Thoreau and Manson

One of my favorite lines of Walden is the following: "No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof."

If I were to choose a mantra for Punk Rock, this would definitely be it.

To me, Punk is in very large part concerned with being a free-thinking individual - an individual who will not adhere to the arbitrary and commonly accepted trends of society simply because it is the status quo. Of course, if you arrive to a conclusion on your own which happens to mesh with that of society's, this is wholly acceptable. However, the key is simply not to just accept something because it has prevailed for generations or because it is unquestioned. I've always thought that Marilyn Manson is one of the strongest proprietors of this philosophy. In his song "Antichrist Superstar," he sings about how people have a tendency to submit themselves to the "common mode of living" without thinking. He sings, "I didn't have to sell you - you threw your money in the pissing well, you do just what they tell you." Thoreau found it devastating that there is such a huge portion of our minds that we allow to remain inactive. Marilyn Manson, a true Punk in every sense of the word, would certainly be alligned with Thoreau on this score.