Hoodie-wearers are total scumbags: Editor's Eye comment

10:20am Wednesday 19th December 2012 in Bromley By Andrew Parkes, News Shopper editor

Those who wear hoodies often know and exploit the fear it inspires in members of the public Those who wear hoodies often know and exploit the fear it inspires in members of the public

THE attitude and arrogance of hoodie-wearing idiots absolutely stinks.

And before anyone starts, I’ve heard all the excuses going. ‘It’s just a fashion statement or a way for youngsters to express themselves’. ‘Old gits are always out to diss the youth of today’. ‘That pensioner had no right to feel afraid, there were only five of them stood in a group’.

Well, this weekend I went to visit a relative in hospital and the behaviour I witnessed by three hoodie-wearing scumbags was disgusting.

Even when politely asked by a nurse to moderate their language, stop being abusive and just to please keep the noise down they vented their spleen with a torrent of foul-mouthed abuse.

Now I realise people who don’t wear hoodies still swear, get carried away and can be noisy, but with hoodie-wearing it’s the attitude they exude.

And there can’t possibly be any excuse, even if it was cold outside — the temperature in the hospital was sweltering as always. Whatever happened to the well-mannered tradition of removing headgear when you move indoors?

And before anyone kicks off, I’ve got a hood on a training top I use for hockey and if there’s an icy wind blowing across the pitch I might actually put it up.

But don’t pretend there’s no difference to the type of people we’re talking about. The fact is, these hoodie-wearers are total scumbags, full stop, and you won’t persuade me otherwise.

And, if you don’t want to be viewed this way and feel offended, the answer’s simple — moderate your behaviour and take the hood down.

Agree or disagree - tell us what you think in the comments box below.

Comments(42)

ArtfulPodger says...
10:52am Wed 19 Dec 12

I think whats happened here, is that you've misunderstood how people work. they are not scumbags because they are wearing hoodies, they are scumbags that happened to be wearing hoodies. Don't lump in all people wearing hoodies with their mates out and about not causing any damage. For most, wearing a hoodie is just another form of safe teenage rebellion that you'd get from wearing eyeliner or dyeing your hair pink, dont really think there is any evidence to suggest wearing a hood up is what makes you a scumbag.

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Dartbored says...
10:52am Wed 19 Dec 12

Completely agree.

There are parallels with the morons who keep staffy type dogs – whilst there will always be the odd exception, most owners of staffy dogs are from a certain, how shall I say…”demographic
” – and own them purely for the image they believe it affords them. Similarly, those who choose to put the hood up whilst wearing a hoodie do it purely for effect, almost as if they’re slipping into character, the inverse of a super hero donning a cape. Up comes the hood, out comes the “gangster” attitude.

I own a couple of hoodies as I think they can look good as part of a casual outfit. But the key is, I never put my hood up. Because then I’d look like one of “them”

And I’d never want that.

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Gypo.Joe says...
11:16am Wed 19 Dec 12

Completely agree too AP.

Council tenants wear hoodies, and behave like .....well council tenants.

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cm punk says...
11:25am Wed 19 Dec 12

I lame attempt at a wind up from a lame excuse if an editor,please take your feeble effort to get people to bite to Danson park lake,maybe the fish will snap up the primary school editorial you have provided us with.

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ucoudd says...
11:30am Wed 19 Dec 12

ArtfulPodger raised a good point - there are scumbags that just happen to wear hoodies. However I'm sure that there are scumbags who play hockey as well... if there's one thing that editors are supposed to be portraying to the public, it's that we shouldn't stereotype.

I wear hoodies almost every day. It's not because I want to rebel or cause trouble, it's simply because they are comfortable and practical. I like to have the hood up as well, and do so wherever it is allowed. I'm a polite and well-mannered person and if someone thinks I'm a scumbag because of the clothes I'm wearing then that's probably the tip of an iceberg of issues that they must have with their own appearance.

It sounds to me as though the editor is trying to create a bit of controversy but isn't quite influential enough to think of anything original to say.

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Gypo.Joe says...
11:40am Wed 19 Dec 12

I just checked on the calendar, it's Wednesday dig out Andy Parkes day.

Where's fireman Ian he likes to have
twopenneth dig at Parkesee.

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goldenbroomboy says...
12:25pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Oh come on now, hoodies are an easy target, it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Why not pick on drinkers who use the Guy Earl of Warwick in Welling?

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Hk says...
12:34pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Not every person wearing a hoodie is a scumbag. Yes, some people who wear them are but I would say that is just a small minority.

People who go to the gym wear hoodies doesnt mean they are scum.

Editor - you need to get your facts completely right!

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Tip-Top says...
12:40pm Wed 19 Dec 12

What self respected hockey player would put a hood up, when it's windy?

Just like these “hoodie-wearers” you encountered and your generalisation of persons who wear such garments, you give the world of hockey players a bad name and you’re an embarrassment!

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PaulErith says...
12:42pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Don't really think that it's the hoodie that is the issue. It seems that most teenagers wear hoodies. It's the fashion. Therefore there's lots of decent youngsters wearing them. Obviously there are groups of teenagers that hang around and cause trouble, but it's not the hoodie per se that is the issue. If the next teenage fashion was to wear bright green trousers, then these scumbags would be seen wearing that.

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Wispy Wonder says...
1:46pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Hoodies are no longer a mass fashion - teens have long since moved on. Instead, hoodies (with the hood up) are now simply yob-wear, intended to intimidate, and to conceal their identity, like the cowards they are.

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j.j. says...
2:13pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Hoodies, St George's cross, staffies, Burberry caps... they are all the same. Some might genuinely find them appealing, but in most cases they are the tribal symbols of the under-class, ie. a way of sticking up the finger and saying that they are not part of the main stream society. It's fine if it stops there, but not if they feel that this puts them outside the laws and moral standards of this country.

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Buttercup says...
4:44pm Wed 19 Dec 12

My Mum is in her 70s and wear hoodies - mainly to stay warm. I'm sure she will be really chuffed that NS consider her to be a scumbag! On the basis that we should define people by what they wear.... are all backpack wearers tube bombers? All crash helmet wearers bank robbers? If this is the best story the NS can come up woth then I suggest it is time to hang up your notepads and let someone who reports news worthy stories a go.

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Bestbaz says...
6:13pm Wed 19 Dec 12

All social classes have their fashion, Hooded tops and their wearers belong to a certain class or person. Luckily my children would not want to be seen dead wearing them.

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Oldchap says...
7:31pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Don't "yoofs" wear hoodies so they can't be identified on CCTV after robbery / assault / etc

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Lilmiss80 says...
9:03pm Wed 19 Dec 12

I could say what i really think but my parents taught me manners.

Hoodie wearer (minus the hood up 99.9% of the time!)

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marc8888 says...
10:07pm Wed 19 Dec 12

I am with the hoodie-haters... It's a look designed to intimidate and avoid CCTV cameras etc. Yes a hood is nice when it's cold and windy, but why wear them on warm days and indoors etc? Just put the hood down please... It's as simple as that.

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laney89 says...
1:13am Thu 20 Dec 12

Can't believe the attitude of people like you! I wear a hoodie most days of the week, I am not a scumbag, I don't wear it to look cool, I don't wear it so it covers me up, I don't wear it to 'look hard', I don't wear it to go out and cause trouble! I wear it simply because it is comfortable and that is what I like to wear! You are tarring every hoodie wearer with the same brush, yet admit you wear a hoodie at hockey and sometimes put the hood up, would you like it if a spectator saw you like that and started shouting hoodied scumbag or similar at you?
Yes I agree there are 'thugs' out there and yes MOST of them generally wear a hoodie, but it doesn't mean all hoodie wearers are scumbags! Alot of robbers will wear a balaclava - a man who goes fishing may wear a balaclava, Do you tar them with the same brush too?

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fizhog says...
9:11am Thu 20 Dec 12

As one of the more senior members of society, experience has taught me that rabid sweeping generalisations, of the nature proffered in this article, are the exclusive preserve of the pig-ignorant; and I therefore have no hesitation in stating that only an out-and-out scumbag would put his name to the sort of bigoted drivel in this article.

Think that is over the top? Well, think again, because if you replace the term 'hoodie-wearers' with any of the following: blacks / gays / unmarried mothers / foreigners / Christians / benefit claimants / newspaper editors / journalists / Jews, the vast majority of whom, with the probable exception of newspaper editors and journalists, are decent well-intentioned members of society who belong to minority groups that are not only easy to pick on, but are judged by the actions of a very small minority within that minority.

The fact that there is a small minority within the hoodie-wearing community that does not conform to questionable expected norms, is no more a reasan to tar them all with the same brush than it is to judge all St. Olave's pupils by the loud foul-mouthed rabble of immaculately uniformed pupils who terrorise the public at Orpington's War Memorial roundabout every afternoon.

Andrew Parkes isn't fit to edit a newspaper .. not even this fifth-rate supply of emergency toilet paper masquerading as a local newspaper.

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Tip-Top says...
9:24am Thu 20 Dec 12

fizhog - no need to be like that, it's Christmas ;o)

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Polly Staight says...
9:29am Thu 20 Dec 12

I reckon that this editor could be in serious trouble talking about minorities in this way...

...Don't some ladies that belong to the Islamic faith wear hoods?

Are they scum?

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fizhog says...
10:02am Thu 20 Dec 12

Tip-Top, trust me, if it wasn't for the fact that I am full of seasonal cheer and goodwill, I would really have gone to town on the pig-ignorant hockey-playing twit. As it is, he got of lightly.

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Tip-Top says...
10:16am Thu 20 Dec 12

Fizhog – Don’t get too wound up by Mr Andrew Parkes and his articles.

Last week he claimed that his friend was verbally abused and he did nothing about it.

This week he claims that people were acting inappropriately around a sick relative of his and he did nothing.

Still, having the power and ability to write for the NS obviously soothes his guilt in not protecting those around him…..c’mon Andrew, get your hockey stick out and start wind milling into these rogues of society!!!!

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fizhog says...
10:39am Thu 20 Dec 12

Tip-Top, so what you are saying is that he is just one of those gobby little, trolling, hypocritical cowards who, away from the protection of their computer, is too scared to do anything positive in the real world? That really doesn't surprise me.

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Dartbored says...
1:21pm Thu 20 Dec 12

fizhog wrote:
Tip-Top, so what you are saying is that he is just one of those gobby little, trolling, hypocritical cowards who, away from the protection of their computer, is too scared to do anything positive in the real world? That really doesn't surprise me.
I think so, yes. Mind you, there's a few like that on this site :-)

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Locked an Loaded says...
2:01pm Thu 20 Dec 12

j.j. wrote:
Hoodies, St George's cross, staffies, Burberry caps... they are all the same. Some might genuinely find them appealing, but in most cases they are the tribal symbols of the under-class, ie. a way of sticking up the finger and saying that they are not part of the main stream society. It's fine if it stops there, but not if they feel that this puts them outside the laws and moral standards of this country.
Grow a pair son.. st georges crosses are good.. more the better.. if you dont like it.. tough! lol

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j.j. says...
2:23pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Locked an Loaded wrote:
j.j. wrote: Hoodies, St George's cross, staffies, Burberry caps... they are all the same. Some might genuinely find them appealing, but in most cases they are the tribal symbols of the under-class, ie. a way of sticking up the finger and saying that they are not part of the main stream society. It's fine if it stops there, but not if they feel that this puts them outside the laws and moral standards of this country.
Grow a pair son.. st georges crosses are good.. more the better.. if you dont like it.. tough! lol
It's not that I don't like it and I don't have a problem with people liking it. I'm just saying that it's a step too far when any one of these things becomes a cover or a symbol for anti-social behaviour.

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Dartbored says...
4:30pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Ooh, I just love it when things get nasty on here!

More, more!

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Guess who ;) AGAIN ! says...
8:15pm Thu 20 Dec 12

**** you Dartbored.


Ten four and over.

;)

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bettyblue says...
11:23pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Wow there are so many comments on here and after reading them I don't really know what else I can say! However I will say this, for a local surburan newspaper did you really think you would show your most upstanding place in society with the word scumbag? We all wear hoodies and sometimes we like to put the hoods up, big deal! Your so ignorant that maybe you should look at bit closer to home before insulting the rest of society.

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Gypo.Joe says...
11:16am Fri 21 Dec 12

Bettyblue if you're going to come on here giving it the large check your spelling dear please.

'You're' a hoodie and igorant.( sic )

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NJM-89 says...
12:48pm Fri 21 Dec 12

This article is just another example of sensationalistic journalism at its worst. This kind of rubbish only serves to make the elder generations even more scared of youths. I think your article should have been much more focused on hoodie etiquette so to speak.

I'm 22, wear a hoodie often and yet I'm not scaring anyone, at least not until people have read your ignorant article. You can't pick out one piece of clothing that these 'scum' wear and blame it on that; there are many things that go into the making of 'scum', one of them is probably the self-fulfilling prophecy as a result of articles like these!
You should be ashamed of yourself Andrew!

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Amilla says...
12:58pm Fri 21 Dec 12

Agreeing with all the people saying don't stereotype. I'm a respectable 27 year old mother and wear a hoodie every day, firstly because I think the ones I wear look nice and secondly because they are comfortable and warm. It's insulting to think that regular people are being lumped into the category of "scumbag" in the eyes of those that read your newspaper just because you stereotype and produce an unfair portrayal. It is understandable that people feel intimidated by groups of people displaying forms of antisocial behaviour and maybe their faces being obscured by a hood does contribute, but that is characteristic of those groups of people and not everyone who wears a hoodie.

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Richard Comaish says...
1:40pm Fri 21 Dec 12

Surely it is a sign of cultural bankruptcy when an editor and his deskbound, out-of-touch culture fails to distinguish dress from content, and attacks an item of clothing practical and widely used in our culture, in way he wouldn't dream of vis-a-vis jilbabs, hijabs etc. I was recently told to lower a hood in the Glades (51 and well-behaved!) - they would not dare do that to yashmak wearers!

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marc8888 says...
8:56pm Fri 21 Dec 12

Sorry everybody but I think that wearing a hood indoors or in anything but horrible weather is just yobby and ugly and dare I say it chavvy. I only just got one.... At Alcatraz of all places and v comfortable it is. But I wouldn't put the hood up unless it was freezing, I just liked the styling and it was a momento. And don't get me onto wearing a baseball cap underneath one, the chavviest and most intimidating look you can get.

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NJM-89 says...
9:35pm Fri 21 Dec 12

Agreed Marc, and that's what I meant by 'hoodie etiquette'. Personally I always put the hood down when I go inside or even if I'm walking the dog and I pass an elderly person (so as not to scare them).
If you read the title of the article, however, our good friend Andrew Parkes doesn't make such distinctions.

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bettyblue says...
10:16pm Sat 22 Dec 12

Gypo.Joe wrote:
Bettyblue if you're going to come on here giving it the large check your spelling dear please.

'You're' a hoodie and igorant.( sic )
well i'm sorry but I was in a rush, also it is only your mispelt, supposed to be you're, ignorant and hoodies are spelt correctly. Although I don't really think my spelling is the issue here do you?

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Gypo.Joe says...
12:22pm Sun 23 Dec 12

bettyblue wrote:
Gypo.Joe wrote:
Bettyblue if you're going to come on here giving it the large check your spelling dear please.

'You're' a hoodie and igorant.( sic )
well i'm sorry but I was in a rush, also it is only your mispelt, supposed to be you're, ignorant and hoodies are spelt correctly. Although I don't really think my spelling is the issue here do you?
A little decorum if you please Betty, we do like to keep our standards up on the Shopper. Innit like.

A very Happy Christmas to you and 'yours'. ;)

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theboy23 says...
10:40pm Sun 23 Dec 12

I took much offence to this text, and would like to see it taken off the website immediately!

I cant believe that Andrew Parkes and the News Shopper can get away with publishing such obvious discrimination against members of our community! its bad enough to condemn a whole group as scum based on one incident with three kids but to go and say that all hoddie wearers are the scum is just a mindless attack on a mass group of different people.

people wear hoodies for different reasons. most people have no intention of committing any crime. some do use the hoods to cover their faces wile committing crime, which I think is great! I don't think locking up our communities children would make our world a nicer place. I don't want the young people in my community to have to suffer in jail and so I would encourage them to cover their face with hoods if committing a crime, for their own safety.

id much rather see the youth of my community mask up and cause some mischief than let the police catch them out every time they do something naughty because they didn't cover their faces.

the news shopper is particularly discriminative against the young working class and regularly labels people as scum, yobs or thugs without knowing anything about these people! they are offensive towards myself, my friends and family and a significant percentage of our community!

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Gypo.Joe says...
2:40am Mon 24 Dec 12

theboy23, p1ss off idiot.

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j.j. says...
9:18am Mon 24 Dec 12

theboy23 wrote:
I took much offence to this text, and would like to see it taken off the website immediately!

I cant believe that Andrew Parkes and the News Shopper can get away with publishing such obvious discrimination against members of our community! its bad enough to condemn a whole group as scum based on one incident with three kids but to go and say that all hoddie wearers are the scum is just a mindless attack on a mass group of different people.

people wear hoodies for different reasons. most people have no intention of committing any crime. some do use the hoods to cover their faces wile committing crime, which I think is great! I don't think locking up our communities children would make our world a nicer place. I don't want the young people in my community to have to suffer in jail and so I would encourage them to cover their face with hoods if committing a crime, for their own safety.

id much rather see the youth of my community mask up and cause some mischief than let the police catch them out every time they do something naughty because they didn't cover their faces.

the news shopper is particularly discriminative against the young working class and regularly labels people as scum, yobs or thugs without knowing anything about these people! they are offensive towards myself, my friends and family and a significant percentage of our community!
You obviously have never been the victim of a crime committed by hoodies and don't have the emotional capability to see things from other people's (the victims') point of view.

I also think it is important to distinguish between the working class and under class. I come from a working class background and I'm proud of many things this stands for (community, supporting each other, working for a better tomorrow...) and I fiercely detest decent working class people being tarnished with the same brush as yobs, criminals, benefit cheats, illegal immigrants etc.

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NJM-89 says...
12:44pm Mon 24 Dec 12

theboy23,
You clearly haven't given the issue of crime a second's thought.
When you have you can come back and give a sensible argument, cause letting everyone get away with it doesn't seem like the best idea. Idiot.

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