Trojan skinheads (also known as traditional skinheads or trads) are individuals who identify with the original British skinhead subculture of the middle 1960s, when ska, rocksteady, reggae, and soul music were popular, and there was a heavy emphasis on mod-influenced clothing styles. Named after the record label Trojan Records, these skinheads identify with the subculture's Jamaican rude boy and British working class roots.
Because of their appreciation of music played by black people, they tend to be non-racist.
Trojan skinheads usually dress in a typical 1960s skinhead style, which includes items such as button-down Ben Sherman shirts, Fred Perry polo shirts, braces,
… Read more fitted suits, cardigans, tank tops, Harrington jackets and Crombie-style overcoats. Hair is generally between a 2 and 4 grade clip-guard (short, but not bald), in contrast to the shorter-haired punk-influenced Oi! skins of the 1980s.
The majority of skinheads are not racists. The original skinhead subculture started in the United Kingdom in the late 1960s and had heavy British mod and Jamaican rude boy influences, including love for ska and soul music. Skinheads were not associated with an organized racist political movement until the late 1970s, when a skinhead revival in the UK included a sizable neo-nazi faction. Because of this, the mainstream media began to label the whole skinhead identity as neo-fascist, which is not true.
Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP) are anti-racist skinheads who oppose white power skinheads, neo-fascists, and other political racists, particularly if they identify
… Read more themselves as skinheads. SHARPs aim to reclaim the multicultural identity of the original skinheads, hijacked in their views by white power skinheads, who they sometimes deride as "boneheads". Many people may confuse SHARP members with racists since their appearance is superficially similar. Beyond the common opposition to racism, SHARP professes no political ideology or affiliation, stressing the importance of the black Jamaican influence in the original late-1960s skinhead movement. The second SHARP logo is based on the logo of Trojan Records, which originally mainly released black Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae artists. Local SHARP groups have spread around the world in many countries.
Red and Anarchist Skinheads (RASH) is a left-wing anti-racist, anti-fascist skinhead group, formed in the United States in 1993. The RASH values direct action and self-defense against neo-Nazis. The movement has its origins in the multi-ethnic roots of the skinhead cultural identity. It has multiple chapters on all continents.
RASH and SHARP define themselves heavily on fashion, music, and violent opposition to white supremacist organizations. Their style of dress typically incorporates Dr. Martens boots, jeans, suspenders, bomber and Harrington jackets, short hair, and clothing produced by Ben Sherman, Fred Perry, and Lonsdale. Musically, they are typically associated with punk, hardcore, oi, ska, reggae, and two-tone music genres.
Skinheads who stand up against racists include traditional skinheads, trojan skinheads, typically known as Skinheads Against Racial Prejudices (SHARP)
Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP) are anti-racist skinheads who oppose white power boneheads, neo-fascists, and other political racists, particularly if they identify themselves as skinheads. SHARPs aim to reclaim the multicultural identity of the original skinheads, hijacked by racists. Beyond the common opposition to racism, SHARP professes no political ideology or affiliation, stressing the importance of the Jamaican influence in the original late-1960s skinhead movement. The SHARPs and the Red and Anarchist Skinheads (RASH) value direct action and self-defense against neo-Nazis. The movement has its origins in the multi-ethnic roots of the skinhead cultural identity.
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Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice was founded in 1986 in New York City. It emerged as a response by suburban adolescents to the bigotry of the growing White Power Movement. Traditional skinheads (Trads) were formed as a way to show that the skinhead subculture was not based on racism and political extremism. In 1989, Roddy Moreno of the Oi! band The Oppressed designed a new SHARP logo based on the Trojan Records' logo and started promoting SHARP ideals to British skinheads. SHARP then spread throughout Europe and in other continents.
Anti-fascist and anti-racist, the SHARP's refer to extreme right-wing skinheads as “boneheads”, a pejorative term. In return, boneheads call them “reds” (a term relating to a supposed or actual affiliation to the political left) or “redskins”. Neo-nazis and white power skinheads hate the SHARP movement. But many people may confuse SHARP members with racists since their appearance is superficially similar: shaved heads, denim, lace-up boots, button-down shirts, and braces. But SHARPs listen to culturally influenced music such as reggae, ska, punk, hardcore, and Oi!. An outgrowth of SHARP is the Red and Anarchist Skinheads (RASH), formed in the United States in 1993 by redskins and anarcho-skinheads.