The Brogspot's Very Own BRO VIDeo!

Comments welcome, bro!

What/Who is a “Bro”????

Everyone seems to have a different definition of what or who a “bro” really is. We are here to gather some common notions or stereotypes on what kind of sub-culture, “bro”-culture might be. It seems like people are easy to label, but no one wants to step up and identify themselves with any one social group (ie. bro, hipster, etc.). Please take a moment to look over our brog and hopefully some of these questions below will get you thinking about what/who a bro really is. Don’t be shy!

Where are you from? How old are you? Male or Female?

What physical descriptions come to mind when you picture a “bro”?

What ethnicity are “bro’s”?

What kind of music might a “bro” listen to?

What kind of activities/sports/hobbies might a “Bro” have?

What kind of personality traits might a “bro” have? Are they inclined toward violence?

What political party might a “bro” be affiliated with?

Do you consider yourself or any close friends a “bro”? Why or why not?

What ages are "bro's"? AKA, Do you think your parents would define a "bro" the same way you would?

Where do you think this subculture of sorts originated from?

How to be a Bro

With the right clothing, style, and attitude, you can become a bro in no time. This article gives a great description on what the general characteristics of a bro are. What is a bro in your opinion?

http://howto.thetunafish.com/?p=26

Are Bros Considered a Subculture?- Forum

This forum shows that there are a wide spectrum of opinions on what a Bro is.

http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/showthread.php?s=47a64eea3e5d24cb91c5fa30de724710&t=4536

SLC Punk teaches us about violence.

Punks discuss the various social hierarchies of the 1980's and how they interact.



Is this accurate? How have things changed in the last 20 years? Where do bro's fit nowadays?

News Footage about Bro's; rape.

Fraternities and Sororities

A history of fraternities and soroties, including characteristics of both groups.

http://www.answers.com/topic/social-fraternities-and-sororities

The Onion

Bro, You're a God Among Bros -Zach Caldwell

The Onion offers a satirical look into the Bro culture. Written in the bro language, the article is a writer's tribute to his fellow bro. How is the Onion's use of humor and satire a media strategy in addressing the bro subculture?

http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion/bro_youre_a_god_among_bros

Banning Fraternities

Ban Fratenities; They Promote Hatred, Violence- Rasheed Abou-Alsamh

http://www.bt.com.bn/en/opinion/2007/09/08/ban_fraternities_they_promote_hatred_violence

Students Against Violence

http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/09/15/News/Fraternity.Shooting.Spurs.Student.Action-2279774.shtml

Fraternity Violence

Do Fraternities Deserve Their Bad Reputations?

http://www.bsu.edu/ifc/article/0,2338,88648-7751-20846,00.html

Bro's are commonly associated with fraternities. The representation of these fraternities in the media have become increasingly negative. Fraternities used to be looked at with high prestige, why do "frat boys" today have such bad reputations?

The Subculture of Violence Thesis

"In the study of adult interpersonal violence (which may be defined as acts of physical aggression directed at persons, excluding acts under the aegsis, or directed against, political, parental, or other authority), on of the most important and most often cited theoretical statements has been the "subculture of violence" thesis (Wolfgang, 1958; Wolfgang and Ferracuti, 1967). According to Wolfgang and Ferracuti, violence results from adherence to a set of values which supports and encourages its expression. These values are seen as being in conflict with but not totally in opposition to those of the dominant culture. It is said that within the subculture, various stimuli such as a jostle, a slight deragatory remark, or the appearance of a weapon in the hands of an adversary are perceived differently than in the dominant culture; in the subculture they evoke a combative reaction."
-Howard S. Erlanger, The Empirical Status of the Subculture of Violence Thesis

Dick Hebdige

"Style in subculture is, then, pregnant with significance. Its transformations go ‘against nature’, interrupting the process of ‘normalization’. As such, they are gestures, movements towards a speech which offends the ‘silent majority’, which challenges the principle of unity and cohesion, which contradicts the myth of consensus. Our task becomes […] to discern the hidden messages inscribed in code on the glossy surfaces of style, to trace them out as ‘maps of meaning’ which obscurely re-present the very contradictions they are designed to resolve or conceal."
-Hebdige 18, Subculture: The Meaning of Style

Since style and subculture go hand in hand, what are the common stylistic traits of the bro subculture? How is the bro style contradicting the "normal"?

The Quintessential Bro