Youth Subcultures free essay sample

In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong. Six key ways in which subcultures can be identified: 1. Through their often negative relations to work (as idle, parasitic, at play or at leisure, etc. ); 2. through their negative or ambivalent relation to class (since subcultures are not class-conscious and dont conform to traditional class definitions); 3. through their association with territory (the street, the hood, the club, etc. , rather than property; 4. through their movement out of the home and into non-domestic forms of belonging (i. e. social groups other than the family); 5. through their stylistic ties to excess and exaggeration (with some exceptions); 6. Through their refusal of the banalities of ordinary life and massification. The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to clothing, music a nd other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture. We will write a custom essay sample on Youth Subcultures or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to Dick Hebdige, members of a subculture often signal their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, mannerisms, and argot. Subcultures can exist at all levels of organizations, highlighting the fact that there are multiple cultures or value combinations usually evident in any one organization that can complement but also compete with the overall organizational culture. In some cases, subcultures have been legislated against, and their activities regulated or curtailed Sexual subcultures The sexual revolution of the 1960s led to a countercultural rejection of the established sexual and gender norms, particularly in the urban areas of Europe, North and South America, Australia, and white South Africa. A more permissive social environment in these areas led to a proliferation of sexual subcultures—cultural expressions of non-normative sexuality. As with other subcultures, sexual subcultures adopted certain styles of fashion and gestures to distinguish them from the mainstream. Homosexuals expressed themselves through the gay culture, considered the largest sexual subculture of the 20th century. With the ever increasing acceptance of homosexuality in the early 21st century, including its expressions in fashion, music, and design, the gay culture can no longer be considered a subculture in many parts of the world, although some aspects of gay culture like leather men, bears, and feeders are considered subcultures within the gay movement itself. The butch and femme identities or roles among some lesbians also engender their own subculture with stereotypical attire, for instance drag kings. A late 1980s development, the queer movement can be considered a subculture broadly encompassing those that reject normatively in sexual behavior, and who celebrate visibility and activism. The wider movement coincided with growing academic interests in queer studies and queer theory. Aspects of sexual subcultures can vary along other cultural lines. For instance, in the United States, the term down-low is used to refer to African-American men who do not identify themselves with the gay or queer cultures, but who practice gay cruising, and adopt a specific hip-hop attire during this activity A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Youth subcultures that show a systematic hostility to the dominant culture are sometimes described as countercultures. Youth subcultures are often distinguished by elements such as fashion, beliefs, slang, dialects or behaviours. Vehicles — such as cars, motorcycles, scooters or skateboards — have played central roles in certain youth subcultures. In the United Kingdom in the 1960s, mods were associated with scooters while rockers were associated with motorcycles. Specific music genres are associated with many youth subcultures, such as punks, ravers, metalheads and goths. The study of subcultures often consists of the study of the symbolism attached to clothing, music, other visible affections by members of the subculture, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture. Socioeconomic class, gender, intelligence, conformity and ethnicity can be important in relation to youth subcultures. Youth subcultures can be defined as meaning systems, modes of expression or lifestyles developed by groups in subordinate structural positions in response to dominant systems — and which reflect their attempt to solve structural contradictions rising from the wider societal context.

Essay Sample on Law in Australia The Separation of Powers

Essay Sample on Law in Australia The Separation of Powers Argumentative Essay on the Separation of Powers: In most nations, the concept of separation of powers is a dominant factor despite the system of government of a country. This concept insists that the judiciary, the legislature and the executive branches of the government be separated from each other in terms of their day to day functioning. Separation of powers is a doctrine that was institutionalized many centuries ago, and it became strictly functional. In the modern day however, some nations tend to ignore it and this results to disputes. In Australia for instance, this concept has been extremely compromised to the extent that it no longer exists. This ignorance to separation of powers is witnessed between and among the three arms of government and between the commonwealth level and the state level of Australia. This paper will underline examples of cases that prove that indeed; there failure in separation of powers in Australia (Gelber, 2006). The commonwealth and the state level Australia has two levels of government, the federal government, which is the overall government of the land, and the state governments, which are independent and have their own premiers. The state governments thus rule themselves without any interference from the federal government. However, there are instances when the federal government interferes with the activities of the state governments. In the 2008 court ruling of the Betfair Pty Limited Vs Western Australia, the high court ruled that Western Australia had discriminatory rules against businessmen. This shows a violation of separation of powers of the state since its own courts had ruled against the Betfair case, (Kirk, 2011). Moreover, in the 2004 Fardon Vs Attorney general dispute, the Queensland high court ruled that Fardon be continually imprisoned because he was a potential threat to the public. In its judgment, the high court ruled against this decision, and thus overriding the powers of the supreme court of Queensland ( HCA, 2005). The legislature and the Executive The legislative arm of the government is charged with making laws of the land while the executive oversees the implementation of these laws. The Prime Minister is in charge of the executive and is also the chief of the government. Australian lawmakers have had an extraordinarily stern and negative opinion against war and immigration into Australia. Thus, the laws they make and implement is extremely against these two aspects. In the 200 Egan Vs Willis case, disputed against parliamentary affairs at the commonwealth and the state level (Griffith, 1999). In this case, it was disputed that parliament had no obligation to scrutinize the functions of the executive. The decision reached by the high court was a ruling against this. The high court emphasized that as long as the law still applied, the executive must be under strict scrutiny by the parliament. This is to ensure that the rule of law is upheld (Mantziaris, 1999). The legislature and the judiciary The main role of the judiciary is to solve disputes and to ensure that there is no breaking of the law. The main court of the judiciary is the high court. In 1997, the Queensland premier, Bob Borbidge publicly proclaimed that the judiciary was in need of a constitutional surgery. In this, he meant that the decisions of the court were not binding and that the court needed serious changes. This is a show of the intrusion into the powers of the judiciary. In the same year, the high court demanded that it be given the function of making laws, as opposed to the legislature. This saw a strong opposition from the legislature. The prime minister also stated that it is only the legislature that is granted powers to make laws and no one else. This certainly shows that there has been erosion to the concept of the separation of powers (Patapan, 1999). The executive and the judiciary Australia has always maintained an unaccommodating nature on asylum seekers. In 2011 for instance, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard ordered the deposition of asylum seekers to Malaysia, as it was proved to be safe for them (Gemma Alison, 2011). Contrary to this decision, the high court issued orders that the deposition of asylum seekers to Malaysia be stopped, saying that there is no prove that the place is safe for human life. This shows a lack of separation of powers between the judiciary and the executive. The judiciary failed to respect the decision of the prime minister, and this shows a direct violation of the separation of powers (Joe, 2011). In the 2005 Combet Vs Commonwealth case, it was proclaimed that the federal government was using excess public funds to advertise the new work choices law. The court ruled in favor of the government, stating that all government expenditures were lawful unless they were unaccounted for (Williams, 2005).