Some songs, especially Bad Religion songs, age so well. After 30 years, this is one of those.

Portrait of Authority is a classic anti-authority anthem. The two verses take on different forms of authority. In the first verse, I suspect Greg is expressing what it feels like to be a young scientist in training, being taught about the great iconic scientists in his field and how respected their views are when you feel strongly that the entire purpose of science is to evaluate ideas based on evidence. In principle, little to no weight should be given to the *authority* of the person presenting an idea, but in practice, it often doesn't work that way. It takes a LOT of balls as a scientist to challenge the dominant ideas of the giants in a particular field - nobody has the will to tear it down. I imagine Greg felt that the tendency to weigh new ideas against those of scientific authorities - it determines wrong and right - is misguided and tends to stifle progress - it makes us lose our sight.

What inspired the second verse doesn't seem as clear to me, but it seems to describe someone living under either foreign occupation or a totalitarian government, and cowered into submission by an authority figure. The imagery conjures a citizen living in a place like North Korea, where the *portrait of authority* is a literal thing, and most people are so rapt by the spell of that authority that in spite of their suffering great poverty, they dare not challenge it - he can't muster the support.

The tie between the verses is a general criticism of humanity's tendency to accept authority as a fact of life instead of rebelling against it vigorously.

Portrait of Authority is a classic anti-authority anthem. The two verses take on different forms of authority. In the first verse, I suspect Greg is expressing what it feels like to be a young scientist in training, being taught about the great iconic scientists in his field and how respected their views are when you feel strongly that the entire purpose of science is to evaluate ideas based on evidence. In principle, little to no weight should be given to the "authority" of the person presenting an idea, but in practice, it often doesn't work that way. It takes a LOT of balls as a scientist to challenge the dominant ideas of the giants in a particular field (nobody has the will to tear it down). I imagine Greg felt that the tendency to weigh new ideas against those of scientific authorities (it determines wrong and right) is misguided and tends to stifle progress (it makes us lose our sight).

What inspired the second verse doesn't seem as clear to me, but it seems to describe someone living under either foreign occupation or a totalitarian government, and cowered into submission by an authority figure. The imagery conjures a citizen living in a place like North Korea, where the "portrait of authority" is a literal thing, and most people are so rapt by the spell of that authority that in spite of their suffering great poverty, they dare not challenge it (he can't muster the support).

The tie between the verses is a general criticism of humanity's tendency to accept authority as a fact of life instead of rebelling against it vigorously.

I think that this is about a literal "portrait of authority" like an image of the "hero" of a certain society, told from two perspectives.

The first is from a member of that society seeing how people try to emulate it, but never are able to live up to it, because it's a black and white moral standard, and its morals are unrealistic and arbitrarily based. He's told it's what he is supposed to be, but he realizes it's "just a stereotype.

The second part is from a different person's point of view who is not a member of the society and is having his country invaded by that society. The notion here is that the same image to him is the symbol of his enemy. Naturally, the enemy consider himself to be "superior." But he doesn't have the option of trying to be a "righteous man" by that society's standards because he is of the wrong color, wrong nation, wrong whatever. So it symbolizes his lifelong fight.

To me the song is about ideals that aren't realistic and no one can really live up to. Everyone worships this symbol of those ideals, and no one but this one guy has the courage to admit that the ideals aren't what people claim them to be. The followers keep on following, while he can't seem to find anyone who will join him in disagreement. He knows these false ideals hold him and everyone back, but because everyone is complacent except him, he can only go on struggling alone.

I think that its about military, and cops who are forced to enforce laws and obey orders which they personally object to. Like going to fight in wars for causes that they don't believe in.

I think this song is more about the general faceless label we put on all figures of authority "to him it's just a stereotype." Like how dumb kids say 'I'm gonna bring down the system!' or 'Down with the man!' These labels (the system, the man) make us lose sight of our real goals, and that if we broaden our enemy too far it will be insurmountable and impossible to tear down.

This song is about authority in general, and how we are afraid to rebel against it: "No body has the will to tear it down." Also how it is a set of rules made by one person that everyone must follow: "It determines wrong and right." The man he is talking about is being oppressed by the authorities and is ready to fight against them but can't get the back up he needs from other people: "But he can't muster the support."

In my opinion, this song is a comparison between Jesus and a world leader, probably the president. The first part is about Jesus and how he has a large following even though he is nothing but an icon. The second part is about the leader who has the power and the bombs but he will never be anything compared to Jesus. 'He can't muster the support.'