The Power of Subculture as Explained by Seth Godin

When reading Chapter 4 of Goths, Gamers, & Grrls I came across this line:

"Still, the financial rewards of sexist mainstream hip hop will likely confine much of conscious hip hop to the underground." (Haenfler, P. 52)


All validity aside, this statement raises an important question.  How can subcultures with noble aims gain the necessary traction to reach their targets?


This weekend I watched the following TED talk by Seth Godin

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead.html

This clip is 17 minutes and I highly recommend watching it.  I highly recommend watching TED talks in general.  Oftentimes I feel like I learn more watching TED than I do in my classes.

Anyway, in this talk, Seth Godin talks about the tribes we lead.  He points to tribes as a very powerful instigator of change.  We do not need to have power over millions.  We just need to take the lead for a small section of people.  Our own tribe will then be able to link up with another tribe who exists for an entirely different reason but still shares our common vision.  The tribe of Parkour enthusiasts from the east coast and the tribe of men who like brewing their own beer might each be passionate about climate change.  Separately, these tribes are pretty insignificant, but with the power of the internet, small groups  such as these can link up to take a stance on major issues.

This concept makes me think of these subcultures who have ideas about certain issues.  I believe as Seth Godin does that these groups have the power to make real change.  Just because the mainstream money makers favor sexist hip hop doesn't mean the "consious hip hop"groups cannot use the power of tribes to make a change.

Obviously I cannot make any specific claims about how this would happen, but the concept still intrigues me and I thought some or all of you would find it interesting.

At the very least, you should check out TED if you haven't already.