Firstly because subcultures usually need something to define themselves in opposition to
This is not my experience; e.g. various geek, fandom, and art subcultures define themselves primarily around a positive thing that they are creating/doing/enjoying, rather than as being opposed to anything in particular. Sure, there might be a bit of in-group snobbishness and feeling superior to “mundanes” or whatever, but at least in the groups I’ve participated in, it’s not particularly pronounced or necessarily even present at all.
Hmm. Yeah, you’re probably right. Although there is the common phenomenon of social subgroups stratifying into smaller and smaller cliques, which is some evidence that oppositional group identity matters even if it doesn’t feel like it from the inside.
(minor nitpick)
This is not my experience; e.g. various geek, fandom, and art subcultures define themselves primarily around a positive thing that they are creating/doing/enjoying, rather than as being opposed to anything in particular. Sure, there might be a bit of in-group snobbishness and feeling superior to “mundanes” or whatever, but at least in the groups I’ve participated in, it’s not particularly pronounced or necessarily even present at all.
Hmm. Yeah, you’re probably right. Although there is the common phenomenon of social subgroups stratifying into smaller and smaller cliques, which is some evidence that oppositional group identity matters even if it doesn’t feel like it from the inside.