We've all heard of the Cyberpunk-Genre. But what is it really? And does it really live up to its name? Or is something implied in the title of it missing? A vast majority of cyberpunk media lacks fundemental elements in the name - the "punk" aspect. In this highly subjective blog article, I'll be highlighting some of these discrepencies.

Punk? What does "punk" mean, even? Well, according to te British Library, the word was once a word meaning "female prostitute" and was often used by Shakespeare. Throughout the eras, it would remaina s an insult usually of a sexual and patriarchal nature. Eventually, it would become a broad word for those considered "undesirable." But then in the 60s, it would be reclaimed by artists who were seeking a word for the disanfranchised youth of the era - those who were seen as undesirable, as going against the status quo - and did so proudly. The punk movment would come to absorb anti-capitalist, anti-authroitarian, and anti-hiearchical views, as well as being defined by its DIY aestehtics.

And yet a trace of the true self..

So.. Whats so "punk" about "Cyberpunk?" Well, not much. Other than disanfranchisment, themes of the everyperson under authroitarian capitalism, and its dirty visuals, the modern cyberpunk genre is little more than a vague shadow of what "punk" is. in fact, every "punk" genre is, but that's a whole different discussion. As an example, the most recent large scale cyberpunk media: Cyberpunk 2077.

CYBERPUNK 2077

Cyberpunk (uppercase from now on) was a game with.. mixed reception. But we'll be skipping over that. my opinion: great, replayable gameplay with an engaging world. However - is the game, and its story, really all that punk? It defiently fullfills the "cyber" aspect, as most cyberpunk properties do. But in terms of punk it's.. lacking. It feels like a forced attept to appear punk, with all the anger, the politics, and the "rocker" vibe; but it really just kind of.. falls flat. Cyberpunk 2077 really embraces personal gratification within the endless, pointless cycle of "becoming something" in a city that just wants to kill you. Seems far more hedonistic and nihilistic than it does punk.

In conclusion, lots of cyperpunk media takes the visuals of punk culture and slaps a futuristic coat of pain on it with only a brief application of punk ideologies. While this isn't nessesarily a bad thing, I think it's a missed oppertunity.