SOC 250 Media Project

When somebody lives through poverty in a capitalist society, it becomes increasingly clear just how expensive it is to exist. There are very few things that are considered inarguable human rights, especially in America. It can become overwhelming just how many things you need to pay for just to support yourself. Bad Brains reflect this sentiment in their classic song Pay to Cum, where they lament the fact “That in this world we all must pay / Pay to write, pay to play / Pay to cum, pay to fight.” Of course, in true punk fashion, the conclusion they come to is to “Stick up for our bloody right / The right to ring, the right to dance.” Punk music has historically been revolutionary in its tone and rhetoric, and Bad Brains are emblematic of the genre’s norms. Though Bad Brains was forced to adhere to capitalist norms and monetize their art, they did so independently and were outspoken in their disdain for the system in which they were forced to participate.

Elucid’s verse particularly regards the relationship between labor and wealth in America, and how the expectation that labor leads to wealth is often untrue. In his lines, “Thinking about my barriers to wealth and it’s clear / Rising and grinding couldn’t help,” and “An honest day’s overrated / Broke on payday,” he illustrates the mechanisms in place to ensure that the working class in the United States stays on the brink of poverty, barely surviving paycheck to paycheck. In late-stage capitalism, it is ensured that the working class is exploited ceaselessly by the bourgeoisie to ensure the greatest amount of profit. They are paid as little as possible while corporations rake in billions of dollars of revenue. There is no alternative for the working class, as is illustrated in the song’s chorus, a repeated: “You don’t work, you don’t eat.”

Unwound’s song is another example of the dissonance that artists feel in the capitalist system, which commodifies their art, turning it into a product to be sold as opposed to a piece of art to be appreciated and discussed. They describe the thought processes of the shadowy corporate entities that run the music industry, saying, “Pay you by the hour / Follow any trend / That comes their way / They’ll pick your life apart / And throw away your art / But finding something new / Is never hard.” Unwound resents the way that their art is reduced to simply “Entertainment,” a commodity to be discarded once it is no longer considered trendy.

The consumerism that capitalism incorporates into culture is inescapable; advertisements and commodities line the streets, competing for access to the capital that its citizens spend their lives earning. Sonic Youth vocalist describes growing up and seeing a “Big sign down the road. / That’s where it all started,”. The predilection for consumerism and desire to consume is planted in people from a young age; advertisements targeting children make up a considerable amount of marketing. Gordon cedes that, to an extent, she has embraced the consumerist culture of America, saying “To the extent that I wear skirts and cheap nylon slips / I’ve gone native.” It is exceedingly difficult to resist cultural integration, particularly to American popular culture, which has become unavoidable for the average person. One can only hope to use their capital to benefit those of whom are deserving and can measurably benefit.