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In this essay we argue that the rhetoric of Foss, Waters, and Armada's recent work on ''agentic orientation,'' as well as the rhetoric of the popular bestselling DVD and book The Secret, are typical of ''magical voluntarism.'' Magical voluntarism is an idealist understanding of human agency in which a subject can fulfill her needs and desires by simple wish-fulfillment and the manipulation of symbols, irrelevant of structural constraint or material limitation. Embracing magical voluntarism, we argue, leads to narcissistic complacency, regressive infantilism, and elitist arrogance. A more materialist and dialectical understanding of agency is better.

The author argues that subcultural identity is a process informed by memorial struggles, or contests over what counts as a “history” and a “memory.” More specific, this article suggests that popular, mainstream representations of subcultures often provide subcultural adherents with a discursive space in which to redefine and negotiate subcultural identities, histories, and memories. To this end, the representation of “gothic subculture” by both the press and “goths” themselves is examined to illustrate points of contest and negative redefinition. The article concludes by suggesting that a better, shared understanding of subcultural discourse demands some degree of ethnographic research.

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