1. Quote from a student on the Fordham Rose Hill (Bronx) Campus on February 28, 2006:
"I pissed on my own face yesterday."
Interesting.
2. Today, while riding the 4 train from Union Square to East Fordham Rd, I noticed a strange character across from me. I couldn't quite believe my eyes.
A Skinhead. Shaved head, flight jacket, straight legged jeans, doc maarten shoes with white laces. The whole deal.
Now, I understand that Skinhead culture is not inherently racist. Many Skinheads are not at all racist, and some are in fact virulently (and sometimes violently) anti-racist (i.e. SHARPS--Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). Skinheads, historically, celebrate working class youth culture, which does not necessarily demand that one hold racist beliefs. See wikipedia's skinhead entry for a bit more information or check out this website which contains a very interesting FAQ.
Fair enough. Not all skinheads are racist. Nonetheless, everyone thinks that they're a bunch of hating violent racists. This is the generally held conception.
So isn't the Bronx (much of which is nearly wholly inhabited by various minority groups) a strange place to find a Skinhead?
Who knows. I just found the whole affair sort of visually jarring.
If I remember correctly, white laces mean S.H.A.R.P., red laces mean Nazi. There were also other colors, I think green, but I forget what they meant. When I used to go to ska shows (which were packed with skins) in the mid 90s, it was not uncommon to see Black, Hispanic, Asian skinheads. I've never seen any racism at ska/skin shows. I've seen skins fight punks, etc., but racism never seemed to be a factor, especially since many of the skinhead bands had people of color fronting them (Inspector 7, Mephaskaphiles, etc) Many of the first skins in the UK were Jamaicans and ska, reggae, and Jamaican culture was integral to being a traditional skin. I forget the rest, it's been a while, so "Oi"...I guess...
ReplyDeleteCheck out Hebdige "Subculture": he portrays skinheads as a reactionary youth culture. One designed to capture a traditional manly working-class/labor identity in the face of the confusing cultural change. The Mods were alot happier to engage a cosmopolitan lifestyle. But yeah, not all skinhead culture has been racist: weren't members of the Specials skinheads? Jerz is right on his points about all that.
ReplyDelete