Guided by the suggestions and remarks of this review, I can conclude that my essay was not as cohesive as it should be to correspond to the thesis. And this one, on the other hand, it seemed to be too broad to develop. Perhaps attaining to women motorcycle riders subculture could’ve been an essay better developed, conferring an improved focus to my writing.
I’ve started out by clustering around the main idea, and it is clear to me now that, because so much content was generated, it became nearly impossible focusing in deeply developing each aspect of this subculture. The paragraph development stage is definitely a challenge. I’ve tried to focus on the PIE “formula”, however because of the reasons above, it didn’t seem as easy to assemble the ideas into a coherent text.
Another aspect that deserves improvement is the interpretation of quotations. The quote cited from Kalle Lasn’s book, Culture Jam, was not developed, and I can see that further development and correlation to the topic could have been better articulated.
One of the positive aspects of this essay, in my opinion, was the peer response activity, which helped me to consider some aspects otherwise neglected, such as the additional examples of events in which motorcycle riders participate; the body paragraph structure (although I can see it was clearly not mastered) among other relevant suggestions.
A Popular Subculture
The Motorcycle Riders Subculture
Answer fast: What comes to your mind when you picture the image of the iconic Harley Davidson motorcycles? Many people would possibly answer they are quickly reminded of the ones riding on top of those bikes, tattooed outlaws with a background in drug dealing. Others, perhaps the minority, if ever have driven a motorcycle will instantly remind themselves of the sense of liberty and adventure that is known to move this country. In the midst of stereotypes and controversies, the motorcycle riders’ subculture symbolizes the search for freedom, adventure and audacity that defines the American spirit.
Throughout its history, motorcycles were constantly associated to a sense of freedom. In riding, the motorcyclist experiences the freedom and control of a sole journey, the same spirit of freedom that moved immigrants in the search for a land to start a new life. The motorcycle embodies this search for independence, a looking-backward toward the American West, and a looking-forward toward a time when all people can unite under the camaraderie of being a motorcycle rider.
Also throughout time, many were the motorcycle manufactures that made their mark into this subculture; Indian was the oldest motorcycle brand in the United States until it ceased production in the 1950s. It was also the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world until the First World War, when the Harley-Davidson gained strength in that arena. Built to be a racer, in 1918, almost half of all Harley-Davidson motorcycles produced were sold for use by the U.S. military in World War I. At War's end, it is estimated that the Army used some 20,000 motorcycles in their efforts, most of which were Harley-Davidsons. Today, frequently referred to the image of the iconic Harley Davidson, motorcycle riders seem to have elected this, their favorite bike.
And just as many types and brand of bikes, there are many representatives of the motorcycle subculture, including the Mods, short for modernists, represented by riders of motor scooters, extreme sports riders, represented by drag racers, stunt and trick enthusiasts. Also groups by model speak about such subculture; those who prefer a particular brand of motorcycle. They typically go out on weekends or on special events and hold exhibits of their bikes.
However, motorcycle riders not always hold positive images. In good part leaded by the media, negative stereotypes have been carved out along the years. The typical tattooed and unfriendly faced individuals are the typical image of motorcycle riders the media helped us to formulate. Often associated with gang-related, law-breaking activities groups, or the so called one percenters, such as the Hells Angels, a well know motorcycle club known and feared by its criminal activities, including drug dealing cases, motorcycle riders are victims of unfair stereotypes. The typical Hells Angels candidates must be must be male, white, have a valid driver's license, have a working motorcycle and cannot be a child molester or have applied to become a police officer or prison guard; not all motorcycle riders fit into that profile. By that, one can infer motorcycle riders are often stigmatized through a negative generalization. As Mark Probest defended in his article, “Thou Shalt be Judged”, our society is fed of preconceived notions of a specific subcultures, mainly fueled by media branded inputs.
Nonetheless, not only by declared outlaws is formed this subculture. The creation of a broad range of Motorcycle clubs have largely contributed to popularize this what is more than a group of bike riders, but owners of a very specific lifestyle. The spirit of audacity inherent to motorcycle riders comes alive in social motorcyclist associations, bikers raise money for charities through organized events and rides, some other motorcycle organizations exist only for the direct benefit of others. Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) is one example. BACA assigns members to individual children to help them through difficult situations, or even stay with the child if the child is alone or frightened. Among those events, motorcycle clubs throughout the entire country promote the Annual Blood Drive, and some, advertise more spirituous event names, such as the “Save our Boobs Party” sponsored by Livermore Henchmen Motorcycle Club, in benefit of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
In addition to the growth of motorcycles riders’ involvement in social initiatives, another big event in the motorcycling industry is the increase and impact of the female riding population. Latest figures from the Motorcycle Industry Council indicate that since 2003 the number of women riding a motorcycle has increased 24 percent. The majority of women who adhere to this lifestyle are in their forties, meaning their kids, if any, are probably independent now, so those female riders found a way to celebrate their symbolic new found freedom. Occasions to celebrate the rising of adepts are also becoming more relevant, and perhaps its better example is the International Female Ride Day, where women riders of every modality, either cruiser, scooter, off-road, touring or competition, are evoked to participate. Such event represents the existing link among women through the shared activity of motorcycling. One day to celebrate and highlight the many numbers of women who share a passion for the sport.
From motorcycle clubs, cruising by focused print and online magazines such as American Motorcyclist Magazine, cycleworld.com, motorcycleworld.com and utimatemotorcycling.com and including an infinity of products dedicated to men and women, this subculture has solidified itself in our society, and the number of individuals looking for free-spiritedness, love, and passion for life is on the rise.
What is American Culture - Post Essay Reflection
Learning the definition and insights on culture and popular culture, helped me to undo the idea of culture as something related to one’s ethnical background, which was then, the first image would come to my mind prior to becoming more acquainted with the concept. I was also surprised to find out there is no exact terms or uniform concept of the word culture, nonetheless there is common ground for its definition.
After receiving feedback on my first in-class essay, I realized that there is a lot of work to be done in order to improve as a writer. I believe that writing is the ultimate result of one’s work as a reader and critical thinker. Neglecting those two extremely important skills, the outcome of ideas in a shape of an essay may result into a lousy paper. I do need to improve as a reader, making critic questions to the reading selection, therefore, finding and developing consistent and coercive arguments and supporting ideas to my thesis (statement), so that will be my focus.
After receiving feedback on my first in-class essay, I realized that there is a lot of work to be done in order to improve as a writer. I believe that writing is the ultimate result of one’s work as a reader and critical thinker. Neglecting those two extremely important skills, the outcome of ideas in a shape of an essay may result into a lousy paper. I do need to improve as a reader, making critic questions to the reading selection, therefore, finding and developing consistent and coercive arguments and supporting ideas to my thesis (statement), so that will be my focus.
What is American Culture?
The Newest Family Member of the American Culture
It is about five o’clock when my husband enters into our living room after work; he is happy to be home, but quickly walks to the office where he has additional work to do. As I am preparing dinner with my eighteen-month-old daughter around, I receive a text message coming from his computer, asking when will dinner be ready. One could quickly imagine we probably live in a enormous house, but that is not the case; he just finds communicating electronically fast, it helps to keep him relatively focused on his work, and let’s face it, the limited back and forth messaging takes away from the conversation further questions and explanations.
Computers are intrinsically inserted in the American culture, as it became a reflection of perhaps the most popular, if not adequate, way of communication in the current times. As a society, we are just too busy, too focused, or just too lazy to physically interact with others. That device is, therefore, a cultural artifact that represents who we are as nation. As Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure emphasize in Common Culture, “…pop culture is the shared knowledge and practices of a specific group at a specific time.” (4). That way, communicating via computers, and doing just about everything else using that device, has increasingly become part of our daily routine. From purchasing furniture, taking online college courses, to “seeing” someone who is thousands of miles away, it is almost unimaginable for someone who lives in this time and age to neglect the presence of that sudden new “family member”.
One could cogitate the idea that computers are mostly present in our private individual lives, however, as it has truly become a symbol that represents the American culture in its entirely. For example, in conversation with a friend who works as a Recruiting Manager for a bottling company, she mentioned that up to six years ago, one of the ways to evaluate a prospective candidate was to analyze his personality through graphology. According to her, it is unspeakable maintaining the same selection process when our culture has evolved from handwritten to typed words.
Perhaps when looking back at my quotidian family life, I shall also look at computers as a new way of communicating, keeping in touch with others or simply as a handy device that has evolved into an extension of our bodies immersed in a ongoing mutable environment.
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