"It's funny how the hippies and the punks tried to get rid of the conservatives, but they always seem to get the upper hand in the end"

In Björk's quote, "It's funny how the hippies and the punks attempted to eliminate the conservatives, but they always appear to get the upper hand in the end", the Icelandic artist is reviewing the cyclical nature of cultural and political motions. The reference of "hippies" and "punks" stimulates two distinct countercultural motions from the latter half of the 20th century, each defined by their disobedience against the status quo and traditional conservative worths.

The hippies of the 1960s looked for to challenge societal standards through love, peace, and communal living. They were defined by their opposition to the Vietnam War, their embrace of ecological awareness, and a general pursuit of liberty and equality. The punks of the late 1970s and early 1980s introduced a more aggressive disobedience, utilizing music and fashion to face what they viewed as societal hypocrisy and stagnancy. With their anti-establishment ethos, punks intended to provoke and disrupt.

Regardless of these movements' efforts to dismantle or reform conservative values, Björk recommends that conservatism retains durability and often resurfaces with renewed vitality. This observation highlights the long-lasting nature of standard societal structures and the obstacles faced by motions looking for transformation. The "edge" in the quote can be translated as the ultimate return or persistence of conservative ideologies, which can re-establish dominance in the political, social, or cultural landscape after periods of liberal or radical change.

Through this lens, Björk's words encapsulate the continuous tension between progressive and conservative forces in society. The cyclical patterns she mentions can be viewed as part of a more comprehensive narrative where waves of reform and response coexist, influencing society in different ways but rarely accomplishing a long-term triumph. Her quote is a tip of the complexity and resilience of social and political characteristics, where modification is typically met with both resistance and adaptation.