I Grew Up in an Ultra Patriotic Household but I Always Gravitated to Music Which Punched Nationalism in the Face.
My parents divorced when I was very young so I think the distrust of so-called leaders ran deep. It is amazing how life experiences can really have an affect on your mind. Even though I wore a smile on the outside I was a very very angry young man. This may be why I was so attracted to rock music. Even though I grew up in the evangelical church deep inside my belly the anger resonated.
The First Song that I Remember that Helped me Build a Solid Anarchism Foundation was, "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour.
The Line, "Only You Can Set You Free" is one that I understand now.
Now as an Adult I Have Zero Trust in Government and Leaders.
It was difficult for me as a young adult. I was in the US Navy where I had a very low tolerance for the bullshit I saw day in and day out. I did not agree with many of the actions we were carrying out and the people that were in leadership positions over me were clowns. All most of these people truly cared about was advancing in the ranks and their function in life was to kiss as much ass as they could. This felt disingenuous to me. I had all I could do to keep quiet.
So without much fanfare I completed my eight years in the US Navy. My only regret was not leaving earlier.