gburtonboy@... asked this question on 5/5/2000:

what are some good reasons that a kid-person becomes a skinhead.

d_ottr gave this response on 5/5/2000:

There are no GOOD reasons for ANYONE to belong to a group which espouses hatred and intolerance of another because of their ethnicity, color, religion, class, or condition. There ARE a couple reasons that kids belong to any gang.

First is belonging. A gang provides a sense of belonging that the person for whatever reason can not find in the family unit.

Second is protection. Strength in numbers is paramount for disaffected youth. When you are the little guy, or the one who gets picked on the most, you find protectors. Also, if you are not one of the misfortunate who gets picked on, you join so someone looks up to you and relies upon you. Another way the sense of belonging comes in to play.

Third, and probably the least likley, is by reason of economics. Lots of gangs provide income, usually illegitemate, for members, It usually involves theft, drug sales, and often extortion.

Of all the reasons that kids join, these are probably the most popular. If there is more information you need, please let me know and I'll try and help you out. If you are considering joining a gang, just remember- there are but two ways to get out, once you get in; neither is pretty! You either die, or you are "beat out," or assaulted within a whisker of losing your life (sometimes that goes over the edge too, and you refer to method 1 of how to get out of a gang!) Also, if you can, obtain the video "AMerican History X." It is a drama portraying how membership in the Skinheads affected a family. It is fictional, but it is highly conceivable that it could happen!