Ponderings..

In the beginning of the semester I struggled to find and define my own relationship to the topic of subcultures. I wanted a label for myself (something that I hadn't looked for or wanted since high school!) and couldn't even remember what my label would have been in high school. Watching the presentations, I realized what interested me most about individual subcultures is the way that they form a community, the development of individual members' relationships with each other. I find that I don't fully grasp a youth subculture until I understand the group dynamic and what that says about the ideology and point behind the subculture. This makes sense to me because dancing for me has always been about being an individual in a specific group. Both in high school and in college, being a dancer meant being a part of a close knit group of girls who are around each other all the time by nature of the activity, and tend to know each other very intimately because we watch each other sweat and work hard at what we care most about. Because to my knowledge dance has so many various facades, I never thought of "dancer" as my label. But that's exactly what my exterior identity is (and interior for that matter) Perhaps dance is not a full fledged youth subculture, but it does exist as its own lifestyle that is foreign to those not involved.
On another note, over the past four years of being at Temple youth subcultures have had an important effect on me by constantly reminding me to ask questions, to not be complacent, and to challenge the mainstream. I don't consider myself an authentic subculturist but I do identify more with my peers who are; I see them as people making empowered choices about themselves and being around them reminds me to avoid complacency and blind following.