Youth Subcultures in Poland

Youth subcultures

For number of young people in search of an identity it is very important to belong to a group, especially a peer-group. In such a group the young people can share their ideas, views, interests and spend their free time. Their beliefs and behaviour are different from those of most people. They usually do not want to live like their parents. These young people despise materialism and the rat-race and rebel against established values and their own parents who want nothing but peace and security. They often escape from modern live, from reality to various informal groups. The most popular in Poland are the heavy-metal fans, the techno music fans, skaters, blockers, punk rockers, skinheads, graffiti sprayers.

Skinheads are named for their close-cropped or clean shaven heads. This subculture originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. The first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian (specifically Jamaican) rude boys and British mods, in terms of fashion, music and lifestyle. At the beginning the subculture was primarily based on those elements, not politics or race. But later attitudes toward race and politics have become factors in where skinheads align themselves. It is the reason why skinheads are a dangerous grouping. They are organized like an army and tend to be aggressive and racist. They hold the beliefe that some races are better than others, and can behave violently towards people who belong to a different race or culture. They sympathize with the nationalist parties and declare their attachment to tradition. Their watchword is: ”Poland for the Poles”. They are intolerance towards Blacks, Jews, gypsies, foreigners or ethnic minorities. Skinheads regularly fight against punks, armed with wooden clubs, razors and chains. They also show hostility towards heavy-metal fans and homosexuals. They consider themselves to be defenders of order and claim the right to use violence. Skinheads are fitness-conscious,