Culture VS. Subculture

Culture is for the masses; Subculture is for the few
Culture is Shared; Subculture is discovered
Culture is passed through generations; Subculture defies tradition
Culture is learned; Subculture is embraced
Culture is accepted; Subculture is rejected
Culture is a guideline; Subculture is an escape
Culture is a Lifestyle; Subculture is Living

Culture is our surroundings, represents values as a society, and is a rulebook for being accepted into mainstream living. Subculture is for the Individual, it is a place for discovering your most intense desires, and it is whatever you want it to be. Those who gather together in the subcultures of our world are those who seek comfort and acceptance for those parts of them that are special or deviant. They seek like-minded people who may understand them and relate to them. Subculture is not just for the deviant, it is for the intelligent, talented, lonely, desperate, and enlightened.

Daily life is your culture. Your desires, and those thoughts that drift through your mind right before your eyes reach the doorways of dreamworld at night, that is what creates subculture.

Why is Subculture important to humans and our world? Well first lets ask, what makes humans different from animals, or any other living organisms? We need more then just a guideline for living, to actually Live and find happiness. Most Humans have complex and varied needs that go beyond eating and paying bills. These needs can be sexual, emotion-related, Dark, light, or even hobbies or lifestyle activities, such as gaming. Most humans strive for something beyond the daily grind of working and surviving. To appease this need for something more, many turn to Religion. The rest of us, we turn to Subculture.

What kind of Subcultures are there? I plan on investigating a great deal of subculture. There are endless possibilities, not only here in Los Angeles, but around the world.

Below are some examples, just to name a few of the more well known:

Sexual needs: BDSM, vampire, furries, swingers, leather
Alter egos, cosplay, and pretend: Renessaince junkies, pirate, wizard, furries, superhero
Dark: Vampire, satanism (various), goth, bdsm, body altering
Music subculture: Punk, hip-hop, indie, emo, and endless amounts of "sub-genres" which each has their own following and style
Tech: Gamers, computer gamers, hackers

While many Subcultures are more secretive and elusive (I.e. Vampire, bdsm,) others are more integrated into mainstream society (Gaming, music.) What they all have in common, is that like-minded people with the same intense interests gather together. They tend to have the following qualities:

-Their own slang and terminology (in some cases their own language, such as the Trekkies and Lord of the Rings fanatics.)
-Style or a common factor for dress and look, some have full on costuming
-A common perspective or idea. For instance certain genres or origins of Punk Rock are derived from anger at the government. Cosplay and Costumers tend to embrace their role as a realistic one, and sometimes take on the personality and perspective of their characters. BDSM and swingers tend to have sexually free outlooks on life, and people of the Goth and emo culture tend to have a dark and somewhat negative outlook on life.

As an aspiring Cultural Anthropologist, I find that most of my interest is most intensely focused on Subculture, the underground, and the deepest human desires.

I continue to grow as a human being and I am gradually shedding the self-made prison that limits my experience and quality of life. I am going to explore humans and their little worlds, and I will share in this Blog my insights, experience, and research on these mini-utopias we call SubCulture.

You will also experience my own personal obstacles, joys, and happenings along the way as I continue on my journey.