HOLY CRAP! I Hope I Didn't Just Join The Skinheads

In light of the recent news of the two Skinheads planning an assassination attempt on Barack Obama, I visited several Skinhead websites (anonymously, I think) … of course, I’m aware that curiosity killed the cat, but I couldn’t resist my intellectual itch and I’m not a big fan of cats. I’m pretty sure my itch came from the fact that I know nothing about Skinheads beyond the stereotype (which, for the most part, I have now learned, is pretty much accurate just incredibly underestimated). So, what did I learn on this journey?


I learned that Skinheads promote a sense of community and that the normalcy in the way the members approach the world at large is rather unsettling. It appears that the Skinheads love music, sports, and art (in the form of tattoos). They provide each other with tech support, ebay tips and a wide selection of recipes. The topics are harmless & generic; the content, sometimes much less so. The moderators warn against racist “rants” and have an entire section devoted to naughty Skinheads that have been banned from interacting with the “good” Skinheads?


I learned that being a Skinhead is not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle (but nothing like the Adkins diet) from the clothes you wear to the music you listen to … to your politics and your parenting style. It’s an all-encompassing, definition of self, not a checklist of violent acts and extroverted prejudice. I didn’t get that and, to be completely honest, I’m left feeling pretty naïve.


I learned that I just cannot or will not wrap my brain around how a person with compassion and understanding in their hearts for some can also be so full of generalized rage and disdain for others. I was searching for a reason, something other than ethnicity or religion and my conclusion is scarier than the stereotype … Skinheads don’t judge out of hate. They judge by a set of citizenship requirements that truly separate and glorify their specific ideals and values.

I learned that right now, they are judging Barack Obama for a piece of legislation called The Global Poverty Act, as much as he’s judged simply unfit to lead this country. The Skinheads believe that Obama’s (& Lugar) Global Poverty Act ((which was placed in the hands of Joe Biden and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is now on the Senate Legislative Calendar under general orders)) in addition to eradicating poverty, commits nations to banning "small arms and light weapons" and ratifying a series of treaties, including the International Criminal Court Treaty, the Kyoto Protocol (global warming treaty), the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Who knew?

I have to say that I’ve learned a lot … a lot I wish I hadn't learned.