Youth Culture And Deviance Behavior In Goths Gamers

Carly Cannon
Deviant Behavior
April 7, 2014

There are significant differences between different societies. In studying issues of youth culture and deviance behavior, it is important to take these differences into account. “Goths, Gamers, & Grrrls” by Ross Haenfler, discusses a wide range of youth subcultures, from British mods to recent online communities. The youth subcultures that are covered throughout the book are skinhead, punk, hip hop, hard core, heavy metal, Goths, hackers, online communities, and groups in which members pledge to preserve their sexual virginity. Subcultural approaches assume there is a common value system to deviate from, don’t explain why people decide whether or not they participate in a deviant subculture, understanding the concepts of class, race, and gender, over focus on working class males and fail to highlight deviant sub-cultures in other sections of society.
There are many beliefs that make up a “culture” in society.
These include different beliefs, values, attitudes, traditions, and knowledge that serves as a cohesive force that binds social actors together. In many societies including the United States; social class is lived out as differences in ethnicity. In most societies there are also significant gender differences. Each chapter discusses how different subcultures create “unwritten” rules of gender, race, etc. Racists and white supremacists throughout Europe and America have, successfully adopted the skinhead subculture with its origins in late-1960’s London. Rules regarding gender, divide masculine and feminine behaviors and those who bend or break norms of gender and sexuality are often ostracized from that particular subculture or society in general. In schools, kids are constantly being labeled whether they are “too feminine” or “too
masculine”.
In the chapter on Goths and grrrls, Haenfler addresses the social construction of gender. Thee gothic subculture creates space for experimenting with gender and sexual identities. This is one aspect of the gothic subculture that isolates itself from the rest of society. For most subcultures, it is the complete opposite. Goths promote an “ideology of genderlessness” that they view as more tolerant and enlightened than the mainstream. Gender-bending is a concept that is looked upon in a positive way. Men typically wear make-up, have long hair, and may even wear skirts and fishnet tights. Haenfler deliberately states “Gods and adherents of many subcultures engage in the practice of stigma management more so then other groups.” (pg.89) I would disagree with this statement. In today’s society, teenagers are constantly battling with themselves to keep up with the rest of society (what is “in”). Prestige symbols are socially desirable traits that are looking upon in a positive way. Stigma symbols, prestige symbols, and disidentifiers are all attributes we use on a daily basis. We use these to mask our identity or flaws that we are not comfortable flaunting in public. However, I do agree with the author when he says that we don’t have to pretend to be something, but we choose this stigmatized identity for any number of reasons. Significantly, membership of subcultural groups is an important and normal aspect of the transitional phase of adolescence which enables both young males and females to develop a sense of individual and group identity.
Many youth subcultures are associated with specific music genres, and in some cases, music has been the primary characteristic that distinguishes one subculture from another. For example you can identify Punks, metal heads, and gangstas by the tope of music they listen to. Objects and possessions can also play a central role in identifying youth subcultures.
In today’s society teenage girls are constantly being pushed and pulled into a million damaging directions due to the media. Throughout history, the standard of female beauty often has been unrealistic and difficult to attain (Derenne & Beresin, 2006). Women, especially adolescents and pre-adolescents because of how easily they can be influenced, have always had a lot of preoccupations with their outside image, and consequently, they are extremely concerned about the way they are seen by others (Price. B, 2009). Among these, the mass media have been identified as the most pervasive and the most powerful (Groesz et al., 2002).
Adolescence is a time during a child’s youth when he/she goes through significant change, both physically and psychologically (Price. B, 2009). Body image and self-esteem is about how people value themselves. Body image is based on how satisfied you are with your appearance, how much importance you place on your physical appearance when determining your self-worth, and how accurately you estimate your own body size. B. Price (2009) found that adolescents tend to try to seek acceptance from their friends and peers to fit into their desired group. Through this process they are able to gain a sense of self-worth and belonging through similarities with those peers (Kroger, 1996). Acceptance stems from sharing the similarities such as personalities, attitudes, sports, fashion, hobbies, etc. Adolescence marks a time of rapid and intense emotional and physical changes. In the chapter, “Riot Grrls and Fic Writers”, Haenfler states that “media production has been a source of empowerment for many young women.” “As they enter the teenage years, girls tend to experience a drop in self-esteem, negative feelings about their bodies and a lack of sexual agency.”

“Subcultural media, especially, provides young women with opportunities to shape image of girls and bend the rules of femininity in meaningful ways.”
We are all prone to judge others and we have all been judged. Haenfler backs this statement up by stating, “ the characteristics upon which we are judged are socially constructed—our interpretations of subcultural lifestyles and practices are neither fixed nor God-given. “