hi

i dont know if its just me, but the swiss seem to be a very conformist bunch. everyone looks the same, like they were all manufactured on a production line (sorry, no offence intended).

where are the long haired heavy metal fans, the punks, the goths, the chavs, the loony lefties, etc etc, you get my drift...

people here all seem the same and those who are not are nearly always foreigners. thank god for foreigners otherwise switzerland would have no variation amongst its population.

thoughts?

if you take the train, you'll see these people. You've been over-exposed to the Black Audi gang, I think

They can't afford the tram to Paradeplatz.

I don't know where they all go, but I see them all passing through the train station when I pop out for the evening.

Try a walk round the pubs on the fringes of city centres and down the little side streets to track em down.

I've certainly seen a few different subcultures around Zürich. Goths, metal heads and ferals. But remember, small country with a small population means that fringe groups are going to be very small also.

I would say that as a percentage of the population, Switzerland has a higher level of "sub-cultures" than most European nations. Try visiting Bern sometime ... a veritable kaleidoscope of freaks, greens, junkies, goths, Bohemians, wanna be Bohemians etc.

Oh & Lob, silver is the only choice of colour for all Audis & SUV's

They all left the German part & have installed themselves here in Lausanne.

Hiya, the alternative place to go is the Rote Fabrik(red factory). Having said that it´s getting more full with bankers and boaters and SVP voters. It´s right on the lake, they have great concerts, the restaurant is cheap and mostly fair-trade and bio - but if you belong to one of the afore mentioned, you will probably get CRAP service. You can skin up there and enjoy the views, and, so long as there aren´t too many undesirables (see above) hanging about, meet some interesting people. See ya down there mate!

aye, lausanne and bern. big squatter scene in geneva (from what i've heard). all the furry freaklets hide during the day and go to their scene-specific watering holes after dark. in bern, try the reitschule/reithalle. punks and junkies galore

hooray for intravenous drug users!

You mean the undesirables who pay through the nose for the "in" crowd to enjoy infrastructures and facilities for free while whining about the ill effects of globalisation?

Speak to any Swiss and they'll be happy to tell you how they're nothing at all like the folk from the next neighbourhood .

Come to Basel we are here or go to Bern there you will find all kind of sights.

Interesting. I rarely see a punk, goth or metalhead type here in Basel. Unless you go to a show, then there's an odd concentration of them, which disperse as everyones home to their various cantons. People into these subcultures do tend to travel far distances to find shows, since there may be only one in the region for them.

As a semi-visible member of a subculture with a Swiss punk husband with many Swiss punk friends, I can tell you the original poster is correct. There just aren't many subculture types out there. And those that do exist get stared at, unbelievably so. (but hey, we all know about that staring thing, no need to to readdress that here )

As a member of some of these subcultures (metal and punk), I'd completely disagree with that.

And please, don't lump junkies in with us.

Being from the punk era myself, when walking down the streets here I find that I am reminded of those days. I see different people everywhere, not just a certain type is what I am trying to say.

perhaps its just zurich then, i dont feel i see a great diversity of people here... lots of short-haired trendy blokes and thin long-haired pretty girls (which i dont mind ). it seems zurich is full of posers and fashion victims which ive no objection to, i dont have any prejudices for or against any sort of person, its just what feels like a lack of diversity that ive observed.

No, definitely not Zurich. I can tell you where to find the punks there (and I don't mean the trainstation beggar types....), but they are few and far between.

People who stand out as something different, unique, offbeat tend to get it hammered out when they're young. The Swiss schooling system tends to encourage homogeneity, alles in ordnung (everything in order), and if you stand out you encounter difficulties.

Dunno where you are hanging out ... the bus from the burbs and the tram to the Paradeplatz are quite colorful depending on the time of day.

There used to be a cute little squatter bar in Geneva. I think it's gone now. They've shut down the Rhino squat and another very big squat.

We have more than just intravenous drug users, 'round here. That's another separate subculture. We even had a Goth Lolita who made the papers last year. She had to change schools becuase she wouldn't tone down her look. There is a Manga girl who lives near me.... not to mention the "gangsters", the punks, the "real" goths, the hippies, the kids with dreads... etc.

We even a squat in a (what used to be a) lovely country house not to far from me.... There was even a couple of brits staying there not to long ago. I'm telling you. It's all happening here in Lausanne!
Ok, the subcultures seem to be quite small groups, but they are here!

If you go out tonight through Monday morning, you'll see them all, I'm sure!
http://www.lausannelanuit.ch/

If you want colorful, the 32 bus between Limmatplatz and Kalkbreite is a pretty safe bet.

didn't. it's just that both the punk subculture and the drug culture meld together outside the reithalle. it's quite a sad sight...

edit: oops, jsut realised that that wasn't directed at me. disregard please