Quote:
Originally posted by VAN de
Me neither. Aren't they all the same? Skinheads, nazis, the debil, what's the difference?  |
Originally, skinheads were simply a working class group in 1960s London. It was born out of the Mod movement (as modified for the lower class), as well as "rude boy" style appropriated from West Indian immigrants. There was no political association—just a distinctively closed shaved head and a love for early reggae music. The culture then spread to other parts of the world, and further subcultures were born out of that (such as punk skinheads in the U.S. in the 1980s).
One of those subcultures happens to be white power skinheads. As a result of racial tensions among the working poor in London and violent attacks by skinheads (though not just white) toward new immigrants perceived to be taking jobs, that look came to be associated with racism through media coverage. The neo-Nazi movement folded the white racist skinheads into their cause, thus politicizing their style and name. That's what you see reflected in the "Oprah" episode. (Interestingly, there have been leftist anti-racism skinhead groups that have sprouted up over the years in response.)
