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The Greatful Dead Essay

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The Greatful Dead A simple definition of a sub-culture is a group of people who have norms, values, and beliefs that are distinct from those of the main stream culture. A subculture is a group of people who have a distinct way of life. Dead heads fit into this category. They believe that there are many interpretations of reality, and that everyone's interpretations are somewhat valid, but none of them are real. There are two reasons why this sub-culture has continued to exist for as long as it has, the first being a historical one. The Greatful Dead was the house band for many of the electra acid tests, and they were closely tied to everything that happened in Ashbury throughout the sixties. The Dead are the aires of the …show more content…

As a result, people started sending in their addresses and the Dead began mailing them information about upcoming shows as well as new albums. They gave their fans an identity all to themselves. All of the information the band sent out, came addressed, "Dear Dead Head". A second thing the Band did throughout their first few years was develop symbols that made it possible for dead heads to recognize one another outside from the concert setting. The skull and lightning bolt, the dancing bears, and the skull and roses, just to name a few. Even later on, tie-dyes became a popular symbol of the Greatful Dead. All of these symbols made it possible for dead heads to recognize one another, and gave them an opening to approach strangers. Freedom is expressed by dead heads in many ways. It is expressed by their use of drugs, and by their tendency to do things unusual when compared to the main stream life style, such as changing clothes between two cars in a parking lot. Law officials are of course very prevalent in the parking lot of shows, enforcing societies norms. However, there is a lot of order that is generated from within the subculture, and that is very important for people outside the subculture to know and to understand. The Greatful Dead hire a group of people called the Skeleton Crew, who make their way around the parking lot discouraging the use and the sale of alcohol and drugs, such as Marijuana, LSD, and Nitris-Oxide. There

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