The Minor Threat Has Passed

Everybody, you can relax! The minor "major threat" of Nike has passed. You can put away the soapboxes and retract the self righteous "DIY" hate mail. Nike has apologized for....well, for being Nike. Let's not get all offended here folks. Corporations and the media have been exploiting "punk rock" for years now. That's why punk as we knew it is dead. Those old aggressive sounds and images of pissed off posturing are not a threat anymore to the status quo. It's all just marketing now.

Don't get me wrong. I respect Ian Mackaye and Dischord. I have the utmost respect for the convictions and principles that he has stood for all these years. But I mean really, it's not the first time company's have tried to make a buck off of Minor Threat.

Of course, how can we forget this Rancid record. Well, actually it was pretty easy to forget this record, but the cover looks a little familiar don’t it? Why should Rancid and their record company Epitaph get away with it? Because they're "punk rock"? Hardly. This is just an example of a so-called underground company trying to make a buck by using underground images. Epitaph wants to sell records, just like BMG/Sony, Universal, Warner, etc..

And how 'bout poor little Emily Strange. I don't think poor Emily and the corporation who owns her depressed little ass, Cosmic Debris, are really that poor at all. Why didn't Mr. Mackaye get all huffy puffy when Emily was using a Minor Threat image to sell back underground rebellion to countless Hot Topic youth?

Yes, yes, I know Epitaph and Emily don't come near the corporate atrocities of Nike. But if you're gonna bitch about 1 company using your shit to make money, then you gotta do it across the board. Punk has been bought and sold so many times over the years that it really doesn't matter anymore. And skateboarding is light years from its DIY beginning. Capitalism is capitalism, regardless if it’s mainstream or underground culture that’s being sold.