Skinheads Against Racial Prejudices

[ElephantGuts]

I was not aware there were any types of Skinheads besides the stereotypical racist Neo-Nazi ones. In fact this is quite a revelation for me, thank you. It sucks that they stole your identity and made everyone think that all Skinheads were like them.

I'll keep that in mind from now on. And I think SHARP should do more to educate people about this, or else if they become widely known people will just think of them as the stereotypical Skinheads and no one will take them seriously.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

Fine, you're a SHARP. How do you think old Jewish people feel when they see a bunch of militan shaved headed sharps coming up the street?

Sincere question, not loaded.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

We actually had to read an article on SHARP in a high school psyche class.

Still...

Racist Psychos or not, I see a big dude with army boots and a shaved head, I'm gettin my ass across the streets. You skin heads look SCARY.

 

[Skeleon]

Even if you aren't racists, you shouldn't use the image of skinheads.
For example, one shouldn't use the swastika anymore, either; just because it used to be a symbol of the sun, doesn't mean it's okay to use it today. Meanings change and acting like they don't just makes you look hypocritical, like you simply use the old meanings as an excuse to live your hatred.

 

[Slurp]

I shaved all my hair off for charity,
though obviously not my eyebrows, eyelashes or pubes,
and have since suffered from my own sorts of prejudice.

Joined a new rugby club post-shave, hoping to play as their Openside Flanker (an example of a forward, large, bulky and strong, but unlike other forwards, requiring good acceleration) and got told, based on my aerodynamic appearance, that I was gonna have to play on the wing.
A position that requires you only to sprint quite often and dive accross the line
Yes, in the most boring position.
It is a hard life

 

[new_age_reject]

I would like to say that the best way to tell us apart is that generally the militant racists lack shirts, wear cammo jeans and army boots.
The real ska loving, everybody loving fellows generally wear shirts, blue jeans and doc martins.
At least in my experience.

 

[Nmil-ek]

Fine, you're a SHARP. How do you think old Jewish people feel when they see a bunch of militan shaved headed sharps coming up the street?

Sincere question, not loaded.

Oh everything offends someone about something its a bloody haircut, do the jewish find the military offensive too should we give soldiers mop tops?

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

I already knew most of that...but not about the ska. However, I have two questions for you:

1) Why were the original skinheads angry towards Asian immigrants in the first place? Sounds like a racial prejudice to me.

2) Do you actually shave your head?

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

I knew all that and still the idea behind S.H.A.R.P. seem idiotic to me.
Even if Skinheads are not racist, they're still rude and "don't give a fuck" by definition. Organising them into any human rights organisation makes them look like a bunch of carebears.
Also S.H.A.R.P. is way to leftist for my taste.

Man's got a point.

 

[ZeroMachine]

Huh... that's really interesting, but I doubt it'll get anyone to ask "Are you a good skinhead, or a bad skinhead?"

Hilarity would probably ensue, though.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

Fine, you're a SHARP. How do you think old Jewish people feel when they see a bunch of militan shaved headed sharps coming up the street?

Sincere question, not loaded.

Now we're on a 'Confederate flag' level of political confusion with that point.

I wasn't making a point, I was asking a question.

But I might as well make one... if i started wearing swastikas and tried to reestablish it as a symbol for mexican independence how many people will get the memo on that change? probably none and to most i'll just look like a nazi.

Somebody else made a rude point stating "Who cares." There is some validity in that, the actions of a subculture do not always redefine the the symbols or semantics of a social group. so sure, SHARPS might have good intentions but it will all get lost in the convoluted politics of subculture dress codes.

From here, you could say.. well don't judge people by what they wear despite the fact that, that is exactly how SHARPS came to their current aesthetic and approach.

Most of us don't have time to go muck around in the convoluted rules of engagement for each and every subculture so don't cry foul when people mistake you for a skinhead. Yes, it is ignorance on our part but it's probably a ridiculous identity crisis on yours.

 

[The_Prophet]

Who cares?

Who asked you to post here?

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

But I might as well make one... if i started wearing swastikas and tried to reestablish it as a symbol for mexican independence how many people will get the memo on that change? probably none and to most i'll just look like a nazi.

I think it's just the nazi skinheads that wear swastikas and stuff.

 

[Skeleon]

Not really--the Confederate flag was always associated with slavery. The skinhead movement didn't get connected to fascism until long after skinhead's inception.

Even though I'm repeating myself, the same thing happened to the swastika and you shouldn't still use it as a symbol either. It is too laden with racist meaning, just like being a skinhead.
So you shouldn't be surprised if you're grouped in with racists, just like I shouldn't be surprised if I was called a Nazi instead of a devout sun-worshipper for wearing a swastika badge.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

But I might as well make one... if i started wearing swastikas and tried to reestablish it as a symbol for mexican independence how many people will get the memo on that change? probably none and to most i'll just look like a nazi.

I think it's just the nazi skinheads that wear swastikas and stuff.

you are not following my hypothetical statement.. please reread

 

[Fightgarr]

I pretty frequently shave my head. For a while I shaved my head completely bald every 3 days. It had nothing to do with any kind of ideology but I did it. Like someone above mentioned, if your a white guy and you shave your head you are immediately a target for people to point at and say: "That guy is a racist skinhead." No, sometimes I just don't want hair is all.

Sure there are racist skinheads out there, but not all of them are. I've met a couple of guys at Oi! shows who are really genuinely nice guys, not racist at all. As for what Kukul said above with regard to the "fuck authority" attitude of skinheads, well that just sort of comes standard with alternative cultures. Its been that way since the flappers all the way through the rockers, the hippies the punks and the grunge kids. You may as well say (without an massive amount of inaccuracy) that most teenagers are that way.
I said 'Fuck Authority' when I was a punk. Its what got me pepper sprayed.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

Not really--the Confederate flag was always associated with slavery. The skinhead movement didn't get connected to fascism until long after skinhead's inception.

Even though I'm repeating myself, the same thing happened to the swastika and you shouldn't still use it as a symbol either. It is too laden with racist meaning, just like being a skinhead.
So you shouldn't be surprised if you're grouped in with racists, just like I shouldn't be surprised if I was called a Nazi instead of a devout sun-worshipper for wearing a swastika badge.

Exactly and SHARPs are aware of the semiotics of our society and it is unrealistic to expect society to know the semiotics of the SHARP subculture. That's all I'm saying.