Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985
Throughout the 20th century, motorcycle subcultures have emerged in societies that achieved rapid economic development, rising youth affluence, and urbanisation. These subcultures, each with highly distinct and visible identities, have typically gained associations with delinquency, antisocial behav...
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| Format: | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/152960 |
| _version_ | 1811690253266714624 |
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| author | Chen, Joshua Yanrong |
| author2 | Scott Michael Anthony |
| author_facet | Scott Michael Anthony Chen, Joshua Yanrong |
| author_sort | Chen, Joshua Yanrong |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Throughout the 20th century, motorcycle subcultures have emerged in societies that achieved rapid economic development, rising youth affluence, and urbanisation. These subcultures, each with highly distinct and visible identities, have typically gained associations with delinquency, antisocial behaviour, immorality, and a general deviance from social norms, triggering sensationalised responses from the press and public that can be characterised as moral panics.
Such subcultures include the “outlaw” motorcycle groups of the United States, who came to public attention following World War II, and in 1950s-1960s Britain, “ton-up boys”, Mods and Rockers, with the former stirring public outrage by speeding and racing on public roads, and the latter two groups notorious for violent clashes between them. In 1980s Japan, bosozoku, a motorcycle subculture formed in the 1950s by returning World War II veterans, gained notoriety for their disorderly behaviour in large numbers.
This paper contextualises and traces the development and identification of a uniquely Singaporean motorcycle subculture in the early 1970s, from their initial characterisation by the local press as imitators of decadent “Westernisation”, to their literal demonisation in moral panics as bands of “hell-riders” who symbolised youth delinquency, criminality, and a generally immoral threat to law and order. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:01:03Z |
| format | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| id | ntu-10356/152960 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:01:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Nanyang Technological University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1529602023-03-11T20:10:44Z Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985 Chen, Joshua Yanrong Scott Michael Anthony School of Humanities smanthony@ntu.edu.sg Humanities::History Throughout the 20th century, motorcycle subcultures have emerged in societies that achieved rapid economic development, rising youth affluence, and urbanisation. These subcultures, each with highly distinct and visible identities, have typically gained associations with delinquency, antisocial behaviour, immorality, and a general deviance from social norms, triggering sensationalised responses from the press and public that can be characterised as moral panics. Such subcultures include the “outlaw” motorcycle groups of the United States, who came to public attention following World War II, and in 1950s-1960s Britain, “ton-up boys”, Mods and Rockers, with the former stirring public outrage by speeding and racing on public roads, and the latter two groups notorious for violent clashes between them. In 1980s Japan, bosozoku, a motorcycle subculture formed in the 1950s by returning World War II veterans, gained notoriety for their disorderly behaviour in large numbers. This paper contextualises and traces the development and identification of a uniquely Singaporean motorcycle subculture in the early 1970s, from their initial characterisation by the local press as imitators of decadent “Westernisation”, to their literal demonisation in moral panics as bands of “hell-riders” who symbolised youth delinquency, criminality, and a generally immoral threat to law and order. Bachelor of Arts in History 2021-10-22T08:14:55Z 2021-10-22T08:14:55Z 2021 Final Year Project (FYP) Chen, J. Y. (2021). Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985. Final Year Project (FYP), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/152960 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/152960 en application/pdf Nanyang Technological University |
| spellingShingle | Humanities::History Chen, Joshua Yanrong Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985 |
| title | Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985 |
| title_full | Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985 |
| title_fullStr | Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985 |
| title_short | Bad boys' toys : motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in Singapore, 1957-1985 |
| title_sort | bad boys toys motorcycle subcultures and moral panics in singapore 1957 1985 |
| topic | Humanities::History |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/152960 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chenjoshuayanrong badboystoysmotorcyclesubculturesandmoralpanicsinsingapore19571985 |