“Oppression happens because we let it happen. The Big Five run our lives because we don’t stand up to them. The moment we fight back we become unfit to be oppressed.”
— d.r10t’s manifesto.
The Punks, early sketches by Joi Rudin
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The Punks are a group of mostly lower-class, disillusioned, angry young Runners. Though there are some old-school, hardcore, older Punks, most of their members are under 30 years of age.
Punks have no real vertical hierarchy, as they despise authority in every form and fight it wherever they find it. However, they do organize horizontally, often in small, local cells that join with other similar cells whenever the cause needs them to. Some may think that the Punks are simply teenagers acting out, but, in reality, their behavior is the result of a more profound interpretation of the reality they live in. These people have been raised in a world of scarcity where the majority has very little and a few have almost everything. This disparity in economic wealth, the apparent lack of future well-being for their generation, the absence of adequate measures taken by the world governments, and the overall decay of the moral, ethical, and spiritual fabric of society have led the Punks to understand one thing: this game is rigged, the system is corrupt and will never change. |
The only alternative is to burn it to the ground and build up from there, with a less greedy and unjust idiosyncrasy.
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Punks are unashamed and unapologetic in their expression of their disconformity. They have less interest in aesthetics that simply try to be beautiful and are more drawn towards styles that have a message behind them.
They usually cut and dye their hair in the fashion of the punks of yore, with aggressive mohawks dyed in neon green, magenta, and cyan. They don't mind being seen, as they feel society should be made aware of them and "deal" with their disconformity. The classic combat boots and plaid fabrics have been refurbished and redeployed on the new available technology. The Punk movement has a strong sexual component, as they understand that the only thing they really own is their bodies and that consensual sexual pleasure is one of the few pure, untainted positive things left in this world. |
Osaka Punks Concept by Joi Rudin
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Character Design by Joi Rudin
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The Punks are not into running because of the monetary rewards, although they certainly welcome all the currency they can get. Their drive is one of genuine rebellion. They actively search for instances of corporate or government oppression and fight it, often planning attacks that yield no rewards, simply because they want to hurt the system.
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Notable Punk activities include altering school textbooks in order to spread what they believe is the truth about companies and authorities and erasing the debts random civilians have in order to free them from oppression and hurt the revenue of the corporations that profit from keeping common people down.
A Punk hideout - Art by Pavle Majstorovic