welcome to the good ol' boys jamboree

I know it's not terribly punk rock of me, but I like a lot of country music. My girlfriend is really into that whole scene, and contrary to my prior beliefs, I find myself getting more and more into certain bands with every listen. I can't help but appreciate the driving guitar in songs such as How Far Do You Wanna Go? by newbie country act Gloriana, or the riotously humourous hill billyism of songs such as Whiskey's Gone and Sic 'Em on a Chicken by the Zac Brown Band. I can even get past a lot of the foolish patriotism exhibited by a good number of the bands, such as the lines from Zac Brown's Chicken Fried: "I thank God for my life, and for the stars and stripes, may freedom forever fly".
Other than that, wonderful band.
With that, we move into my next topic. Why we feel the need to seal ourselves into different styles or groups. Even people who say they don't definitely do; the group of "originals" is a clique in itself. It is virtually impossible to be a completely original style, however it's VERY possible to not adhere to every principle or fucked up rule a certain style stands for. Usually, certain styles go hand in hand with preferences in music, or other leisure activities. You know, the whole jock stereotype, the video game nerd, the moody goth, that whole bit. But as far as I can tell, you can really do whatever you want, and no 'style police' are going to come to your door and lock you up. Although, some stupid 'elitist' might shun you, fuck them.
So go ahead, call yourself a punk and turn up the Zac Brown Band, throw on Marilyn Manson and play some football, or after finishing your paper on political science, throw in Halo and play. I don't give a fuck, and neither should anyone else.