Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 12 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 10 months ago by
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Recently I met a man in college who claims to be a skinhead. His head is shaven; he wears camoflauge and a flak jackets and steel-toed boots. However, he claims not to be racist. He says skinheads are just ‘working-class culture,’ whatever that means. Does anyone know what he is talking about, or should I retire to my original idea of jumping him?
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Name : Seamus28205, Gender : M, Age : 21, City : Charlestown, State : MA, Country : United States, Social class : Lower class,He’s telling you the truth. I used to know a lot of skinheads; some were racist but lots were not. There’s a whole subset of skinheads who consider themselves really progressive/leftist/activist. Sometimes they’re vegetarian, or call themselves anarchists – and often, because people assume they’re racist, they put lots of energy into working for racial harmony (demonstrating and stuff). The working-class culture argument is true, too – that is where the subculture came from (in England), and that’s what’s alluded to by the heavy workboots and flight jackets and all. I think the guy you know might be trying to make some kind of statement such as ‘not all working-class people are racist.’
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Name : Sue, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Toronto, Ontario, State : NA, Country : Canada, Occupation : journalist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Skinhead culture started out as a working class/ music-type movement. I believe it started in England, based on Oi! and Ska music. These skins were not racist. It was all about the social structure and music scene. I’m not really sure how or why, but somehow along the way, the white supremacists somewhow adopted this ‘style.’ Now, different-colored laces and braces are one of the indicators of whether a skin is racist or not.
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Name : Leslie-K, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 29, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Marketing, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class,There is a huge misinterpretation of the whole skinhead thing. Skinheads are NOT intrinsically racist. There are certain ‘sects’ that are. There are also certain sects that are vehemently opposed to rascism. If you’ve ever heard of ‘sharpies,’ for example, they are a sect of skinheads who are very much opposed to racism. What characterizes someone as a skinhead has less to do with their feelings on race and more to do with their feelings on society as a whole. Naturally a skinhead has, in general, a certain look. Most all have a bald head, and many wear the ‘pork chop’ sideburns. They often dress in tight jeans, certain types of shirts (Fred Perrys or Ben Shermans, which are polo-type shirts or button-downs) and combat boots – usually steel-toe Doc Martens. They are, as your friend said, ‘working class’ folks. They usually have a very strong worth ethic and usually congregate together. They are often characterized by their choice of music, which usually consists of ‘Oi’ music, Punk, Ska and Reggae (yes, Reggae, believe it or not). More than anything else, being a skinhead is like being part of a fraternal order. Unless your friend is proudly displaying a swastika or listening to bands like ‘Skrewdriver,’ you have no reason to think he’s a racist. In fact, I know some black skinheads who’d be pretty upset if they were lumped into that category.
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Name : Anonymous, Gender : F, Age : 26, City : Southern, State : NJ, Country : United States, Social class : Middle class,Although the use of the word ‘skinhead’ has become associated with xenophobic (and frequently neo-Nazi) radicals, not all skinheads are alike. As I understand it, skinheads are a group evolved largely out of the punk rock revolution of the late 1970s, and, to a certain extent, the ‘working class culture’ that your aquaintance mentioned. However, skinheads do categorize themselves, and it’s fair to say that there are both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ skinheads. Indeed, there is a well-publicized group of ‘straight edge’ skinheads who generally believe in abstinence from drug use, excessive alcohol and (for some) casual sex. They also generally are strong advocates of improved race relations, which is also in line with the overlap and free exchange that existed between the punk and reggae/rastafarian cultures in the late 1970s and early 1980s. (Mainstream musical examples of the result of these hybrids include The Police and Blondie. Many hardcore punk groups still regularly cover reggae songs, notably the group Bad Brains.) I don’t know if this is still the case, but in the ’80s (at least in some geographic areas)skinheads even differentiated themselves by the color of laces they wore in their boots. I should say that I am not and have never been a skinhead. Nor am I saying that your aquaintance is a ‘good’ skinhead. But skinheads can come in different flavors, and the word ‘skinhead’ alone does not necessarily mean evil things, at least to other skinheads.
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Name : Michael-B20634, Gender : M, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States,I’m a skinhead, and my parents were skinheads. It has bugger all to do with racism! That’s just neo-Nazi bonehead scum. The media always identifies race hate with skinheads, but it’s not true – the boneheads stole our culture (but not our style) in the mid-late ’70s. Real Skins have a style and culture mixed from the United Kingdom and Jamaica. Check out the music circa ’69: Symarip: “Skinhead moonstomp, skinhead jamboree, skinhead girl.” The Pioneers: “Reggae Fever,” and God knows how many other Reggae skinhead classics – before any bonehead white noise.
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Name : Jason, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : mixed race, Religion : Atheist, Age : 31, City : Kettering, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,From what I know, the term ‘working class’ usually means the same thing as blue collar. In other words, a job that is more physical and involves manual labor is considered a working class job. The people who do these jobs are, more or less, doing the harder physical-type jobs that a lot of ‘high society’ people don’t want to do. Usually these people aren’t very much appreciated for doing these jobs and don’t get paid as well as they should (considering the types of jobs they do, the lack of fair treatment by employers and the conditions they have to do these jobs in), so they live paycheck to paycheck. It is true that some skinheads are racist and some are not. In America, usually the non-racist skinheads call themselves ‘s.h.a.r.p.s.’ (or ‘sharps’ for short) which stands for “skin heads against racial prejudice.” Usually they just love punk and ska, which is something like punk and reggae combined and is not intended to identify with the neo-Nazi skinheads in any way. At least that is my understanding from when I asked the same question to the few I have met. Another interesting note is how the constant association of neo-Nazi skinheads and punk rock in America by news reporters and talk show hosts also makes a lot of people think punk rock is about racism, which it is not for the most part. Just like any other group of people that share common interests, their are many opposing opinions and beliefs held among punk rock fans as well.
If you still wonder if the guy is a racist, ask him more questions. You might find that he is just an average everyday person.
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Name : Kasey, Gender : F, Race : Caucasian/Native American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 30, City : Rockingham, State : NC, Country : United States, Occupation : sales clerk, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Lower class,Jason, Get a life. Why does one allow music to have such an influence in ones life? How much money has any musical group ever put into your pocket? Truth is, they don’t give a damn about you so long as you buy their product. Regardless of what they espouse the fact is, it is merely a business with them. Why does one feel one has to shave ones head in order to have self identity? Why not strive to make a mark in this world by helping others or contributing something worthwhile to society. It is too easy to shave ones head and let it go at that. It takes effort to do sosmething good for society, or your fellow man; or is this asking too much?
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Name : Bob, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 67, City : Tallahassee, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : retired, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,The reason a lot of skinheads listen to Ska music is that a lot of Jamaicans migrated to England in the ’60s, influencing the young working class with music. Skinheads generally wear boots as a sign of their working-class heritage. Skinhead culture was co-opted by the National Front (very racist) as a way to recruit kids who were very confused and angry about their place in the world. Even non-racist Skins can be rather ignorant; even S.H.A.R.P.s can be a little too patriotic, denouncing immigrants no matter their color, and can be a little fascist in their political views (anti-Communist or anti-anarchist), though I have met many S.H.A.R.P.s who were very non-racist and genuinely kind people.
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Name : Ratchet, City : Portland, State : OR, Country : United States,The Skinheads started in England in the mid-’60s. They were offshoots of the Mods, with a distinctly working-class spin. They shaved their heads because of lice and because floppy Beatles haircuts get pulled in fights. At first they were mostly football hooligans, but toward the late ’60s early ’70s they adopted many social causes, some leftist, some rightest, etc. These kids came into direct contact with black emigres from the West Indies. They were invited to their dance halls, where ska, reggae and rocksteady were played. The Skinheads fell in love with it, and it became their predominant music form, along with Oi! (a close relative of hardcore punk). But in the late ’70s early ’80s, the National Front (the British equivalent of the Nazi Party) started recruiting young people as well as a few rightist-leaning Skins, and they became a distinct racist Skinhead subdivision of the subculture. It took off from there. About half of all Skinheads are non- or anti-racist. There are traditional Skinheads (based on the originals from the ’60s), SHARPs (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice), RASH (Red & Anarchist SkinHeads), queer Skins (gay and lesbian), straight-edge Skinheads (some are racist, many are not), Hammerskins (racist), white power Skins, white pride Skins, Nazi Skins and a few others. A traditional Skin (a true original) is identified by a love for football (soccer), beer, ska/reggae/rocksteady/dancehall music, as well as Oi!, punk and hardcore, a disdain or resentment of racism (half the Skins in L.A. are Latino), and their working-class traditions and values.
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Name : Dan27155, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : L.A. area, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class,no not all skinheads are racist, in fact most are not.skinheads actually evolved from a working class background and were heavily influenced by reggae and soul music of the sixties in britain. there are many skins around the world of different nationalities such as hispanic, asian,african and so forth.few people realize this, sadly, due to the muckraking media, shame.for more detailed information type in keyword traditional skinhead i think you will be surprised at the information that you will find.
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Name : fireman, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 21, City : santa cruz, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : carpenter, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,i am also i skinhead and he’s right…racism has nothing to do with it whatsoever.being a skinhead is about being a working class citizen, being proud of your roots, heritage, and counrty. anyhoo, thats my 2 cents i guess.
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Name : will28658, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 19, City : prince george, State : NA, Country : Canada, Occupation : plumber, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class,
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