Little Five Points: Hippie Hot Spot by Default

Atlanta owns many titles. The third largest city in the nation has been named everything from Hotlanta to the city with horrific traffic congestion. Atlanta has exciting venues that can be found throughout the city. However, these great places are often times inaccessible to the youth who may not have cars. Furthermore, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), a system that the youth heavily rely on, does not branch throughout the suburbs of the city. Rather, the transit system is readily found in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
Conveniently, Little Five Points is only a train stop and a short bus ride away from wherever one may reside. The location of Little Five Points in part explains why many teenagers frequent the venue. As she perused the racks of the popular thrift store Rag-O-Rama, Sixteen year old Amanda Brown said “Growing up in Atlanta, Little Five Points was really the only place to go on an average weekend.”

Teens often have no other choice than Little Five Points. However, once one decides to visit one of the small shops or even lounge on a stoop of a building, there are specific cultural norms that must be followed. On an everyday stroll, citizens with retro hairstyles and eccentric outfits can be found. Fourteen year old, Damien said “most times people go out of their way to act weird to fit in here.”

Authors of the Theory Toolbox, Jeffrey Nealon and Susan Searls Giroux, argue that “culture in general tends to favor or encourage the production of certain (i.e. consumers) over others—explicitly through the institution of law and order and implicitly through social norms that inform our perceptions of morality and social conduct” (73). This proves Damien’s previous statement correct. Teenagers witness the tall man with a high top fade. They watch others lounge around in the middle of the afternoon sipping on cappuccinos. These implicit social norms instruct teens on how to maneuver and become a part of the Little Five Points culture.
Accordingly, many teenagers follow the societal norms. Amanda added “My sister used to work in so many stores here. The more I came to visit her—the gradual process began. I used to wear loafers. Then I bought a pair of chucks here that have turned into what you see today.” Amanda show cased her beaten up and holey pair of tennis shoes. The grit and the grunge that have accumulated on Amanda’s shoes speaks volumes to the transition she underwent in order to assimilate into the culture.

The evidence found in the graffiti and raunchy store front designs projects that Little Five Points (and each person that inhabits the space) holds an ideology that rebels from the status quo. Normalcy is shunned and any thoughts of a suit or business tie are out of the window. While she examined a cheetah print fabric in Soul Kiss, 19 year old Rebecca exclaims “Most people who come to Little Five and an inner rock star. Now that I think about it, I guess I do too!” In Little Five Points the prevailing ideology is that it is common to be uncommon.
Teenage years are the time when individuals are searching for their identity. The renowned psychologist Erik Erikson concludes that in this stage of life the adolescent is undergoing a serious period of soul-searching in order to develop a sense of self. In other words, teens are trying out different skins until he or she finds one that fits. The skin just happens to be lined with rhinestones or polka dots for those that venture into Little Five Points.
It is important to question whether this rebellious ideology was owned before teens frequented the beloved “L5P” or if the lifestyle was issued after several visits. Although most skater boys would disagree, ideology is inseparable from culture. It is the common sense or the generally accepted norms of any given group. The authors of the Theory Toolbox make an extensive effort to illustrate the idea that in order to be creative or to produce new ideas, you must first come to an agreement about what current conditions or ideas exist.

Therefore, the outstanding tattoo artist at the tattoo parlor must recognize the work of others before he or she can even make anything new. In order to think about it in another way, how can the tattoo artist create something new without knowing what the old actually is?
The culture in Little Five Points celebrates originality. This location has established implicit rules that encourage bohemians, vegans, and hippies alike. Therefore, teenagers who are unable to visit anywhere else on the weekend become hippies by default.

--Deaweh Benson