Roadman culture is a new old phenomenon that makes visible not only the generation gap but also the changing world, writes Salusjärvi.
A roadman is a man under the age of 20 who spends a lot of time on the streets. This includes drugs, violence and getting into trouble. The phenomenon has its origins in Britain and its world view is portrayed quite vividly in the Netflix series *Top Boy*. In it, young people of colour living in a London suburb start to run a drug business and thrive in a life that is turning violent.
What is remarkable about this phenomenon is the role of children. This is also reflected in the increase in robberies committed by minors in Finland.
In recent years, the roadman culture has become a hot topic and a visible phenomenon in secondary schools. The term roadman refers not only to a criminal lifestyle, but also to a style of dress and music. The roots of the phenomenon go back to the second wave of grime music, where rap fused with machine music and international culture. Alongside it, the criminal street lifestyle began to live on.
Even in Britain, the roadman phenomenon is generally viewed negatively. However, in contrast to the previous chav culture, the term \”roadman\” is not a subculture designation, but a way of identification. In class society, it is not seen as a continuation of previous subcultures of the working class.
Among young people, the roadman is not a hero, rather it is a lifestyle created by social problems. Aggressive youth culture is not a new phenomenon, but it takes on new features as times change.
Roadman culture is primarily seen in clothing. The style includes dark, high-quality and expensive sports clothes. If earlier youth fashion was characterized by the Burberry pattern, now the hottest thing is a down vest pulled over a hoodie, Nike sweatpants and Air Max sneakers. The face is often covered by a balaclava, i.e. a balaclava.
The most visible evil side of the roadman’s life consists mainly of bad mouthing and clothes robberies. However, there are much deeper undercurrents in the background that paint a bleak picture of today’s world.
Roadman culture is rooted in similar ineptitude, but now the focus is on failed immigration in addition to misery.
Young people usually have trouble finding their place in the world. The clearest measure of success is wealth, which is symbolized by expensive clothes. Crime is seen as a way to get rich.
With the Roadman culture, the essence of young people has also changed. If before the youth were supposed to cause aggravation, now many want to blend in, i.e. keep a low key status. As a result, keeping silent has become a virtue and snitching has become a cardinal sin.
*Aleksis Salusjärvi*
*The author teaches literature and rap lyrics in primary schools, vocational studies and prisons to young people who have run into trouble.*
*The column can be discussed on 11.3. until 23:00.*