post-it note, Hebdige

Dick Hebdige’s understanding of subculture exists in his understanding of the term culture. As it is, culture started out as a suggestion of all the luxurious and elite of the educated classes. It then transitioned to mean the “everyday;” the actions of all the people everywhere. So then, what is culture?

This is the problem that exists also with hegemony in Subculture: The Meaning of Style. Punks dress against the conventional standards in order to defy the hegemonic controls that are present but often go unnoticed because they are everywhere. But this defiance also assists in the hegemonic powers being kept in their position, as the “recuperation” of culture occurs in one of two ways: when subcultural signs become mass produced, and when deviant behavior is re-defined in order for the public to gain an understanding of it. It is in these ways that subculture becomes mainstream, although the mainstream does not necessarily have to participate in it. And so the envelope is continually pushed so that a subculture can continue to surprise the mainstream and give them something to talk about.

Hebdige can be connected to Habermas in that the “cult of the new,” which has been created by the media, is that which suggests to us that exposure to such oddities is alright. The cult of the new tells us that new is better, but subcultures are often looked at with secretly interested but shielded eyes. Hyperstimulated sensitivity also comes into play when “culture in its modern form stirs up hatred against the conventions and virtues of everyday life” (Habermas 101). Here, everyday life is mentioned, so hatred is against the conventions and virtues of culture from the subcultures side of the token. The tension that exists between culture and subculture create media-worthy events. Extreme change is usually the TOP STORY. Surprising details interest the public, whether they believe in them or not. It is for this reason that I am going to conclude that Hebdige and Habermas should be friends, as the tension between culture and subculture would provide all the proper conversation for a truly unique friendship.