Cultural Norms: Hebidge's Theory Of Subculture

When you picture a teenager you picture fighting, drinking, or answering back, am I right? However, this is simply not the case. Sure there is the minority of trouble makers. However this minority is exaggerated due to the news showing only this behaviour. This stereotyping has found its audience and crept into television shows and series. This has led to the creation of a mockumentary called “Summer Heights High” which has unfairly represented teen

“In our media-intensive culture it is not difficult to find differing opinions… The difficulty lies in deciding which opinion to agree with and which ‘experts’ seem the most credible” (Espejo 11). The perceptions of one age group in society of another age group are built upon assumptions that are made through what is visible. However, rarely is anyone willing to understand the reason behind someone’s actions. Sibling rivalry, the death of a loved one, moving to a new school, competition among peers, and the reputation adolescents have today often end up giving a misperception of society to teens and of teens to society, thus damaging the relationships between society, as illustrated by J.D. Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye.

In order to obtain accurate results, Finkelstein interviews 50 street youths from East Village of New York City. Furthermore, the number of males and females interviewed were almost proportionally equal, as there were 26 males and 24 females. She then also records the age these youths left home, in order to decide if there are any correlations between the age the youth left home and the number of youths that left home (2005, 15). The author applies cultural and moral relativism throughout her entire case study. She states that she did not prepare a fixed set of questions; rather she allowed the youths to generate the questions based on their interaction with her (2005,11). Finkelstein demonstrates her prowess by interchanging when she conducts interviews and when she solely observes the behavior of the youths.

In early teen years, there is a newfound social hierarchy developed with specific exclusivity with certain groups having qualities deemed more favourable than others. This exclusion of others is explored by Seamus Heaney in one

The definition of a subculture is a culture within a culture where a group develops distinctive norms and values that are different from those of the mainstream culture.

Teens today do not realize what separation of society into “groups” can really mean.The things that seem inconceivable now can become plausible by the classification of “others.” Elie Wiesel’s Night shows that something as small as being classified as Jewish (through a star) can lead to a discrimination and a genocide. What was normal at that time (the star) quickly became terrible. What will the norms today be considered tomorrow? This is the question that teens today fail to realize. Teens today usually have small circles that they are obligated to. Night shows teens that the universe of obligation is something that needs to be readily expanded. If teens refuse to expand their circle, that will lead to a classification of groups.

Despite all the formal training and experience in this field, Twenge herself is a part of the target audience. Twenge is a mother of three who states “they’re not yet old enough to display the traits of IGen teens, but I have already witnessed firsthand just how ingrained new media are in their young lives.” Throughout the article she provides both personal and statistical information to enhance her argument and support her findings. These Range from multiple surveys conducted throughout the country, including one that had been performed on undergraduates at San Diego State University. An interview with a teen girl from Texas had also been included into the work, avoiding a bombardment of the reader with evidence and numerical data. By providing this break from purely logos argumentation she allows the reader to build an emotional connection with the work; as well as, create a bridge between author and reader. The way she presents the statistical information in her article is by providing the reader with multiple surveys and studies that show this new generational data of how teens are becoming less socially interactive in public. while presenting her information she does show that there

Parsons says that the purpose of youth sub-cultures is essentially to act as a transition between childhood and adulthood and smooth this pathway, providing links between the conflicting values of home (childhood) and work (adulthood). Functionalist research into youth sub-cultures has been criticised for emphasising the shared features of youth-subcultures and ignoring important differences, especially social class.

One of the main themes in Scott Westerfield’s text Uglies is the conflict teenagers have with where they stand in society and learning to respect and value themselves. Using examples from the text compare them with today’s world for teenagers.

Perhaps the most culturally diverse nation on the globe, the United States is home to a dominant Anglo-American Protestant culture intermixed and alongside a host of sub-cultures that live and thrive on US soil. Among these cultures exists an array of distinct form of living all who boast an identity specific to only that select group. These subcultures exist in a couple different forms; convergent subcultures and persistent subcultures. First, convergent subcultures intend toward assimilation with the dominant society through various tactics to include: residential clustering, adherence to the language, dress, and cultural norms of their native land (Parrillo, 42). Contrarily, some cultures simply do not assimilate. In these cases, persistent subcultures adhere as much as possible to their own way of life and resist absorption into the dominant culture (Parrillo, 43). Among these persistent subcultures within the US are the Amish. The Amish are a sect of the Christian faith whose members have roots in twenty-two states across the

The traditionalist political subculture is the luke-warm fine line between the individualistic and moralistic political subcultures. In the same way as the moralistic subculture, the common good of the citizens is aimed, but like in the individualistic subculture, the market place is emphasized as well. In the traditionalist subculture, it is known that power comes from the societies elite. Citizens are not influenced and encouraged to vote, but instead step back and remain stagnant. In the beginning of the up rise of Texas, the traditionalist political subculture focused on plantation owners and agriculture in general. Present-day, rural areas are having a drastic shift and becoming urbanized. The grand majority of Texas is now urban,

The United States has many different cultures and smaller subcultures due to being a melting pot of different peoples of various nations, but with a predominant American culture characterized by clothing brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, with a certain type of clothing like cowboy hats, boots, jeans, etc, along with foods like burgers, fries, and hot dogs. Since America has other cultures due to immigration you may find some that Mexican cuisine Is a part of the Texas culture. Within the United States there are smaller subcultures like bodybuilders, bikers, and the BDSM culture. Bodybuilders are defined by weight lifting, while some of the lifters scream to achieve attention. These group of individuals take appreciation in building the human physique, and display of strength, taking pride in being different from conventional society. Bikers also known as the 1% ers, are a subculture with smaller subcultures within it. They are described as hard individuals who go to dangerous venues, and doing leisurely activates on weekends. The different subcultures of bikers are, manufactured riders, sport riders, reginal riders, and activists. BDSM is a taboo subculture

When discussing subcultures it’s important to establish what a subculture is to be able to correctly identify a specific subculture and differentiate it from a main culture. An example of a main culture or parent culture could be the most prominent culture of Great Britain, which would be its development from an island to a civilized prospering democratic country. The main culture that is associated with Britain that separates it from other cultures is that it is seen as a liberal democracy. The main religion associated with British culture would be Christianity, and most people would generalise British culture to be drinking tea, eating scones and having a particular “posh” accent. These small characteristics are what cultures are made of

Subculture refers to a minority of individuals who adhere to different rules, dress codes and lifestyle choices from mainstream culture. Throughout this essay the traditional definitions of subcultures, that mainly concentrate on class and style as their main features, will be looked at and explained. It will then be demonstrated how these ways of thinking are no longer relevant to the 21st century therefore the term 'subculture ' needs to be rethought for it to be an applicable category in the 21st century.

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people. It is learned and transmitted from one generation to the next. Culture will change as situations and the needs of people change. A school environment itself constitutes a subculture within a larger society. Each school has a culture of its own, like a minuscule society. The school culture reflects the community in which the school is located and its students’ characteristics. This will consist of the values, attitudes, beliefs, norms, and customs of those making the system. This is because of the racial and socioeconomic segregation of residential communities. A school’s culture is formed by its history context and the individuals in it. Each school has a