Variations in Culture
Every society has a mainstream culture or dominant culture, which is the culture shared by the dominant groups and coincides with the culture shared in the main social institutions (government, education, religion, family, technology, media, and the economy).
As long as a group has a set of unique norms that are somewhat different than the norms of the dominant culture, that group can call themselves a subculture.
Everyone is a member of at least one subculture. It might be your geographic area (example: Southerner), it could be a sport (example: football), it could also be your age (example: Generation Z).
How does being a member of the football team make you part of a subculture? Football players have:
- Unique words and lingo that they use
- Certain behaviors while they're in practice or playing
- Specific clothing and gear that they wear
None of these things are at odds with the dominant culture, but you might get strange looks if you try to use the language and exhibit the behaviors when you're not a football player.
There are endless examples of subcultures:
- Based on your job (the language and norms of doctors are different than waiters, for examples)
- Based on an ethnic group (like Italians or Greeks).
None of these groups reject the mainstream culture; they simply have additional norms that make them unique and identifiable.
A counterculture occurs when a group's values, norms, and beliefs are in conflict or opposition to those of the larger society and mainstream culture.
When the behaviors of the group DO violate the norms of the dominant culture, the group becomes a counterculture.
Gangs are an example of countercultures. Gangs require their members to violate the law either through violence, vandalism, theft, or in some cases, murder. These behaviors definitely violate the norms of the dominant culture.
Consider these two groups: AmishTraditionalist Christians who are known for simple living, plain dress, and being anti-modern technology. and polygamistsThose who believe you can have more than one spouse at the same time.
Which one is an example of counterculture? Which one is an example of a subculture?
Amish: Subculture
Polygamist: Counterculture
Counter-cultural groups often come into conflict with authority and typically one dominates the other. But, sometimes authority is misused against sub-cultural groups.
Sociology tries to objectively look at other peoples and groups. In other words, sociology encourages you to look at other people without passing judgment (which is often times hard to do).
