Counterculture

== Overview ==
According to dictionary.com the word counterculture is a noun and is defined as "the culture and lifestyle of those people, especially among the young, who reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of society". Counterculture is a term used to refer to a chosen lifestyle/subculture that rejects the values and norms common to mainstream society. 
== History ==
Counterculture also refers to a time period in America (American Counterculture) when the norms were rejected by the youth. The time period was between 1964-1972, the youth rejected the norms set in the 1950s. The American Counterculture coincided with the country's involvement in Vietnam, this time period is a very important one for American history as, the youth rejected the "cultural standards of their parents, specifically racial segregation and initial widespread support for the Vietnam War". During this time period we see a lot emerging politically, socially and culturally due to the counterculture that the younger generation brought forth. There were movements in the direction that we are today, with regards to "race relations, sexual mores, women's rights, traditional modes of authority, and a materialist interpretation of the American Dream". The majority of this movement was lead by white, middle class youths. 
== Examples ==
Coming from this counterculture we get what we today typically know as "hippies", and this counterculture reached its peak "in the 1967 "Summer of Love", when thousands of young people flocked to the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco". Essentially every movement forward to where we are today culturally, socially and politically was at some point seen as a counterculture because it went against what was the norm. Counterculture-like movements are also in modern society. Today, there are many countercultures instead of the select defining ones of the 1960s and '70s. For example, the hipster counterculture's basis is simply to differentiate itself from mainstream through both parody and rejection. People often self-identify under several different countercultures, defined as "situals" in Scenario Magazine, and become a hybrid of qualities and attributes against the popular values of society. 
== Critical Conversation ==
Counterculture-like movements are commonly looked down upon in society because the values of this "rebellious" culture tend to go against the norms and morals present in society at that time. However, many people would argue whether the counterculture had more negative or positive effects to society in the long run. People who follow the counterculture are generally following it to "protest" or "rebel" against something that is wrong in society (such as a cerainn value/norm). For example, in the 1920s, woman began to wear skirts that were well above the knees to "rebel" against the norm in society that woman had to be well-behaved and covered while men were given more freedom. Ultimately, this counterculture led to the start in the fight for women rights and gave women equal opportunities as men. If women would not have protested and created a counterculture when fighting for women's rights, then people would have never seen a norm in society as wrong. Counterculture has the ability to subvert old and atavistic paradigms in society to create modernization, change, and equal opportunities. 
== Resources and Further Reading ==
1. "Countercultures of the Future" in Scenario Magazine details the forming counterculture groups in today's world, including Greedbusters, new atheism, transhumanism, and anarconomy. 
== Keywords ==
Culture
Lifestyle 
Society
NormsCategory:Keyword