‘Any Irish MCs out there?’

For the white working class male, recent developments in Western society have caused a surge in notions of wounded masculinity and the fragile state of whiteness. Advancements in technology, the widespread causes of globalisation and the acceleration of deindustrialization have left the white working class male in a state of crisis. Unemployment among the white working class male is at an all-time high, and with a political system that fails to acknowledge them, it is the identity of this group that is being precluded. Challenges to the traditional perception of masculinity, whiteness and working class culture are resulting in the loss of identity of the white, working-class male. Broad consensus exists within sociology that culture is a key element of the construction of identity. Music is a crucial element in developing friendships and common bonds and can provide a sense of subjective and collective identity for youths. Through the formation of subcultures, youths can use music to create bonds and collectively come to terms with their social circumstances. The aim of this thesis is to uncover the relationship between the formation of postmodern subcultures and the loss of identity of the white working class male. By examining the case of the Irish MCs, an online rap scene, its purpose is to determine how the subculture is used to create a sense of community and maintain notions of masculinity and ethnicity. In doing this its hope is to obtain a better understanding of these youths, the working class position today, and the role that culture plays in identity formation. Through the use of quantitative and qualitative content analysis of YouTube comments (n=2230), this thesis will analyse the boundary formation of this group. It will examine who and what these youths positively and negatively mark and what they leave unmarked. It will look into what auxiliary characteristics are required to be an ‘in’ member, and interpret the aspects of the subcultural capital needed. In researching the boundary work of the scene, it aims to get a deeper understanding of the collective identity of this group, in doing so exposing the relationship between the subculture and the class position of its members. From the research, it emerges that there is a strong correlation between the formation of the scene and the present state of the white working class male. It demonstrates that in contrast to the members of traditional subcultures – who celebrated the working class condition and rebelled against ‘selling-out’ and popular culture – members of this group applaud commercialisation and discard working class values. Through the MCs positive marking of the commercial music industry and the negative marking of the working class condition, the analysis reveals that these youths express a longing to escape their working class position.