Randy D. McBee
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622729
- eISBN:
- 9781469623320
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622729.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
In 1947, 4,000 motorcycle hobbyists converged on Hollister, California. As images of dissolute bikers graced the pages of newspapers and magazines, the three-day gathering sparked the growth of a new ...
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In 1947, 4,000 motorcycle hobbyists converged on Hollister, California. As images of dissolute bikers graced the pages of newspapers and magazines, the three-day gathering sparked the growth of a new subculture while also touching off national alarm. In the years that followed, the stereotypical leather-clad biker emerged in the American consciousness as a menace to law-abiding motorists and small towns. Yet a few short decades later, the motorcyclist, once menacing, became mainstream. To understand this shift, this book narrates the evolution of motorcycle culture since World War II.Less
In 1947, 4,000 motorcycle hobbyists converged on Hollister, California. As images of dissolute bikers graced the pages of newspapers and magazines, the three-day gathering sparked the growth of a new subculture while also touching off national alarm. In the years that followed, the stereotypical leather-clad biker emerged in the American consciousness as a menace to law-abiding motorists and small towns. Yet a few short decades later, the motorcyclist, once menacing, became mainstream. To understand this shift, this book narrates the evolution of motorcycle culture since World War II.
P. Nicole King
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781617032516
- eISBN:
- 9781617032523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781617032516.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This chapter focuses on the Atlantic Beach Bikefest. The event enables Atlantic Beach to act as a venue for the growth and diversification of African American leisure culture, and brings back the ...
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This chapter focuses on the Atlantic Beach Bikefest. The event enables Atlantic Beach to act as a venue for the growth and diversification of African American leisure culture, and brings back the lively, crowded streets, blasting music, and sidewalk vendors fondly remembered by early tow residents. However, the controversy surrounding the festival beginning in the late-1990s—a reaction against young African American bikers as an undesirable group of tourists on the Grand Strand—reflects a refashioned racism emerging in the Newer South.Less
This chapter focuses on the Atlantic Beach Bikefest. The event enables Atlantic Beach to act as a venue for the growth and diversification of African American leisure culture, and brings back the lively, crowded streets, blasting music, and sidewalk vendors fondly remembered by early tow residents. However, the controversy surrounding the festival beginning in the late-1990s—a reaction against young African American bikers as an undesirable group of tourists on the Grand Strand—reflects a refashioned racism emerging in the Newer South.
Randy D. McBee
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622729
- eISBN:
- 9781469623320
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622729.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter explores the outlaw's origins in the late 1940s and identifies the conflict surrounding him and the manner in which he challenged ideas about community, social belonging, and even ...
More
This chapter explores the outlaw's origins in the late 1940s and identifies the conflict surrounding him and the manner in which he challenged ideas about community, social belonging, and even citizenship. It also examines the manner in which violence had become associated with motorcyclists—a development that began with the rise of a signature look of rebellion during those hopeful days of economic expansion after the war and ended with a motorcyclist who defied all basic assumptions about common decency amid economic and political turmoil at home and abroad. The public's tendency to link motorcyclists to violence was so complete by the late 1960s and early 1970s that the motorcyclist's working-class origins were overshadowed by his antisocial behavior; a “biker type” began to shape the public's image of what crime looked like, and politicians across the country began looking for ways to regulate motorcycling and motorcyclists.Less
This chapter explores the outlaw's origins in the late 1940s and identifies the conflict surrounding him and the manner in which he challenged ideas about community, social belonging, and even citizenship. It also examines the manner in which violence had become associated with motorcyclists—a development that began with the rise of a signature look of rebellion during those hopeful days of economic expansion after the war and ended with a motorcyclist who defied all basic assumptions about common decency amid economic and political turmoil at home and abroad. The public's tendency to link motorcyclists to violence was so complete by the late 1960s and early 1970s that the motorcyclist's working-class origins were overshadowed by his antisocial behavior; a “biker type” began to shape the public's image of what crime looked like, and politicians across the country began looking for ways to regulate motorcycling and motorcyclists.
Randy D. McBee
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622729
- eISBN:
- 9781469623320
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622729.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This concluding chapter further highlights the associations between politics and motorcycle culture. Recent events suggest that the public continues to struggle to accept motorcyclists despite the ...
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This concluding chapter further highlights the associations between politics and motorcycle culture. Recent events suggest that the public continues to struggle to accept motorcyclists despite the ways in which they have challenged their marginal status over the years. The motorcyclists' opposition to helmets was grounded in an ideological embrace of freedom and individuality that promoted limited government and the expansion of the private sphere, but it also restricted the roles gays, women, and men and women of color could play in motorcycle culture. Yet as the generation that had sparked the biker culture continues to age, an expanding consumer base abroad and a growing body of riders at home increases the likelihood of more women riders and more men and women of color speeding down the roadways, keeping pace with a motorcycle culture that continues to evolve with the times.Less
This concluding chapter further highlights the associations between politics and motorcycle culture. Recent events suggest that the public continues to struggle to accept motorcyclists despite the ways in which they have challenged their marginal status over the years. The motorcyclists' opposition to helmets was grounded in an ideological embrace of freedom and individuality that promoted limited government and the expansion of the private sphere, but it also restricted the roles gays, women, and men and women of color could play in motorcycle culture. Yet as the generation that had sparked the biker culture continues to age, an expanding consumer base abroad and a growing body of riders at home increases the likelihood of more women riders and more men and women of color speeding down the roadways, keeping pace with a motorcycle culture that continues to evolve with the times.
