Punk on the streets of Rangoon

I’ve been mulling over this photo for days now.
I can’t pull my thoughts into any cohesive explanation of it.
So I’ll just throw a few observations out there.

Punk at a buddhist celebration – I can’t find any connection in it.
It’s a party, which warrants a dressup, but parties are so rare in Burma and any gathering of say more than five people and you’re guaranteed a military presence. As it’s THE party of the year though, perhaps its an unprecedented opportunity.
People look happy…it’s nice to see
Punk can look quite aggressive don’t you think, I’m surprised there wasn’t some knee-jerk response.
Hip hop, punk…i’ve talked of hip hop before on this blog and perhaps there are similar arguments to why the Burmese embrace punk. In a tightly-controlled, conservative, religious and narrow-minded country, it becomes increasingly understandable why this anti-establishment genre of music is embraced.
It’s about youth rebellion, anti-authoritarian ideologies and distinctive clothing. Is it a protest clothed in piercings, rock shirts and mohawks?
The Burmese military probably had no idea what they were witnessing.

I wonder if the Ramones ever thought they’d make it to Burma?