Why is the nautical star now associated with mainstream 'punk'?

Answer 1

Several FAQ Farmers? Opinions

• The nautical star is associated with punk because they have adopted it to stand for unity. Like checkers, it has the two alternating colors meaning racial unity and tolerance.

• It could be that punks, and alter-natives in general, just dig sailor stuff. Maybe most of them don't know why the want it, maybe they just see it and like it.

• Everybody throughout history has been imitating everybody else, maybe changing things just a little with each iteration and that's what pop-culture does. It consumes and regurgitates - sometimes in unique recombinant ways, sometimes not.

• We like the nautical star for many reasons they might be as simple as we just like how it looks, or it could be as complicated or as in depth as some of us like it because it does stand for unity.

• The star with its opposite colors represents the controversial attitude in the punk scene pretty well.

I am an Anarchist, and I always thought the nautical star was a symbol of communism. It goes back to Che Guevara, a revolutionary who with Fidel Castro and 17 men took over the Cuban Gov. Then with the help of the Soviet Union had created the Cuban missle crisis. Which in a Punk/Anarchist mind communist or socialist gov = one social class... no rich or poor is what we dream of and Che and Fidel almost did this world wide if only the soviets would not have backed down and took their missles back. The most famous picture of Che Guevara clearly shows the Nautical Star on his hat...Maybe to give him strength and guidance? Have a look!

It started showing up in punk culture right around the time when traditional tattooing started getting popular in the mid 90's. It was a common image in early American tattoing, and much like the anchor, or swallow tattoos, it just kind of got ripped off by punk (read pop) culture.