Subcultures
This paper will discuss my subculture and why I consider it as subculture, how its values, norms, clothing style, foods, language, and beliefs compare to the mainstream American culture, the relationship with the mainstream culture, and the degree to which it is accepted by the mainstream.
My subculture is reggae music. My mainstream culture recognizes this type of music as satanic since it praises humans, even dead ones. Growing long dreads, taking drugs like marijuana, wearing oversized sagging clothes, use of coded language for communication, and regard for junk foods are ways in which reggae music compares to the American culture.
Music is a tool meant to bring people together but reggae music sets people apart as it diverts people from their beliefs, making them to adopt new lifestyles and separate from their families, which are largely questioned by the larger community. In a day and age when there are many individuals that are trying to ensure that families stay together, reggae culture is viewed as contributing to creation of gaps between families and friends.
My mainstream culture discriminates against reggae music on the grounds of use of specific colors in their art, similar to those used by religious cults. Body language during performance of reggae music is unacceptable too as it is associated with hooligans (Stephen 76).
The mainstream culture accepts reggae music as a tool of entertainment. Some gospel artists have adopted the reggae style in their music. The employment sector can hardly hire a reggae-style employee. In social gatherings, playing reggae music may give a negative image about the event at hand. The elders discourage considering marriage to a reggae person, as it is hardly believed that their records are straight. In neighborhoods, individuals adopting reggae style are victimized during crime occurrences as they are always pointed out as the chief suspects (Hebdige 45).
Works Cited
Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. New York: Routeledge, 2012. Print.
Stephen, King. Reggae, Rastafari, and the Rhetoric of social Control, 2002. Print