serve mainly as a vehicle for him to share his thoughts on social injustice, capitalism, war, Marxism, government, the human condition and a variety of other topics.
Though he showcases a large amount of different ethical systems within his works, the most prominent of these are pacifism, empathy, and utopian socialism. As an internet blogger who goes by the handle of Kieran writes, “[Vonnegut] maintained a 20-year-old’s vision of idealistic humanism into his 80s, and perhaps that’s why he’s always resonated so well with a [young] audience” (Kieran).
Punk, in some ways, is a sort of rougher, angrier version of Vonnegut’s beliefs. Both ideologies are centered around radical and oftentimes revolutionary schools of thought, and both emphasize the idea that a utopian society could be attained in this life.
Most Punk, in terms of political beliefs, either falls in line with socialism or anarchism of the utopian variety. An anonymous user on and online forum for a sub-genre of Punk called “Crust Punk ” once commented, “I love [punk] music, […] pushing boundaries and taste, but in real life I’m left wing and a socialist.” Vonnegut too was a believer in Socialism. Vonnegut even went so far as to name the protagonist of his novel Hocus Pocus after the famous Eugene V Debbs, the first to run for President of the United States as a member of the Socialist Party.
Despite these similarities, there are many key differences between the ideologies of Punk and Vonnegut. While Vonnegut encourages readers to be loving of all people. The Punk school of thought tends to depersonalize those whom it interprets to be the oppressors.