Facebook’s blanket ban on skinhead subculture

[steven36]

Overnight it seems that Facebook has culled its platform of skinhead subculture.

 

 

 

In the last 24 hours, people’s personal accounts, groups and business pages have been deactivated and everyone has something in common, a link to the skinhead subculture.

 

This could be for anything from liking music pages linked to ska music, to being part of record selling groups, to 60s inspired clothing pages, were all deactivated for nearly 24 hours.

 

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and Facebook’s pledge to ban support of white nationalism from their site in March of 2019, you can’t help but have suspicions as to why people linked to the subculture were deleted.

 

This isn’t to say that the skinhead subculture is one of white nationalism, quite the opposite in some cases.

 

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 19: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Don Letts photographed at the launch of Punk London at The 100 Club on January 19, 2016 in London, England

 

 

The skinhead subculture was born in the 1960s, and like many identities of the era it was identifiable by a set sound, look and ethos.

 

The post-war sounds of ska and soul music, imported from Jamaica and the US were at the basis of the late 60s scene.

 

Skinheads were often identified by there namesake of a shaven head, doc marten boots, braces, straight jeans and a button-down shirt. Women would often wear a Chelsea cut where the head would be shaved bar the fringe and side-burns and a portion of hair at the nape of the neck.

 

The ethos was one of solidarity in the working classes, a merging of customs creating a newly founded youth culture.

 

As documented by Don Letts, DJ and film director, in his documentary The Story of Skinheads, he talks about the multicultural unity of the subculture.

 

The show depicts the the roots of the skinhead and how there is a ‘brilliant cultural collision between the young white working-class kids and their Jamaican counterparts in British inner cities, a moment of racial harmony’. 

 

In the documentary, Don said: “When I tell people my first point of entry into youth subculture was via skinheads they look somewhat confused not understanding I’m talking about the fashion version, not the fascist version.”

 

He carries on stating: “I hope my film goes some way to clarifying what was the UK’s first real multi-cultural movement.”

 

NEW YORK, NY – CIRCA 1980: The Specials circa 1980 in New York City.

 

 

The scene was shaped by working-class youths who wanted to reject the middle-class hippie movement of the same era, often finding kinship with the mod and rude boy subcultures that had a crossover of interests in terms of style and music.

 

However the second wave of the skinhead came in the mid 1970s to the early 80s and was shaped in light of a politically testing time.

 

Identities formed in the background of the merging Thatcherite era saw the name of the skinhead hijacked by white supremacists, or at the time people affiliated with neo-nazi ideals.

 

In an environment of unemployment and working-class struggles the movement became politically charged and one characterised often by violence.

 

The formation of groups like the National Front and ‘white power skinheads’ soon tarred the name with a racist brush, and the actions of a few soon made the name of the skinhead and racism synonymous with one another.

 

This brand of the culture soon informed how international skinheads often identified twinning appearance with a white nationalist mentality, particularly in the United States. 

 

‘Skinheads’ soon became identifiable within ranks of the prison system in the US and a label to give those involved with the neo-nazi movement, and as it’s most recent in history, has blinded and somewhat erased it’s multicultural roots.

 

There is no denying that racism within the UK scene was prevalent, however it would seem in the more modern climate, the music subculture is one predominately of solidarity.

 

‘SHARPs’ or Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice was formed in the wake of this to remind people who enjoy the music and the clothes of just how the subculture made it about.

 

In the wake of this blanket ban of skinheads, it seemed as though for a moment that a whole community had been wiped out, including pages of avid anti-racists.

 

Neville Staples of The Specials, who is black and one of the pioneers of 2-tone movement in the 80s whose purpose was to reunite black and white communities, had his Facebook deactivated.

The Ska legend urged Facebook to rethink its moderation policies.

 

He said via Twitter: “Please look into things before doing a general cull. Unity runs through the veins of me and @SugaryStaple [Christine Staple] plus all our 2Tone Ska community’s veins.”

 

 

Rasha Swais, 30, a fashion designer based in North London who creates skinhead inspired garments had both her personal page and her clothing page taken down. 

 

She said: “Now I feel really uneasy because as a small business I could have lost a lot of business because of this.”

 

As a small business who relies on Facebook for a lot sales, she has now been asked by Facebook to send in a scan of her passport and has been sent an email on community guidelines.

 

 

Mrs Swais, who is of Jordanian heritage, said she had to give her ID to the site in order for them to monitor her now her page is back up. 

 

Musician and journalist Garry Bushell blasted Facebook over the move, saying it clearly doesn’t know anything about the music genre.

 

 

It would seem in Facebook’s bid to rid the site of white nationalism, they have ignorantly jumped the gun with a blanket ban on a subculture that often openly promotes anti-racism.

 

Facebook have now given a large chunk of the profiles back to those who are part of the scene after much backlash on other platforms throughout the day, but the question still stands as to why it happened in the first place.

 

Source

 

[lurch234]

Quote

Facebook have closed 100s of UK accounts with any link to skinhead culture, including Neville Staple's! They clearly know nothing about 2-Tone. If you judge people purely by their clothes & haircut isn’t that a sign of bigotry? Perhaps they should shut themselves down.

— Garry Bushell (@GarryBushell) June 9, 2020

 

Shut up you (GarryBushell) stupid idiot! I don't know who this garry bushell is and I don't care. It really takes a  self centered egotistical individualist to make a blanket accusation of the sort!

In the 1980s' we had a small skinhead community that hung around the old part of Quebec city.

I do not judge a community, race, whatever...by an individual. For that matter, I don't like judging people at all. But what I saw with those skinheads was far from being people you could trust. They usually hung around in small groups several distances from each other and they pan handled. And not in the nice way. It was like " Hey, you got any of  this?" or "you have any of that" No "pleases" or "I am in need" Inevitably these groups started a ruckus.

And they were rightfully, unfortunately, seen as scavengers. They would squat in squalid abandoned homes ready for demolition sleeping on such filthy mattress that I would have preferred sleeping in the mud!

Many of them weren't homeless.They simply chose to leave their homes feeling the family life was incongruous to theirs.

I know because I would sometimes interact with some of them. Some of them were actually decent and honest. Just caught up with society and peer pressure.

I didn't mind their dressing habits. It's their social habits that were in question.

So, maybe you should shut yourself down Gorry Bushface. You "holier than thou" douchebag!

[steven36]

49 minutes ago, lurch234 said:

Shut up you (GarryBushell) stupid idiot! I don't know who this garry bushell is and I don't care. It really takes a  self centered egotistical individualist to make a blanket accusation of the sort!

Your ranting  and ravening about  a totally different group of skinheads that are from Canada that you had a bad experience with  there not even real skin heads  that stole the UKs subculture .Hes talking a bout the group from the UK who promotes anti-racism who are into SKA Muisc .Facebook was in the wrong and they know it are they would not of gave them there accounts back. Your not even old enough to remember  the real skinheads of the 60s. You only know about the ones from your area that forked off  from the KKK there ideas have nothing to do with music  . there ideas are based  on something happen in Germany  when Hitler was still alive they was no such thing as skin heads back then they did not become a thing tell much latter in the 60s then the racist groups came along in North America in the 70s  and stole there  subculture by copying the way they dress but are just KKK in skinhead grab.

 

If you  dont know who Garry is why don't you look him up ? Hes pretty famous in the UK. Hes UK press. Hes a music person that why he against it.

 

Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is a British newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney rock bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York City Oi! band Maninblack until the death of the band frontman Andre Schlessinger.^[1] Bushell's recurring topical themes are comedy, country and class. He has campaigned for an English Parliament, a Benny Hill statue^[2] and for variety and talent shows on TV. His TV column Bushell on the Box still appears weekly in the Daily Star Sunday, and he writes for the Arts & Entertainment section of the Sunday Express.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Bushell

[lurch234]

1 minute ago, steven36 said:

Your ranting  and ravening about  a totally different group of skin heads that are from Canada that you had a bad experience with  there not even real skin heads  that stole UKs subculture

 

I wasn't ranting, SIR! I was just making ( a long point) about how that individual (Garry Bushell) is condemning as bigots, in his own stupid view, everyone on the basis on how skinheads dress.

I decided to bring some "objective" evidence on how these people were perceived by their actions. An "objective" opinion i say again. This is "evident" if you would have read my post "objectively".

I am well aware that we are not talking about the same group. I am not as stupid as you think we all are, SIR!

Anyways, insult me all you want, I won't reply to anymore of your posts.

[steven36]

1 hour ago, lurch234 said:

 

I wasn't ranting, SIR! I was just making ( a long point) about how that individual (Garry Bushell) is condemning as bigots, in his own stupid view, everyone on the basis on how skinheads dress.

I decided to bring some "objective" evidence on how these people were perceived by their actions. An "objective" opinion i say again. This is "evident" if you would have read my post "objectively".

I am well aware that we are not talking about the same group. I am not as stupid as you think we all are, SIR!

Anyways, insult me all you want, I won't reply to anymore of your posts.

No body cares  that they ban the ones  from your  area  or my area even were glad they did  but fact is many racist don't even dress like that  and you never  know it by the way they dress so it is  discrimination  on Facebook  part  so hes not wrong . Facebook  everytime they ban people they ban numbers of people that didn't belong to what they ban. They so stupid when they ban the far right groups  before they ban the Anarchists too. its a stupid site poorly ran by idiots.

 

When they  ban certain groups  it never really gets rid of them  they just go somewhere  else.  Meanwhile Facebook groups have went to hell. Every since the protest all groups are Infighting, deleting comments, and full of drama. Glad ive not been a member there since 2011  and i don't like drama  or id still be in the Chatrooms  and not on forums .

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/5/21279319/facebook-group-moderation-black-lives-matter-movement

 

And  to tell you the truth i don't care if you reply in my post are not  i never ask you too have i?.I'm not insulting you  or even debating you as a person.i'm just debating the post you made it don't make no sense to me even . If you don't  like a person  you should go tell them on twitter  because i doubt they will see  it here. I knew you for years longer  than I known most   people on this site and you going get mad at me  because i don't agree with talking down on people without researching ?  If you dont know nothing about them  you sure  cant add nothing to the topic  , If i got that upset every time someone didn't agree  with me on here  i would of left by now .You know me I use to speak my mind much more than i do .now