Punk: "The Remedy for My Sickness"

Youth culture in Brazil is violent.  The country of Brazil is considered a third world country and it is a very poor country.  Drugs are a major problem in the country of Brazil.  The drugs cause many crimes to occur.  Murders are a common occurrence every night in around the country.  In the documentary, it said that more murders by cops occurred in Brazil than did the number of total homicides in Canada in one single year.  In such an underdeveloped country, there is not a lot for the youth to do and many youth members get into the drug scene.  They see it as a way to make a quick buck; they do not think about the life consequences that go with dealing drugs.  The lead singer of the Blind Pigs, a Brazilian punk band, says that forming a band and playing music with friends is a way to stay off the unsafe streets of Brazil and find an escape from their everyday lives.  The lead singer of the Blind Pigs would say that many things are “punk” as he gave his interview.  Punk is not only a music genre, but a way of life.  The clothing, the body art and especially the mentality show that punks use this way of living in their everyday lives and not just for enjoyment.  The mentality of punks is “do it yourself.”  The singer seen a place in his hometown and found a way to help his community by teaching at a local school.  He calls the students punk because they are taking it upon themselves to come and join in and create a better life for themselves.  Hinrike, Blind Pigs lead singer, believes that music, not only punk music, is a way to empower the young people of his community and around the world to help better their lives. 

Indonesia is also considered a third world country.  Dolly is a young man living in Indonesia that uses punk as a way to escape his terrible life.  In his poor country, Dolly works six days a week and only makes $2.65 a day at a Nike shoe factory.  He lives at home with his parents and helps out where he can with money.  Although he hates his job and boss, he is grateful that he does have a job.  Dolly uses punk music as a way to escape the troubles of his life.  He calls punk the “remedy for my sickness” many times throughout the documentary.  He does not only listen to punk, but he also plays guitar in a punk band.  However, the band can only afford to play in a studio twice a year.  Dolly is fan of Hinrike’s band Blind Pigs.  Dolly does screen printing on the side and makes patches for the band and sends them to Hinrike in Brazil.  Hinrike in return sends CDs to Dolly since he is such a big fan.  Another punk rocker from Indonesia that is interviewed in the film is Jerrix, the drummer from Superman is Dead.  This punk band is one of the most popular in the Asian-Pacific region.  He talks about the role of Islam and Western culture in the Indonesian cities.  As a Dutch colony for so long, the Indonesian people, especially those of tourist attractions such as Bali, still have a slave mentality and think that Westerners and their culture are better than that of their country.  Also, Muslim fundamentalists bombed Bali nightclubs, which is a topic Jerrix covers.  Jerrix explains how the fundamentalists do not like the lifestyle of the Westerners.  He also talks a lot about the differences between his lifestyle as a punk rock star and the average person, who is always in the back of his mind.  He makes the comparison of him partying and drinking in a hotel room when someone only one hundred meters away is dying.  This is his reality, but he uses to punk to help those people that are in such situations. 

This documentary has shown me the harsh realities that so much of the world lives in.  It shows what people in third world countries go through just to survive, whether that means avoiding drug dealers or working six days a week.  With the use of punk music, they are pulled out of the depression that can very easily be caused be their surroundings.  Listening to punk music or playing it, either can be a means of release for people.  This documentary has also shown me how important family is to youth culture in the two communities.  Hinrike has a family of his own, a wife and children, which he loves dearly and was made possible because of punk.  He met his wife at one of the Blind Pigs’ shows.  Hinrike’s father is the person that introduced him to the punk world with a cassette tape of the Forgotten Rebels.  Dolly lives at home with his family and helps take of them because of the job he has.  He visits his brother’s family when he can.  His family is a large part of his life, just as it is to Hinrike. 

The film also shows how similar the youths around the world are.  They, we, are all struggling to find our own identity or finding a spot for ourselves in whatever religion it is that we practice or moving ourselves out of the religion we no longer believe in.  Hinrike is, as he says, not a religious man, but he thanks God for the health of his children.  Not being religious does not mean he does not believe.  He might not participate in the regular Catholic practices, but he does still believe.  Dolly is Muslim, as is the majority of Indonesia.  He goes to his prayers on a regular basis.  This belief in religion is something that makes the men relatable to.  Their close family ties also make them relatable.  I am very close to my family and seeing others like that make me relate to them. 

As a global citizen, I can have an effect on others around the world, such as Dolly and Hinrike.  After watching this documentary, I could become a fan of the Blind Pigs.  The more I listen to it, the more others around me listen to the band.  Slowly the people around me would tell others about the band and so on.  This chain of events could cause the Blind Pigs to become stars in the United States and help their career go farther than imagined and spread their music and message across the States and farther on still.  The world could become Blind Pigs fans just because I became a fan and shared them with those around me and those around me shared them with even more people.  The same could be said for Dolly and his community.  If people decided to wear Nikes more often, then it would keep him in a job and give even more people an opportunity for work in Indonesia.  This would help the Indonesian economy grow because more people would have money for things because they got jobs because more people in the United States decided to buy and wear Nikes.  A boost for their economy would help out living situations in Indonesia.  Just by making small decisions in life, people like me and me can make a difference in not only one or two peoples’ lives, but thousands and thousands around the globe.