Monday, September 12, 2011

A rant about S.H.A.R.P


Ugh... wrong wrong wrong!

I'm not even sure where to start with this photo. So I'll just rant for a bit and see what comes out...

Anyone who knows me knows that while I'm a funny happy kind blah blah blah guy, I can't stand bullies. Neo-Nazis fall under my definition of what a bully is. If you want to have white babies, have white babies. If you wand to have black babies, have black babies. If you want to have mixed children, have mixed children. Unless I am directly involved in the baby making, I don't care. All babies look like Winston Churchill to me anyways. Just promise me that you will be a good parent to your baby and I have nothing bad to say...

I was A.R.A. (anti-racist action) for a while in the early 1990's. There were a lot of problems in the area... fire bombings, beatings, rapes, gay bashing, murders, cemeteries being damaged and more. Eventually I left the A.R.A. (long story, better saved for another date. Went on my own for a time just being me, and then a bunch of my friends in Toronto started getting targeted by Neo-Nazi goons. I decided fuck this noise, and stood with my friends. Became one of the founders of the current incarnation of Toronto SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). Wolfgang got shot over a coke deal gone bad... Zundel is trying not to drop the soap in prison, Paul Fromm has a ,for girls 30 years younger than him, and Scrotumhead and Puddles are not worth mentioning by real name. Toronto, aside from drunk dumb bar talk is more or less free from organized idiots...

The beauty of S.H.A.R.P. is that other than saying "fuck you" to bigots in the skinhead scene, it is not political. YES there are Red S.H.A.R.P. There are left leaning S.H.A.R.P. But there are also right wing leaning S.H.A.R.P. (I fall into this category).

I have Red friends, who I love. I will always find time for my Red friends. I might not agree with them on some issues, but I respect their opinions, just like they respect mine. I've never heard of Redskins marching down the streets attacking skinheads who are not hard left. I will ALWAYS stand with my Red friends against racist bullies. I will also always make jokes about "the people's beer" and such. Fuck everyone, get enough pints in me and I find that joke funny as hell.

When it comes to religion, S.H.A.R.P. is not pro or anti any religion. I WISH S.H.A.R.P. was funded by the Jews, or the Muslims, or anyone. More money in my pocket for beer and gin. The truth is individual S.H.A.R.P. have their own opinions. And I for one am glad that they do.

this photo is of the Anti-Nazi League (ANL). A group formed in the U.K. The fact that the caption under the photo says S.H.A.R.P. support "monkeys and jews" is rather telling in itself. How the Trojan Reggae logo that S.H.A.R.P. uses is suddenly considered Jewish is beyond me. Music is music, and calling Trojan reggae Jewish is as stupid as calling it Muslim, Christian, Hindu or Atheist.

Individuals in S.H.A.R.P. are free to have their own opinions on anything and everything. Provided they are "Against Racial Prejudice." As far as I am concerned, ANY skinhead who tells a nazi to fuck off is a S.H.A.R.P. Claim S.H.A.R.P. or not. Join a crew or not. If in your heart you think boneheads are idiots, you qualify.

Anyways, while things might eventually piss me off enough that I WILL stand up and make my opinion known, 9 out of 10 times I really don't want to talk politics. But until the day I die, I will not suffer a bully. Believe what you want. Follow whatever path you feel is right. It's your right. Mine too. And right or wrong, we will all answer for it in the end.