Punk and what else aren't dead?
October 12, 2019 12:13 PM Subscribe
A recognizable punk subculture has existed — across generations, mostly without help from nuclear families and major institutions, and in a way that goes much, much deeper than just a musical genre — for 45 years and counting. What multigenerational subcultures have lasted longer? Historical ones that fizzled out long ago and modern ones that are still going both count.
I'm not sure I can give a coherent definition of "subculture," but....
Let's say I'm not interested in innate qualities like race, gender, or sexuality, but I'm definitely interested in things that build on them: "Latino" and "gay" aren't subcultures, but "pachuco" and "bear" are.
And for the sake of argument, let's say mainstream religions and political affiliations that you tend to inherit from your parents don't count. There may be a really useful sense in which Mennonites are a subculture in the US, but it's not the kind of thing I'm interested in.
I'm not sure I can give a coherent definition of "subculture," but....
Let's say I'm not interested in innate qualities like race, gender, or sexuality, but I'm definitely interested in things that build on them: "Latino" and "gay" aren't subcultures, but "pachuco" and "bear" are.
And for the sake of argument, let's say mainstream religions and political affiliations that you tend to inherit from your parents don't count. There may be a really useful sense in which Mennonites are a subculture in the US, but it's not the kind of thing I'm interested in.
Building on the music example, the Deadhead subculture seems to be alive and well. I'll put skateboarding culture in there as well.
posted by chbrooks at 12:29 PM on October 12, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by chbrooks at 12:29 PM on October 12, 2019 [6 favorites]
I would put surf culture and its lesser cousins skate and snowboard culture in this group
posted by slow graffiti at 12:45 PM on October 12, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by slow graffiti at 12:45 PM on October 12, 2019 [6 favorites]
There's a Wikipedia page that might have some of what you're looking for. The first example of Wandervogel (nudists) is definitely still a thing.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:14 PM on October 12, 2019
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:14 PM on October 12, 2019
This isn't a perfect example, but identification with Buffalo Soldiers, especially Black cavalry units, has existed since the 1860s, but it really ramped up around the turn of the century. After the war, there were a large number of Black men in need of employment, and the Army was one of the few places where Blacks were guaranteed equal pay with whites. Military service was a way for Black men to assert a certain kind of dignity and social status.
The term "Buffalo Soldier" didn't really come about until the end of the 19th century, and it was probably initially a derogatory term. It was eventually adopted as a self-identifier, again with a certain kind of military service that people would feel proud of.
Flash forward a number of decades and there started being motorcycle clubs of Black men and women adopting the Buffalo Soldier identity, and celebrating that aspect of Black history. The idea is that the motorcycle is like a modern-day horse, so they're continuing the tradition of the Black cavalry. Nowadays, there are Buffalo Soldier motorcycle clubs all over. Like the original Buffalo Soldiers, the emphasis is on dignity and self-empowerment.
It's not a perfect example, but I'm mentioning it because I think it's still interesting. I don't think it's actually that far off from how a lot of subcultures are maintained -- you can be several degrees removed from the originators, but still model your cultural identity after them. Anyway, I don't want to speak like an authority on this -- it's just something I came across while I was researching stuff in college, and I still see Buffalo Soldier MC vests around here.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 1:24 PM on October 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
The term "Buffalo Soldier" didn't really come about until the end of the 19th century, and it was probably initially a derogatory term. It was eventually adopted as a self-identifier, again with a certain kind of military service that people would feel proud of.
Flash forward a number of decades and there started being motorcycle clubs of Black men and women adopting the Buffalo Soldier identity, and celebrating that aspect of Black history. The idea is that the motorcycle is like a modern-day horse, so they're continuing the tradition of the Black cavalry. Nowadays, there are Buffalo Soldier motorcycle clubs all over. Like the original Buffalo Soldiers, the emphasis is on dignity and self-empowerment.
It's not a perfect example, but I'm mentioning it because I think it's still interesting. I don't think it's actually that far off from how a lot of subcultures are maintained -- you can be several degrees removed from the originators, but still model your cultural identity after them. Anyway, I don't want to speak like an authority on this -- it's just something I came across while I was researching stuff in college, and I still see Buffalo Soldier MC vests around here.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 1:24 PM on October 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
The Shakers might be an older example.
Depending on what you mean by help from major institutions, societies like Odd Fellows might also count.
posted by Candleman at 1:48 PM on October 12, 2019
Depending on what you mean by help from major institutions, societies like Odd Fellows might also count.
posted by Candleman at 1:48 PM on October 12, 2019
Transformative-works fandom.
posted by praemunire at 1:50 PM on October 12, 2019
posted by praemunire at 1:50 PM on October 12, 2019
Contra dancers. Possibly Morris dancers.
posted by clew at 2:02 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by clew at 2:02 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Drag?
posted by vunder at 2:21 PM on October 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by vunder at 2:21 PM on October 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
Northern Soul is very much alive and well and meeting up with scooters. (And VW camper vans now that they all have kids and grandkids!)
posted by DarlingBri at 2:23 PM on October 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 2:23 PM on October 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
Fucking backpackers. They've existed presumably since pre history and I'm sure that long after western civilization falls people will still talk about the buddha McCandless and his bus, argue about the best type of poncho and share information on how best to skirt local employment laws.
posted by fshgrl at 2:37 PM on October 12, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 2:37 PM on October 12, 2019 [7 favorites]
There’s a gamer subculture that’s all about playing old-school console games (think Sonic on a Sega Genesis.) They go as far as buying old tube TVs from the era, because that’s the way the games were made to be seen/played.
I got rid of my old 32” Sony Wega to a couple of guys from Purdue who were deep into the culture.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:00 PM on October 12, 2019
I got rid of my old 32” Sony Wega to a couple of guys from Purdue who were deep into the culture.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:00 PM on October 12, 2019
Freemasonry.
Gangs and Mafia.
Not sure if it's what you are interested in, but many industries generate their own culture especially when they dominate towns. There are fishing towns like Gloucester, and farming towns and coal mining towns, etc.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:04 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Gangs and Mafia.
Not sure if it's what you are interested in, but many industries generate their own culture especially when they dominate towns. There are fishing towns like Gloucester, and farming towns and coal mining towns, etc.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:04 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Us metalheads have been around for decades now.
posted by spinifex23 at 9:29 PM on October 12, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by spinifex23 at 9:29 PM on October 12, 2019 [5 favorites]
Sci-fi fandom started in the 1920s, in the letters column of Amazing Stories magazine, with the first fanzine and first convention (although this title is disputed) likely happening in the mid-1930s. The breadth, scope, and popularity of sci-fi fandom have definitely changed but the three core aspects - clubs, fanzines or other transformative works, and conventions are still going strong.
posted by muddgirl at 11:23 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by muddgirl at 11:23 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Mods. The 70s version never went away, and they themselves were a resurrection of the late 1950s/early 60s scene.
posted by tinkletown at 11:30 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by tinkletown at 11:30 PM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Irish Travellers. (That Wikipedia article is being very rigorous about lack of bias. If you research this culture, it's important not to romanticize it. It's problematic in many ways.)
posted by DarlingBri at 3:01 AM on October 13, 2019
posted by DarlingBri at 3:01 AM on October 13, 2019
Bikers.
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:35 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:35 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Teddy Boys and Girls are still going strong in the UK. Someone I was at school with goes round their events and re-unions photographing them. We are in our early 50s now and probably 15 - 20 years younger than the Teds he's taking photos of.
posted by Chairboy at 9:26 AM on October 13, 2019
posted by Chairboy at 9:26 AM on October 13, 2019
Vegetarianism for moral /ethical/health reasons as opposed to religious reasons. Dates back to the mid 1800s in England, when an official Society was formed.
posted by ananci at 10:24 AM on October 13, 2019
posted by ananci at 10:24 AM on October 13, 2019
Would fraternities & sororities count? Many of them were founded in the 1800s and are still thriving today.
posted by SisterHavana at 10:37 AM on October 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by SisterHavana at 10:37 AM on October 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
I would put surf culture and its lesser cousins skate and snowboard culture in this group
In the same way that musical subcultures (punk, goth, metal, rave) are about more than just the music, I think sport subcultures fit your requirements too. If we’re talking niche, almost every extreme sport (rock climbing and alpinism, gliding and falling sports, board sports, bike sports, etc) have subcultures that are often multigenerational - also participants may belong to several or shift between them. I’d also add martial arts, although I don’t know much about it personally - I’d imagine that, as in music and extreme sports, there are various, some more lasting than others (I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a persistent karate subculture, for example). Chess clubs have a long, multigenerational history. And football hooligans have a lengthy and fascinating history in many countries, even more so than regular sports fans. I haven’t read much about Italian Ultras, but I bet there are good books on them. (For English hooliganism in its heyday, the book everybody ought to read is Among the Thugs by Bill Buford, who went on to re-found Granta magazine. It’s a beautifully written and frightening account of being a sceptical outsider and still succumbing to the attraction of tribalism and violence.)
posted by chappell, ambrose at 12:28 PM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
In the same way that musical subcultures (punk, goth, metal, rave) are about more than just the music, I think sport subcultures fit your requirements too. If we’re talking niche, almost every extreme sport (rock climbing and alpinism, gliding and falling sports, board sports, bike sports, etc) have subcultures that are often multigenerational - also participants may belong to several or shift between them. I’d also add martial arts, although I don’t know much about it personally - I’d imagine that, as in music and extreme sports, there are various, some more lasting than others (I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a persistent karate subculture, for example). Chess clubs have a long, multigenerational history. And football hooligans have a lengthy and fascinating history in many countries, even more so than regular sports fans. I haven’t read much about Italian Ultras, but I bet there are good books on them. (For English hooliganism in its heyday, the book everybody ought to read is Among the Thugs by Bill Buford, who went on to re-found Granta magazine. It’s a beautifully written and frightening account of being a sceptical outsider and still succumbing to the attraction of tribalism and violence.)
posted by chappell, ambrose at 12:28 PM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by supermedusa at 12:18 PM on October 12, 2019 [17 favorites]