Modified From:
www.hasdpa.net/215120729132129693/lib/.../Subcultures.ppt
After today…
• You should be able to tell the difference
between subcultures & countercultures
• You should be able to identify the purpose
of subcultures within dominant society
• You should be able to identify the qualities
of sub/countercultures
What is a subculture?
• Any group that exists within dominant,
mainstream culture…a world within a world
– Shared ideology…values, norms, beliefs
– Shared aesthetic…dress, pastimes, music,
zines/blogs, etc
– Shared vernacular…specialized language
Types of Subcultures
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Vocational subcultures
Recreational subcultures
Ethnic subcultures
Lifestyle Subcultures
Job Jargon: Truck Driving
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"Reefer" ... refrigerated trailer
"Big Road" .... Highway
"Flip Flop" ... return trip
"Chicken Coup" ... truck scales
"Bear" ... Police
"Back Door" ... Behind
Purpose of both sub and
countercultures
• Gives people a place where they are
empowered
• Connects likeminded people
• Makes invisible people visible
• Allows people to escape the identity
they are born into
• Gives people a place to construct
identity
Furries
Otherkin
• Subculture of people, primarily Internetbased, who identify in some way as other
than human
• Believe themselves to be mythological or
legendary creatures, explaining their beliefs
through reincarnation, having a nonhuman
soul
– Angels, demons, dragons, elves, extraterrestrials, fairies, kitsune, lycanthropes, and
vampires
Bōsōzoku
• “Violent running gang”; a Japanese subculture
associated with motorcycle clubs and gangs.
– First seen in the 1950s as the Japanese automobile
industry expanded rapidly.
• Engage in dangerous or reckless driving, such as
weaving in traffic, not wearing motorcycle
helmets, and running red lights
– composed of people under the legal adult age, (20 yrs
old)
– Weapons of choice: wooden swords, metal pipes and
Molotov cocktails.
Sukeban
• Sukeban --"suke" means female, while
"ban" means boss in Japan; girl gangs
• Wear sailor uniforms; pleated skirts that
went down to their feet, and custom
embroidery
Girls dress like their
favorite manga, anime, or
video-game character.
Wamona, cyber,
decora , or
cosplay
Harajuku
district of
Japan
Steampunk
• Based on science fiction literature blended
with Victorian Era culture…
– Think H.G. Wells and Jules Verne
– Clothing: gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles;
suits with vests, coats and spats; or militaryinspired garments.
Hipsters
LARPers
• Participants physically act out their characters'
actions as decided by the gamemaster
– May last hours or days
– May be in public or private
– Most characters dress up and have alternative
personas
– Horror, zombie, fantasy, post apocalyptic,
assassin, etc.
Trekkies
What is a counterculture?
• A group who’s values and norms deviate
from or are at odds with those of dominant
culture:
– Usually viewed as negative/dangerous, but not
always (e.g. women’s lib groups in the 70s or the
Civil Rights movement of the 60s)
– Hippies, KKK, early punk, Satanists, Hells
Angels/Pagans, Anarchists, Cults
Why do people join
countercultures?
• Members of countercultural groups are…
– Usually outsiders
– Alienated
– Marginalized people with little power over their
status in the world
– Don’t fit the mold of what American cultures
says is “normal”
Punk Subculture
• Emerges in London and NYC in the 1970s
– Max’s Kansas City & CBGBs
• Backlash against the hippy counterculture
• Values: nihilistic, rejected materialism,
anti-establishment
Hippies
What is a “cult”?
• A group whose beliefs seem bizarre or
abnormal
• Can be religious or secular:
• Modern cults include large group-awareness
training, psychotherapy, business (pyramid
schemes), political (militia), and "New Age"
groups:
Cults in American Society
• Some estimates suggest there are over 5000
cults in the U.S. (including militia groups,
extremist religions, and new age sects)
• The turn of the century rekindled interest
and membership in cults.
– Some estimates suggest upwards of
185,000 converts per year to various
cults
Problem with Defining “Cults”
• One person’s cult is another’s religion
• What is the difference between a “cult” and
a “social movement”?
• What is the difference between an
“extremist group” and a “club”?
Cults: 8 Commonalities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Authoritarian: central leadership in one person or small
group of individuals.
Oppositional: values, beliefs or practices at odds with
dominant culture.
Exclusivistic: only the group has ''the truth,'' usually
based on new insights or revelation.
Legalistic: a tightly structured framework which governs
spirituality and the smallest details of daily life.
Subjective: undue emphasis on experience and emotions
often resulting in anti-intellectualism.
Persecution-Conscious: the belief that their group is
singled out for persecution.
Sanction-Oriented: stern sanctions issued for anything
less than total obedience.
Esoteric: an emphasis on secret, hidden or inner truth.
Characteristics of People Who Join Cults
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A desire to belong
Unassertiveness
Gullibility (impaired capacity to question critically)
Low tolerance for ambiguity
Cultural disillusionment or alienation
Idealism
A lack of self-confidence
A desire for spiritual meaning
Heaven’s Gate Cult
• Founded by Marshall Applewhite AKA “Do”, and
Bonnie Lu Truesdale AKA”Ti”
• Mid 1970’s – West Coast
• Beliefs
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Aliens a “ Level Above” humans
Earth was a “ Garden for Souls”
Jesus was part of this. Applewhite was the same as Jesus
Earth was being “Recycled”
Comet Hale-Bopp was signal to leave
Star Trek reference
All wearing the following:
•Identical blue shirts and sweatpants
•Nike Widerunners
•Armbands reading “Heaven’s Gate Away Team”
•Each had a $5 bill and 3 quarters in their pocket
Marshall
Applewhite &
Bonnie Lu Nettles
Trusdale
Jim Jones: The People’s Temple
• Founded in 1955 by Jim Jones
• By 1959 = over 900 members (mid-70s
3,000)
• Preached imminent end of the world in a
nuclear war and that the survivors would
create a “new socialist Eden” on earth
• Would travel around the country
performing fake healings and fund
raising
• San Francisco - police suspicion
• Jones leases 4,000 acres of land in
Guyana
Jonestown Massacre
• November 17, 1978: Congressman Leo
Ryan goes to Guyana to investigate
• November 18, 1978: Ryan attempts to help
potential defectors
– Temple guards open fire, kill Ryan, 3
journalists and one defector
– Jones orders mass execution
– Cyanide-laced, grape flavored Kool-Aid
Aftermath
• 918 dead
• 270 children
• Greatest single loss of
American civilian life
before 9/11
• Only Congressman to
ever be assassinated