Motorcycle Subculture

Sociology Final Written Assignment

        Just recently within these past few months I have been having this “itch” to pursue a hobby that would interest me. For some reason I began to feel as if I needed some hobby to help occupy my mind and body. But the interesting thing to note is I never felt this desire before, not growing up, not when I passed through high school, just recently as I just begin college and am just turning 20 years old. This is not to say I never had hobbies growing up: I loved playing sports, especially basketball and hockey, I used to enjoy playing video games, and I always had fun hanging out with my friends. However as I pass through college I begin to think of adding another hobby, and of course I want it to be something I can take pleasure in, but most important of all, I want to pursue an activity that will make me unique. One thing I’ve learned of myself this past year or so is that I hate forming towards the “typical” norm of a person. I don’t want to have a typical 9-5 cubicle job nor do I want to participate in activities that is deemed “normal” and that a lot of people part take in. I want people to look at me and view me not as an outcast, but someone who breaks the typical mold of a lifestyle lived in American society. So of course I went down the list of potential interests: Photography? Not too much of an artistic person; Play an instrument? As much as I love music, I definitely don’t have the proper creativity to pursue such a hobby; Learn to drive a motorcycle? Sounds like the perfect hobby that is thrilling and allows me to tap into my adventurous side. And just like that, I decided to learn to drive a motorcycle.

        As many people are aware of, with motorcycle driving there is a huge subculture that is associated with it. As I’ve recently learned and practiced driving a motorcycle, I’ve also quickly become aware of how being a motorcycle driver automatically makes you part of a large, diverse community. From a sociological perspective, being part of the motorcycle community is most definitely a subculture as it is a segment of society that shares a special pattern of mores (strongly/strictly held norms), folkways (Loosely/weakly held norms), beliefs, and values that differ from the larger society from to some degree. Becoming part of the motorcycle subculture you immediately gain a whole new perspective on the world, especially on the world of driving. For example, as a motorcycle driver, I’ve learned that when I do drive a car as my mode of transportation one day and spot a motorcyclist, I make sure to respect their presence on the road in every way possible, whether that is keeping my distance from them or to make sure I don’t cut them off, this is all because I have gained a deeper understanding of just how much more they’re at risk of injury if something were to go wrong (motorcycle subculture values fair and safe road presence especially for cyclists). Also, when I am driving my own bike and pass by another person riding their own bike, you always nod hands towards each other almost as an acknowledgement of the brotherhood there is as a motorcycle rider. This specific behavior illustrates a folkway as a motorcycle rider as it is special guideline for everyday conduct, and if you do not participate back you will be deemed as “odd”. As it should be noted, most people who participate in the motorcycle subculture, or any subculture, still take part in the dominant culture (in this case American societal culture and pursuit of success) but use the subculture to distinguish themselves from the dominant culture. From the perspective of a sociologist, this would explain why I chose the motorcycle subculture as I desire to become somewhat unique with the association of an enjoyable hobby.

        As I have established that with being a motorcycle rider comes being associated with the motorcycle subculture, I would like to illustrate the process I personally went through as I was socialized into the subculture. Essentially what socialization encapsulates is the process which one undergoes when learning the norms, attitudes, values, and behaviors that are appropriate for the particular culture (or subculture), or in layman’s terms socialization is the process of learning the little nuances as a motorcycle rider such as the examples in my previous paragraph. For me, this socialization began when I took the basic riders course from the motorcycle safety foundation. This laid the foundation not only for my motorcycle skills learning process but also becoming part of the motorcycle family. This course utilized ad blended two significant agents of socialization: peers and school. This approach to socialization made my experience and treatment of socialization into the subculture an enjoyable one. Especially since the course was free from the motorcycle safety foundation, the instructors were solely there in the best interest of me and my peers as they genuinely wanted us to become safe motorcycle riders but to also enjoy the experience that comes with it. This school atmosphere injunction with the fact I was learning with peers who were in a similar position as myself allowed everyone to form a bond, although it would be considered a weak bond or from the symbolic interactionist perspective (idea where individual reflects on society through view of image and self), specifically Cooley’s Looking Glass Self theory, interactions with a secondary group since the class was only three days long (total of 25 hours of class time) and we only got together for the purpose of learning how to ride a motorcycle. But with all that being said, this secondary group interactions were still very vital as it helped everyone learn to become better riders and learn from everyone’s beginner mistakes together in a controlled environment rather than on the public road where a dangerous situation could arise.