In my teenage days, I would match my shoelaces to my hair tone (I actually do, but with more tact). In my days of blue hair, I started playing in a new band, and interestingly, I was encountering a scene bigger than the immediate suburbs. At a practice right on time into this gathering’s life, our guitarist looked me from shoes to face, and casually commented “you should truly hate cops.” I was confused. You could say that I’ve never been on the law enforcement side, but simultaneously, I didn’t know that could be understood as “really hating” anything, or from where he was gathering this information.
He explained that he could guess by my shoelaces, and I was considerably more confused. I thought he was making something up, or that this was some failing attempt at a joke, but it just so happens, everything he was saying to me held weight: in the troublemaker scene (and more specifically, the skinhead scene) Dr. Marten’s boots worn with color shoelaces have different meanings. Remember that these vary from one area to another, but I feel like it’s vital to take note of the most widely recognized ones, if just for staying away from conflict, realizing who is to be avoided, and understanding that our music scene isn’t liberated from hate. Not yet. Furthermore, we ought to be attempting to close out that hate as well as could be expected.
As far fetched as this all might appear, I guarantee you that this article is particularly exact, or as precise as it tends to be without really plunking down with a “true believer.” Racism is perfectly healthy in America, as sad as it could be. While it may not be as dynamic in the music local area as it used to be (locally), skinheads actually exist, and have a whole background that many aren’t familiar with. Keep your eyes on people’s boots. It could actually save your life.
White: White Pride
This is often used to address Ku Klux Klan alliance, as well. Often times the two go hand in hand. Fun story about the difference between KKK members and Neo-Nazis: the KKK will not associate with the beliefs of Hitler, because he was foreign, and they hate outsiders. That is correct people, the Ku Klux Klan’s hate is American made, and acknowledges no replacements.
Blue: Killed a Cop
The most terrifying thing to me is that these shoelaces demonstrate murder of a cop, but the way that they’re transparently gloating about it, and that it’s pervasive to the point that there’s a code for it.
Red: Neo-Nazi/National Front
Could also mean generally up for a battle, or that they’ve killed somebody. These are evidently the meanest SOB’s you’ll go over, and it’s prompted that you don’t associate with them.
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Yellow: Anti-Racist
Thankfully, since Docs often accompany yellow laces, they haven’t been given an assigned significance. The anti-nazi troublemaker development guaranteed a couple of lace colors, and this is one of them.
Purple: Gay Pride
A fascinating one. Purple laces are anti-skinhead, but also often mean gay pride. This doesn’t have anything to do with the others, but I believe it’s worth taking note of.
Dark: No Affiliation
One more beneficial thing to know is that dark laces (another standard Doc lace) don’t have a significance by the same token.
Ideally this code gets put to some great use. I realize that some might begin getting down on people based on their shoelace tone, and I prescribe not to. Not every person who wears these laces is familiar with these rules- – and even if they do, even if you think you could take the individual in a fight, realize that doing anything savage will just cause these people to trust more in their case. This is implied as an advance notice, and not as an advocation for any more violence. Hate just makes more hate, after all.
