Counterculture

Counterculture is any culture that is alternative to the mainstream. With this Merit, you gain influence over somewhat unified groups that can mobilized for a cause. The identity of the groups can be diverse and varied; they could be punks, hippies, anarchists, disaffected youths, or college students concerned with social issues. Generally, the prevalent attitudes of these groups would be left-leaning and anti-conformist. 
In West Berlin, counterculture is king. The outcasts and runaways all end up in West Berlin; they hang out at the train station to smoke pot and heroin, trade their vinyls of spacey punk rock music, and play final arbiter to what’s cool and what’s not in the infamous nightclubs of Berlin. Artists are not content to just entertain. They can sway public opinion on social issues, as they did on the Vietnam War or the Berlin Wall. West Berlin’s college students are particularly active, and are not shy of using violence to get their views heard. The Student Movement of ’68 was a nationwide movement that culminated in riots and the death of four students. These days the youth’s usual protesting target is the Americans, whom they see as colonial and imperialistic. 
==Status==
••••• Producer of Major Recording Studio, Legendary Celebrity
•••• Major Music Promoter, Celebrity with cult following,
Liberal Arts College Professor
••• Club owner, Popular Opinion Leader, Politically-Active Entertainer, Leader of Local Student Association, Editor of Underground Zine
•• Up-and-comer, Art Scene Darling, Club DJ, “Hype-man” for popular celebrity
• Budding Artist, College Student, Young Punk or Hippie
==Tasks==
===Level 1===
:Get the word on the street
:Identify subcultures and know their turfs and habits
:Obtain club drugs
===Level 2===
:Vouch for someone else as a member of a subculture
:Hold an illegal rave at a certain venue
:Gain access to the VIP room
:Be first in line at autograph signings
:Influence opinion of a small group of youths
:Cause a subculture to follow or abandon a trend
===Level 3===
:Book a club for one night
:Organise a local protest
:Organise a fundraiser (Resources 3)
:Influence the opinion of a large group of youths
:Steer patrons away from a club, deeming it a “sell-out"
===Level 4===
:Book major concert venues
:Make or break an artist
:Organise lengthy or wide-spread protests
:Organise culture exchange or music promotional tour to East Germany
===Level 5===
:Book international artists
:Cancel or move major concert tours
:Have the public overlook an indiscretion
:Influence nationwide public opinion on a social issue
Category:Influence