Idiocracy discussion

  • Which perspective?
    • Left: The elites are to blame for societal failures
    • Right: The masses are to blame for societal failures
  • Who are elite in our society?
    • Doctors, lawyers, U.S. president & cabinet, CEOs
    • Other scenes
      • Joe meets President Camacho, former porn star and professional wrestler
      • Brawndo CEO confronts Joe
  • Who is Judge blaming?
    • Everyone: In the future there are no elite due to contemporary reproduction
    • Those in position of elite in the future are irresponsible and cannot perform the function those from the ideological right require

Subculture

  • Characteristics
    • An ethnic, regional, economic or social demographic
      • Not mutually exclusive
    • Distinguished from larger societal culture, generally
      • Reject tradition institutions: family, work, home, school
      • This alternative often rejected by larger society
        • Labeled with derogatory tags
        • "Freaks," "animals," "folk devil"
    • Membership
      • Signaled through tangible elements, activities and methods of communication
        • Tangible goods: Clothing styles, hairstyles, footwear (see right)
        • Communication: dialects, slang, music
        • Activities: Transportation, consumption of drugs
  • Media representation
    • Hebdige: "Noise" as a opposed to "sound"
      • Unlike common representation
      • Contrary to audience expects
      • Initial confusion on part of media culture producers & audience
    • Sometimes acceptance by producers & audience
    • Examples: Punk

Subcultural process

  • Initially, the subculture exists without media representation
    • "Below the radar," to use a media cliche
    • Exhibits characteristics of homology
    • Homology: Introduced by Claude Levi Strauss & later by Hebdige
      • "The symbolic fit between the values and lifestyles of a group, its subjective experience and the musical forms it uses to express or reinforce its focal concerns.”
      • Despite wider perception of lack of order, membership provides order & unity
      • Unity and order established through means of membership: Music, dress, expressed values (others, see above)
        • Ex: Skinheads: Cropped hair, boots, swastika represent masculinity, racial dominance, toughness
        • Ex: Hippies: Long hair, colorful clothing, dance, music represent acceptance of others, calm demeanor, non-confrontational style
  • Eventually, the general culture encounters the subculture
  • Then, a decision by media and larger culture: To incorporate or not
    • Feedback mechanism between subculture, mainstream mass culture
      • Feedback: Mainstream comments on subculture; subculture comments on mainstream
        • Subcultural commentary: Hippies (war), skinheads (race)
      • Different elements of mainstream society react differently
        • Music, fashion, design, creative industries may celebrated subcultural signs
        • Social commentators often decry signs of membership
        • Individuals may incorporate elements of a subculture in their dress & behavior
      • When adopted by mainstream, the subculture moves toward another alternative representation
    • Mass media reaction #1: incorporate & trivialize subculture
    • Mass media reaction #2: incorporate & domesticate
        • Punk was considered a threat to the family (like other youth culture) by commentators
        • Yet in 1977 People articles showed punk babies, punk weddings: defined subculture in terms it hoped to avoid
        • Punk baby clothing remains
    • Mass media reaction #3: incorporate & entertain

Studying it

  • Cyclical structure
    • Most subcultural signs are not permanent
      • Most subcultural signs are not permanent -- they are incorporated or abandoned in mass culture
      • Other signs are abandoned, sometimes unable to overcome existing association
    • Model
      • Resistance > Incorporation > New subculture (resistance) > Incorporation
      • Resistance
        • By the members of a subculture toward the existing mass or traditional or established culture
        • Establish group, styles, behaviors
      • Incorporation
        • By mass media & society at large
          • Media tap into elements of the subculture it finds valuable, for news and/or entertainment
          • Media culture exposes society at large to the subculture
          • Media and society each may mimic and incorporate it
        • When incorporated, subculture ceases to be truly "sub"
          • Those seeking a reality or representation contrary to those in mass culture, must join or establish another subculture
      • Resistance
        • With individuals looking for a new representation
        • Manifests into another subculture until it is incorporated, mimicked, etc.

Subculture example

  • Deadheads
    • Fans of the Grateful Dead (1965-1995)
    • Often maintained hippie characteristics initially seen in 1960s
    • Known as devoted, often following the band nationally
    • Often reject conventional lifestyle for one that often includes drugs, nomadism
  • Incorporation
    • Dead subculture crossed into mainstream culture in 1987, with release of the hit "Touch of Grey"
    • Song was a massive hit, included a music video, and greatly expanded fan base
    • New fans were called "Touchheads" (contrasted with the original "Deadheads")
    • Clip from CBS in 1985, just prior to release of "Touch of Grey"

 

Subculture examples

Punk subculture example

Johnny Rotten, punk. Note swastika.

biker subculture

A biker

Raver subculture example

A "raver"

hippie subculture example

hippies

Hippies

Matthew Blake, CSU-Chico Department of Journalism