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What does the word punk mean ?
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this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2026
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Writers say all kinds of wack shit. Some of it sticks, some of it doesn't. This one's not really relevant to the OP's question.
It was considered one of the first uses of the word punk, before the music term.
Usage determines meaning, not age.. if no one else picked up that meaning and ran with it, then it's not really relevant to common usage.
It's obviously relevant to a conversation about the meaning and history of the word, even if it's not a common usage today. If William S. Burroughs said it, it's worth taking a moment and making sure it actually fucking sunk in, and not just going eww that's not the way mom makes it. When people use "punk" pejoratively, and they commonly do, they are certainly calling on this legacy. I hadn't made the connection to homophobia before.
I have never heard of people using the term "punk" with any connotation of "homosexual". It's interesting to learn that Burroughs (and perhaps a few others?) once used it that way, but I'm skeptical that that has meaningfully influenced broader common usage. "They are certainly calling on this legacy" seems like a claim that needs evidence?