Lets start with a picture:
How many of you recognize this man or know who he is? To most of us (maybe all of us) his name wouldn’t ring any bells. What if I told you this man was a pioneer in his chosen field? What if I told you this man has influenced thousands across the world? To many he would go unnoticed on the street but to others he is a legend. His name is Richard “Crazy Legs” Colón and he is a founding father of the b-boy subculture. Almost like the George Washington of break dancing.
Crazy Legs first started break dancing in the early 1970s when it was first getting started. He was one of the original members of The Rock Steady Crew, which was one of the original crews ever formed. Now years later, the b boy subculture has expanded to the far reaches of the world. What started in the Bronx with just a few kids has now reached all throughout Europe and Asia.
I doubt Crazy Legs knew how influential he would be to the b boy culture, or how big break dancing would actually become. When he was inventing dance moves, I doubt he was thinking about how it would be received in Japan when he took his crew there. But the sport needed somebody. It needed someone to be able to take it out of the Bronx and deliver it to the world. You cant create an entire subculture with only a few people in a single city. The point is that without these first pioneers to carry the b boy flag, it might not be nearly as popular today. Maybe it would have become just another passing fad (like pogs or slap bracelets). Just like how William Wallace brought freedom to Scotland, Crazy Legs was instrumental in taking break dancing to the masses.
So my questions are as follows: Are there other subcultures that have had pioneers in their early stages? Who are they?
Do subcultures need a “hero” to follow?
If you were a world renowned break dancer, what would your b boy/b girl name be?
36 comments:
I think that most subcultures do in fact need a "hero." I think that's part of how a subculture comes to be. Someone decides to do something different (in the case of the post, break dancing) in a way that makes other people want to do it too. Pretty soon it begins to grow.
Oh yeah, and I think my b boy name would probably be something like "Left Foot Squared" 'cause I can't break dance to save my life.
I don't see why a subculture necessarily needs a hero. It almost seems like a subculture loses its authenticity or individuality, if group members hail a specific hero. Subculture participants seem to take on a persona and then be and do what they want without attributing their ways to a hero.
I'm not aware of the many heroes for the different subcultures. I couldn't tell you who the hero of surfing is or the hero of skateboarding is either. I think a lot of these subcultures start their trend as a group.
I agree with Kayleigh - I don't think a subculture necessarily needs a hero, but if it does, great! If not, that's okay too. I guess for skating there's Tony Hawk - maybe? I dunno. He's just famous, so I know his name. But i'm sure they wouldn't make a video game of him if he wasn't someone's hero or what not.
I agree with Chris...I think most subcultures start as a movement, but sometimes have like a flag bearing individual within that group who sometimes get recognized more than the others.
Wait, pogs and slap bracelets were just a passing fad?
...I guess I have a few boxes I need to take to DI.
I had a t-shirt in High School that said "Overly Caucasian: Do not place on a dance floor." People would call me "Overly C" at dances, which I will now adopt to be my b-boy name.
Subcultures don't need one hero necessarily, but they do need someone to lead the way and to open up for new and exciting territory. Otherwise, the popular would be mundane and die quickly.
If i were a break dancer, my B-boy name would be "white-guy-that-does-robot." People would respect.
Do we need to answer all those questions?
Yeah, they need heroes. Unless you are a hipster, then you think YOU are the hero.
PS, I disagree with Kayleigh and Chris, although I love them dearly.
Surfing heroes: Eddie Aikau. Laird Hamilton.
Skateboarding heroes:Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams, Tony Hawk, etc.
Trekkie Heroes: Cap'n Kirk. Spok.
Skiing heroes: Glen Plake, Scott Schmidt, Trevor Peterson.
Snowboarding Heroes: Jake Burton, Shaun White.
Goths: Marilyn Manson. Dracula.
Business Execs: Og Mandino. Oprah.
Zoobies: Thomas S. Monson. Nephi. Michael Scott. Jack Johnson. Joseph Smith.
In order to survive and go big I feel like subcultures definitely need a "hero". When I think of the skating industry, my mind instantly thinks of Tony Hawk. He made skateboarding huge. I don't think the sport would be where it is today without his face to associate it with. And for my b-girl name I would have to say: "wall flower" would do the trick. yep, perfect description of my participation at dance parties.
I think subcultures do in fact need a hero. Someone has to stand up and decide to do something against the norm. However, once other people begin following this hero and this trend,I believe a subculture becomes more of a group. Once the subculture is established there is no need for a hero. But in almost every situation, there needs to be some kind of leader to get things started.
Every subculture must have a pioneer. These people start as pioneers and then become heroes as the sub culture becomes more popular. These hereos are trendsetters and should be respected because it takes a lot of courage to go against the grain for what they believe in.
subcultures do not need a hero, but rather are attractive because they offer membership into a bigger group, a natural human desire.
naturally people will start to find a central figure for anything. even in subcultures. no idea what my name would be.
I think all subcultures start with a hero in one way or another. I think my break dance name would be something with the worm in it. Sadly, it is the only break dance move I can do.
I agree that subcultures need an original trendsetter. It takes someone with the courage to do something different to get a large subculture movement started. After that person is successful at separating himself from the mainstream, people will jump on the bandwagon.
There are pioneers, but I don't know who the first trekkies were or any of the other subculture pioneers/ heroes. I think they are needed because to inspire others to join.
i don't know if there is one individual who begins a subculture. it's like stated earlier, a movement that progresses.
Thanks jake for stealing my thunder. Leave the snowboard names to those who ride sideways haha.
Seriously though subcultures do not need a hero but they often arise for some reason. It's almost by chance - they arise and people flock and follow.
ok I'll drop some more:
Snowboarding: Jeremy Jones, Tom Simms (google SNURFER I dare you)
Motocross: Jeremy McGrath, Travis Pastrana
that is all.
I think the majority of subcultures start out with a hero or pioneer. Someone has to start the trend, right? If I had a b girl name it would have to be Spin Girl.
I think it helps a subculture to grow when there is a hero to rally around. When someone has already stepped out and is showing that that particular style or attitude can be taken on. It's easier to get into it if someone has done it before.
Every culture has a hero. I think they're usually who is decided to be the person that brings to light their interests and such.
Well I am a b girl and my street name is Reb-nast. I do think subcultures need a hero to follow. Maybe it's not a person they can call by name, but some idea of an icon they can imitate is necessary. I know with sports or dance movements there's usually a certain person but with movements like the grunge movement or hipsters it's more of an ideal that they all flock to. Whether it's a real person, a political platform or just a certain look, subcultures are dependent on a 'hero' to lead them.
I believe that subcultures do need a hero, because our culture is a "hero" culture. Every major movie, there is a hero. We grow up, looking for people to look like, act like, and they become kind of our heroes. And the same happens to subcultures... there is a need for someone to set the example, so others can follow...
i think subcultures are born through implementing the "follow the leader" strategy. It's a trend that had to start somewhere. However, belonging to the same subculture doesn't mean following the same person. Once you belong to something, someone may look to you as their "hero" or "leader".
Well I think that a trend might start with one individual and then spread to others creating a subculture. However, I doubt the individual who started the trend would ever want to be singled out for inspiring all of the kids that might follow his trend. In all actuality he might feel like everyone who copies whatever he does is an insecure poser. Having said all of that though, it is still hard to imagine one individual being responsible for pioneering a new trend or subculture.
i think a hero, or in this case a founder, helps people to rally. i'm thinking hard about the b-girl name.
I guess that I should learn to respond earlier to these post so that my comments can seem remotely original. If I had a b-boy name it would be "n' spice" because I would be the one dancing with all dem suga mamas on the floor. I would see that large part of subcultures are seperating yourself from the mainstream. When seperating yourself that means that you are going to be lonely fro the time being. President HInckley said that as a leader you are going to stand on your own sometimes and that is lonely. But once the leader had company, then common bonds develop the subculture. There has to be a strong individual that will stand alone to start anything.
subcultures start with one person or a group usually. if you look back to the beg of each subculture there is always a dominant figure that sticks out. These are not necessarily heros, but examples of what the subculture to aspire to be.
I think that subcultures certainly need a hero, someone who can lead the way. If I had a b boy name it would probably be "dead legs" because heaven knows I can't dance. (okay...that was an awful joke...sorry)
I think a hero motivates people and gives them something to aspire to. I think a hero isn't essential to the creation of a sub culture, but it can speed the growth.
I think there are heroes in subcultures but they don't really last long. I think it is definitely a generation thing.
I think that having a hero strengthens a group, but is not a requirement for a subculture to have one.
I would agree with the previous comments. If there isn't a hero at the beginning of a subculture movement, there will be soon. Everyone likes a leader, and someone is always willing to lead.
I think that subcultures do need a hero to follow. I don't know of any, but it seems like most subcultures today tend to revolve around a few favorite bands or styles.
If I were a world renown break dancer my b girl name would be "phat lace".......?
I think a subculture needs a hero. Each one seems to have a pioneer and a current leader whom the followers look to to start different trends.
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