TheAntiSummit
First Post
SteamPunk? CyberPunk? I'm confused. Without sounding too stupid, is it possible for me to ask what the word "punk" at the end of a genre name actually means?
punk
Pronunciation: 'p&[ng]k
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1596
1 archaic : PROSTITUTE
2 [probably partly from punk] : NONSENSE, FOOLISHNESS
3 a : a young inexperienced person : BEGINNER, NOVICE; especially : a young man b : a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian c : a youth used as a homosexual partner
4 a : PUNK ROCK b : a punk rock musician c : one who affects punk styles
I've never heard any of those attached to the npunk genres. Certainly in cyberpunk, which coined the phrase in the first place, it wasn't only the "heroes" that saw the status quo as detrimental, the actual, heel-grinding detrimental nature of the status quo was a key feature of the genre. I've also not clear where you're getting the style over substance argument, unless you're basing punk in this context on that Matthew Lillard movie about punk rockers in Salt Lake City...Monster Manuel said:Generally, in my understanding, it means counterculture- any genre where the heroes fight against a status quo that only they see to be detrimental. There's also an implication of 'edginess', and style over substance. So while the characters might be fighting a war that holds cosmic implications, the characters themselves might seem shallow, or flashy.
Joshua Dyal said:
I've never heard any of those attached to the npunk genres. Certainly in cyberpunk, which coined the phrase in the first place, it wasn't only the "heroes" that saw the status quo as detrimental, the actual, heel-grinding detrimental nature of the status quo was a key feature of the genre. I've also not clear where you're getting the style over substance argument, unless you're basing punk in this context on that Matthew Lillard movie about punk rockers in Salt Lake City...