As seen on Epitaph's web page for Pennywise's Land of the Free:

And there are thousands more just like these. Thousands of people saying that this or that is or isn't punk, that the radio fuckin' sucks, that anyone who listens to the radio is a whinny-ass poser wannabe. Fans of a band post Five-E ratings, saying things like "IF U DON'T LIKE PENNYWISE THAN YOU FUKIN SUCK YOU STUPID-ASS BITCH! I WANT TO KILL PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE PENNYWISE" Meanwhile, anti-fans post things like "THIS ISN'T PUNK YOU WHINERS WHY DON'T YOU GO LISTEN TO BLINK-182...".

And so forth. Don't get me wrong, but aren't punks supposed to be tolerant? Isn't punk about unity and togetherness, not who is the punkest mofo in the land? I realize, of course, that people who post messages saying they want to kill the anti-fans are lying, trying to impress the other 'true punks,' but still... Punk Rock preaches improvement, not anti-government, anti-fascist dry-cleaned hated-bombs! And punk is an anti-violence movement!

I hate to break it to you, but no punk is punker than anybody else. Fat Mike is as punk as Brett Gurewitz as Sid Vicious as Joe Strummer as Joey Ramone as Ben Weasel as you probably are. Punk is not about who is on the radio the least or who has sold the smallest number of records. If I hear 'DIY' one more time I'm gonna puke. Punk is not about hating the radio. Punk is not about hating everything. It is not about who is the oldest old-school fan. Someone who is thirteen and whose first punk CD was Pennywise's Land of the Free is just as punk as a forty-year old who heard the Ramone's first show at CBGB

This may sound clichéd, but unity is the key. If we are ever going to improve anything, we must be united. Divisiveness is what is making our current society what it is today. Partisan politics have turned elections into a political circus. It is because people have squabbled over minor issues. Can anybody name a less important issue than who is punker than somebody else? Maybe the issue of who has freckles on his face.

Anyway, to wrap up this essay, I would like to provide you with the following Points of Punk:

1. Just because a band gets on the radio does not mean that they have 'sold out.' Spreading the punk message is good, remember?
2. A punk band can write songs about girls. It only becomes annoying when such songs pass the 50% mark on an album.
3. Similarly, a punk band does not have to write songs about how much the government sucks. Again, the 50% mark is when it gets monotonous.
4. Christians are punk too. Jesus, however, was not punk.
5. Nobody, and I mean nobody, cares how punk you think you are.
6. Just because a song has acoustic guitars or isn't 200 beats per minute does not mean that it isn't punk. Look at the song 'Time and Disregard' by Bad Religion from Into the Unknown.
7. And, above all, punk is not about what you wear, but who you are.

You can conclude that I am not punk and therefore am no authority to be telling you this, but if you do you have missed the point of this dissertation entirely.

Do you have a problem with this essay? I am not surprised in the least. E-mail me at nirvanasongs@yahoo.com and tell me what you think. I will ignore streams of four-letter words.