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Critical Analysis Of

‘Identity Risis’, And ‘Oppositional Dr Essay, Research Paper


A Critical Analysis Of “Identity Crisis”


and


“Oppositional Dress”


In Minabrere Ibelema’s essay “Identity Crisis”, Ibelema


suggests that the mainstream american culture is so powerful that


all cultures conform to it. Ibelema does this by showing how the


mass media portrays African Americans in relation to their


cultural identity by using situation comedies as a measuring


tool. Of the episodes Ibelema uses very few of them look at


African Americans cultural identity. However, what they do is


briefly address a cultural story line for one episode, but then


revert back to the mainstream anglo programming. On the


otherhand, Elizabeth Wilson says in her essay “Oppositional


Dress” that sub cultures do exist in society and are strong


enough to resist assimilation into the mainstream, and still


exist on their own terms. Wilson proves her point by giving


examples of sub cultures that appeared in society, and she shows


that they still thrive today.On example Wilson uses is the hippie


culture that evolved in the 1960’s. She points out that hippies


can be seen today in some areas of the United states, proving her


point. She also mentions other movements like the Gay Liberation


Movement, the Punk movement, and the Skin Heads, who can all be


seen in some form today. In mainstream american culture some


individual sub cultures do get lost in the mainstream, but are


not forgotten, however most oppositional cultures resist


assimilation into the main steam and continue to define


themselves on their own terms.


In Ibelema’s essay, he says that the mainstream culture is


so strong that individual cultures assimilate into it. This


proposition is not completely correct. The examples Ibelema uses


are derived from situation comedies that are directed at a cross


cultural mainstream audience. His point is that the African


American culture is nonexistent, or assimilated because African


American cultural values are not expressed fully in these


sitcoms, thus they are a part of the assimilation process.


Because these sitcoms are directed at a cross cultural audience


the assumption Ibelema uses is false. The African American


culture is not lost in america, its existence is found in the


homes of African Americans throughout america and is passed on


through mothers and fathers, and grand mothers and grand fathers.


An opposing view to this argument is Elizabeth Wilson’s


ess

ay “Oppositional Dress”. Her belief is that sub cultures exist


in the mainstream society, and they dictate their own existence.


Wilson proves her theory by giving example after example of sub


cultures that evolved from the mainstream in both the United


States and Great Britain. These sub cultures usually evolve


around young people that are rebelling against the dress and


views of their parents. For example the Hippie movement of the


1960’s started a dress trend that is still seen across america.


They wore bell bottomed pants, flowery shirts, they grew their


hair long, and they supported peace over war. These views were


seen as oppositional to their parents, and thus they became


“Hippies” Another example Wilson gives is that of the Gay


Movement. In the 1970’s this movement was in full form. What the


Gay Movement started was the idea of a homosexual or lesbian


person publicly declaring themselves as being gay. One of the


most outrageous ways to do this was to dress in “drag”, wearing


makeup, and a dress. These homosexuals broke down the door of


stereotypical gender roles and took on cross dressing as a


defining tool. Over time the Gay Movement took on another task to


reestablish their masculinity. From this came the “clone look”.


Clones wore jeans, distressed leather, heavy boots, and were


normally clean shaven with a styled mustache. The Gay Movement


didn’t assimilate into the mainstream, it evolved into its own


sub culture that exists today. African americans and other ethnic


minorities also have cultivated their own controversial styles.


Their styles however usually carried with it a message. By the


1940’s young blacks developed a distinctive style of dress called


a zoot suit. These suits had exaggerated padded shoulders, peg


top trousers, narrowing ankles, and the were lavishly draped. The


zoot suiters dressed this way to demonstrate against the war


effort. The zoot suiter is a clear example of a symbolic sub


culture that was a statement of ethnic pride, and a refusal to


assimilate.


In mainstream american culture, sub cultures are not lost or


assimilated into the mainstream. They are embraced by those who


participate in them, and evolve over time to suit the needs of


the sub culture. The sub cultures that exist in society aren’t


separate from the mainstream culture, but part of it. Elizabeth


Wilson is correct in her belief that sub cultures resist


assimilation, and seek to clarify their individuality on their


own terms.

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