There is a propensity of subcultures to become commercially absorbed into mainstream ideology as examined by Adorno and Frith, making them less viable as an impassioned social and political voice. I believe that Suicidal Tendencies are in an even stronger position to live an authentic subculture due to their success as a skate punk entity, which has elevated them to a position of complete self sufficiency, the height of D.I.Y. achievement.

During the 1970s, the Dogtown and Z-Boys skaters of Southern California created an inspired rebellion through their appropriation of Southern California suburbia. Youth unemployment was rife during this period due to the oil crisis (Chlorine, 2003) and there were many youths with spare time on their hands. The drought of the 1970s had caused many of the pools to be emptied and this offered bored youths some fun as well as a way to pass time through the activity of pool skatin

“Skaters have a completely different culture from the norms of the world’s society. We dress differently, we have our own language, use our own slang, and live by our own rules. People feel threatened by foreign attitudes. Everyone has his own views on different types of society and their own stereotypes…Please stop viewing us as a totally negative race of people.”

The importance of these videos as propagation of an authentic music subculture and indeed a way of life, are still just as popular and relevant in conveying meaning on an international scale in the present age. They are a visual representation of a time and a place, but include an attitude that still prevails to this day...[this band] as a representation of skate punk subculture, sustains its ideologies, whilst also challenging mainstream and conservative political and societ

The case study will generate an understanding of how Suicidal Tendencies has come to represent the subculture of skate punk, maintain longevity and authenticity, and contribute to the understanding of “the reflexive project of the self” which focuses upon freeing yourself from societal institutions and creating a life you wish to lead.