Subculture is understood as a special peculiarity.image of existence, based on the realization of the natural human need for personal development, self-expression, understanding of their own purpose.
Every subculture exists outside the framework.social structure of the economy or politics. Therefore, it is only to a small extent determined by material causes and objective factors of existence. From the Latin term translates as "subculture". It is understood that it is different from the dominant.
Their carriers are also allocated in a separatesocial group. Differences can be expressed in an alternative system of values, a particular language, behavior, etc. Different subcultures can be formed on the basis of ethnic, national, professional or any other communities.
And what does the concept of counterculture include?Already from the definition one can guess that this is not an ordinary subculture, but sharply different from the dominant one, conflicting with traditional values. Counterculture in literature and in life is based on the own norms and moral principles of its representatives, who are trying to overthrow the dominant attitudes in society. Vivid examples of counterculture can be considered the youth revolution of the 60s of the 20th century, the movement of punks and hippies.
To one of the classic, the oldest,can be attributed to the counterculture of the underworld. Its occurrence is due to the natural isolation of prisoners serving time, cut off from generally accepted values. As a result, the dominant counterculture naturally arose in its very rigid variety with a clear hierarchy and well-defined laws.
Since the sixties of the last centurythe concepts of “mass culture”, “counterculture” and “subculture” began to converge. Young people are trying to rally against the common "enemy", seeing it in the face of society as a whole, or individual social phenomena. But still there is a difference between these definitions. Let's look at the main differences between the youth subculture and the counterculture as such.
The first one exists, as a rule, inthe atmosphere of the game, contrasting the concepts of "We" and "They." Representatives of youth subcultures are engaged in quite constructive activities. Their goal is to create their own special world. They do not seek to fight the enemy and most often take a passive position.
The concept of counterculture implies the existence ofin the form of a rally. This implies the existence of a common enemy against which to fight. The basis of the existence of the counterculture is the activity of a destructive nature, the purpose of which is to defeat the enemy. It comes to open confrontation and quite real declaration of war against hostile values of society.
Как правило, данные отличия характерны для чистых forms of counterculture and youth subculture. In practice, there are many intermediate variants combining elements of both forms. The most striking examples of subcultures and countercultures are given below.
Western sociologists, investigating the occurrence of dataforms of social life, they see their origins in the need to develop fundamentally new standards of behavior that correspond to contemporary difficulties. Traditional forms of society and family are not able to satisfy the aspirations of young people. Its representatives, shocking society with an unusual lifestyle, appearance and behavior, cannot achieve adequate self-expression in the conditions of the existing reality.
Any subculture has a number of characteristictraits, a set of which is mandatory for her. In the center of each of them, an initiative block, which carries out ideological support and generates new ideas, is sure to be found. It is characteristic that representatives of this or that youth subculture, as a rule, can be found only in megalopolises and large cities. In small towns, informals are an exotic phenomenon. They usually only copy the characteristic attributes, which makes the imitation of conditional and rather superficial.
As is known, the occurrence of any phenomenon is alwaysIt has very specific reasons and is intended to solve a number of social problems. What, from this point of view, is the meaning of youth informal associations? The main functions of the counterculture are psychological. This is an increase in the status of a rebellious teenager in his own eyes and an attempt to get out of parental control.
Thus, the period of stay in the conditions andWithin the framework of the youth subculture for a teenager, it becomes a transition from a child to an adult, meaningful perception of life. An important lesson learned in the process of immersion in the world of youth trends is mastering the necessary social rules and skills.
Facing certain forms of behavior, a teenager either accepts or rejects them. As a rule, the average term of rotation of a teenager among non-formals does not exceed three years.
In addition, being in an informal movement takes the time of adolescents, teaches them to structure their own leisure time and, ultimately, leads to greater organization.
Note that a very considerable number of representativesyouth is characterized by the absence of brightly marked personal identity. Most of them are at the mercy of behavioral stereotypes, which ultimately leads adolescents to the ranks of non-formals. Any youth counterculture for 80-90% consists of fans to emulate, not able to defend their own individuality.
The simplest reason for the adherence of adolescents to representatives of a particular subculture is the search for people of similar convictions. Epatage, as well as external attributes, in comparison with this secondary.
Part of the youth trends have already sunk into the past.The most striking example is the hippie movement that existed in the USA in the 60s of the last century. Its scale was so large that thousands of young people lived together in hippie communes. In no other subculture has there been such a cohabitation later. The sexual revolution of those years was founded on the hippie ideas of free love.
The base of alternative lifestyleThe current trend we considered was the emergence of a network of apartments (“flats”), where everyone could go to sleep or stay temporarily (“fit in”). For the social institution of hippies, the negation of the traditional values of the surrounding society, a principled observant position, pacifism, sexual freedom and extreme asceticism in everyday life became characteristic.
Another example of a vanished subculture,that existed in our country is the Lyuber. So called the representatives of the youth groups of a criminal nature. They initially appeared in the Moscow region, in the city of Lyubertsy.
Характерная черта таких группировок – ориентация on a healthy lifestyle, combined with the "adjustment" of social reality in the perestroika years. She expressed herself in the pursuit of "the dregs of society" (homeless people, alcoholics, prostitutes) - they were beaten and in every way they were bullied.
The appearance of the Luber spoke of immediate readiness to enter the fray. Often organized groups traveled to Moscow and other cities and organized massacres, which were pacified by the police.
Other examples of subcultures and countercultures are still"More serious." Modern radical extremist groups that already have a fundamentally different level of organization and ideology (for example, skinheads) have a similarity with the Luberians. Skinheads can be attributed to socially dangerous subcultures. Their first representatives appeared in England in 1968, they "taught the mind-mind" of relaxed hippies and drug addicts.
Стиль одежды «бритоголовых» выработался с учетом the need to adapt to fierce street battles: black tight pants, army boots with thick soles to help in a fight, short jackets without a collar. The skinhead clothes were spared from any details that would allow the enemy to catch on (badges, bags or glasses). For the same purpose, shaved bald.
Their followers are Russian skinheads -appeared in the 90s of the 20th century. External attributes were copied by them from Western "colleagues", the ideology and the field of application of forces were based on national Russian problems. This subculture can be attributed to the most aggressive. Skinheads profess typical Nazi ideas, leaving no chances for dissidents. The skinhead ideology is based on the idea of racial purity. They often organize pogroms in the environment of those who differ in appearance (for example, long hair, skin color), or representatives of other sexual orientation.
Examples of counterculture are very diverse.Another dangerous phenomenon is the so-called Satanists. They stood out in a separate current from the movement of metalworkers, united with the worshipers of the church of Satan in the early nineties in our country. Satanic subculture now has several independent directions. These include anti-Christians, perverting the Bible and practicing actions directly opposed to the biblical commandments (often bullying and vandalism).
Another direction - the orthodox Satanists.Those claim that the power of Satan is in its power equal to the power of God. They have their own rites and rituals, although sacrifices in this environment are usually not performed. Developed direction in Protestant countries.
There are Satanist philosophers - they are the only oneshas an officially registered organization. Their main values include indulging their own egoistic needs based on Nietzsche’s idea of the superman. Other followers of this doctrine mainly observe only external attributes (they wear jewelry with an inverted cross, dye their hair black).
In the 80s of the 20th century in our country emergedGopnik movement. Especially a lot of them on the middle Volga. Gopnik have declared themselves enemies against the representatives of most other youth subcultures - rappers, bikers, hippies and so on. Any of the above could have been beaten and robbed by them.
As other, less dangerous representatives of youth subcultures, football fans can be considered. In their midst, the division into fans of various sports clubs has been adopted.
Representatives of another current are punks.It is easy to recognize them by their characteristic appearance: leather jackets, piercings, exotic hairstyles. On the head most often flaunts a classic mohawk, or she shaved bald.
Punks imitate their favorite rock musicians,they bully, drink, smoke weed, rarely wash themselves, advocate ideas of anarchy. Their main slogan: "There is no future." The pessimism of punk ideology allows them to express themselves in extreme forms related to violence, alcohol and drug abuse. Examples of punk counterculture are perhaps the most typical among youth informal movements.
Представители других субкультур объединяются на basis of commitment to a particular lifestyle. A vivid example of this is bikers (motorcyclists). They exist in their own, special world - the world of motion at enormous speeds.
But there are other examples of counterculture, for example,hip hop sphere. This course belongs to complex cultural formations. It includes the performance of dances in a special style (break dance or rap), the passion for graffiti, streetball (street football), rolling (skating on roller skates in a particular technique).
The growth of fans of hip-hop culture has improvedyouth environment. Teenagers were distracted from drugs and alcohol and began to compete in street dancing and sports. All these activities require considerable physical training, which is incompatible with poor health and bad habits.
Still worth mentioning is the Diggers.So called those who explores underground communications. "The inhabitants of urban caves" spend time in the mysterious entangled labyrinths, they are surrounded by a halo of secrecy, they do not seek fame or expansion of their own ranks.
Есть ли позитивные примеры контркультуры?Perhaps one of the most psychological, healthy, creative, and socially successful members of this group can be considered role-playrs. Who are they? These include people who devote all their free time to recreating a certain historical or literary era. These are reenactors, animeshniki, as well as other similar communities.
Their activity takes place in the form ofnature of theatrical performances, as well as home or city role-playing games. Adherents of this trend regularly arrange historical or reconstruction festivals, are engaged in equestrian sports, fencing and general physical training.
У них приняты собственные тусовки с целью общения and search for like-minded people. The great attraction of role-playing games lies in the possibility of avoiding everyday reality and realizing the creative principle. Among rolevikov it is easy to get into the clothes of the chosen style (historical, medieval, style of the Wild West). Girls have the opportunity to choose an old or romantic outfit.
Среди ролевиков чрезвычайно развита определённая attributes, especially between Tolkien fans. Fantasy artwork is a kind of counterculture in literature, which provides its supporters with a huge scope for the game.
Still it makes sense to mention the mobber movement(flash mobber). They arrange short-term actions, organize the process using the Internet, according to which accurate instructions about the time, place and nature of the next flash mob are sent to registered users on a specific site.
Many subcultures are based on specificmusical predilections. There are fans of the group "Alice", Viktor Tsoi (group "Cinema"). Fans tend to imitate their favorite soloists in the smallest details of their appearance.
Separate current - metalworkers representingwidespread informal subculture. “Heavy” music is being listened to by very, very many. To unite fans of "heavy metal" on any common basis in our day is difficult, because they are so different.
Representatives also prefer certain music.a youth movement like emo. It is believed that adolescents with an unstable psyche and heightened emotionality are adjacent to their number, which is emphasized by certain clothes and characteristic make-up. Another, different from emo culture - the Goths. They are fans of death, decline, they have their own special music, characteristic aesthetics, carrying a pronounced theatricality.
"Dark Romance" resulted in a completelya separate cultural trend with a characteristic depressive-romantic view of existence. Classic goth is closed, prone to melancholy, bouts of depression. This is a creature to which generally accepted behavioral stereotypes are alien. Most of the representatives dress only in black; they paint their hair, lips and nails in the same color.
List all varieties in detailexisting subcultures is not possible. Counterculture and subculture are two sides of a whole. They have much in common and can mutually transform into each other. The classification of any counterculture and subculture is quite conditional, because the normal approach is totally unacceptable here. The basis of any of the countercultures is to maintain the individuality of its carriers.
