A Tale of Two Punk Genres

This was written by Martriana, one of our student interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.

The Punk genre of literary fiction has become one of the more popular genres, with an ever growing list of aesthetic-based worlds that reflect a certain “what if”, because hypotheticals tend to be pretty fun to think about. What if society was created in the vision of what those in 1950’s America thought the future would be like? Well, we’d call that Atompunk, with a good example being the video game franchise BioShock. Or, one of my favorite childhood Saturday morning cartoons, The Jetsons. What if we lived in a world that visually was stuck in Victorian London, but everything was powered by steam? We’d call that Steampunk, and though this style is mostly reflected in artwork, a good example would still be the Japanese animated movie Steamboy. Or, if you’re more into music, there is also the band, Steam Powered Giraffe.

The Punk Genre itself is merely a title to present a world that entirely represents a certain era’s aesthetic. There are a lot of these types of fiction. A lot. Maybe too many. But browsing the Aesthetic Wiki is a lot of good entertainment. However, despite the long list and the general consensus of what the Punk Genre is, I am of the opinion that there are two Punk genres that go beyond being just a title for a certain aesthetic and branch out into valuable lessons about the state of the world, inquiries about the future, utopias and dystopias, and social, economical and political issues.

These two genres are Cyberpunk and Solarpunk. 

These two genres can be seen as the two extremes of the public’s idea of what the future may hold. One decently pessimistic, one wholly optimistic. One is a future that we should fear, and the other a future that we should take after. 

A lot of people tend to confuse the themes of Cyberpunk and Solarpunk. People with a surface knowledge of Cyberpunk tend to only see the cool cybernetics, the towering cities and the bright neon lights that tend to come in pink, purple and blue and are only seen in a nighttime setting, usually. People with a surface view of Solarpunk tend to only see a world consisting of cities taken over by plants with humans who happen to live amongst them, with a world in perpetual daytime. These are pretty shallow views of both subgenres that truly do have a way deeper meaning hiding behind their respective stereotypes. 

I’m a massive nerd, so I would like to dig deeper into these meanings about how both Cyberpunk and Solarpunk reflect the current world and the idea of possible futures in their own ways. This is in no way saying one is inherently better than the other, just a reason for me to ramble about surface level stereotypes of two of my favorite subgenres of fiction.

~Spoilers for multiple medias~

Cyberpunk

Disclaimer: I love and live for the Cyberpunk aesthetic. I absolutely love big cities and their  urban vibes. I find the way Cyberpunk exhibits the evolution of technology to be absolutely fascinating and I wouldn’t hesitate to get a cybernetic something. But like I said earlier, these are the only things that  a person with a surface level knowledge of Cyberpunk would see. We must remember that the Cyberpunk genre is a showcase of a Dystopia, an undesirable future/scenario. In reality, living in a Cyberpunk world would be very, very difficult and taxing for a multitude of reasons. 

For one thing, the only way a typical person would be happy living in a cyberpunk society would be if you are extraordinarily rich. A considerable amount of Cyberpunk stories are told from the perspective of a low-income to poor individual, often staying in a slum or dingy apartment building. Almost every job worked in a Cyberpunk setting is extremely low paying and everyone you meet is bordering on poverty. The rich and powerful live in grand penthouses miles above the average apartment complex, as if they could even see one. They, the rich and powerful, are constantly making decisions that risk the lives of everyday people with little to no regard for them.

For example, in the following video games, Cloudpunk, VA-11 Hall-A, and Neo Cab, you work as a package delivery driver, a bartender and a taxi cab driver respectively. 

In Cloudpunk, a driving, pa the MC, Rania, is an immigrant who has to move into the slums and delivers packages for a technically illegal delivery service, which is constantly being investigated by the authorities, and whose workers are consistently losing their lives to the job. She constantly risks going into highly dangerous areas and situations in order to earn money in order to simply get a physical body for her dog, Camus. She meets a sickeningly happy, wealthy woman and her android husband and grits her teeth as she is forced to listen to her talk down about the people who live in the more poverty stricken areas of the city. 

In VA-11 Hall-A, Jill, the bartender, loves her job, despite it being placed in a pretty dangerous part of the downtown city. However, throughout the story you learn that the bar is going to be shut down by the owners of a bar chain and Jill is just working there until it finally does. A decent chunk of the story is Jill worrying what she is going to do if/when the bar shuts down, and what she is going to do afterwards.

In Neo Cab, Lina moves from her hometown to the city, moves in with her best friend, and gets a job as cab driver. While facing her own personal issues, she then finds out about a movement against a company that is threatening to replace all drivers with driverless cars and a proposed law that would outlaw driving altogether.

In all three of these games, a large corporation and/or the government are threatening or ridiculing the lives of those who are just trying to make ends meet and live their lives.

As earlier stated, the advancement of technology is also something that is pretty admirable about a Cyberpunk society. Artificial Intelligence, Androids, Nanotech, Spyware, Advanced Weaponry, Holographic Tech, Augments, Cybernetics, etc. All of that mass technological evolution is something one would consider a dream. In a Cyberpunk society, one should remember that the mere existence of advanced technology isn’t the problem. It is the way technology is perceived, presented, advertised, distributed, and utilized by corporations and the general public. It can be perceived as either a way to help or cure disabilities both physical or mental, advance medical research and create new medications, help save countless lives, make transportation easier, make multiple jobs easier, etc. On the flip side, advanced technology can be perceived as invasive, brainwashing, taking over technology against humanity, becoming no longer yourself. It is nothing more than an android, an excuse to create a generation of superhumans, machines that constantly pump out propaganda from multiple companies, and is often used to spy on the everyday citizen. Technology promotes lack of thought. 

Medias such as the video games Observer_ and Katana Zero, the movie Alita Battle Angel, and the book Neuromancer by William Gibson showcase the use of advanced tech pretty well and do a good job of showing both sides of the argument in their own ways.

In Observer_, a cyberpunk psychological horror, a detective by the name of Daniel Lazarski uses the augments on his body to hack into people’s brain implants with a device called the “Dream Eater” to interrogate potential suspects, and uses a version of augmented vision to scan a room for clues. The world, set in 2084 Poland, is literally coming off of a “Digital Plague”. 

In Katana Zero, a neo-noir action-platformer, the main character, Subject Zero, is constantly taking a shot-based medication called Chronos created by the government that is used to help him with his job as an assassin. However, the drug causes severe side effects like vivid hallucinations and death.

In Alita Battle Angel, specifically the movie cyberpunk action film, not the manga, involves a multitude of people who live their lives with multiple augments and cybernetics. Alita herself was just a head with an intact, whole brain found in a junkyard and is later given an entire body. In the movie, Alita is introduced to a sport known as Motorball, a very dangerous racing sport that is really just a giant gladiatorial game using cyborgs for entertainment. 

In Neuromancer, a science fiction novel, Henry Dorsett Case, a once talented computer hacker, is recruited by an augmented mercenary for his hacking skills and later causes him to face against a powerful artificial intelligence that seems to have gained sentience created by a powerful government-esque organization.

Notice how almost all of those examples involve the government in some way shape or form? Another aspect of a typical Cyberpunk society is governmental oppression and corruption in people of power. All the above examples involve some form of both oppression and corruption, but they all also have other topics going on where oppression and corruption aren’t the main focus. Medias like the animated movie, Akira, the novels Snow Crash and Qualityland showcase these topics almost exclusively. (Are you surprised that I didn’t include another video game?)

In Akira, the 1988 film, after a motorcycle accident, Tetsuo Shima finds himself with telekinetic abilities, and then proceeds to be pursued by the military in an attempt to track him down and kill him. The setting is that of Neo-Tokyo and is chalk-filled with corruption and anti-government protests and the world doesn’t shy away from showing it (I heard the manga is significantly better, however).

In Snow Crash, the best named main character, Hiro Protagonist, a hacker and pizza delivery person, is recruited to gather and sell data to a former government organization. The world that Snow Crash takes place in has the surprisingly less involved government that has given most of its power to private organizations and entrepreneurs, including big businesses and the mafia.

In Qualityland, government oppression is the name of the game. Thinking for oneself is basically illegal, as the government of Qualityland has convinced the vast majority of the population that they know what’s better for the individual than the individual in question. They tell you what to buy, who you should date, where you should work, where you should go, etc. The government is even thinking of putting an android in office.

Whew. As you can see, a Cyberpunk reality wouldn’t be as fun or enjoyable as you may think it is based off of artworks and more watered down Cyberpunk media. These examples highlight the fact that these worlds are dystopias. Worlds filled with vast suffering and injustice for the typical person, which is also why a vast number of Cyberpunk stories involve some sort of protest or rebellion. It’s the stories of people trying to actively fight against the people that are constantly trying to oppress them. And not to mention topics I didn’t cover like pollution.

Solarpunk

Rejoice! As the Solarpunk section of this article is going to be MUCH smaller, since  there aren’t as many medias involving Solarpunk settings as there are Cyberpunk settings, which is pretty unfortunate. However, I guess there really isn’t much you can do with a ‘what if’ scenario that reflects a Utopia. In fact Solarpunk is mostly labelled as an art movement that showcases what the future would hold if the world were to solve issues involving climate change, pollution, and conflict and pushes the idea of unity with both your fellow man and nature, something like a balance between the two. 

But, yes, the Solarpunk scenario is that of a Quasi-Utopian society. While Cyberpunk is a more nihilistic vision of reality, Solarpunk is very, very optimistic. The acts of craftsmanship and community coupled with renewable energy, in a world where everyone from all walks of life are at relative peace. The world that envelops Solarpunk is typically  egalitarian, while also slightly socially anarchic. 

“But, writer,” I hear you say, “how can such a peaceful world vision be described as anarchic?” Easy. With the dismantlement of the corrupt and capitalist society, mega-corporations, and government in favor of the said communal rule. Power to the people and all that. 

Solarpunk also encourages acts such as DIY crafting and self-sustainable living like gardening and/or farming. TV Tropes describes the names as, “Solar punk works look toward a brighter future (“solar”) while deliberately subverting the systems that keep that brighter future from happening (“punk”).” You could say that both subgenres use the “Power to the People” force of action, but utilize it in completely different ways.

That all seems a bit unrealistic,as you and I live in the real world and tend to know better and hold a more pessimistic view of the future, but it’s a nice scenario to think about and envision. But the point is that Solarpunk is more than just “Wow! Pretty world with pretty plants everywhere! :D”. And is moreso, “We painstakingly reclaimed this world from that of our oppressive governments and will now create a balance between man and nature and will live in peace and harmony with it for centuries to come! :D”

Some examples that I could find of some Solarpunk societies or ones with aspects of it include the movie Beast of the Southern Wild, and Japanese animations Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō and Freedom Project. 

Beast of the Southern Wild, while not outright stating that it is a Solarpunk movie, has many, many aspects of a Solarpunk society. Community comradery, self-sustaining village, a connection with nature and the natural world, rebellion against a corporation trying to disturb the peace and take away a vital resource from said small community, commentary on climate change. It’s very nice. 

In Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō, the world takes place during a post-cataclysmic environmental disaster where a giant chunk of the human race is very, very dead. The sea levels have risen significantly and coastal cities have been washed out. The world is at a general peace as the rest of the human population dies out. The remaining population have begun a new simpler lifestyle. The main character is an android who runs a coffee shop on a remaining coastal island.   

In Freedom Project, a child named Takeru, discovers that, after 160 years of being told that the Earth as they know it has been destroyed after a “permanent” climate shift, and that’s why the remaining humans now live on the far side of the moon, that Earth is now very habitable and that there are actually people living on it. Takeru gathers some of his friends and uses an old spaceship to escape an oppressive government and start a new life on the newly healed Earth. Fun Fact: This series was a promotional project by Nissin Cup Noodles for their 35th anniversary. It has product placement numerous times.

Solarpunk is a very interesting subgenre that I hope gets more love in the coming years and branches out from being labelled as just a simple art movement. Solarpunk has the potential to get away from the more hopeless worlds of Cyberpunk, putting a positive spin on rebellion and community, showcasing that maybe, possibly one day, our future can be that of a hopeful one.