The issue of skinheads: funny, or very significant?

Even Russian children of 13-15 years old know, who skinheads are. They sometimes talk about bald-headed guys, and say that it is scary to go out. Children are talking about them, and we can assume that there is something definitely going on.

Press was rather hypocritical and flippant about this issue, frightening those people, who came to Moscow from the Caucasus. Other publications were trying to gain something for themselves from that, asking, who needed that mess, claiming to stop that skinhead advertising. There were only a few of those media outlets, which tried to analyze this phenomenon, but even if they did so, their analysis was basically superficial, convenient for the government sometimes.

The funniest thing here is that there is nothing new in that analysis. The reasons why the right nationalist movement activated are clear. One has to admit that there has been a strong ultra-right political movement formed in Russia, as well as in the countries of East Europe. It is strong not only with its direct, but also with indirect support of nationalist ideas amid the majority of the population. Skinheads are the most radical elements of this movement. Ultra-right movement, as well as the traditional left movement, oppose against the present liberal and corrupt authorities. Traditional left movements enjoy the primary support of elderly people, and this allows the present government to perceive the left as a political force. But ultra-right movements are basically young people - the future threat.

Economic prerequisites of the growing influence of ultra-right ideas on Russia’s young minds are the most important ones. The customary political system was destroyed, when socialism collapsed together with the USSR, the new system arrived instead – the system of merciless, inhuman capitalism. There has been the society of two levels built up in Russia: a small, successful level of government and business that is working for it on the first level, and then – the rest of the Russian population – the people that do not have any perspectives to achieve a worthy existence in the nearest future. Media outlets are used for fake and greedy goals to set for huge masses of the second level, the people are given illusions of easy ways to achieve personal success, but the reality shows that the vast majority will have to languish in poverty until their dying day. Here are the roots of the hatred, which is gripping the society more and more. It is the youth that expresses that hatred – the young people that do not have any road in their future.

The government realizes this threat perfectly: dilapidated left forces, which cannot do anything, but hold talkative meetings on the one hand, and young people on the other hand, getting more and more furious because of their dissatisfaction, holding chains and pipes in their hands. It is impossible to improve this position without establishing law and order, without fighting corruption, which contradicts the interests of those from the first level. And this is the dead end. The government has two ways out: either not to notice the growing force ("no need to advertise skinheads”), or to go along the military road (“catch all bald-headed guys in streets and put them in prison”). Needless to mention that none of those ways will bring anything good. For the time being we have to state here that the ultra-right movement will be gathering steam, until the present political administration is in power. This movement will prove its existence and activity many times in the future.