To be a skinhead means to feel pride and passion. To be yourself. To be skin is much more than to beat somebody up. Though aggression - is our second name. It is politics that lays a heavy burden on the cult. But true skinhead knows that the best policy is no policy. Skinhead - is a way of life, and what is more important a way of thinking.
Skinhead cult arose in the late 60-s. Don't believe those, who say, that it was a response to hippy. It is wrong. They were a hard opposition to hippy, but were not just a reaction.
The word "skinhead" became well known everywhere only in 69. But short-haired young men wearing heavy boots and braces could be met in the streets among mods since 1964. They were heralds of the subculture.
Skinhead stile is a mixture of Jamaica gangs Rude Boy stile and the working uniform of ordinary dockers. The cult itself originates from mod-gangs from the streets, aggressive football fans (Boot Boys) and Jamaica Rude Boys from the dance halls. This guys, among whom there were blacks, were presumably occupied with working, drinking beer, hitching up girls, going on football and dancing and of course making fights. One more mandatory attribute of theirs was music. Skinheads were keen on Jamaica music (Raggey, Ska and Soul). Soon grown up skins settled down to married life and began to raise children. But inside they remained the same aggressive boys from the working quarters. The first wave rushed back.
But young generation grew up. Whereas they were looking on their predecessor bottom-up with open mouths, they now called themselves skinheads. Already then mass media started to create a stereotype of a skinhead as a brainless terrible bandit, but fascism was not mentioned. Soon the leaders of ultra right British parties realized, that it is possible to obtrude their interests and policy upon skins, paying for gigs and beer. Little by little skinheads found themselves in the centre of their activity, became pawns in their political games. They soon took on trust that it were squatters to be blamed in all their problems. Politics covered this, once multinational movement, as a mould. It happened in the late 70.
Mass media became interested in the cult again. New headline rushed through England. In such a way the prevalent stereotype of a skinhead was supplemented with fascist shade. Ashamed for new appearance skinheads of the first wave (Spirit Of '69) established RAR (Rock Against Racism) to fight with the brown virus, and to purify their name. The name - SkinHead.
Unfortunately, by that time ultra right ideas have quickly spread all over the world and a young fascist with shaved head could be met everywhere. Severe struggle flamed up between followers spirit of 69 and nazi-skins, who have got a name Boneheads.