The Chuke subculture

I’ve been noticing new “labels” being applied to different groups recently, quite interesting from a sociological point of view. Young people from certain cultures (Guido’s and Chav’s), young people all trying to express their oroginality, by doing exactly the same thing.

People are talking about these sub-cultures as-if they were a “recent” type of thing, a sub-culture that crosses boundaries, such as Swedish Guidos:


Swedish Guidos!

But these kid crazes are not new. In the USA we had the Pachuco’s! After WWII up to 1970, the “Chukes” were all the rage, decked-out in their snappy Zoot Suits:



The Pachuco’s were the parents of the “low rider”, goofy-looking cars that could not clear a pack of cigarettes without bottoming-out:



While these chukes were tough, their cars did not go too fast, and other groups took advantage of that! I remember watching kids pull-up alongside a pachuco car and insult their machismo with a taunting “que macho!” (What a Man!), before speeding away!!