FIND OUT MORE. Cinema 346–347 • Popular Music 334 • Societies 294–295
WHAT IS GANG CULTURE?
People looking for excitement,
a strong identity, and a code to
live by may choose to join a
gang, such as the Hells Angels
bikers or Japanese Yakuza. These
gangs usually create their own
subculture, complete with
dress-codes, tattoos, slang, and
music. These highly visible signs
show the members’ loyalty and pride
in belonging to the gang. Mainstream
music, such as “gangsta rap”, is often
influenced by gang culture.WHO JOINS A SUBCULTURE?
Many people, especially younger people,
choose to join a subculture to express their
interests and identity. Teenagers and young
adults often feel a lack of identification with the
values or interests of mainstream society, so they
seek out groups of like-minded people – with similar
musical, sporting, or political interests – to give them
a sense of belonging. Subcultures can even be based
around hobbies such as folk-dancing or pigeon racing.HOW DO LANGUAGES CHANGE?
Languages evolve in the same way as cultures –
through interaction with other languages. Languages
adopt new words and lose old words all the time.
Sometimes, old words take on new meanings. Local
variations of the same language are known as dialects.
These may occur when a group of speakers moves
away from their homeland, such as the Spanish settlers
in South America, or when they become isolated from
other speakers of the same language.Many complex societies encourage diversity by allowing smaller
groups to form their own subcultures, with their own distinct
behaviour, beliefs, and attitudes. Through fashion, music, and art,
subcultures often influence mainstream culture.WHY DO WE HAVE TRADITIONS?
Traditions often come from deep-rooted beliefs, or are
simply invented at a certain point in history. Special
events, such as royal pageants in the UK, Thanksgiving
Day in the USA, and Bastille Day in France, help people
to remember certain times and traditions,
giving them a sense of a shared cultural history.
Tradition generally refers to patterns of customs and beliefs,
which reflect a group’s common identity. Tradition is passed down
from one generation to the next through teaching and practice.
Each culture communicates through
language – a set of words and grammar,
signs and symbols. There are some 5,000
different languages in the world.
1 ANARCHY, MUSIC, AND FASHION
The punk subculture appealed to teenagers in the late 1970s, inspired
by its raw, fast rock music and angry lyrics. Punk fashions, such as dyed
hair and facial piercings, represent a rejection of mainstream cultural
values, perfect for shocking or rebelling against parents and society.
TRADITION
SUBCULTURE
TEA CEREMONY (CHAJI) 3
A Japanese woman in traditional
dress performs a tea ceremony in
front of honoured guests. The
ceremony is highly complex with
many rules to follow. Originally,
this tradition was part of the
formal welcoming of guests.GRAFFITI 1
Gang members often use graffiti- tags (signatures) or artwork
illegally sprayed on walls and
other visible spots – to mark their
territory. The distinctive style of
graffiti artists has now crossed
over into mainstream art.
STOP SIGN 3
This stop sign gets its message across in Arabic and English. Its
distinctive shape and colour also help to convey the meaning.LANGUAGE