University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2016 Don't Let the World Rot: Anarchism, Hardcore Music, and Counterculture Pearson Bolt University of Central Florida Part of the Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, and the Ethnomusicology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. STARS Citation Bolt, Pearson, "Don't Let the World Rot: Anarchism, Hardcore Music, and Counterculture" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 5128. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/5128 DON’T LET THE WORLD ROT: ANARCHISM, HARDCORE, AND COUNTERCULTURE by PEARSON L. BOLT B.A. University of Central Florida, 2013 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2016 Major Professor: Anthony Grajeda © Pearson Bolt 2016 ii ABSTRACT Hardcore music is intrinsically anarchistic. The hardcore music scene represents a radical departure from contemporary society. Rejecting the materialism, militarism, and hedonism of the mainstream music scene—and, by extension, modern culture—hardcore music presents an alternative lifestyle rooted in solidarity, equality, and liberty. Indeed, the culture of the hardcore scene approaches a transitive, nomadic model of an anarchistic commune built on resistance as a way of life.