Boots and Braces, Modems and Instant Messeges
American Upstart Tim

For years, skinheads have declared the streets as their own, the rougher tougher sect of the underground. We have stood unopposed in the scene.
 But with technology rising faster than John Holmes dick, we skinheads are finding ourselves in a world dominated by 14 year old cyber punks and skins who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag, yet could systematically crash your computer, ruin your credit and take a picture of your girlfriend and make a million dollars at his private skinbyrd nudie website. Doesn't that just make you all warm inside.
  Yes the computer age has reared its ugly head in our scene, and if you like I, have taken the bait and invested your hard earned cash into a hard drive, monitor, modem, internet provider, web cam, email... all the stuff that makes being an end user that much more fun; then you know it’s a painful addiction. Well maybe not, but after spending 3 years with access to the internet and all it has to offer, I have found that I only go to about 5 sites on a regular basis, none of which have any great usage other than fast loading cartoons of squirrels getting blown up, gab, rumors and drama.
  When I first got connected it was at my job, I spent the most part of everyday with two windows up, my work screen and a browser, I thought of every imaginable phrase to put in for skinhead related searches; Bootboys, Skinhead crews, Hooligans, Soccer Violence, Nazis, Anti Racists, Skinbyrds etc etc, and each search pulled up a plethora of sites. But once I got into the page it was the same crap over and over again, some young kid trying his best (bless their little souls) to expel rumors of racism, going over the history of skinheads and how we have roots in Jamaica. A spinning crucified was around every corner, dancing boots, dancing two tones, Oi Oi Oi, I had had enough. I was 27 at the time and the last thing I needed was a kid of 15 years telling me the history, fuck I made some of that history. Before my head gets too big and I start telling you where I was is 85 and crap like that, let me digress.
  The internet, to me, gives people as much power as the can pull out of it. If you can make a good looking page and sound half way like you know what you are talking about, people will read it and the naive will believe it. Who's to say otherwise, the creator of the page is not standing right there to answer your questions or to defend his or her claims, it's up to you to take it for what it is. |
  The internet also offers a never ending supply of slander, I never knew, in my sheltered little world, how much back stabbing, shit talkin’, face smearing, name ruining propaganda is out there. If someone doesn’t like you and they want to mess with you, paint an ugly picture of your personality, oh dear friends I have seen the horror and I laughed right along with you at the expense of another.
  I could go on and on about the subculture of the web, but I thought I would let some other voices into my tangent. These voices come from the internet, from various “clubs” throughout Yahoo portal system. The Yahoo clubs are a user friendly meeting place, message board and picture post. Each carved out to the creator of that clubs specs. There are clubs for everything: skinheads, punks, music, politics, nekkid women, nekkid skins and punks you name it it's there. The clubs are filled with countless skins and punks from around the world, all interacting with one another. Is this interfacing what our scene needs or is it another clique for the tech advanced.

My first question to me was obvious. When the internet first reared its face into the skinhead communities, most skinheads scoffed at it and especially at skinheads who spent their time and gained their knowledge of skinheads on the internet. Do any of you out there feel that this attitude has changed and why?

I got a variety of answers from positive to negative Scott a.k.a. LnStrSkin outta Texas had this to say "At least 50% of my closest friends who are skinheads make their living in computer/internet related careers, so I'm assuming that attitude has changed for the most part. Personally I think that the internet has its good and bad points, with the good outweighing the bad, but I agree that the so-called "cyber-skins" should be beaten over their heads with their monitors."

Rob Thug of the Subway Thugs put it like this "That's a two-fold question. Anyone who begrudges someone else because they use the internet is simply ignorant. As cliched as it may sound, the internet is a valuable tool for those who wish to use it (and not just for the free porn) , providing you can filter out the bullshit. As for the disdain towards those who gain their knowledge of skinhead through the internet, well when it's concerning "skinheads" learning about skinhead from the internet I still scoff, and I hope others will as well, because skinhead is more than just something you read about. There's too many people out there who think they have the whole world of skinhead figured out just because they’ve read some Blood and Honour mags, or picked up the Skinhead Bible: A Spirit of 69 or conversely visited a few websites. Nothing can ever replace the experiences of being there and doing it. Someone still has to prove to me they're a stand up person in real life before I count on them as one. One thing that's changed though is that either more skins are using the internet now, or at least more skins aren’t embarrassed to admit it to each other. As for outsiders to the scene learning about skinhead. It sure is a lot more accessible than trying to get someone to talk to you or to find a skinzine. It’s easier for them to find out more accurately what skinhead is all about, as there are some good proper skinhead sites out there, however the flipside of that, is that there are just as many or more ass-backwards ones. It’s all a matter of which they get to first and who they want to believe more.

With all that aside, what do you do with the people you meet online, I asked the clubs. Do you have the same hesitations for skinheads you meet online that you would meet in person. You know we are all a bit funny about new skinheads who pop into the scene either from another city or as a freshcut. Do you think it’s easier for kids to break in cause of the internet.

These answers seemed to ring the same bell, the internet is not a place known for it's trustfulness. Julie out of Washington feels that "there's still some resentment toward people who got into the scene via computer. It's just not the same as actually getting out into your city and bothering to meet the people who you'd need to know. Also I think that in some peoples’ opinions, owning a computer is some sort of mark of wealth and doesn’t fit in with a working class ethic."

Amanda a.k.a. IrishDevilDoll13 follows Julie's answer closely, but also notes how it can help "I have hesitations about skins on the net, only because the net is so anonymous. I have no way of knowing who is a bonehead or not. So I am a little weary sometimes of kids yelling Oi! in a chat room. As far as breaking in to the scene, I guess it is a good thing that a kid from a rural area can find like minds, and feel a sense of belonging that he may not get from the kids in his area!"

Whereas Kim a.k.a. Redskin from St. Catharines, Ontario probably isn't as tolerant "Yes I do have hesitations, for one thing you don't really know what kind of skin they are or if they are just fly by night. At least in person you can get a feel of what the person is about. It's easier to spot a poser in person than on the internet. I think it is easier for kids to break into the scene over the internet because they can see what we wear, what kind of music we listen to, etc etc..."

So we have all this technology at our finger tips, what are we really doing with it? There are millions of people online at any given moment, millions of opportunities, millions of possibilities. So I started thinking about this. Do you think the internet has opened up any opportunities for the skinhead scene to grow, or do you think with all the IRC room exclusiveness, clubs, and 12 y/o filled chat rooms talking mighty shit to who knows who , is actually making the scene more divided.

Jonny, rooted in North Carolina seems to have a pretty good grasp on the reality of the net with this one "In my opinion, it wasn't like the scene blew up when the internet came about it just kinda plopped on the couch next to the skinheads and said "hey, '’m here, use me or whatever" it really didn't make that much of a difference aside from info readiness and being able to keep in touch with all your mates real cheaply. With the idea of secluding people or dividing the scene the only thing I noticed thus far is that you get a lot of these freshcuts or what not disrespectin’ the salties because they can’t attribute a face to the name online so they don’t give two shits. Before the net if that happened you woulda' had your face smashed in a heartbeat."

Our beloved Rob Thug is gonna set us straight, "Anyone who bases their opinion of people or cities because of something they've heard 3rd or 4th or Nth hand on the internet have their heads up their ass, and just as useless as those people who waste their times spreading the shit. Frankly, any skinhead who places more value on IRC, chat rooms and clubs can stay there. Sure, they may be fine places to go talk to people, but when they rule your social circle, buddy, get out of your moms basement and get a life. I’ve got better things to do than go around and anonymously posting messages saying "Nazis can kiss my ass", or "SHARP's are fags", and I sure as hell won't waste my time reading the messages."

And Scott finally had this "I think on the whole, the internet is a good thing. It's easier to find out about upcoming shows in your area, keep in contact with folks you may meet at festivals, etc. As far as the 12 year olds talking shit goes, I think most skins who've been around can pick out the morons from the legitimate folk, and when it comes to chat room/club exclusiveness, most every "real life" scene I've been around has been elitist, so there's not much difference there."

So we had some nitpickin', we all suspect how "evil" the internet can be, and we know that sometimes you don't really know who you are talking to. So what good is this spawn of technology What do you think is the best thing the internet has done for the skinhead scene

"2 words" say Amanda: "FIGHTING IGNORANCE!!! When I began as a skin 10 years ago, we were considered a gang by the police. We were put into the same classification as drug dealers, when we actually had a cause. People assumed that if you had a shaved head (or in a girls case, a fringe) you were a racist and scum. The internet to a point has helped change that."

Brock up in Michigan who runs the United and Strong website says, "I think the internet has been a good thing for the skin cult. I think that it has opened the movement up for kids who might of never got an opportunity to know the truth and the way of life. I also think it has helped maybe put us in a little better light as far as the public goes, sure we are not free of people calling us fascists but it is not as common as it was say back in `89."

And our favorite Canadian Rob in his long winded (that's my role) way put's it: The best thing the internet done us simply that it has made it easier for us to meet each other. Being in a band at one point, it was an invaluable tool. It let us get in touch with other bands, labels and magazines (right Tim!). It helped us get in touch with people from other cities. Without any of them we wouldn't have any records released, or played some of the cities we did. I recently went down to Atlanta for the Beer Olympics, through some message boards we were able to talk to people and find out cool hotels and bars and whatnot that were worth checking out. Bands have been in contact with me up here trying to get shows in the area and I was able to help them out. All of this would have been much more difficult, more time consuming and much more expensive if I would have had to write or call these people all the time.
  Now, I have an easy way of staying in touch with all the people I meet. As well, the internet has allowed me to find out a lot more about some bands, labels and releases than I ever would have been able to otherwise.
  You wanna find out what labels put out those hard to find rocksteady classics, its out there. You wanna know Slades discography, it’s there for you. You wanna figure out the lyrics or guitar tabs to a song...Go look ‘em up. No one here carries American Upstart, who cares, I can check it out on the website.

Now this last question got me, I thought I had some honest contributors. These skins are obviously in some sort of denial about their web addiction. When you're at a bar drinking or at a show, do you often want to leave so you can check your email or see what's up at the club?You'll get an answer from everyone.

Amanda- Uh never... Nothing gets between me and my pint!!! NOTHING!!
Scott- About 90% of the time I just sign on to see what some dumb bastard is bidding on whatever crap item I’m selling on E-Bay at the time.
Rob- Uh. That would be no.
Kim- I never feel like leaving a bar or a show if I'm drinking. I normally check when I come home if I have posted something though. I like to see if anyone responded to what I had to say.
Jonny- Hahaha put it this way, I care what my friends are doing, I care what they wanna do, but I don’t go out of my way to seal my happiness and well being , with the words of my friends. i think if you lived like your question entailed, that would be a very unhealthy thing .
Julie- I can't go to them (bars) but if I’m out drinking with my friends or at a show then I'm sure as hell glad I have something better to do than stare at a screen.

Well either we are not as bad off as we thought or they are all lying. So judge for yourself, myself I believe the web is both a blessing and a curse.