Young people have always played an important role in revolutionary struggles around the world. And in a country like the United $tates, where the workers would rather live off the exploitation of the third world than fight for a system without oppression, they play an even more important role. Kids are disempowered under our patriarchal capitalist system. They are faced with few options other than depending on their parents. When situations at home become unbearable they can go live on the streets or call child welfare, or just commit suicide. This is one reason that kids have an interest in changing the current system.
Now a lot of kids in this country have it pretty good, thanks to the big checks their parents bring home from parasitic jobs where they make more than the value of their labor. Many of these kids see the way their parents are making out and stay on the right path so that they can someday get a piece of that pie. But some kids are exposed to the injustices of the world and make a decision early on that things need to change. And even as people break the oppressive chains of childhood, they still face the threats of a military disaster or environmental destruction, regardless of social standing. Imperialism feeds the war machine which now possesses weapons that could destroy us all. Meanwhile, the profit motive keeps other interests in the background, including the maintenance of an environment that we need to survive.
The time period when one becomes less dependent on one's parents is possibly the freest time of one's life. With no one to rely on and no one relying on you. That is why we see people in this age group leading social movements. And these are the people you see when you go to a show. And you know when you go to a show that the people there tend to have a much more revolutionary view of the world than the average person on the street. That's because there is a culture that supports these ideas through music and zines. Without that culture hardcore/punk is just another style of music.
The hardcore and punk scenes are hotbeds for activism, and we need to take advantage of this and organize people before they sell out. This is why MIM has taken on this project. And we encourage you all to get involved with it. Hand out MIM Notes and fliers at shows. If you can write reviews send them in to mim3@mim.org. If your hardcore/punk/metal band has a political message that you think we could appreciate you can send demos, 7 inches or CD's (with lyrics please) to the following address: MIM P.O. Box 400559 Cambridge, MA 02140 and we'll review them for our biweekly newspaper and post the review on our webpage. If your band has an album available through Amazon.com then it will be linked through our bookstore.
P.S.:We are happy to post replies from the bands about our reviews in order to promote an open dialogue.
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