The Underground is an umbrella term for a variety of subcultures that are not, or do not want to be, associated with the mainstream. Their characteristics include locality, personal connections with audiences/members, open-mindedness, intimacy and, above all, a do-it-yourself (DIY) work ethic. The DIY aspect is one of the biggest telltale signs of an alternative culture and is extremely popular with its members. In this article I will explore the relationship between this DIY philosophy and underground culture, how it was represented in our course materials, and what the implications are of this relationship as presented in those course materials. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin with, most people who belong to the underground scene place a lot of importance on originality and authentic content. People who don't produce and create things themselves and don't sign contracts with labels or songwriters are not considered underground and are usually frowned upon. This is why the DIY aspect is so important. It means that one is “real”, creative and passionate enough to commit enormous effort to a project that will not create any profit and, most likely, will result in a loss of money. It means that behind the project there is a message, an idea that has real meaning and was not created solely for the purpose of making money. The do-it-yourself philosophy also allows people to express themselves without the intervention of anyone else, making them free to share their ideas however they see fit. One of the best examples of this free expression analyzed in class is the existence of zines. Zines are a type of publication that is typically written, put together, and published by one person. They have no fixed theme and are usually a collection of what the author finds interesting, whether essays, images, reviews or a collection of the titles of their favorite songs. What makes a zine a zine and not a professional magazine is the DIY aspect of it all. They must be self-published, self-assembled and not financed by multinationals. Stephen Duncombe delves into this topic in his essay “Zines”, explaining the theoretical part, describing the most popular types of zines and how they have influenced alternative and mainstream culture over the years. Zines were also the main focus of our class trip to Quimby's, where Liz Mason, director of the bookstore and also creator of the "Kaboose" zine, talked to us about the realities of creating and selling a zine and why l The DIY aspect is so important during the whole process. Another great example of this relationship was given to us in class by our guest speaker Liz Panella. Since she herself is actively involved in the underground punk scene, she has the authority to speak on matters concerning her and her functions. Liz mentioned the DIY aspect and how important it is in the underground music industry. If a person wants to create music and release it, they have to do everything themselves in every step of the process, from writing the song, to editing and mastering the record. If he cannot do this, he has to call friends, ask for favors and try to convince people to help him, because he usually does not have the means to pay for their services. That's why underground music has that real, raw feeling and why it's so important to people who like it: it means that the original idea was there every step of the way and wasn't tampered with by a person who wanted to change. to make it more profitable. However, the punk scene is not the only one to value the DIY philosophy.Underground rap can be considered even more relentless when it comes to artists who burn out or aren't "real" enough. As guest speaker Add-2 mentioned, the lyrics, beat and even videos are usually created by one person, sometimes with the help of his friends. This allows the artist to fully express themselves and create exactly what they want. Staying true to the content helps a rapper get his name out there and become popular, connect with the people who listen to him, and convey the message he intended to convey to the world. It's a way to further goals and get people to pay attention to things they never noticed. For example, social issues, inequality, classism, and racism were common topics to rap about when rap first emerged as a genre. Marshall Berman talks about this in his essay “'Justice/Just Us': Rap and Social Justice in America”. Those rappers were taken seriously and helped divert attention from these pressing social issues. If they hadn't done it all themselves, hadn't lived it all, and hadn't hired a songwriter to create the lyrics for them, their songs wouldn't have as much weight and wouldn't feel authentic, so they wouldn't be able to attract as much attention and help their cause. Yet another subculture that lives by the DIY principle are graffiti artists. It's easy to see why they have to do everything without mainstream intervention: most of their work is illegal or at least frowned upon. Our hiking guide Tony from Grimetime Magazine explained the subtleties of graffiti art and the dangers that come with its creation. The same could be said of guerrilla art. The DIY aspect is crucial as it is used to express the point of view of a specific person (our group) on an issue they believe needs to be addressed, for example discrimination, abortion, minimum wage or poverty. These messages can be controversial and not easy to communicate to the masses through conventional means, such as billboards or advertisements, so people turn to more alternative forms of expression, such as posters and DIY graffiti. But what effect does underground culture have on the world? Socially, it allows people to express themselves more freely than any traditional business would and, in doing so, diverts the attention of the masses to issues that would otherwise receive no coverage. Extreme measures may be necessary to achieve this, such as putting up illegal and shocking posters, but it is a noble goal. Hoss Jooten talks about this topic at length in his essay “Taking It To The Streets”. From an economic perspective, the DIY aspect helps create profit for things that are not mass-produced. It also benefits local businesses and other underground spaces where people gather to put on performances or discuss projects. Sometimes, underground culture is appropriated by mass media and used to make money for big corporations, as Thomas Frank wrote in his essay “Commodify Your Dissident,” or used to decide what will be trendy and cool, as Malcolm Gladwell described in his article “The hunt for the cold”. Politically, the underground has proven to be a powerful force demanding change and protesting against inequality. Once ideas from the underground spread to the masses, it is only a matter of time before they become popular and start changing people's opinions on certain issues. Karrie Jacobs and Steven Heller discussed the power of underground culture throughout history in their foreword to the book Angry Graphics. Here.