Here's another one for ya: 'punk'. We all know now that it's associated with music but it used to be a derogatory term (Dirty Harry: "Do ya feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?")
So where did it originate from?
I heard in an interview with Iggy Pop (who was an early punk muso with his band The Stooges), that it actually was a jailhouse term for what is now described as '*BLEEP*' - guy who gets put upon to do all manner of stuff for people further up the hierarchy than he is, including sexual favours (not that they're offered - more like taken).

PUNK is all about the attitude. Punk promotes anarchy and recognizes no authority but chaos. Yet, punk is governed by its own set of rules. So it's not mainly associated with music although, these days it seems like that's where all it is related. And somewhere along the line, the UK punks defined what punk would look alike--leather jackets with chrome spikes, black army boots, sometimes heavy make-ups like the 80's Boy George and don't forget those wild hair styles.

To have an idea what it means by punk, the movie SLC Punk! (Salt Lake City) is a pretty good example.

BuffaloHELP said that bery well!
Punks have absolutly no respect for goverment, The laws and nything that people say!
Nothing in the world can change the mind set of a true PUNK ecept him or herself!
A punk see's the world with a different perspective that no one will understand!
I used to be goth and punk but my ways have changed (for the better)
But my days as a punk tought me many things that i will never forget!
And it also showed me a different side of the world!

Im sorry, i think that this is bs...

punk doesnt mean no respect for government... i think the government has to do what its gotta do, it doesnt mean i have to like or agree with it, but hey, respect is what punk is about. i give people the respect they deserve, and i expect it back from them, or ill bash their face in. thats how it works. i hate the people that go around saying im punk because i listen to cool music and my parents wont accept me for who i am, you just wouldnt understand me because im unique... blah blah blah, its all bs IMHO

punk means taking 20$, hitchhiking from cleveland ohio to NYC, living for 2 weeks in a stolen construction trailer drinking warm beer and eating the peanut butter crackers you found in it, then keeping warm at night by standing around a car running with its hood up. punk doesnt matter what you look like, punk is an independence thing. punk is a brotherhood. punk is a family. i would rely on my brothers throughout any situation, and they are more important to me than even my own 'real' brothers. i can depend on them more than anyone else in this world, and we would do anything for each other. the world is not a pleasant place for people who want to think independantly, so we need to stick together... and those of you who think your punk because you listen to fall out boy or dye your hair black, as far as im concerned you can rot

[/endrant]


ps i have an 11.5 in mohawk, does that make me punk??
pss i hate those little 2-3 inch mohawks that people think are sooooo cool. my god 12 year olds do that :S

That is actually true. But over the years, the term has changed, and alot of people don't know what it used to mean. Now, people use it to describe music, attitude, and...fashion.Hmmmm....I find it a bit odd.

Punk seems to be whatever the individual says it is. If one were to ask five different "individuals" what punk was, there may very well be five different answers. That is what I feel makes it so special. I dig what alternativenick has to say, no doubt it's a life style over an image and a one line slogan to live by. I see punk as finding unity in a hopeless world. When family and school systems have turned their ugly backs on you, where do you go?