Subcultures are all around us and every individual is part of one in some way or another. These social groups unite people together due to their commonalities and at the same time are distinctive from other groups because of their uniqueness. In this writing assignment, I will give an insight of my experience as a member of the White Rhinos group during the jungle themed frosh week. I will also demonstrate how it represents a subculture and analyze it from the viewpoint of the symbolic interactionism theory. As defined in the textbook, subculture is “a set of distinctive values, norms, and practices within a larger culture” (Brym and Lie 2012: 47). As a member of the White Rhinos group we had certain ways of presenting ourselves that
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In my frosh group everyone wore certain accessories that made us identifiable in the large crowd and these materialistic items were very meaningful. For example, the clothing varied among each group. The White Rhinos wore items that showed their pride for their dynasty accompanied with white wrist bands, and white bandannas. We wore t-shirts with our group’s name on them and had a quote on it saying, “unleash your inner beast.” I still have these t-shirts because I have become emotionally attached to them. The leaders wore separate t-shirts to indicate their position or role in the group. They had more of an authoritarian role and one of their responsibilities was to make sure no group member was excluded in any way. The overall tone of the students was very exuberant and cheerful. We had many face-to-face encounters with the local residents in and around the community. There was an ongoing communication, in which we would have to explain about the event and the purpose of it. These interactions helped build a strong cohesion within our group and gave us a sense of belonging and togetherness. Likewise, the gestures and body language of each dynasty was different, but relevant to their chant. There was fist pumping and high fiving, clapping, and providing motivation and positive encouragement to other teams during competitions. These simple but yet significant gestures helped to build a stronger group, emotionally and socially. As a result, the White Rhinos
In my frosh group everyone wore certain accessories that made us identifiable in the large crowd and these materialistic items were very meaningful. For example, the clothing varied among each group. The White Rhinos wore items that showed their pride for their dynasty accompanied with white wrist bands, and white bandannas. We wore t-shirts with our group’s name on them and had a quote on it saying, “unleash your inner beast.” I still have these t-shirts because I have become emotionally attached to them. The leaders wore separate t-shirts to indicate their position or role in the group. They had more of an authoritarian role and one of their responsibilities was to make sure no group member was excluded in any way. The overall tone of the students was very exuberant and cheerful. We had many face-to-face encounters with the local residents in and around the community. There was an ongoing communication, in which we would have to explain about the event and the purpose of it. These interactions helped build a strong cohesion within our group and gave us a sense of belonging and togetherness. Likewise, the gestures and body language of each dynasty was different, but relevant to their chant. There was fist pumping and high fiving, clapping, and providing motivation and positive encouragement to other teams during competitions. These simple but yet significant gestures helped to build a stronger group, emotionally and socially. As a result, the White Rhinos