More by: Ryan
Today we live in a culture of people that for the most part stand for nothing. If you are from the ages 18-26 you have to see this. This up and coming generation will buy into anything you lay in front of them. They will also never make any waves any place they go. They will however dress tough and act hard, but all in all they stand for nothing and pose no real threat to anybody or anything. How does it feel to part of this generation? No standards no goals just a fashion statement. The return of apathy is coming down like acid rain. Corporate America is winning or really lets be honest they won! The best part about the kids of this generation is that they really do think they pose a threat. They really think that by dressing like a skinhead or some hipster they pose a threat. But nobody cares the attitude is gone it’s just a front. Look at history of these kinds of fads. The hipster what is a hipster really? Well it came from the jazz age when suburban white kids would come into the cities and emulate the black jazz musicians getting labeled the white negro these kids wanted to copy the style and carry the banner, but in no way would they have adapt the struggle of this movement they so badly wanted to incorporate into their own lives. I am sure with even a small amount of this style of hipsterness continued into today where we have countless kids trying copy styles and trends from eras they had no part in. Pretty much the whole idea of the hipster is to have no true identity. The streets of my town are flooded with these kids. Buying up all the corporate beer they can and hitting up all the shitty corporate bullshit they can find. They make no stands and will never make any waves. Some say this the dead end for western civilation, and I am starting to agree. Its now cool to shut your mind off instead of turning it on. Its now cool to let people walk all over you without you have a fucking clue what’s going on. We spend our time collecting friends on facebook getting invites to all the parties where we can meet people to snort speed with and fuck. No body will ever write about you nobody will ever care about you. How does it feel to a part of a generation that will be forgotten about instantly? Just sit back drink your PBR smoke cigs and zone out. Until the cop takes a fucking stick to your skull and they got you down and you can’t escape, and you look but your friends are gone because remember its all attitude and no guts.
Ok the second group of people I want to talk about is skinheads. What are skinheads and why? I spend a lot of my life growing up with skinheads and having a brief phase being one, but the shoe just never fit I guess. Well the skinhead movement is a pretty cool one. It started back in the 60’s in Jamaica that’s right it was a black thing not a dumbed down white boy suburban trend. It started as a working class movement, and something different then the hippie movement happening at the time. They would stick together not grow out there hair instead they shaved it. This movement stood for something. In the early 80’s late 70’s hardcore began and the NAZI youth adapted the same style becoming boneheads or Nazi skinheads. Different laces where worn by each group showing what kind of skin you were. Nazi skinheads are not skinheads they just stole the style. Bands Like SKREWDRIVER starting popping up all over the place. SKREDRIVER was the main Nazi band that really took it to the streets. The singer of this band Ian Stuart was one of the main front-runners for this movement. He was part of the rock against communist movement along with Blood and Honor, a group which had a real political message and also had tight ties to the KKK. Ian was no joke and was the man who set up the fests and spread the message of white power to the youth. He is one of the people who stole the look and the attitude of the skinhead movement and pissed on it. The best part about this band is that they did one non-racist record and then came back with a new look and political agenda. In the punk and hardcore scenes you will find a lot of fence riders with this band due to the first record. Even though this band was the one the most dangerous bands in all of the white power movement they are still not 100% black listed. You will still see kids sporting the shirt/tattoo or whatever else. Growing up in the 90’s I saw a huge threat from Nazis at shows. It got to the point if you walked into a show wearing a racist bands shirt you better have been ready to fight. Real skinheads do not take kindly to boneheads. It was bad at a lot of shows then. In some areas you got punks and skins to police the show to prevent any fights or Nazi problems that would arise. From these kids standing up and saying no get the fuck out they made a difference, and my life a lot better. I have had a lot of friends and myself be attacked by Nazi skinheads in the past, and it is no joke. It’s truly sad to see this movement that’s means so much to so many be pissed on weakened by people with no guts. It’s also truly sad that we can even accept someone wearing or supporting racist ideas on any level what so ever. The skinhead movement has strong roots you should educate yourself on the struggle and history of this movement before you jump in the game. You should also learn about Ian Stuart don’t just believe what I write in this column go check it for yourself. Like the great band THE SPECIALS said if you have a racist friend now is the time for that friendship to end.
I hope this column upsets people I hope somebody wants to kick my ass. I hope something somehow with spark some sort of fire under the ass of this generation. Prove me wrong start something do something!!!!
Thank you so much for writing this column. I recently watched a documentary about the origins of the skinhead (not bonehead) movement. It was very interesting and a far cry from where folks are at today. The pieces of shit kids that walk around sporting the skinhead “look” clearly do not care about or even strive to rejuvenate the non-racist, working class values the movement at one time upheld. Worse, several skins in Grand Rapids are even beyond the mere skinhead fashion — they are unashamedly racist! And perhaps worse than that, they’re let into and welcomed at shows!
I fall into your classified generation of 18-26 year-olds, and I have to say I agree with you for the most part of your assessment of folks my age. I also think that the apathetic attitudes and wanting to dress cool sadly spreads beyond that age range as well. But I hear ya on the difference between being into punk in the 90s versus now. I got in to punk in the early 2000s and much has changed even since then. Bottom line, people don’t give a shit about a whole lot, and if they do, it comes in a very privileged form. No risk taking, no wave making, and no spines. It’s very depressing and is one of the reasons why I rarely attend shows.
Awww, thats so sad.
Dude, you are and forever will be a DOUCHEBAG…Stand up or get beaten down…JJ
yes you have won the prize for the worst post on this site to date. Good job Jesse stand up or get beaten down what a fucking joke.
It is very obvious to me that you really do not know what you say. You take lies and make them real. You say all skinheads are this or that, when in reality that is a lie. What the fuck do you know about skinheads? You read a book and saw some here, wow, lets make you an expert. Really, what the fuck are you, a lying bitch that can’t be unbiased? So, unless you really know what you talk about I suggest you don’t. For, you act just like what you supposedly condemn. You are best are a hypocrite and a bitch. If you wanted at all maybe to be not so then maybe just maybe you could speak truth. So fucking what if some skinheads fight, it is not wrong to fight. But, for your pussy punk ass and your fake peace that is NOT real, you want what? So what are you Ryan? Old punks used to fight the system, and maybe make sense, you fucking don’t you are as PC as all the old punks hated in 1970. So, you DO NOT know what real punks fight and you do not know real skinheads. Maybe one day you can open your PC punk eyes and see what is really happening. Until then have fun with your lies brainwashed PC punk. Take your high tower PC punk ass and maybe once understand who is poor and why they fight. You are NOT a punk rocker you are the enemy of all that is one. For, you tell us that there is a way we should be, and we will be anyway we want asshole. What ever happened to your “anarchy” PC punk boy?
thanks that was a really good read!
Amen!
You gotta admit, those fascists look so fucking cool as they are kicking your teeth in with style.
Hipsters can share the video of it with their iphones!
Sadly enough I feel the same way as the bathtub person about the local scene in GR. I hate the apathy and the ready to fight attitude by some of the kids. Also the drink till die mental state. I have been finding myself more and more into hardcore and less wanting to go to shows. It seems if you speak out you want to fight. My hands are so fucked up from working that i cant even make a full fist anymore so i am easy pickings hahahahaha. Whatever boneheads are boneheads they will always be around.
well put there ryan, i just have been out here (chicago) for about a whole year now and have attened shows, partys , get togethers consisting of all different “types” of people. when i first was going to alot of low fi, sloppy punk basement type f shows it was really the whole back pack dreadlock 40 oz cretins, not alot of good shows i saw at first and when i found out an amazing touring band was playing that was actually good enough to ride 8 or something miles to see, i didnt really know anyone to talk to , or maybe not just yet, but the whole time attending party punk type of shows in my neighbourhood, none of those kids would be at the show well organized and even in a sober space. not a single one, and the whole time these drunk punk would call them hipsters or make up pathetic reasons why not to be around those “hipsters”. since i gave up drinking completely to benefit myself i just about shut myself out of that community of party punks completely, occasionally i will see my old roomate or something like that and believe me, this is chicago, i worked in a bar all last summer in wicker park, i know what the fuck a hipster is through and through. as for the skinhead problem here now, its basically exactly like you put it. we got the notoruious CMS (chi town mafia skins) who are well known for attacking homeless, women, other punks and show goes, etc. they are a threat and have even stabbed a friend of mine after he tried to kick them out of his house. imagine fucks like uno, but alot of them, together. thank god nobody has really ran into them lately as far as i know. next on the roster is the infamous 77 punks. now these cretins are a bunch of wicker park bar culture fashion punk rock hipster mother fuckers who are even more roudy in public than two drunk bums fighting over a tall can of steel reserve. last year numorous traveling kids were attacked and i heard hospitalized as well, the way these 77 kids roll, they just walk around the bars with an attitude and when someone anyone says the wrong thing they snap. if one be alone hes no more than a wolfs howl away. responsible for countless bar fights and shows being wrecked. now, funny story about these idiots goes back to the summer, my old house was organizing different ways to let people in the area know about them if they havent, fliers, word of mouth etc. being that at the time i was working right in the heart of these fuckers stomping grounds we had a crew formulated for an on call attack, a few of the folks from la armada stepped in and some other latino punks my old roomate new that were ready for blood. basically as soon as i saw one i would call either marco or lyndsey from work and they would all charge uptown, the best part is they dressed like hipsters and just steady jumped this clown so bad after he admitted to being a 77 kid and gave the “what the fuck you gonna do” almost positive he went to the hospital that night and nobody has seen any of those 77 kids left. well, I am glad to see this site is turning out the way we all wanted it to when it was born. I am doing alot of things and have been surrounding myself around the right people and all that good stuff. well, its early and i got to be in the loop in about an hour to go give packages and file boxes to loading docks and 40 something story buildings. i already have had to much coffee. later man, and please let me know when you plan to come out here, you might want to consider a few notable shows coming up sooner than you think.
Gride-czech republic grinding heros
PLF – texas reigning grind supremacy
Paucities – 7 inch release- awesome noisy harsh grind stuff (good friends)
kataplexy- suburban death metal lords
sunday at the albion house
next good one.
june 26th 2340 milwaukee
loaded for bear
SFN- wisconson ballistic thrashcore
sea of shit
socially retarded – split release show
eddy current suppression ring is playing two nights in a row at the empty bottle too in june. now thats whats up. and ryan if you havent bought the LOW THREAT PROFILE record, order like ten i swear.
hit me up sometime man
nickkuizema@yahoo.com
hey dude also the LOW THREAT PROFILE record rules!
I find it interesting that you bring up CMS & 77….considering that the REAL CMS & 77 haven’t been seen in Chicago for over five years.
NICE STORY
Ryan, exactly how old are you?
Thanks for writing this–it needed to be said. I agree with a lot of what you wrote and what the folks commenting have added to the discussion.
I also want to add that I think the problem with skinheads is that it isn’t just about racism and racists. Lots of skinheads will tell you that they aren’t “racist.” However, their politics are still at odds with much of the punk scene and run contrary to the type of community/world that punks are trying to create.
For the most part, the skinhead culture embraces rightwing reactionary politics. Sure, it some cases it might not be overtly racist–but the patriotism (see the U.S. flags on skinhead jackets, song lyrics, etc), frequent homophobia, glorification of violence/toughness, and overall attitude of the skinhead culture is largely at odds with the values of the DIY punk/hardcore scene. Not surprisingly, even in less overtly racist forms, skinhead culture all too often involves an uncritical embrace of white privilege.
where are all these skinheads? everyone knows grand rapids is full of SHARP’s, and SHARP’s aint no skinhead.
and wear are all these beer can shows? every time i go to a show in GR its like going to the medi center, you cant smoke, you cant drink, you cant swear, you cant offend anyone, you cant heckle, etc, etc.
good thing there is free speech though huh???? as long as it is something YOU want to hear.
funny how you didnt seem to mind having a skinhead for a drummer.
i dont know of one sharp in grand rapids and yeah your right there not skinheads..so i dont know where you get grand rapids is full of fucking sharps
and as for this whole column it was directed towards my friend Bernie for having a skrewdriver tattoo ( which i guess makes him a Nazi haha) but funny thing is all these people who talk shit never do a god damn thing when they see us around
so who ever has a problem with it or with us stop being a hard ass over the keyboard and come fucking talk to us about it
A skrew driver tattoo? Laughing about how it “makes him a Nazi” in the eyes of some?
Yup, getting a tattoo of a white supremacist band, that’s real funny. This must be another example of how cool skinhead culture is!
I hate people. all of this shit just proves how fucking stupid the scene in grand rapids is. there is no scene. ive been a part of this shit since i was 13 years old and nothing has ever changed. there has always been a huge gap between the punks and skins in this town and for the most part its for the better. yeah, ive been involved in some sketchy fucked up shit in the past and im not ashamed of it. all in all being a skinhead is something that is in your blood and once its a part of you its never goin away. i aint white pride, i aint white power, im just fuckin white and thats all there is too it. skinheads smoke dope and that aint no fuckin joke….peace out you sorry fools.
I said nothing about skinheads I said something about boneheads are you a bonehead? If so fuck off! Read it again and post again if you would like. I love how people can jump the gun on this so fast. I am only talking about boneheads. i have skinhead friends all over the world.
To me it seems to you are pretty full of yourself to think i care that much about some dude named Ben to direct a column about him. Read it again then when you are done read it again. It is so normal for people to feel victimized. I have been dealing boneheads for many many many years my friend. Ben with SD shirt is so small in the world of fucked up nazi bullshit, but i can understand how its easy to feel like somebody is coming down on you. Danny i dont need to have some lame fucking talk with you. Are you a nazi? If not this is not about you. This site is about writing what we feel. I oppose any form of racist bullshit. I draw lines thats it plain and simple. We have a 95% white scene in GR it pretty easy to wear a skrewdriver shirt and jokingly do nazi like things at shows because nobody challenges you, and dont mean by fighting dont get all upset. I really dont understand how you are upset in any way about this column. Trust me buddy you are one of the many many skinheads I know. I oppose racist bands/attitudes and people who support it. If you fall under that group then i oppose you plain and simple. Like I said read it again and stop trying to fight anything and anybody slow down and look around. On last time this is about racism.
are you kidding. GR is full of SHARP scum. i think its funny how many people actually listen to skrewdriver. how can you not like skrewdriver? all their sing along sing songy melodies. not to mention all that shit happened like 20 years ago. i think it is funny too, the person who wrote this column didnt seem to mind one bit that his drummer was a skinhead..88
As if someone going by jake hitler has any right to say anyone is scum. Fuck off.
i am more of a clockwork actually. i just like to fuck shit up. but i do get upset when anyone acts like an asshole, especially the ethnically challenged.
maybe next time we meet i can shine my boots with your teeth?!!?( just kidding)
88 (not kidding)
Just so folks know “88″ (as used above twice by jake hitler) is white supremacist shorthand for “Heil Hitler.” You see it all over the racist skinhead scene and the broader white supremacist movement.
http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols/numbers_88.asp
wow man you fucking would for one who gives a good god damn fuck that guy has been around twice if not three times longer then you so go look on the internet for some more racist skinhead shit here ill help you out a little 14/88,58,18,卐,ϟϟ, and there plenty more go ahead and look em up and post another CUNT
That was exactly what I was looking for. You have done great work communicating your message. Keep up the good work.
I can’t believe Algeria is out. Quickest exit ever. I just assumed that they had a great chance to do well in this years world cup. Maybe in four years. Maybe its time to jump on the Argentina bandwagon. Looks like Demichelis has already scored. Go Argentina. To turn around my day that was ruined by Algeria, I have been watching some funny jokes.. This is one of the funnier ones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3j7uSbccSc
Jake Hitler: You’re right Sharp skins are faggots that all have daddy issues. Skrewdriver is a good band, but old. Grand Rapids doesn’t have very many skinheads, I’ve dropped so many NS fliers around this town its nuts. Tell me of a hard core show coming up, I’ll make it a point to go. Too bad I missed the Deals gone Bad show, I would love to see these faggot Sharps there.
http://southsideara.blogspot.com/2011/01/exposing-grand-rapids-nazi-michael.html
Fuck the dude above. He’s talking about distributing nazi propaganda and he is an “active” white supremacist. Why did the comment get approved?
Probably because the admin isn’t afraid to let just one opinion be heard, which is a good thing “afa”. Just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean their opinions should vanish. It also doesn’t mean the admin agrees with what I said, most likely he doesn’t, It simply means the admin isn’t a pussy.
The skinheads I see around Grand Rapids are usually hanging out with some of the younger punk kids around downtown/easttown. I usually see them at college parties rubbing all up on me and trying to start fights with anyone. I have heard the punk kids talk about SHARP but not when the skinheads were around.
Not sure if they are using Sharp as a front or what but I peace out when they show up. I don’t even know how I run into these fuckers.
like i said before FUCK sharps
i dont no where people keep getting this idea of sharps being in grand rapids
i have never met one nor have i seen one
and if i did i would smash his fucking face i lived in California and had to deal with all those unity fags and sharp fags
Have you thought about to add some kind of social media link to your blog posts? It will be better for me to bookmark such a nice website.
Check out Michael Peterson “ragnar” the Nazi.
http://southsideara.blogspot.com/2011/01/exposing-grand-rapids-nazi-michael.html
i already knew all about him but i like the fact that hes being exposed this way
look for his friend james wisner also
“You ever wonder why boneheads are called Northern Skins? Because we kicked their fucking asses up north.” – Dogz of War. Try coming to Detroit, there are still plenty of fucking kids who will smash your ignorant fucking faces into the street.
The boneheads are a fucking joke. Detroit kids damn near wiped them out of southeast Michigan. John, we both know they hide like cockroaches and try so hard to sound tough via keyboard.
Its a bad time to be a bonehead in GR nowadays. We know how to deal with ‘em too.
Fuck SHARPS and NAZis. Real Skins..are skinheads, no more. no less. Lets get along or move along. Divisions are killing this culture. Get over your pussy whiney bullshit and enjoy this life for whats its meant. Also the SHARPS are the true threat anyway. Way more fo these fags are showing up and going to all the shows.. trying to dictate this lifestyle. They are the true enemies now. Nazis in general have moved on to many other things.
I came across your articles…very informative! I have a relative in GR and one of Neo- Nazi his friends posted that 90% of hispanics are “illegals” so it can safely be said that the hispanic people are “raping the American dream” and should not be accepted in our country. When I pointed out (in maybe not the most polite way) that it was a completely erroneous statement (again, not very politely) I was told that I was very discriminatory and hateful of skinhead beliefs, that their beliefs are just as protected as anyone ele’s and to attempt to badmouth their free speech was criminally unAmerican. I had never before been “exposed” to their “belief system” but wow, it seems many people support and even love their propaganda in GR. I found that a little shocking. I live in the southwest region of the US so I have heard people say things that display their frustration about illegal immigrants but never with completely made up stuff that they insisted that I could “take to the bank” and then call be “unAmerican” for presenting contradictory information. It was the strangest experience in my life. 1. Apparently free speech is a one way street and 2. Only bad guys don’t like Nazis. It was bizarre.
Unfortunately for you,the Skinhead Movement began in England and had nothing to do with Jamaica,it evolved out of the Mod Movement,and while its true they weren’t “nazis” and they listened to Reggae,they were also very right-wing and Nationalistic,and were notorious for beating up Immigrants,Hippies,gays and even blacks on occasion.they also were big supporters of Enoch Powell.they were much closer to WP skins than so called SHARPS.so get your facts straight and stop trying to rewrite History.
desmond dekkar