How the Slavic boys put the world on the courts. Gop style has become popular in the West

As it is written in the article, the appearance of Gopniks did not present any difficulties for the readers of the newspaper: these are these Russian guys of the “don’t put your finger in your mouth” type with pimply skin and stupid faces, which reflect only one thought: “I’ll screw you!”

"These guys are more comfortable squatting than standing. But, most importantly, they are the last males on planet Earth who manage to wear leather gangster caps from the 1920s with style - everyone else in such caps looks only like fagots from theater school rehearsing some musical,” the newspaper writes.

Gopniks are cool because there is no place for self-irony in their world. They are very "authentic". Proof of this is their fantastically adventurous tastes: a mixture of bad taste, menace and garish Third World chic. Even the fact that Gopniks like to blast techno at full blast, sing shitty karaoke songs in cheap cafes with color music, or wear cheap pointy leather boots to match their 1920s ragtime-style pillbox caps cannot take away their status as the most dangerous. scum in the world.

History of the word, Gopnik culture
About the word: there are few terms that one hundred percent correspond to the designated object. "Gop" sounds angry, stupid and funny, but not so funny that you dare to laugh in the face of a gopnik. The word "Gopnik" is based on the abbreviation: "State hostel of the proletariat." Add to "G.O.P." the suffix “nick” – and the new biological species is ready.

Gopniks appeared after the revolution. The first gopniks came to Petrograd in the 1920s in search of work. By origin, they were peasants or completely landless scum.

They went down in legends as thugs and lucky ones, whom even the Soviet system could not break. They had their own code of honor, they lived by their own rules, they had their own tattoos on their fingers, their own fashions. They represented something like a caste of “thieves in law” in the world of delinquent “hooligans”.

Later, the meaning of the word changed, and the expression “gopnik” meant any dubious type with a shaved head, wearing a thick leather jacket, stupid leather boots and a pillbox cap.

1990s - the rise of Gopniks

In the 1990s, it seemed that Gopniks would soon take over, if not the whole world, then at least one-sixth of the land. "Gopniks ruled the roost in all 11 time zones of Russia. "Gopniks - or Russian men who adopted the Gopnik style - surged into all spheres of life, from "business", where they played the role of sixes, to politics, where, as deputies from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, they formed the core of resistance to Western influence,” the newspaper writes.

Have Gopniks survived to this day?

To explore the culture of modern Gopniks, the newspaper's correspondents went to Lyubertsy, a city that in the 1990s was known as the capital of Gopniks. Criminality was as common there as tracksuits and sunflower seeds. Imagine the surprise of the journalists when they could not find any gopniks there. Then the representatives of the newspaper decided to go to one of the most sinister areas of Moscow, Brateevo, but they didn’t find any gopniks there either.

"The second reason has more to do with changes in the environment. The advent of Western bourgeois values ​​and cultural preferences, as well as the beginning of a period of external stability, growth and sobriety under Putin, means that Gopnik's 70-year reign as the king of the world of rebels has suddenly come to an end: Russians of all social classes layers quickly hated the dork aesthetics of the Gopniks,” the newspaper writes.

Nothing speaks more eloquently about the tragic disappearance of Gopnik from the face of the earth than the fact that Shnur is from the Leningrad group, big fan Gopnik culture, is going to open the “Gopnik Museum” in his native St. Petersburg, the newspaper notes. Shnur's group romanticizes the Gopniks to a middle-class audience that has finally come to appreciate them, albeit in a semi-ironic spirit that would not have been possible if the Gopniks had not disappeared. Even the original cradle of Gopniks - house 10 on Ligovsky Prospekt - today is nothing more than a three-star hotel.

Anatomy of a Gopnik

Ears- usually protrude more than that of ordinary homo sapiens, thanks to fights, as well as the indispensable haircut to zero.

Shashlik- Gopniks (like all Russians) believe that meat tastes best when it is roasted on a stick over a fire.

Sweatpants still remain the most ergodynamic for squatting.

Shoes- Gopniks prefer a) pointed leather boots or b) slippers, but as they assimilate culturally, they sometimes wear sneakers.

Cup– everyone knows that vodka tastes best when served warm in plastic cups. It is very important that several midges float on its surface.

Jacket– if he had a bumper sticker, it would say “Don’t think Leather Jacket I have".

Forehead– convex frontal lobes are inherited from distant ancestors – humans.

In the 1990s, it seemed that the “Gopniks” would take over, if not the whole world, then at least one-sixth of the land.

"Gopniks" ruled the roost in all 11 time zones of Russia. Gopniks - or Russian men who adopted the Gopnik style - surged into all spheres of life, from "business", where they played the role of foot soldiers, to politics, where they formed the nucleus of resistance to Western influence ...

Gopnik - (normal kid, goper, gopar, gop, gopota, punks, gopson) in post-revolutionary Petrograd - a resident of the City Dormitory of the Proletariat (the current Oktyabrskaya Hotel, according to contemporaries, everyone wore red socks and were identified by them, that’s where it came from) ) - the lowest multicellular, infantry from the criminal world, but in fact - punks, a petty street criminal, whose main hobby is squeezing money and cell phones from passers-by, and of course, kicking emo and other representatives of less aggressive subcultures.

The appearance of Gopniks is typical and predictable: Russian guys of the “don’t put your finger in your mouth” type with dull faces, which reflect only one thought: “Yes, I’ve laid it on you!”

These guys are more comfortable squatting than standing. But, most importantly, these are the last males on planet Earth who manage to wear 1920s gangster caps with style; everyone else in such caps only looks like fagots from drama school rehearsing some kind of musical.

Gopniks are cool because there is no place for self-irony in their world. They are very "authentic". Proof of this is their fantastically adventurous tastes: a mixture of bad taste, menace and garish Third World chic. Even the fact that Gopniks like to blast techno at full blast, sing karaoke songs in cheap cafes with color music, or wear cheap pointy leather boots to match their 1920s ragtime-style pillbox caps cannot take away their status as the most dangerous scumbags. in the world.

History of the word, Gopnik culture. About the word. There are few terms that one hundred percent correspond to the designated object. "Gop" sounds angry, stupid and funny, but not so funny that you dare to laugh in the face of a gopnik. The word "Gopnik" is based on the abbreviation: "State hostel of the proletariat." Add to "G.O.P." the suffix “nick” - and the new biological species is ready. Gopniks appeared after the revolution. The first gopniks came to Petrograd in the 1920s in search of work. By origin, they were peasants or completely landless scum.

The species "common gopnik" even had its own specific habitat - Ligovsky Prospekt, building 10. Actually, this is a hotel, now called "Oktyabrskaya", and the gopniks, in their own way, turned it into a collectivist gangster club. Since they were outsiders in their villages, often children from single-parent families, and many already had petty crimes on their record, if not something worse, the indigenous population of Petrograd, and then Leningrad, treated the gopniks with disgust.

They went down in legends as thugs and lucky ones, whom even the Soviet system could not break. They had their own code of honor, they lived by their own rules, they had their own tattoos on their fingers, their own fashions. They represented something like a caste of “thieves in law” in the world of delinquent “hooligans”. Later, the meaning of the word changed, and the expression “gopnik” meant any dubious type with a shaved head, wearing a thick leather jacket, stupid leather boots and a pillbox cap.

Some gopniks exchanged leather jackets and sweatshirts for brown blazers from Hugo Boss, but could not resist complementing this splendor with shiny mules: gold chains on their hands and necks, fancy watches and so on. The Gopnik culture in the 90s was accompanied by techno music. However, the 1990s turned out to be not so much the rise of the Gopnik Nation as the Beginning of its End.

Have Gopniks survived to this day?
Most sources agree that two factors contributed to their virtual extinction. First: in the 1980s and 1990s, hard drugs and weapons suddenly became widely available.
Their introduction into such a fearless and primitive culture as the Gopnik culture meant that in one decade almost half of the individuals left for another world.

The second reason is more related to changes in habitat. The advent of Western bourgeois values ​​and cultural preferences, and the beginning of a period of external stability, growth and sobriety under Putin, meant that the Gopnik's 70-year reign as the king of the rebel world came to an abrupt end: Russians of all social classes quickly came to hate the Gopnik's loutish aesthetic.

Nothing speaks more eloquently about the tragic disappearance of Gopnik from the face of the earth than the fact that Shnur from the group “Leningrad”, a big fan of Gopnik culture, is going to open (perhaps he has already opened, I don’t know) in his native St. Petersburg “Gopnik Museum”. Shnur's group romanticizes the Gopniks to a middle-class audience that has finally come to appreciate them, albeit in a semi-ironic spirit that would not have been possible if the Gopniks had not disappeared. Even the original cradle of Gopniks - house 10 on Ligovsky Prospekt - today is nothing more than a three-star hotel.

Anatomy of a gopnik. A pillbox cap is a key element of a Gopnik's outfit. Leather ones are for serious murders, stripes are for all sorts of trifles. Ears - usually protrude more than those of ordinary homo sapiens, thanks to fights, as well as the indispensable haircut to zero. Shashlik - Gopniks (like all Russians) believe that meat tastes best when it is roasted on a stick over a fire. Sweatpants still remain the most ergodynamic for squatting.

Shoes. Gopniks prefer a) pointed leather boots or b) slippers, but as they assimilate culturally, they sometimes wear sneakers. Glass - everyone knows that vodka tastes best when it is served warm in plastic cups. It is very important that several midges float on its surface. Leather jacket, alternatively an Olympic jacket. Forehead - convex frontal lobes are inherited from distant ancestors - humans.

Guide to Gopniks from different countries

When traveling abroad, Russian tourists sometimes decide that other countries have exclusively intelligent, friendly, stylishly dressed law-abiding citizens. Have you ever seen Gopniks in Japan? No? In fact, you only missed them because you didn't know what they looked like. From this material you will learn who to be wary of or, conversely, who you can squat next to and talk about life abroad...

Let's start with the classics.

"Chav" comes from the Romani word "сhavvi", which means "child". As a rule, these are representatives of disadvantaged families who live on unemployment benefits. Because of this, they become objects of contempt: the British complain that slackers live on their taxes, without contributing to society. Chavs prefer a sporty style in clothing, although they are rarely seen playing sports.
Chavette girls wear tight T-shirts with logos famous brands, skinny jeans or short skirts, Ugg boots or sneakers, but are especially distinguished by their hairstyles: bleached hair with grown roots is pulled into a tight ponytail, and the ears are decorated with large hoop earrings. Chavettes generally love shiny jewelry that imitates gold. Both men and women rarely let go of a can of beer and a cigarette, so they can be safely classified as wardrobe items.
Chavs prefer hip-hop and R&B when it comes to music, despite the fact that they do not shun everyday racism. Chavs love cars very much, but are not patient enough (or too adventurous) to save up money and buy good car. They prefer to take a heavily used one and spend time and money on tuning it. They communicate in typical slang with a strong accent, their vocabulary is rich in swear words.

The Irish word "knacker", in addition to the local equivalent of "gopnik", is also used to describe a person who buys old or sick cattle in order to kill them and sell the meat. It can be assumed that the offensive connotation extends to all its meanings. Besides this, Irish neckers are not much different from British chavs - they have the same appearance and lifestyle. The abbreviation “ned” stands for “non-educated delinquent,” translated from English as “uneducated criminal.” They differ from English chavs mainly in their accent and addiction to fake Burberry caps. They often smoke hashish, which is crushed and rolled into rolled-up cigarettes. This habit is so widespread that it took special word for holes in clothes burned by the ashes of cigarettes with pieces of hashish - “bommers”.

The appearance of bogans is radically different from the style of other gopniks: they wear flannel shirts, black jeans or leggings, black wool sweaters and UGG boots. Bogans drive around in used Holden Commodores or Ford Falcons. Unlike other gopniks of the world, bogans wear long hair or at worst long bangs.
It cannot be said that they are extremely aggressive or trying to “squeeze out the mobile phone,” but in the minds of Australians, bogans occupy the place of uneducated, immoral elements of society. Bogans gather in pubs, where they watch Australian football with adoration and occasionally get into fights. Bogan girls are considered much more aggressive and uncontrollable. They pass the time by walking through shopping centers and supermarkets with a bottle of beer, constantly shouting and bullying other women.

In different autonomies of Spain, the subculture of working-class youth is called differently. Common name- kani, but in reality there are more than two dozen of them: surmanito and willi in Seville, burraco in Malaga, doncho in Granada, garrullo in Catalonia, ueso in Almeria, macoy in Extremadura, pokero in Madrid and many other names in different autonomies, cities and Selah. If we talk about clothing style, it all depends on the capabilities of each individual kani. If a cani has an El Niño down jacket, he won’t take it off even in August. Must be under the down jacket sports suit. If a guy has a sculpted torso, then it will be possible to force him to wear a T-shirt only before Christmas. Both of them adore sunglasses and wear them, regardless of the time of year and the amount of sunlight.
The same goes for baseball caps. On public transport they like to play music from a mobile phone, often flamenco, raggaton or bacalao - a local subtype of club music. Of course, on public transport you can only meet those who do not have own funds movement. As a rule, this is a Yamaha Jog-R scooter with a replaced muffler - the factory one is too quiet. It is considered especially chic to replace as many spare parts of the scooter as possible so that it can go faster and make louder noise.

Nieros (also known as turros in Argentina, nados in Mexico and tukkis in Venezuela) differ from canis primarily in their hairstyle - mullets (or “sevens”, as the Colombians call them) are still held in high esteem on the South American continent. According to local testimony, the greatest concentration of nieros is observed in the city of Medellin, which in recent years has been strengthening its status as the capital of the drug trade.
El Zarco, the hero, was chosen as a role model for the nieros novel of the same name Mexican writer Ignacio Manuel Altamirano and the film based on him. El Zarco is the leader of a criminal group, young and handsome, but aggressive and merciless. Like the Kani, the Nyero's uniform is fake Nike, Puma and Adidas tracksuits. Sometimes it is supplemented with amulet or images that are hung around the neck, and a dog that sits at the feet. The angrier and bigger the dog, the better. They often shoot at passers-by's cigarettes, half coins and telephones. They listen to regular Latin American pop music, sometimes Latin American hip-hop.
In addition to petty theft and drug distribution, they sometimes make a very good living in an unusual way: they sell sweets on buses, inventing a tragic story for themselves or borrowing it from a telenovela (the wife of my father’s twin brother killed him, the family was left without a breadwinner). The older Nieros work as driver assistants, sit on a side stool and collect money from passengers, while the oldest ones become drivers and decorate their workplace icons, flags and keychains. IN free time nieros love to play mini-football, always bare-chested, photo of themselves on mobile phone like ordinary Russian chicks.

Rakai stand out from the crowd with their Lacoste tracksuit (sometimes Sergio Tacchini or Airness) and their habit of tucking their pants into their socks. Worn over a tracksuit waist bag(also Lacoste), and the mobile phone hangs on a cord around his neck. Like the Spaniards, French gopniks like to listen to music in public places without using headphones, but their playlist is somewhat different: they prefer hip-hop, R&B and the forgotten tectonic.
Rakai travel on mopeds, which allows some of them to deftly snatch bags from the hands of passers-by while riding. Raki's special territory is the RER commuter trains. They are similar to our metro, only the cars are double-decker and very dirty, and the stations are longer. There they gather in huge groups of 15-20 people, squeeze the girls, swoop down as a whole group on some frail Frenchman to take away money or a phone, swing on the handrails and spit on the floor.

In Japan, “Yankees” are not called Americans, as in the rest of the world, but Japanese youth working class with antisocial habits. They are often talked about as future members of the Yakuza, but the Yankees are much more harmless and their crimes are limited to petty theft, hooliganism, vandalism and fights. The Yankees could get along well with ordinary Russian boys: both of them prefer to communicate while sitting “on the courts.”

The word "dress" originated in the 1990s thanks to the tracksuits (dres) that flooded the markets. It is assumed that previously no one united the dres into a single subculture and they were simply called hooligans or criminals. Habitat: sleeping areas big cities, just like ours, built up with multi-storey buildings. That’s why sometimes the boys proudly call themselves blokersi, that is, “the boys from the area.” A self-respecting dress always has a pseudo-golden chain with a cross on its neck. Hairdressers don’t go to barbershops, but prefer to shave their heads bald with the help of friends or put their hair back, pouring plenty of gel on their heads. When it comes to cars, they prefer Germans; basically they can only afford old Volkswagens, Opels, and Audis. The risen karki (neck, bull neck, bros) drive used BMWs. Very young people with no experience of street robbery are forced to travel by bus. It also has its own culture: the dres, regardless of the number of brothers, occupy the last six places.
Those whose level is not supposed to sit hang on the handrails, rock the bus and pester the townspeople. Sometimes, if there is a particularly grumpy grandfather, they may give him a seat. In general, elderly people are outside the concept of suckers, so they are not beaten or “thrown on the mobile.” What’s interesting is that dres, unlike our skinny gopniks, visit rocking chairs. Fighting breed dogs (Staffordshire terriers and pit bulls) are also often adopted.

If in urban areas the honor of gopniks is defended by well-known black gangstas, then in the provinces there is a broad concept"white trash" Back in the 19th century, “white trash” began to be called poor white workers who, along with black slaves, harvested crops on plantations. Now white trash is the name given to poorly educated poor Americans whose behavior does not fit within the framework of generally accepted morality. Although they do not look like the gopniks of other countries, they are perceived precisely as declassed elements.

The most common image of white trash is a white man who lives in a trailer or at least drives a pickup truck, has his own gun, wears a mullet hairstyle, and has a lot of tattoos on his body, done at home by his boyfriends. Even if he works, he earns very little, and immediately spends the money he receives on a “new TV” instead of food for the children, and more often he simply receives unemployment benefits. He amuses himself by visiting the “village club”, where he is sure to start a fight. The habitat is throughout the country, but the greatest concentration of such people is in the south. It is distinguished by zealous patriotism and interethnic hatred.

In small towns, gangs of young people very often form, who can also be classified as white trash. Each settlement usually has several warring factions that fight for authority and influence over the residents. They are very well organized, subordinate to the oldest member of the gang, who distributes tasks to the younger members. Usually this is petty street hooliganism, squeezing money out of “boys and suckers” or burglary. Stereo systems and weapons are most often removed from homes. Sometimes they sell drugs and weapons. It is interesting that such gangs have their own codes. For example, one of the rules is that everything that happens in a gang should not affect the families of the participants.

The word "ars" appears to be derived from the Moroccan word for "pimp." Ars are young men who carelessly wander in packs under the scorching Israeli sun and pester girls. They differ aggressive behavior in public places, do not hesitate to speak very loudly on the phone among strangers(apparently to show their superiority), they prefer to drive circles around the city in a car with open windows, from which everyone can hear rap or Arabic music.
Arses gather in pseudo-Greek cafes, where they drink cheap wine and argue with waiters and guys at neighboring tables. The arses dress in trousers with motny and wear giant gold chains - the more chains on their necks, the better. They wear short, bowl-cut hairstyles. The arses are also extremely different disdainful attitude to the female sex, while each ars strives to acquire his own (or at least one for two) freeha. The word “freeha” is translated from Arabic as “joy”; it is used to describe girls without outstanding mental abilities. Israeli “freshies” are distinguished primarily by their revealing outfits.

It’s a dark, cool evening, two people are leisurely strolling through an old park on the outskirts of the city. The atmosphere of love and harmony overwhelms them, when suddenly from around the corner comes the simple phrase “Hey, kid, is there a call?” After which a crowd of guys come out to meet them, dressed in old tracksuits with fancy caps on their heads. The outcome of this meeting is not difficult to predict - today the lover in love will most likely return home without his mobile phone.

Gopniks: who are they?

So, who are the gopniks? Photos of these guys can be seen on the pages of many websites, but even more often they can be seen in crime news releases. Which, of course, is not surprising.

In fact, a gopnik is a petty criminal who leads a dissolute lifestyle. Such guys rarely act alone; as a rule, they gather in small groups. You can often find them in quiet alleys and parks, as they are rarely crowded. Seeing a lone traveler on the horizon, they immediately begin to process him. To do this, they use criminal jargon, threats or brute force.

Where did the term "gopnik" come from?

There are many versions regarding the background of this concept. Which one is true is quite difficult to determine, and besides, there is a high probability that there is some truth in each of them.

So, there are three main versions of the origin of the term “Gopnik”:

1. The first one dates back to pre-revolutionary times. Then there were the so-called state societies charity (GOP). Such organizations monitored the poor, unemployed and beggars who were in the territory of their province. Everyone who came under the supervision of the charity committee was popularly called gopnik.
2. The second theory dates back to the early 80s. At that time, the global migration of people to megacities began in the USSR, since there were much more opportunities to earn money here than in the countryside. The poorest were housed in state hostels for the proletariat, so it is not surprising that such institutions often housed all sorts of extraordinary personalities. A little later, the residents of these hostels began to be called gopniks, thereby indicating their place of residence.
3. Another version is based on the thieves' concept of “gop-stop,” or theft. And that’s why the guys who earn their living only by robbery and extortion are called gopniks.

The rise of crime in the early 90s

Decay Soviet Union led to the fact that judicial system greatly weakened. took advantage of this moment and selected for yourself most authorities. Lawlessness flourished throughout the country, Gopnik realized this and began his wild hunt.

Gopniks, like predators, scoured the streets of the city in search of new victims. Sometimes it was a random passerby, sometimes the target was determined in advance. Indeed, in those days, local authorities quite often used the services of gopniks, so as not to dirty their own hands. For example, they were often used to destroy competitors' stores or to intimidate bystanders.

But as the years passed, they became stronger and stronger. Therefore, thieves in law began to conduct their affairs more thoughtfully, without raising unnecessary dust. And they clearly didn’t need the stupid internecine fight between the Gopniks. Therefore, they stopped using their services, much less covering up small pawns in the face of the law.

Modern gopniks: photos with caps are back in fashion

Now the cult of gopniks still exists, albeit not on the same scale as before. Today's petty criminals, as before, “live in packs” and also lead a predatory lifestyle. True, now they are quite easy to spot even in the most crowded crowd.

The modern Russian gopnik is a “clean boy” who lives “by the rules.” But these concepts are very different from those to which we are accustomed normal people. Gopnik is often devoid of even basic compassion, since he believes that there is nothing unnatural in his actions. In his mind, everything is quite simple: survival of the fittest.

Another problem is that the image of a gopnik is idealized. Thanks to TV series, for example, the same "Brigade", the criminal life began to attract many guys. Especially if their life was far from perfect.

The laws by which Gopniks live

Even if Gopnik is the scum of society, even in his world there are certain laws. First of all, he obeys Zonov’s orders, and Gopnik has no right to violate them. Otherwise, he may lose authority in the eyes of his comrades.

That is why gopniks first of all try to intimidate their victim morally. To do this, they use conversational tricks. "Who are you?" or “Why are you walking here?” Such questions are a kind of greeting, and if a person answers incorrectly, then the gopnik begins an active verbal assault. Everything goes according to a long-established pattern, thanks to which the victim turns into a sucker. But “by concept”, it’s not a sin to ask a sucker.

Who becomes a gopnik?

Often, a similar lifestyle is led by those who were born in Deprived of parental warmth and affection, they early years watched others enjoy life. This has hardened their hearts and minds, moreover, they passionately want to get everything that they were deprived of, no matter how.

Alcohol also plays an important role. Gopniks drink beer, sometimes even vodka, from an early age, because getting alcohol is now easier than ever. What to expect from a person who starts drinking at the age of 10-12?

The final factor is bad company. After all, if you live with wolves for a long time, then you begin to howl like a wolf.

As it is written in the article, the appearance of Gopniks did not present any difficulties for the readers of the newspaper: these are these Russian guys of the “don’t put your finger in your mouth” type with pimply skin and dull faces, which reflect only one thought: “Yes, I put it on you!”

"These guys are more comfortable squatting than standing. But, most importantly, they are the last males on planet Earth who manage to wear leather gangster caps from the 1920s with style - everyone else in such caps looks like only fagots from drama school rehearsing some musical,” the newspaper writes.

Gopniks are cool because there is no place for self-irony in their world. They are very "authentic". Proof of this is their fantastically adventurous tastes: a mixture of bad taste, menace and garish Third World chic.

Even the fact that Gopniks like to blast techno at full blast, sing shitty karaoke songs in cheap cafes with color music, or wear cheap pointy leather boots to match their 1920s ragtime-style pillbox caps cannot take away their status as the most dangerous. scum in the world.

History of the word, Gopnik culture About the word: there are few terms that one hundred percent correspond to the designated object. "Gop" sounds angry, stupid and funny, but not so funny that you dare to laugh in the face of a gopnik. The word "Gopnik" is based on the abbreviation: "State hostel of the proletariat." Add to "G.O.P." the suffix “nick” – and the new biological species is ready.

Gopniks appeared after the revolution. The first gopniks came to Petrograd in the 1920s in search of work. By origin, they were peasants or completely landless scum.

The species "common gopnik" even had its own specific habitat - Ligovsky Prospekt, building 10. Actually, this is a hotel, now called "Oktyabrskaya", and the gopniks, in their own way, turned it into a collectivist gangster club, the publication writes.

Since they were outsiders in their villages, often children from single-parent families, and many already had petty crimes on their record, if not something worse, the indigenous population of Petrograd, and then Leningrad, treated the gopniks with disgust.

They went down in legends as thugs and lucky ones, whom even the Soviet system could not break. They had their own code of honor, they lived by their own rules, they had their own tattoos on their fingers, their own fashions. They represented something like a caste of “thieves in law” in the world of delinquent “hooligans”.

Later, the meaning of the word changed, and the expression “gopnik” meant any dubious type with a shaved head, wearing a thick leather jacket, stupid leather boots and a pillbox cap.

1990s - the rise of Gopniks

In the 1990s, it seemed that Gopniks would soon take over, if not the whole world, then at least one-sixth of the land. "Gopniks ruled the roost in all 11 time zones of Russia. "Gopniks - or Russian men who adopted the Gopnik style - surged into all spheres of life, from "business", where they played the role of sixes, to politics, where, as deputies from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, they formed the core of resistance to Western influence,” the newspaper writes.

Some gopniks exchanged leather jackets and sweatshirts for brown blazers from Hugo Boss, but could not resist complementing this splendor with shiny mules: gold chains on their hands and necks, fancy watches and so on. The Gopnik culture in the 90s was accompanied by techno music. However, the 1990s turned out to be not so much the rise of the Gopnik Nation as the Beginning of its End.

Have Gopniks survived to this day?

To explore the culture of modern Gopniks, the newspaper's correspondents went to Lyubertsy, a city that in the 1990s was known as the capital of Gopniks. Criminality was as common there as tracksuits and sunflower seeds. Imagine the surprise of the journalists when they could not find any gopniks there. Then the representatives of the newspaper decided to go to one of the most sinister areas of Moscow, Brateevo, but they didn’t find any gopniks there either.

What happened to the Gopniks? Most sources agree that two factors contributed to their extinction. First: in the 1980s and 1990s, hard drugs and weapons suddenly became widely available.

Their introduction into such a fearless and primitive culture as the Gopnik culture meant that in one decade almost half of the individuals left for another world.

"The second reason has more to do with changes in the environment. The advent of Western bourgeois values ​​and cultural preferences, as well as the beginning of a period of external stability, growth and sobriety under Putin, means that Gopnik's 70-year reign as the king of the world of rebels has suddenly come to an end: Russians of all social classes layers quickly hated the dork aesthetics of the Gopniks,” the newspaper writes.

Nothing speaks more eloquently about the tragic disappearance of Gopnik from the face of the earth than the fact that Shnur from the Leningrad group, a big fan of Gopnik culture, is going to open a “Gopnik Museum” in his native St. Petersburg, the newspaper notes.

Shnur's group romanticizes the Gopniks to a middle-class audience that has finally come to appreciate them, albeit in a semi-ironic spirit that would not have been possible if the Gopniks had not disappeared. Even the original cradle of Gopniks - house 10 on Ligovsky Prospekt - today is nothing more than a three-star hotel.

Anatomy of a Gopnik

A pillbox cap is a key element of a Gopnik’s outfit. Leather ones are for serious murders, stripes are for all sorts of trifles like rape in the country.

Ears - usually protrude more than those of ordinary homo sapiens, thanks to fights, as well as the indispensable haircut to zero.

Shashlik - Gopniks (like all Russians) believe that meat tastes best when it is roasted on a stick over a fire.

Sweatpants still remain the most ergodynamic for squatting.

Shoes - Gopniks prefer a) pointed leather boots or b) slippers, but as they assimilate culturally, they sometimes wear sneakers.

Glass - everyone knows that vodka tastes best when it is served warm in plastic cups. It is very important that several midges float on its surface.

Jacket - If he had a bumper sticker, it would say "Don't think I have a leather jacket."

Forehead - convex frontal lobes are inherited from distant ancestors - humans.

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IN English language There is such a word as privacy*. In the Russian language there is something completely different - gopnik. The meanings of both are almost impossible to convey to native language, it’s generally useless to translate. But both words characterize some kind of...

There is such a word in English privacy*. In the Russian language there is something completely different - gopnik. The meanings of both are almost impossible to convey in one’s native language; it is generally useless to translate. But both words characterize some kind of unique environment. For example, they have complete freedom of movement - at any time and in any direction. This is privacy. We have a passport regime, registration, “detention until clarification.” This is absolutely legal bullshit. And it is impossible to combine these two concepts. They are mutually exclusive.

Behind recent years We gave one hundred gopniks two definitions. Vagrants, beggars and petty thieves. These formed the backbone of the poor committees who dispossessed the peasants. For them, on the site of two Petrograd hotels, the Bolsheviks opened the “City Hostel of the Proletariat” (abbreviated as “GOP”). It's 1920.

Poorly educated youth of the city outskirts, the LDPR electorate, driving tuning “nines”. They gnaw seeds at the entrances, litter on the sidewalks, hate visitors from the CIS, engage in petty racketeering, wear pointy shoes and drink strong beer from plastic cups. It's already the 90s.

Both of them, as is commonly believed, no longer exist. According to legend, the Gopnik concentrate of the beginning of the century was destroyed Soviet authority, with difficulty dissolving them into the mass of decent citizens. The same thing happened with the gopniks of the 90s, the bastards of the transition period - this is how stability under Vladimir Putin affected the stratum. But it would be stupid to say that in both cases the bullshit was over. Gopnik just disappeared into the crowd, changed into new clothes and got behind the wheel of another car. The masses, in turn, acquired some of his signs. Gopnichestvo itself has ceased to denote a narrow group of people; now it is a character trait of every person. And the key properties - lack of understanding of the boundaries of personal freedom, that is, privacy, hostility and even the lack of self-irony - are now inherent in everyone.

But for some more, for others not. Someone is almost a gopnik, and someone is almost decent. Who, for example, is my friend, the sweet-looking young accountant Roman, I still don’t know. In his red Peugeot, he gave way to pedestrians. An hour later, he knocked off the rear-view mirror from a neighbor’s car in the parking lot and drove on. For the birthday of our mutual friend Sergei, Roma books a table at one of Novikov’s restaurants and gives him some vague Mexican bamboo. And an hour later, after a little friendly banter over the gift, he hits Sergeyev’s face with all his might. Finally, Roma complains about the dominance of migrants. And then he convinces us that Estonia is the only Nazi country in the world.

Gopnichestvo has a different appearance and new habits. Using Roman as an example, we have compiled instructions on how to recognize modern gopnik, what are its signs and differences from its predecessors.

*Privacy- designation of immunity privacy, personal freedoms of a person and their boundaries established by law.

Gopnik and Gopnik

The Gopnik of the 90s did not understand the meaning of the word “Gopnik”. The concept was used only outside the Gopnik layer. In this sense, G. were designated as a kind of closed subculture like punks, skinheads or goths. But unlike them, the G. did not assign any names to the rest of the population (among the punks and Goths, ordinary citizens were “civilians”). Moreover, G. did not recognize the difference between themselves and other people. Modern representatives of this stratum very often use the concept of G. in relation to visitors, the unemployed, politically indifferent people, people without higher education. This is what Roman does, being a native of Kabardino-Balkaria. With G.'s inherent intolerance, Roman despises everyone who is like him.

Note:as a synonym for G. Lately“redneck” is used: “office redneck”, “redneck from the Caucasus”, “fashionable redneck”, etc.

Gopnik and privacy

The last thing Roma will think about is the interests and comfort of those around her. Roma doesn’t seem to know at all about other people’s interests. Therefore, he easily throws cigarette butts out of the window onto the heads of passers-by. Before buying the car, Roma had never given up his seat to women or elderly people on the subway. And then - your own parking spot on the sidewalk. If Roma had a dog, he would take it to the toilet on the playground and wouldn’t even think about grabbing a bag. For Roma, there is only his own privacy, although he does not know what it is. And he always provides it at the expense of others.

Gopnik and clothes

Pointed shoes bought at the market, a tracksuit and a cap with a short visor are becoming a thing of the past. Shopping centers With European clothes There are now in every district of Moscow and other million-plus cities. G. joined casual style: casual jeans, shirt, sneakers. But at the same time, the element of bad taste has not gone away: modern G. fell in love with cheap chic and pretentiousness. An inexpensive T-shirt must have rhinestones, sneakers should have sparkles, preferably in a golden hue. Under the (specially) unbuttoned shirt, again with rhinestones, there is a thick chain. In the summer, instead of shorts, young G. wear jeans rolled up to the knees. And it is impossible to understand what the goal is being pursued here.

In general, any thing should give off pathos, this is fundamental - with a suit for 5 thousand rubles. Be sure to wear bright cufflinks. Clothes should not only look chic, they should shout about it. Hence G.'s painful desire to buy counterfeits of famous brands. Our Roman has a large golden plaque with the inscription Prada on his belt. In the passage on Pushkinskaya such a thing costs 700 rubles. (“The fashionable redneck” wears the original, but the badges are still the same - golden and huge.)

The Zara chain of stores is very popular among Roma. Despite the long lines, Roma has no favorite store. For 15 thousand rubles. there you can dress from head to toe. Moreover, things according to external signs very similar to the range of more expensive brands. If you stick big Armani letters to some jeans, you won’t be able to tell them apart at all. Zara has been accused of piracy more than once. But how can you refuse such a wonderful niche?

Gopnik and non-Gopnik

Unlike his predecessor, modern G. strives to be like a non-gopnik. Roman communicates at work with the most different people. But close contacts are difficult to achieve, which irritates Roma. His inability to joke and generally understand irony repels ordinary citizens. It is also impossible to convince Roma of anything. Like any G., Roma speaks out on any topic and does not recognize alternative opinions. So a dispute with Roma is considered an invasion of his privacy zone and, most likely, will end in an invasion of yours. In a conversation, he likes to touch his interlocutor with his hands, thereby emphasizing the idea. When you start talking, Roma will immediately get distracted by his own affairs, stare at the phone or turn on the radio.

Gopnik and power

In general, G. is extremely apolitical. But G. has his own opinion about power. If our Roman went to the polls, it was only because his colleagues and friends went to the polls. Although Roma doesn’t care about the interests of those around him, conforming to the infidels is his main idea. Despite this, Roman cannot be trusted because of his voice. Power, in his opinion, cannot be so complicated. It should be specific, clear, but not directly affecting Roma himself. The president has such power, for which every G. sincerely loves him. At the same time, G. despises all its other representatives. And he is afraid of specific ones - the police, tax authorities, etc. Unlike the president, they can always apply their direct and obvious power to G.. But Roma, like a normal G., does not accept this.

Gopnik and patriotism

Gopnik and civic activism

Young G.'s apoliticality can always be overcome. The only important thing is to publicly share his views. Now several political forces are doing this at once - starting with the DPNI, ending with the more decent ones - the Young Guard and Nashi. But among the DPNI and “Nashi” there are too many actual G., whom Roman avoids whenever possible (see Gopnik and Gopnik). Therefore, in his favorites on this moment"United Russia".

Gopnik and the law

Nobody follows the laws, for this reason Roman does the same. Corresponding, as it seems to him, to the masses. He often gets behind the wheel drunk. Doesn't consciously fasten his seat belt. Another thing is that when he was once hit in the ass at a crossroads, Roman changed his manners somewhat. But I still haven’t learned to obey the laws - this can only be forced. That is why G. so dislikes power in the person of specific executors (see Gopnik and power). By invading G.'s unlimited privacy, they force him to change his views. And for self-confident G. there is nothing more terrible.

Gopnik and music

Here Roman has gone far from G. of the previous decade. Instead of techno and chanson - R&B and Britpop. Roma also knows the lyrics to “A Star Called the Sun” and “Oh-Oh.” And it’s already better than techno. But something doesn’t give me peace. Some kind of hesitating song between the tracks “Verv” and “Radiohead” “Wait, where am I going?!” girls from "Star Factory". A little more - and now they are playing “Don’t Go Crazy” by Timati, “Don’t Be Born Beautiful” by Yulia Savicheva...

Still, it would be better if he listened to techno with chanson.

Gopnik and the church

Probably nothing warms Roma more than the Orthodox faith and solitude in church. Baptized of his own free will at the age of 20, he visits the temple every six months - at Christmas and Easter. There you can be yourself, away from all these intellectuals selling Christ. Without hesitation, take out a massive cross from under your shirt with rhinestones. And, if you have the patience, listen to what the fathers have to say.

One Christmas I met Roma with three canisters in front of the temple on Sretenka. Bypassing the service, he greedily loaded holy water into the trunk.

Verbatim

Masha Gaidar, leader of the youth organization “YES!”: For me this is synonymous with rudeness, impudence

For me, this is synonymous with rudeness and impudence. This is a person for whom no one exists around. He is absolutely not embarrassed to do what is convenient for him, although someone else may not like it. Gopnik is sure that he is always right. He proves that he is right only by force, because he knows nothing else.

Gopnik most likely had a difficult childhood. Problems in the family, difficulties with studies. He didn’t make it to university because he couldn’t and didn’t want to. Gopnik finds it difficult to communicate in company decent people, so he can only be seen among others like him.

Such people are now found in youth political organizations. This, for example, is the combat wing, so to speak, of “Nashi”. Not all “Ours”, only provocateurs who disrupt the actions and rallies of their opponents and destroy embassies. They act according to principles, and they don’t have to pay for it with sausages and glazed curds.

Alexander Belov-Potkin, leader of the DPNI: A declassed element prone to committing crude, graceless crimes

In my understanding, a gopota is a declassed element prone to committing gross crimes devoid of grace. Globally, gopota as a phenomenon manifests itself during a period of economic instability, when a large number of First of all, young people cannot realize themselves in life, are cut off from their family environment and lead an asocial lifestyle. By gathering in groups, they create a certain subculture. She is not a “classical” criminal, since the gopot lives according to quasi-concepts.

IN modern Russia and in Ukraine, gopniks, as a rule, come from urban areas in rural areas, that is, they are not peasants or townspeople in the classical sense. Each of them individually can be a good person. However, due to the difficult situation in regional centers, the difficult financial situation of parents, average or low intellectual abilities, lack of work and other sources of livelihood, young people try to survive together, sometimes uniting in semi-criminal communities.

If you try to draw a portrait of an average gopnik, it will be a man under 25 years old, dressed in clothes bought at the “Vietnamese” market, smokes tobacco, is not averse to drinking and scoring a joint, may be the owner of a VAZ 2108 car, a fake Swiss watch most likely has short hairstyle, listens to outdated pop music or chanson, tries to talk “for life”, his face has a characteristic “country tan”, he can chew sunflower seeds. Gopnichestvo has no nationality and is common among different peoples.

Gopnik attributes: cap, gold or silver chains, cheap signet, man purse, waist-length leather jacket. Insolent behavior, especially in a community of similar people. May begin to find fault with words, appearance, if he sees a “sucker” or “not local”.

Once in the early 90s, I came out of the metro with a girl, stopped to buy champagne at a tent and chocolate candies, then walked towards the house. Apparently, at the tent I “shone the shovel.” On the way through the square, I felt that someone was following us. He abruptly grabbed a bottle of Sovetsky from the bag and turned around. Two pairs of frightened eyes of Gopniks of Caucasian origin looked at me, one had a knife. A second pause - and they ran away.