Black Flag, Minor Threat, and the Revival of Traditional Values in American Hardcore Punk

In the aftermath of the economic, political, and social turmoil of the 1960s and early
1970s, American society was dominated, according to Christopher Lasch, by disil-
lusionment, fatigue, and anxiety, leading to an obsession with living in the moment.
Moreover, traditional Protestant values such as work ethic, sobriety, self-discipline,
and delayed gratification were replaced by the search for instant satisfaction and for
pleasure that could be had “right now”—a new, “radical” individualism. American
hardcore punk emerged in suburban middle-class residential areas that epitomized
the era’s conformity, while its diy ethos was justified and stimulated by this radical
individualism, allowing adherents to withdraw from social and political issues and
concentrate on their day-to-day personal activities. More interestingly, in their attitude and praxis, hardcore punk micro-entrepreneurs revived a significant part of the older American heritage values, most of which the 1960’s counterculture had scorned.