Street culture: a culture that irritates many people. Street culture is seen as a culture that causes a lot of nuisance and crime. Here you will find what street culture entails and why the members (especially young people) of this culture behave the way they do. If you look at the coherence of street culture, mainly male young people or adolescents belong to this culture. Immigrant youth are most common in street culture, but immigrant youth can also be found in street culture. This culture is very ethnically varied. Even though street culture consists mainly of boys or men, the number of girls in this culture is increasing.
Because the street is the most important place for the members, this culture is called street culture. The street is the most accessible public space, where there is generally little social control. This is what makes the street so popular for these young people.
Opposition culture
Street culture is an opposition culture. The fact that this culture is an opposition culture can be explained by the home situation of the young people who belong to this culture. Most young people from street culture come from families with many social and/or financial problems. This gives these young people the feeling that society does or does not want to do anything for them. Due to the home situation of these young people, they often have a short fuse and keep a close eye on everything. That is also why street culture often clashes with ,ordinary, bourgeois culture and with the authorities.
Due to the home situation of the young people of street culture, respect is an important part of the culture. The young people have always had the feeling that they received little or no respect. On the street, with their friends, receiving, but also giving, respect has therefore become very important.
Needs
Young people from street culture have a great need for respect and someone who has confidence in them and who believes in them. They also need structure, boundaries, clarity, rules and regularity. You wouldn’t think this at first, because they are against all kinds of things, but it is precisely a lack of these things that makes these young people turn against the rest of society. The young people seek out these needs from young people with the same needs, which often creates a close-knit group.
Place in society
Street culture is taking an increasingly dominant position within Dutch society. Where street culture used to only be found in the big cities, now you can find street culture almost everywhere! Street culture has developed from a subculture into a culture in its own right.
The fact that street culture has spread from the big cities to smaller towns and villages does not mean that street culture is the same everywhere. The age, gender and ethnicity of the members of street culture groups are different in every place.