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Ground Effects, Tint, Bass, and Other Aspects of the Low-Rider Subculture In researching data for this paper I spent one evening participating in the activities of the West Side Low-Rider club. Information was also gathered through my experience of living in the area where the group hangs out, West Asheville. My informant is a friend of mine who is also a member of the group. With his help I was able to move freely among club members. The focus of the paper is in the symbol which the automobile represents for the driver and how club members alter or customize the symbol to obtain status. The West Side Low-Rider club was established in 1991.
The group was started by two brothers, Bobby and Sid. Together with five of their friends, the two men have created what is considered one of the largest low-rider club in North Carolina. Although originating in the southwest among Latinos, low-riding became popular in Asheville in the mid seventies, and now there are three well established groups in Buncombe county. All of the clubs are based in West Asheville, which lies across the French Broad River, from the business district of Asheville. Other than occasional cruises through downtown, most of the clubs activities are carried out in West Asheville.
My friend Casper, who is a member of West Side, informed me that "West Asheville is where the true Ashevillians live" as "new age hippies" and "liberals" have taken over the rest of the city. The division between West Asheville and the rest of Asheville is an interesting one. As my informant stated above, there are apparent differences in the way the two sides of town view themselves. Asheville has always been a major tourist destination; fifteen years ago, however, the tourist began to stay year round. The city welcomed the mostly wealthy new residents, by catering to the needs of the many new housing developments which began springing up around the downtown area. In an exodus reminiscent of "white flight, " the old residents began moving to the less populated areas surrounding the city.
It is this resentment for the rest of Asheville which led to the naming of West Side Low- Rider club, which is called by most, West Side. "This stuff is all about boys and their toys" Mike P. Members of the group will tell you that membership is open to the public, provided the rest of the guys like you. There are 150 "rides"{a term used to describe a person and their car}in the group. All of them are males, between the ages of sixteen and twenty seven.
I asked why women where not allowed into the group, and was told by many that auto mechanics, and driving for that matter, were activities which men performed better. Probing the issue further I found that most of the members thought that women do not need to get dirty, and that the work is mechanically oriented which happens not to suit women. Members of the club are divided into two categories, men and boys. Boys are considered so until the eighteenth birthday which marks the introduction into manhood. Sexual experience also appears to be linked to the separation between men and boys. Virginity is frowned upon, as no male can be considered a man, without first experiencing sexual intercourse.
My informant told me that many boys will lie about their sexual conquest in order to raise their status in the group. The separation between the sexually experienced and those considered "cherries" is symbolically represented in name calling and jokes which bring to light the sexual name of the boys in the club. For example, one boy was referred to as "Lotion" implying that his only sexual pleasure came through masturbation. The notion that women are not to be permitted into the club is interesting, as they are the vehicle through which members achieve ultimate pleasure and status. I speculate that this notion is much like one reason in which many Muslim women wear the veil. In order to relieve men from being distracted by their desire for women, a veil is worn to allow free movement of all.
The exclusion of women from the club, allows its male members to interact without competing for the affection of female members. In Bedouin society one reason for wearing the veil is its representation of women as a separate class from men. The West Side members suggest the same separation ideas in stating that women do not need to get dirty while working on cars. As a whole, members of the group assume status and identity through the cars which they drive.
Being a low-rider club, the group views the "factory" automobile as a blank canvas, on which a host of expressions may be made. In touring the parking lot, my informants showed me what is looked at in sizing up a ride. Custom features are the most easily identified and are therefore considered the most important by many. The items to be modified include: paint job, wheels, rims{hubcaps}, lift{height up}, drop{height down}, undercarriage lighting, and aero- fittings{accessories designed to make the car more aerodynamic}. Stickers are also considered an important aspect of customizing the automobile. Stickers bearing the logos of name brands have become popular, not because of the product they represent, yet an altered meaning which the low-riders have created.
All of the members of the club have a large west side sticker with the picture of a mustached bandits on the rear window. Performance of the automobile is equally as important to the enthusiast, looking for more than a "lot ride which sits pretty but runs like censored . " Maintaining a cars engine and other parts requires a knowledge of mechanics which is coveted by many members of the group. Members of the club notorious for mechanical knowledge are revered. The top speed and rate of acceleration are two mechanical aspects which take precedence among low-riders, as drag racing is the primary form of competition among the group. Exchange of mechanical service for goods often takes place allowing for the group to contain its knowledge and allegiance to their friends in the club. The reciprocity among group members is similar to that found in smaller, hunter gatherer communities.
The act of reciprocity illuminates a solidarity among group members, in creating separate rules among themselves. "The interior of the automobile is the womb. " Low-riders spend as much time "souping up" the interior of their cars as they do on any other aspect of their ride. Members of West Side showed me cars with oriental carpet interiors, inside neon lighting, and even a covered pick-up trucks made to resemble a limousine. Opulence appeared to be the goal, as many of the cars had been fitted with wood detailing, or even faux marble. Colored window tinting on some of the cars creates a colored hue throughout the interior of the car. Many low-riders add switches and buttons to the dashboard to create whatever effect they desire. One informant told me of a car which resembled the interior of Luke Skywalkers X-wing fighter, from Star Wars.
The outrageous modifications made by custom car enthusiast appear to be attempts to separate oneself from mainstream society. This is achieved through...
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