This is my example of counterculture. Counterculture are groups that express antagonism toward the exsisting social and political order, and propose alternative ways of organizing society. This term is most commonly used to refer to the alternative politics expressed by a variety of groups in the 1960's. Counterculture describes groups that challenge and contradict the "common sense" of everyday life with the aim of creating a better society. Countercultures are a type of subculture that deliberately opposes certain aspects of larger society (this is argueable). Hippies from the 60's are a kind of counterculture, they were groups of young people that adopt an unconventional lifestyle as an alternative to the perceived hypocrisy and inequity of the dominant cultural norm. In the 1960s the counter-culture was characterized by casual clothing and hair styles, rock and roll music, sexual freedom, experimentation with drugs, and opposition to the Vietnam War. Some hippies formed communes to live as far outside of the established system as possible.
A subculture describes a group or communities that deviate or differ from exsisting social norms. Typically subcultures are conceived as groups of individuals who come together around shared practices and ideas that are rejected or treated with suspicion by official, mainstream culture. Subcultures creatively express there dissatisfaction with social norms and practices, they challenge and modify what counts as normal, everyday life. I chose the gay pride rainbow as my example of a subculture. Gays/bisexuals are people who differ from what society considers normal. The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) subculture are people who come together and share similar ideas that society rejects. These people challenge mainstream societys "norms". A subculture is a set of people with distinct sets of behavior and beliefs that differentiate them from a larger culture of which they are a part. Where as countercultures are a type of subculture that deliberately opposes certain aspects of a larger society.
I like the two examples you have found, I don't know much about hippies and am not sure if they tried to change the mainstream culture, I know they smoked alot of weed and wore colorful clothing. Gay pride is deffinatley a subculture, because it goes along with mainstream culture but is a culture inside of another culture which is the mainstream culture.
ReplyDeleteYour examples are good they go with the chapter and show what a counterculture and a subculture is. The idea of hippes is somewhat of a weird subject because they didnt really go against the government all they much, but they are a counterculture to an extent. But your subcuture is good because they do go against social norms.
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