I bring this up routinely in response to posts here - while we characterize it is as such, punk is almost entirely absent, in both the cyber and solar realms. Importantly, punk is the most critical aspect; WE MUST REBEL against the status quo. Your abstract for this post reads "our present seems increasingly cyberpunk", however this is both mischaracterizing cyberpunk and alienating our cyberpunk allies whose assistance we will surely need. Cyberpunk isn't dystopia; it is resistance in the cyber realm, and it has been nearly non-existent since the backlash against WikiLeaks that forced Snowden and Assange to ground.
I agree wholeheartedly that we must paint the picture of the future we desire. But we must also lean heavily into that second word that forms these portmanteaus - punk. Historically, punks have served as the vanguard of movements, shocking civil society to action through a combination of aberrant aesthetics and unorthodox behavioral norms. As much as anything, this is what is lacking in both the cyber- and solar-punk movements of today.
I bring this up routinely in response to posts here - while we characterize it is as such, punk is almost entirely absent, in both the cyber and solar realms. Importantly, punk is the most critical aspect; WE MUST REBEL against the status quo. Your abstract for this post reads "our present seems increasingly cyberpunk", however this is both mischaracterizing cyberpunk and alienating our cyberpunk allies whose assistance we will surely need. Cyberpunk isn't dystopia; it is resistance in the cyber realm, and it has been nearly non-existent since the backlash against WikiLeaks that forced Snowden and Assange to ground.
I agree wholeheartedly that we must paint the picture of the future we desire. But we must also lean heavily into that second word that forms these portmanteaus - punk. Historically, punks have served as the vanguard of movements, shocking civil society to action through a combination of aberrant aesthetics and unorthodox behavioral norms. As much as anything, this is what is lacking in both the cyber- and solar-punk movements of today.