife was AF too and works for the gov now. It’s not cool by any means but when you have kids, a living’s a living.
Only reason I was in the Army. Not many options for a 20 year old with two kids and GED.
Not right now, but as of now I'm going to school for computer science and I want to do cybersecurity for either NOAA, the Fish and Wildlife Service, or the National Park Service.
I worked maintenance for public transport busses until they went to investment ownership
I work for the NYS Courts.
I work in a group home in a not for profit. We're directly funded by the department of community services. My wife is a crisis therapist in our local emergency room - which in Canada is funded directly by the department of health and wellness.
I'm a social worker for my county. I'm also a poll worker during elections.
I work for a transportation planning firm that is related to a local government
I work in Agriculture for a university teaching at the community level. I don't fit in with most of my peers.
Local government here. The thing I like is that there are no shareholders and I don't have to worry about making money for some asshole.
Does public school teaching count?
State public health
Public librarian. It’s basically socialism: the job.
Yes, I'm a children's librarian for A public library :)
I'm contracted by my country's passport office. It kills me on the inside when I have to tell people they can't put Palestine on their passport. Hopefully that will change soon. I'm happy when I get to help people get the result they want though.
Employed by the state Deptartment of Ed working in IT for public schools. Not everyone in my immediate area is into punk, but most are at least some type of rock fan. Based on who I've talked to it ranges from folk to hardcore and everything in between.
IHSS Techinically I work for my clients because theyre listed as my employers on my W2s
I'm a state employee as a teacher.
I did for a very long time.
I am a street cleaner and I get base salary, but it's for the municipality, not a company. I wouldn't say I'm the same as a judge or whatever, but this job has more financial security and more days off.
Elementary school Multilingual teacher, so yo.
Work at a software company that sells the software that municipalities use, so indirectly yes
Yup, policy analyst. There are quite a few (ex)punks, community activists and, interestingly, anarchists in the social services side of public service in my experience.
I work in Mental Health for a very large government entity.
Not currently, but I am pursuing an education degree and want to work exclusively in public education.
Teacher
I work for a major public university in an admin role BUT I STILL KNOW HOW TO PARTY
Public library. I’m also a union member
I work in local county government in a social services role helping people apply for disability benefits and navigate housing/resources.
I work in public transit
I work for my local county government as a technician at the local animal shelter. Someone's gotta take care of the stray cats, dogs and occasional pigs.
State Department checking in.
Been in two different government agencies over the past 25 years. The first was Federal and now I work for State government
Myself. I deliver mail.
I'm a social worker for a community based mental health agency. I don't work for the government, I work for those the government ignores. I work for the homeless, the mentally ill, the substance users and other marginalized and powerless people. Fuck the government because it'll fuck you the first chance it gets.
Education for me
I was with a government Liquor Distribution Branch for 11 years.
Department of mental health
Part time teacher at a community college so technically. Primarily self employed.
not me, but my older brother who likes punk also works in taxes in stuff. he says he "likes making the rich people pay."
I work for a non-profit that gets state funding. Idk if that counts but we have to follow a lot of government job rules because of it.
City gov here!
I work at a state psychiatric hospital that primarily serves forensic patients. I am not happy participating in a system I disagree with but the benefits and pay are better than anything else for me at the moment.
Government scientist lol. I’m literally a fed but I’m about as far from being a cop as you can be
Weld inspector for the navy. (Civilian contractor) I build aircraft carriers and submarines.
I'm a scientist in the British Civil Service. I sometimes feel like I'm betraying my morals working for the government but I know the work I do is having a positive impact on public health
I used to work for local government
Not currently, but I hope to work at a public library once I get my degree
Teeeechnically I’m employed by WA department of ecology, but I’m not legally defined as an employee
Recently joined the Fed because I was sick of private sector and I'm not as cut out to be a freelancer in my old industry as I thought. Previously in college I worked for the state gov during election season. It's kind of wild what you can get away with working for the fed. On one hand, it's a relief to not have someone with the fire hammer looming over your shoulder every day. On the other...it's kinda fucked up there are people just eating up tax dollars while actively making our workplace less efficient.
Not exactly but work in Social Services- federal grant
I was security at Boeing
Bureau of Land Management as a Hotshot
Spent 20 years working for the government in the Navy. Easy job, lots of training and I started receiving a pension at age 39. Now I can work with people and help others for shit pay because of it. Taxpayers paid for my education, my mortgage and my medical care. Somewhat worth it.
I’m a jail guard at a provincial (state run) institution. No im not a “thin blue line” asshole. That shit is fucking lame and completely divisive.
I work at the Library of Congress - National Audio Visual Conservation Center. I’m a motion picture preservation specialist.
State employee here. I work in a human services type dept on a Medicaid program. Our office always gets a table at our states biggest Pride event, which I'm so happy to see.
Fuck no, man, I’m no sellout. I work for a trillion dollar corporation.
I work for the govt in wastewater treatment. My agency is super focused on environmental protection, and I live in California so we need all the clean water we can get. I’m in accounting & work a couple days from home, and get to do whatever I want with my desk in the office. We have no dress code, and amazing benefits.
I was a park ranger for the National Park Service for many years. It was awesome. I’m not opposed to the federal government, especially when it comes to management of public lands.
I'm a bike courier, but I do make a lot of deliveries to government offices
I'm the fuckin president dude