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Nathan Campbell
C.J. Dosch
English 101
12/9/2014
The Frank Truth of Cultural Resistance: Homeschooling in America
In modern society where conformity is widely accepted, and people are
increasingly being exploited to sell ideas and products, cultural resistance becomes
a way for people to express their alternate views or beliefs through creating a
culture around something that resists conforming to popular society. The concept of
cultural resistance is a way of defying society or the government that entails almost
any culture that can be seen as resisting the norm. Through what you wear, riding
your bike to work, or even having a small house, all are forms of cultural resistance.
The importance of cultural resistance is that it allows people to resist what modern
society urges them to do or think, allowing them to have some individuality and free
space without the constraints of conformity.
The idea of cultural resistance in a society where resistance is incorporated
by dominant powers into consumer culture makes it appear that cultural resistance
is impossible. However, this is not the case, cultural resistance is still attainable
even when the idea of resistance is employed by the thing you are opposing, as
long as you are resisting the ideas or products, you are successful in cultural
resistance. There is always a way to resist something even if society may advertise
the opposite or try and manipulate the idea of resistance to deceive consumers into
supporting what they are attempting to resist. Cultural resistance is and always will
be possible in society through shared a belief or action between people that are
resisting a product or idea of society. However before concluding whether cultural

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resistance is or isnt possible in a society where resistance is incorporated by
dominant powers into consumer culture, its important to first establish what
cultural resistance is, the scope of it, the reason and effect, and then lastly
determine if it is possible.
What is cultural resistance?
Cultural resistance is a very extensive topic in which the definition fluctuates
depending on how its used and who uses it, generally defined as a culture that
defies popular society, physically or mentally. For instance, in Thomas Franks
article, Commodify Your Dissent, he states that cultural resistance is achieved by
embracing diverse, individual lifestyles in which you defy the social norm (164). By
doing this, you counter the conformity of society through embracing living for
yourself and not to fit in with the masses. In another instance, Stephen Duncombe
defines cultural resistance in his book, Cultural Resistance Reader as culture that is
used, consciously or unconsciously, effectively or not, to resist and/or change the
dominant political, economic, and/or social structure (5). Essentially Duncombe
defines cultural resistance as a way to resist or change the current norm of society.
In another article, The Science of Shopping by Malcolm Gladwell, its mentioned
that consumerist culture is constantly being altered and stated that, the practice of
prying into the minds and habits of American consumers is now a multibillion-dollar
business (99). This is a part of cultural resistance, a way to deny the consumerist
attitude and invasive psychological influence on people by creating a culture that
rejects and changes the current economic or political structure. An example of
cultural resistance present in modern society is the homeschooling movement and
the creation of a culture war.

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For instance, Andrea Vieux, the author of The Politics Of Homeschools:
Religious Conservatives And Regulation Requirements discusses the idea of culture
wars and states that her findings demonstrate the culture wars are active in
education policymaking. The idea of a culture war in current education politics is a
prime example of people resisting the current system and attempting to steer away
from the norm. A culture war is a conflict between groups with different ideals,
beliefs, and philosophies. In this case, the conflict is between the governments
beliefs on public education versus the homeschooling parents beliefs of
homeschooling. It all comes down to parental values versus government.
Homeschoolers are a form of cultural resistance because they reject the structure of
society and the popular public government education by overseeing their childrens
education. However, as the reason for homeschooling isnt always directly related to
rejecting government values and rebelling against social norms, as Duncombe
defined it, cultural resistance is used consciously or consciously, nonetheless its
considered cultural resistance. However, to truly understand the possibilities of
resistance, its important to know the extent of resistant cultures and how large
they can become.
Scope of cultural resistance
Cultural resistance is a relatively common yet widely unrecognized act of
defiance against society. It can be anything from what type of car you drive, being a
stay at home dad, or even eating certain types of food. The diversity of cultural
resistance is immense yet the amount of participants that it can be comprised of
fluctuates between authors. The scale of cultural resistance according to Duncombe
is very broad, the range being anything from just a single person consciously or
unconsciously resisting to hundreds or even thousands gathered doing the same

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(2). This view best describes the majority of cultures and considers even the largest
of cultures as a form of cultural resistance. However, Franks view on cultural
resistance differs from that of Duncombes, stating that cultural resistance is
primarily composed of small groups because if cultures were to become too large,
they would develop into the popular culture and contradict themselves by no longer
resisting the norm but instead becoming the popular norm (166). Essentially,
Franks view of the scale of cultural resistance is that in order for cultural resistance
to be successful, it must be on a smaller scale than what its resisting or else it will
contradict itself. Gladwells interpretation of the scope of cultural resistance is a
combination of the two authors analysis and the most accurate, communicating
that it is primarily dependant on the type of cultural resistance (95). This definition
allows for a fluctuation in the sizes of cultures depending on the extent and
effectiveness of the resistance and what is being resisted. The culture is limited by
the possibility of becoming too large that it mirrors or turns into what it was initially
opposing by becoming the new popular culture. The differing views on the scale of
cultural resistance leads to the combination of the views about the size of cultural
resistance and requires evidence to fully understand and define.
In direct affirmation to Duncombes theory of the scope of cultural resistance,
the example of homeschooling as a form of cultural resistance is evidence of a large
scale resistance being possible. According to the U.S. Department of Education,
there is an estimate of 1.7 million homeschooled students in the U.S. and
increasing, hardly considered small scale cultural resistance. Regarding the
resistance itself, homeschooling, as previously concluded, is an evident example of
people resisting public government education by not following the popular pattern
of society. The evidence of homeschooling as an extensive movement supports the

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idea that cultural resistance is possible on a large scale however it does not answer
why cultural resistances are created and what they hope to achieve.
Why cultural resistance?
There are many different reasons for cultural resistance dependent upon
what it is resisting and the changes or effects that its geared towards achieving.
However, the broad reason for cultural resistance is to resist or try and change the
popular economic, political, or social structure that is present in society. In the
instance of homeschooling, when someone is consciously engaged in cultural
resistance, its primarily for the reason of resisting the governments influence of
their child through choosing to be in charge of their childs education. The idea of
outsourcing a childs education, a crucial developing time in their life to the
government is often unacceptable to many of the parents who choose to
homeschool their children. Practices of parents governing their childs education to
be in control of what their child is learning and who they are influenced by is one of
the ideas behind educating at home. The common logic of the parents mentality is
to fully allow for their childs development, creativity, and responsibility at home in
addition to giving the parent a fulfilling sense of parental responsibility by educating
their child themselves.
Duncombe describes a purpose for resistance, stating that cultural
resistance can provide a sort of free space for developing ideas and practices by
not conforming to popular beliefs (5). Essentially, through cultural resistance,
people are open to free thinking and new ideas that dont have to be in
correspondence with societys standards. Similarly, Frank supports the idea of
cultural resistance as a way of free thinking with his assertion that cultural
resistance can be seen as an escape (6). The idea of cultural resistance as a way

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of free thinking without societys ideas affecting yours is consistently supported
between authors and incorporated within the idea of creating a culture. Gladwell
addresses the causes and reasons for cultural resistance through consumer culture,
stating that the increasing amount of consumer culture prying into the minds of
shoppers, and the information recorded, assembled, and sold to a market-research
firm for analysis has given people plenty of reasons to resist the psychological
attempts to get inside the head of shoppers (99). The general reason for conscious
cultural resistance is to revolt against the structure of society and from becoming
manipulative masses. However, when the idea of resistance is used as a way of
manipulating consumers into resisting essentially nothing, the idea of cultural
resistance can be misunderstood and manipulated.
Is it possible?
After determining what cultural resistance is, the scope, and the reasons for
it, its possible to conclude that cultural resistance is achievable in a society where
resistance is incorporated by dominant powers into consumer culture. The creation
of a culture that defies the common ideas and structure of society is supported to
an extent; however, when the idea of resistance is incorporated into consumer
culture it complicates and confuses the idea of cultural resistance. The concepts
incorporated by the dominant powers can eliminate some resistant cultures by
destroying those who fail to resist the fabricated belief of resistance in consumer
culture. However, there can always be a culture that resists the current norm of
society, even if the resistance becomes the new norm, and does or doesnt achieve
the goal of change; a new culture that defies popular society can replace the
previous.. As a human being, free will is one of the only absolutes that cannot be
changed or removed by anything or any person. By having free will and the fact that

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no economical, political, and social structure or idea is invulnerable to resistance,
physical or mental, assures that resistance of a product or idea is always possible in
society. Evidently, a culture can be created through the combination and
collaboration of similar human beings resisting the same product or idea, creating
the possibility of a resistant culture when the idea of resistance in incorporated into
consumer culture.
Dominant powers using the idea of resistance in consumer culture creates
deceptive ideas of resistance to trick people into believing they are resisting
something when in reality they are conforming. If the dominant powers incorporate
the idea of resistance into consumer culture, it completely changes the definition of
resistance and what people are resisting. By partaking in the consumer culture,
people are no longer resisting corporations, society, or the government, but
resisting resistance itself by accepting the dominant powers idea. Consequently,
its indisputable that it is always possible to resist an idea or product in some way or
form, and accepted that a culture can be created through shared beliefs. The
possibility of cultural resistance where the idea of resistance is used by dominant
powers in consumer culture is and can be possible as long as you do not use the
dominant powers idea of resistance. Overall its important to understand, no matter
what the government or society may attempt to do, resistance is, and always can
be possible.

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Works Cited
Duncombe, Stephen, ed. Cultural resistance reader. verso, 2002.
Frank, Thomas. Commodify Your Dissent. Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on
Popular
Culture for Writers. 6th ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston:
Bedford/St.Martins, 2009. 163-167.
Gladwell, Malcolm. The Science of Shopping. Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on
Popular
Culture for Writers. 6th ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston:
Bedford/St.Martins, 2009. 93-100.
Lois, Jennifer. "Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling
Movement." Contemporary Sociology 31.6 (2002): 757-8. ProQuest. Web. 3
Dec. 2014.
United States of America. U.S. Department of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec.
2014.
Vieux, Andrea. "The Politics Of Homeschools: Religious Conservatives And
Regulation Requirements."
Social Science Journal 51.4 (2014): 556-563. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 25 Nov. 2014.