A subculture is a group of people who have a culture that my be hidden or distinct and are differentiated by their subculture from the larger culture that they belong in by the characteristics of these subculture (Conley, 2008). My subculture is this bike subculture. I am 35 years old lady and I love to ride motorcycles with my husband who has be riding for the past 20 years. We also travel so much. It is my love for motorcycle riding that makes me conclude that I belong to the biker subculture.
The biker subculture developed in the 1940’s and 50’s. At this time the WW II veterans had just returned from German and Japan. The veteran took up biking as thrilling venture. The young men who had risked their live at war particularly found biking a thrilling and exciting activity. As the biker subculture can be best discussed through the symbolic interationism perspective. This perspective certainly facilitate the understanding of why the bikers willingly and voluntarily join their the world of stigma and deviance through an explanation of the situation as well as instances in whip people continuously redefine social circumstances and reality as they interact.
The people joining the biker club such as the motorcycle owners clearly understand that they will be stigmatized for doing so yet they still do it. This can be perceived to be a result of the need to resist a dominant hierarchy in the American society, biker thus try to the hierarchy in a way that they determine their role in the society. Bikers refuse to be part of the American system where hierarchy is articulated by the amount of money earned annually. The bikers instead earn just enough money to live on. Thy further increase their hierarchy through their club royalty, motorcycle riding skills and violence and criminal activities (Conley, 2008)
Biker takes the stigmatization further by making use the knowledge of the characteristic train used by the working class members of the society valued in getting their jobs to advance in social status and knowingly violate them. By doing this the bikers redefine symbols that were initially stigmatized in to symbols of status. As such the club members get to emphasis their definition of social situation using these symbols. The symbols serve to elevate their social standing in the subculture hierarchy. This elevation normally attracts new members to join the subculture and bear the bikers clubs symbols.
Color is on of the major symbols used by the bikers clubs. For instance a biker club known as the percenters lays a lot of emphasis on color as a mean of their identification. The colors are associated with the clubs logo which is regarded with honor. The bikers gradually adopt mannerisms that become part of their culture. As opposed to vehicle drivers motorcycle riders are completely exposed to rain, dust and other elements of the environment and this makes them to be completely covered with layers of dust. As such the symbol of dust rain and cleanliness is a situation thus their identity. Color sever to distance member form other social subcultures
Tattoos which are considered as deviant have also been associated with the biker who use certain tattoo designs to identify themselves as members of the same brotherhood. Getting a tattoo signify that one abides top the rules of the gang thus earning him or her honor. As such tattoos become differentiating symbols that differentiate them form other subculture o f the working class in the society and those up in social hierarchy. However the biker subculture has be associated with cruel activities such as beating and murder making some earn jail terms for countless number of crime. Whether, they are criminal war veterans, white-collar workers among other, biker share a common goal of resistance affiliating them to place that they won’t be subjected to social standings based on their income. As such the subculture redefines the society to ensure all member are accorded opportunity for achievement