Greg Graffin's Anarchy In The Tenth Grade

Greg Graffin’s Anarchy in the Tenth Grade represents the in-group theory presented by Gordon Allport. The in-group theory proposes that people belong to cliques, some by choice and others by chance, and society affects or has influences on these in-groups through equal out-groups. Mr. Graffin explains how it feels to be a new kid in a new school and how he became a punker. Mr. Graffin explains his endeavours through the in-group “punk” and also expounds on how different out-groups react to his in-group. In Anarchy in the Tenth Grade, Greg Graffin introduces his essay by explaining that he moves to a new school in a completely different state. As a new student, he does not belong to any in-group in the school and feels as though he is

Greg was not able to live without music, however, he did not enjoy the typical rock and roll accustomed to typical teenagers of the time. Greg felt like he is a part of the out-group that could not be “inspired by the bands that formed the fabric of this burnout drug culture”(18). This helps him on his journey to understand the punk style and becoming a part of the punk in-group. Graffin states the values that exist in the punk in-group. “It [sex] became more of an act of rebellion”(19). He, although the punk in-group was against conformity, conformed to the punk standards of unloving sex and natural equality between the sexes. The in-group of punk conformed to its own standards but refused to conform to most of society’s standards. Graffin also explains that punk comes in many different subcultures as he says: “A sixteen year old girl from an affluent religious family who shows up to church with her green Mohawk and FUCK JESUS shirt is punk. But so is a forty-two-year-old biology professor who claims that Charles Darwin’s ideas were wrong.”(20). In-groups are not just limited to large, broad generalizations but each one can have individual sub-groups as Allport states: “Thus, in-groups are often recreated to fit the needs of individuals,”(4). In-groups are not limited to their broadest points, but each have subcultures based on different circumstances. The punk in-group promotes a sense of discord and is a clique that has oppressing