Vo 1 Long Vo Fuentes English 1101 15 November 2013 Behind The Smoke An Ethnography On The Drifting Subculture The official

l definition of drifting is: exceeding the tires limits of adhesion by exhibiting a lateral slip that occurs when a car is travelling on a vector path that is not parallel to the vehicles vector path, resulting in an over-steered condition (Drift Session). Initially popularized by rally car drivers in Japan, the sport of drifting has become a subculture, developing its own style and guidelines that stand to differentiate drifting from any other auto sport, both in terms of competition and as a community of independent drivers. Drifting gained a devout following worldwide as the sport gained notoriety among auto sports enthusiasts who were attracted by the sports free form nature and style. Drifting has a diverse community, comprising of people from all socioeconomic status and gender. This aspect is reflected throughout the sport, from its discourse to its value. The drifting community is, at its core, an outlet for likeminded drivers to get together and have fun regardless of skill or status. This ethnography will look into the subculture of drifting and its communities with an emphasis on discourse and communities of practice according to Dr. Anne M. Johns. Through observations and interactions with community members, this ethnography will analyze the characteristics of drifting discourse and the values of the individuals who chooses to be a part of this community. In an interview with David Aaron, a professional mechanic with over twenty years of experience working with both amateur and professional drifters, one can gather that there is a communal aspect to drifting. An avid drifter himself, Aaron expresses the shared values and

Vo 2 beliefs of the drifting community along with the discourse and lexis that unite individuals in the community. Q: What is drifting to you? A: Drifting is one of the stupidest things you can do in a car ever; yet once you done it, its all you want to do. Q: Describe the drifting community in your opinion. A: Everyone is like family. Its such a good community and its hard to meet crappy people in this sport (Aaron). David Aaron, having been part of the drifting community for so long, can be considered an authority figure. He has expert knowledge of the discourse of drifting and is well versed in its lexis. This comes through clearly when he is communicating with his coworkers or to clients. Q: Explain the discourse of drifting. A: The discourse is a mixture between the technical and mechanical aspect of auto sports and the slang that these kids have grown up using. Much like drifting, it is a thing all on its own, theres not anything quite like it (Aaron). According to Dr. John Swales, a discourse community has six defining characteristics (Johns 52). One of those characteristic is the use of specific genres and lexis. As discussed in the interview with David Aaron, the drifting community definitely has its own unique vocabulary and genres in which members communicate. The inherent deviant nature of drifting and the fact that it encompasses a wide range of diverse people contributes to the development of the discourse of drifting. The discourse is second nature to many members of the community; it is how they normally converse in any given situation. It is not restricted to a workplace environment or to specific occasions. As a result, slang is often incorporated into the lexis of

Vo 3 drifting. It is common for members to shorthand terms and even adopt lexis from other communities. The language that is used in this community is an extension of the personality and style of its members. A common example of their specific discourse is She drifted by shift locking the car from third into second, which means downshifting from third to second gear during a turn and releasing the clutch, causing the back wheels to lock up on a car and lose traction. Another common example of drifting discourse is She started drifting in a 1991 e30 m50 with a LSD which means drifting in a 1991 BMW M3 with an m50 engine and a limited slip differential (Sapp). Further examples of lexis specific to drifting can vary in usage, technicality, and slang. Terms like cutting the wheel and sliding, which is an alternate way to say drifting, are examples of a more common vernacular among members of the community. Due to the complex nature of the sport, because of its technical and mechanical nature, the community behind drifting created the lexis used today to standardize the sport and increase fluency among its members worldwide, among varying degrees of skill. Techniques like a feint, clutch- kick, power-over, and jump are examples of names given to drifting techniques so community members will understand what is being referenced. Mechanical terms like LSD (limited slip differential), ABS (anti-lock braking system), and drivetrains are also common terminology used in the lexis of drifting. Just as the sport focus on style and form, its discourse reflects those traits. A composite of professional language and slang, the discourse of the drifting community was developed to accommodate the growing diversity and complexity of the sport. Swales also defines a discourse community as having set mechanisms of intercommunication. Members of the drifting community remain connected through wellestablish means of communication such as cellphones and social media like Twitter. Clubs have

Vo 4 their own websites where members can organize events and communicate with other club members. Since the drifting community is predominately composed of adults in their early to late twenties, the genres of communication they use are inspired and dominated by popular social media and technology. While there is no set structure for levels of authority in the broader community, members who have been a part of the community for years are looked up to as mentors. There are authorities in independent drift clubs. These are usually club presidents who organize and hold events for their respective community. The authority in the community serves more to help guide and organize the community than to control or regulate the members. As a result, conflicts with authority are at a minimum. Even though the drifting subculture has attributes linking it to a discourse community by Swales definition, it is by and large a community of practice. The absence of a specific common goal, which every community member works towards, and the lack of general authority, separates the drifting subculture from a normal discourse community. The drifting subculture and its communities are more suited to Anne M. Johns definition of a community of practice. Thus communities of practice are seen as complex collections of individuals who share genres, language, values, concepts, and ways of being, often distinct from those held by other communities (Johns 52). In the drifting community all these characteristics are prevalent. Many members were part of different communities that share common values before entering the drifting community. A lot of drifters previously skateboarded or rode BMX bikes. A lot of us grew up skating together before we found cars (Hamilton). For many members, drifting is a natural progression. Here is something fast and fun and has all the style that BMX and skateboarding has (Sapp). Further observation in the community shows that there are costs of affiliation, sacrifices members must make in order to participate in the community. This is true

Vo 5 for both professional drifters and rookies. Members sacrifice time, money, and personal relationships to be part of this community. Drifting to me is life. It means living paycheck to paycheck, to go out once a month and have fun with your friends.sacrifices and struggle when it comes to drifting would be sleep, money, free time. Cause you go to work in the morning, get off, work on your car, try to find extra money to fix the car and keep it going (Muller) Every member pays these costs of affiliation to be part of the drifting community. Even though the cost of affiliation is comparatively high to other communities of practice, many people wanting to be part of the community and the subculture make the sacrifices without hesitation. Therefore, it is safe to assume that to members within this community, drifting is not just a sport. Its like another outlet to be productive and to have your mind into something progressive (Hamilton). Drifting is a lifestyle; it is a way of being for many members of its community. The youth is attracted to drifting because you cant do F1 (Formula 1), you cant do V8 Australian Supercar, you cant do Moto GP, but you can do drifting (Deander). Members devote much of their lives to the sport. The community shares a share strong bond that is built on common interests, beliefs, and the overall passion for drifting. Drifting in general has such a good community of people who are there to do the same thingto have a blast and have fun with everybody Ive met some of the most influential people in my life through drifting and some of my best friends have been made through drifting (Tuerck). The drifting subculture is in accordance with Anne M. Johns idea of a community of practice. It is a group of individual drivers that center themselves around a way of being: drifting.

Vo 6 Work Cited

Aaron, David. Personal Interview. 26 Oct. 2013 Deander, Jarod. Personal Interview. 27 Oct. 2013 Drift Session. Drift Session LLC. Web. 28 Oct. 2013 Hamilton, Nate. Personal Interview. 26 Oct. 2013 Johns, Anne M. Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and Diversity. Text, Role, and Context: Developing Academic Literacies. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge UP, 1997. 51-70. Print Muller, Emmalee. Personal interview. 26 Oct. 2013 Sapp, Andy. Personal Interview. 26 Oct. 2013 Tuerck, Ryan. Personal Interview. 27 Oct. 2013