Punk Rock: A Genuine Subculture or Commodified Rebellion?

This week's reading "The Function of Subculture" written by Dick Hebdige was very interesting to me. Growing up in Brantford Ontario there was very little entertainment and activities for the city's youth to engage in. One thing my group of friends and I were involved in was the local music scene. We could be found regularly at bars and venues (which our parents either were unaware of or were disapproving of) such as the Ford Plant, the Mesonic Temple and Jay's Place to watch some of our favourite local bands play primarily punk and ska music (we also seen up-and-coming bands such as Arcade Fire, Wintersleep and Constantines, but I'm ashamed to admit, did not appreciate it at the time). Dressed in black, with heavy eye-make up and terrible piercings, we were as Hebdige explains, engaging in a subculture primarily to rebel against our parents; be it their values, beliefs, class or otherwise.

Hebdige states "... the media play a crucial role in defining our experiences for us...It should hardly surprise us then, to discover that much of what finds itself encoded in subculture has already been subjected to a certain amount of prior handling by the media" (p. 259). The author goes onto explain that although the styles adopted by punks was reflective of their genuine aggression, frustration and anxiety with a host of contemporary issues, they were in a language that was available and current. In other words, at the same time the punk culture attempts to adopt symbols and musical expressions from other outcast culture and synthesize it into something uniquely their own, the dominant culture tries to make sense of subcultures though various means, including news reports and articles in the mainstream mass media that identify the new subculture within a historical context, and by taking aspects of the culture such as fashion and commodifying them (Cartledge, F. 1999, p. 143).

Christian Louboutin studded heels: $1095

Safety pins, leather jackets and ripped jeans are taken out of the context of rebellion and translated into runway fashion, selling for thousands of dollars at ritzy boutiques. However, for today's youth, entire punk-rock wardrobes can be purchased at stores such as Hot Topic for a more reasonable price. These stores are designed to acquire the disposable income many youth of today have from allowances and part-time jobs.

I will close with an appropriate punk rock song written and performed by MC Lars entitled "Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock", which lyrics depict what someone emerged in the subculture deems to be and not be "punk rock":



Cartledge, F. (1999) “Distress to Impress?: Local Punk Fashion and Commodity Exchange” in Punk Rock: So What, Roger Sabin, Ed. London: Routledge p. 143-154.

Hebdige, D. (1979) The Function of Subculture. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011) Culture Theory: An Anthology (p. 255-263). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell

National Consciousness: A Crude, Empty Shell or... a Beer Commercial?

“The Trials and Tribulations of National Consciousness” – this chapter is Fanon’s 1961 novel “Wretched of the Earth” deals with Fanon’s recognition that after national independence is achieved in a country, the ruling elite or “national bourgeoisie”, attempt to continue the systems of inequality apparent in underdeveloped countries by imitating the systems of the colonizer in order to pursue their own self-interests not the collective interest of the nation. We discussed this briefly in class on Tuesday; Populism is a way of seeming to speak for the interest of the people at large when in reality it is advancing the interests of the elite. Fanon also discusses the changes needed to be made and the role of education in order to achieve true national liberation.

Fanon argues that the colonized are devoted to eliminating iniquities such as forced labour, corporal punishment, unequal wages and the restriction of political rights, however, “the unpreparedness of the elite, the lack of practical ties between them and the masses, their apathy and cowardice are cause for tragic trials and tribulations”

National consciousness is therefore “nothing but a crude empty, fragile shell” (p. 114)

A definition I found of “national consciousness” was: defined as loyalty to the nation, especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups. A sense of one's personal or collective identity, including the attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities held by or considered characteristic of an individual or group

Watching this video it is evident what Canada’s own national consciousness is.  The video uses terms such as “freedom”, “awesomeness”, “great” and constantly stresses the inclusive word “we”. Although a beer commercial, and fairly sensationalist, the video does give a sense of Canada’s national consciousness. We are clearly tied to our land. However, it is interesting to point out (and something I did not notice upon first watching this video) that the original people tied to the land, the aboriginals, are not represented in the video as being a part of Canada.

Fanon, F. (1961) The Trials and Tribulations of National Consciousness. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011) Culture Theory: An Anthology  (p. 18-26). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell 

National Consciousness Definition. Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalism June 23rd 2011

Sex/Gender/Desire... it's all constructed!

Judith Butler begins "Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire" by critiquing the distinction made between sex and gender. Butler ultimately argues that both are culturally constructed. She also takes on a postmodern approach and challenges the notion of a concrete feminine identity by suggesting that representations of “women” are constantly being negotiated through ethnicity, class, and sexuality. Therefore, there is no universal definition of gender. She disputes the traditional distinctions between sex and gender; that sex is biological and gender is culturally defined. Butler argues this notion by stating “...gender is culturally constructed: hence, gender is neither the causal result of sex nor as seemingly fixed as sex”. She also famously claimed that gender is performative, meaning it is what you are and what you do at certain times rather than a consistent and universal identity. Therefore, gender is fluid, it is not a static phenomena. The article goes on to state, "Gender ought not to be conceived merely as the cultural inscription of meaning on a pre-given sex (a juridical conception) gender must also designate the very apparatus of production whereby the sexes themselves are established." Gender is what society believes how specific sex should act, and behave.

In society today, there is a clear divide between fashion considered feminine and those considered masculine. However, is this a result of the fashion industry itself or is it the industry merely reflecting the changing attitudes of society as a whole? It is difficult to determine the distinction between gender reproduction and gender construction in the fashion industry. Fashion has been used to deconstruct gender stereotypes, as in 2011 most recent style for men: the skirt. In fact, feminine style for men is being adopted by some of the top designer including Givenchy, Emporio Armani and Calvin Klein.

However, the fashion industry has been used, time and time again as a means of reinforcing gender stereotypes. This is why children as young as three and four years old recognize that girls are supposed to wear dresses and have long hair while boys are not. The following video demonstrates some of the socially constructed gender stereotyping we as a society are imposing on our children:

 Butler, J (1990) Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011) Culture Theory: An Anthology  (p. 134-138). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell 

June 12 2011, Off the Runway in 2011, Skirts for Men: Yes or No? OTSTYLE. Retrieved from: http://otstyle.com/?p=130 June 25th 2011

Conspicuous Consumption: Buying Happiness and Success

The term 'conspicuous consumption' was coined in Thorstein Veblen's 1899 book The Theory of the Leisure Class. The term itself refers to the lavish spending on goods and services in order to display to others one’s personal income and wealth. Other theorists including Adam Smith and Karl Marx have argued that people choose to buy some goods because of what those goods reveal about their standing in society, not because of any intrinsic enjoyment they get from the purchase.

Veblen explains this idea of futility on page 20 stating, “Gentlemen of leisure, then, not only consume of the staff of life beyond the minimum required for subsistence and physical efficiency, but his consumption also undergoes a specialization as regards the quality of goods consumed. He consumes freely and of the best…” For example, a $20 Timex is capable of telling time just as well as a $2000 Tag watch, however one conveys an image of luxury and success while the other does not. A major motivation for buying an expensive watch is to signal to others that the one has ''made it,'' a point not lost on advertisers.

Where it was previously believed that the rich were most likely to engage in conspicuous consumption, economists Kerwin Charles, Erik Hurst and the professor of finance Nikolai Roussanov recent research argues that conspicuous consumption is more common among poorer groups of people and emerging economies. Virginia Postrel elaborates on the “wealth gap” between black and white Americans stating “African Americans not only had less wealth than whites with similar incomes, they also had significantly more of their assets tied up in cars. The statistic fit a stereotype reinforced by countless “bling”-filled hip-hop videos: that African Americans spend a lot on cars, clothes, and jewellery—highly visible goods that tell the world the owner has money.” Therefore visible luxuries and status symbol items serve less to establish the owner’s positive status as successful but rather fend off the negative connotation associated with being “poor” in today’s society. 

In closing, the best advise I found while researching this blog was this: if you want to live like a billionaire, buy a $12,000 bed, you can’t park a mattress in your driveway, but it will last for decades and you can enjoy it every night.

Postrel, V. (2008) Inconspicuous Consumption: A New Theory of the Leisure Class. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/inconspicuous-consumption/6845/

Veblen, T. (1899) Conspicuous Consumption. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011) Culture Theory: An Anthology  (p. 18-26). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell 

Power to the Powerless

For this weeks blog submission I will be discussing Michel Foucault's 1976 "Method". Foucault was a French historian and philosopher often associated with the structuralist and post-structuralist movements. He is considered to be one of the great critical thinkers of the 20th century providing insight into topics such as human sexuality and the failures of the prison system. In "Method", Foucault focuses on the relationship between discourse and power.

We all have been told countless times throughout elementary and high school how "knowledge is power" and the quest for knowledge will get you further in life. Foucault challenges this notion by stating that power has always come from below, elaborating on page 135 stating, "there is no binary and all-encompassing opposition between rulers and ruled at the root of power relations and serving as a general matrix". We see examples of power coming from below all throughout history and presently. The 18-day protest in Egypt which ousted former President Hosni Mubarak from power is a modern day example of how when there is power (especially corrupt power) there is resistance.

Power relations existence depend on points of resistance, these play the role of adversary, target, support or handle in power relations (p. 135). That being said, there is no all encompassing resistance, there are numerous resistances, each of them unique. Because of this Foucault explains resistance "are distributed in irregular fashion: the points, knots, or focuses of resistance are spread over time and space at varying densities, at times mobilizing groups or individuals in a definitive way, inflaming certain points of the body, certain moments in life, certain types of behaviour".

Foucault, M. (1976) Method. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011) Culture Theory: An Anthology  (p. 134-138). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell

Popular today, passé tomorrow.

For this week's blog, I will be doing my own deconstruction of Stuart Hall's "Notes on Deconstructing 'the Popular'". One of the main arguments presented in this article is that defining what is "popular" is becoming increasingly more difficult as it is constantly changing. The idea is put fourth that what is considered to be popular is ultimately dependent on the context and time period. We see this today with the constant reconstruction and upgrading of technology. A present day example of this would be the fact that person can buy an iPhone 4, however it is fairly well known the device will only be replaced by the "new and improved" iPhone 5 mere months from now.

Stuart Hall (1981) elaborates on this phenomena stating "'Cultural change' is a polite euphemism for the process by which some cultural forms and practices are driven out of the center of popular life, actively marginalized... things are actively pushed aside, so that something else can take their place" (p. 72). This is seen through all aspects of culture today; there is clearly nothing wrong with previous generations of iPhones, however they are pushed aside in order for supposed new, improved and more esthetically pleasing products to be released. Hall goes onto explain that the cultural industries do in fact have the ability to reshape what they represent. Through repetition and selection they are able to impose these definitions of ourselves to "fit" into the description of the dominant or preferred culture (p. 75). This is the contradiction we see of the popular forces versus the power bloc. The people in positions of power dictate what is "popular" and impose their opinions on the dominated class for profit, dominance and control. So it really is true that what is popular today is passé tomorrow.

Hall, S. (1981) Notes on Deconstructing the Popular. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011) Culture Theory: An Anthology  (p. 72-80). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell

Pop culture may seem like an easy enough concept to understand as it is such a huge part of our daily lives. However, the term encompasses much more than the familiar, first come to mind definition that we often associate it with. Susie O'Brien defines popular culture by stating "the most familiar use of the term identifies it with the entertainment produced through and by commercial media (television, film, the music industry etc.) that have economic and technological capacity to reach large, demographically diverse and geographically dispersed audiences". These audiences are then measured to determine popularity and patterns of consumption. What we consume isn't simply the things we buy but also the shows we watch, the music we listen to and so fourth.

This is a highly condensed, Reader's Digest version of what popular culture is, but for my first blog I will be focusing on what critics refer to as mass culture. Mass culture is produced for an unknown, varied population dependent on electronic media to convey its message to the largest audience possible to create the most profit.

I recently watched Dr. Dre's newest video "I Need A Doctor" featuring Eminem on YouTube, since television programs such as MTV and Much Music ironically rarely play music anymore. I found the video to be interesting, sort of a montage to Dr. Dre's past work, however I found it hard to get past the blatant product placement throughout the video. I questioned at times if I was really watching a rap video or a commercial for Ferrari, Reebok running shoes or Gatorade's newest drink G2.

This is a prime example of production for profit. Not only is Dr. Dre's music being sold here but also various other products are being advertised. Rap music emerged as a form of self expression for young African Americans dealing with inequality and exploitation. Today we see Rap music and hip-hop culture becoming more and more commodified. The marketing of rap, through mass production and media, have expanded the definition and audience of rap music (e.g. presently middle-class white youth are a growing audience of rap and hip hop) . This has resulted in rap no longer speaking out about issues that affect African American's in today's society, but simply covers superficial, irrelevant topics (i.e. money, cars, attractive women) to an auto-tuned beat.