Rebellion is the epitome of ‘cool’; that idea of pushing the boundaries, disrupting the norm and flouting public opinion in the pursuit of something greater. For this reason we often idolize the rebel. But more than often it is not the act of rebellion itself, but the pretense of it that becomes the main focus for attention in the eyes of the wider public.
Because in reality, true rebellion is rarely considered cool at the time. That’s the point. Opposing a dominant cultural norm or social issue should, by its very nature, be divisive and controversial. Because standing up against the status quo is hard, it’s alienating and it takes commitment and sacrifice. Only in the off chance that all that sacrifice pays off, is the stamp of ‘cool’ administered anachronistically. For people who really rebel are never lauded or praised at the time they act, but mostly criticized, oppressed and discredited in the public’s eyes. Pushing against the status quo means the majority will hate you for it, for being a vessel of uncomfortable truths or instigator of unwelcome change. Real-time rebels are usually punished, isolated and ignored for their dissension. It is only when we recognize their bravery, and willingness to be alienated and hated because of their belief in a cause that we later recognize to be virtuous that they truly earn our admiration.
When we try to replicate this element of rebellion for the sake of rebellion however, we get too caught up in the appearance of being a rebel rather than the actual experience of it. Popular figures have cracked onto this and started cashing in on the power of seeming rebellions. Now causing ‘controversy’ has become serious cultural currency. Singers like Miley Cyrus & Lady Gaga are some of the most profitable cultural icons of our day, cashing in on this appearance of being somehow subversive and political. Lately, people are trying to analyse Kim Kardashian’s recent nude photo shoot as somehow ground-breaking, when all it really is is controversy for the sake of controversy, in pursuit of her primary goal, fame for the sake of fame. The same applies to Nicki Minaj’s recent ‘Only’ music video, whose attempt to seem avant-garde disastrously backfired. Similarly, Russel Brand’s desperately seeks the ‘Che Guevarian’ iconoclasm as a political revolutionary yet his ego overshadows his commitment to any tangible political change. Kanye West sees himself as a ground-breaking artist, and yet he is further and further out of touch with his audience, becoming laughably self-glorifying of his own work.
With all this faux-rebellion saturating our cultural sphere today we decided to take a look at the complicated issues of rebellion in this month’s issue, examining themes of rebellion, both culturally and politically in Ireland and abroad. Jane Fallon Griffin investigated who the rebels of Irish society are today and why they think there is a need for rebellion in society. Anna Moran travelled to Istanbul, a city divided as Middle Eastern and Western tensions grow and spoke to the people unafraid to rebel against their own government who are refusing to assist the Kurdish rebels of Kobani. Julia McConway delved into the underground world of Dublin’s young graffiti artists, questioning the nature of graffiti as an act of creative rebellion, is it art or vandalism- or both? In our culture section we review the best of indie, alternative and hip hop. For fashion we mourn the loss of one of fashions great trail blazers and preview fashion soc’s annual show which promises a catalogue of culturally ‘insubordinate’ looks. In the Food section we’re exploring veganism as a form of everyday rebellion and in Film we take a look at some of the latest films attempting to push the boundaries. Finally Julianne Flynn interviews Rob Doyle on his controversial portrayal of young men in Dublin in his new book ‘Here are the young men’ and Clementine Yost gets to grips with DU Boxing Club, interviewing the women boxers who are partaking in a sport that defies traditional gender norms.
Overall, we aimed to explore rebellion in its many forms, and we found many different perspectives, be it those just seeking the thrill of breaking the rules or those determined to shape the environment around them and those braving danger and taking risks in order to make their voices heard. In the end, we think most of these rebels we found are pretty damn cool. Mostly because they are not trying to be rebels in the first place; the graffiti artists avoid fame, the Turkish protesters risk social derision and physical danger and the contemporary Irish rebels we asked all seemed a little surprised, as to them they are simply seeking justice for their cause. Which leads us to believe; perhaps the most genuine form of rebel is not the Russell Brands or the Lady Gaga’s talking in cryptic nonsensical riddles and chasing that Che Guevarian iconoclasm. Rather, we think the coolest and most genuine type of rebels are the accidental ones.
