Lad Culture - Alice Dear Report Findings

Alice Dear’s Lad Culture Report My Report Findings – Qualitative Research – Interviews.

Participants (Pp): Interviewee 1: 20 yr old female student Interviewee 2: 17 yr old female school student Interviewee 3: 21 yr old male student Interviewee 4: 19 yr old female student Interviewee 5: 20 yr old female student Interviewee 6: 19 yr old female student Interviewee 7: 20 yr old male student Interviewee 8: Middle-aged female Interviewee 9: 19 yr old male student Interviewee 10: 21 yr old female student Interviewee 11: 20 yr old female Interviewee 12: 20 yr old female student Interviewee 13: 20 yr old female student Interviewee 14: 20 yr old female student Interviewee 15: 20 yr old female student Interviewee 16: 21 yr old male Interviewee 17: 21 yr old female student Interviewee 18: 20 yr old male student Interviewee 19: 21 yr old male student Interviewee 20: 17 yr old male school student Interviewee 21: 17 yr old school student Interviewee 22: 17 yr old school student Interviewee 23: Middle-age male Interviewee 24: 23 yr old male

What are your views on ‘lad culture’?

Interviewee 1: “I think it’s stupid and ridiculous and an excuse for silly little boys to behave like absolute dickheads and get away with it by claiming they are just being ‘lads’. Also [I]

think there should be a gals culture where we get to castrate everyone who follows lad culture.”

Interviewee 2: “Love ‘em. I wasn’t aware of it till like this year.”

Interviewee 3: “I think it’s just about being cool and hairy ugly…[but on a serious note] there is a massively high suicide rate amongst men and if I remember correctly one reason is from this need for men to be ‘butch’ and suicide is a result of this as men keep things locked up, can’t cry in front of people, can’t tell their close friends their issues etc etc. So this stems from lad culture doesn’t it… I think lad culture isn’t all about being cool and hairy I was being flippant but there is a need to be cool and impress but there is knock on effects to it that can cause depression etc… And I’m lucky I can half conform but if you’re gay, for example, and not seen part of lad culture, or you don’t like football/rugby whatever then you feel that you’re no longer a man… And that’s how I feel sometimes…Not like a man, more like a little girl.”

Interviewer: “What’s wrong with being a little girl?”

Interviewee 3: “No not for one minute there’s anything wrong being a girl… That’s exactly what men need to become more like… So rather that bullying a guy for showing emotion, society needs to say there’s nothing wrong with having this ‘girly’ approach; it’s beneficial.”

Interviewee 4: “I hate them all. I think lad culture and being a #lad has developed as a more prominent social group in recent years due to social media spreading the lad ethos and the constant pressure on men to be quite macho and act typically how the stereotypical male would act. I think this is quite sad as it leads men to act a certain way, rather than allowing them to act however they choose, even if that be in a typically more feminine manner.”

Interviewee 5: “I think your typical ‘lad’ just has ‘dickhead’ written all over him. They think they’re being hilarious by acting in a rude and disgusting manner when really they just look like a freak. I also think the majority of ‘lads’ are really insecure and they just act all laddish as a cover up. I find them really comical, but I’m laughing at them, not with them. Also they’ve killed romance. I hate them… And they have stupid hair! They think they’re cool but they’re not… And they’re anything but manly…And they’re crack is immature and shit. That’s the extreme ‘lad’ though. A little touch of ladness is quite fun… but just a sprinkle. Before it goes too far.”

Interviewee 6: “Do you mean guys like off Geordie Shore and stuff?...ermm I think they’re all just childish, trying to impress one another thinking they look all cool but they’re just very embarrassing. Trying to be over manly.”

Interviewee 7: “Lad culture is just an excuse for insecure boys to feel accepted and follow the crowd just to fit in. In essence the stupid acts they do are just a cry to be cool regardless of what they actually believe in. It’s sad how people aspire to be an ultimate lad… because when you take them out of the group of lairy/rowdy ‘mates’ the whole persona disappears.

Lad culture does promote a sense of selflessness for your mates, but I’m sure many of them would do anything (including betray a friend) to get extra ‘lad points’.”

Interviewee 8: “There has always been lad culture but because our society allows young adults to behave like children it is extending into adulthood so appears more prevalent!

Think about teddy boys, mods, punks etc… It is also encouraged and exaggerated by the media who exploit vulnerable and quite honestly dim-witted people into making idiots of themselves for our entertainment! Just like the Romans and their games of the Victorians visiting bedlam e.g. reality t.v, Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents, e.t.c.”

Interviewee 9: “Lads, lads lads!...Also if you say ‘banter with the lads’ 3 times at midnight a ‘cheeky nandos’ appears.”

Interviewee 10: “I find it offensive…they use it as an excuse for being a dick… like ‘ah he’s just being a lad!”

Interviewee 11: “Isn’t it just a term for young men that are supposedly behaving badly?...Yeah they are totally different away from their ‘pack’… they all just act that way infront of their friends – get them on their own they are all insecure haha!”

Interviewee 12: “I love it of course… and the beers and burps that come with it. Did you want a serious answer? I don’t think there is a lot of respect for women in lad culture these days. Lads at uni for example are almost indoctrinated into lad culture… especially in fresher’s week with all the obsession with ‘how many girls can you bang’, as if we are a piece of meat! Yeah it’s definitely a façade with most of them, you know this when you’re with them on their own. I do believe the ‘lad culture’ is far more prominent in young lads: 14-21 yrs old. Well most boys have finished university by 21 so have to break off from the lad culture and grow up. University exaggerates lad culture because there’s so much opportunity for you to be a slag to over drink and constantly be around like minded lads.”

Conversation between Interviewees 13, 14 and 15: Interviewee 13: “Well I just love banter.”

Interviewee 14: “Love banter so much. But hate lad culture. When lads gang up and are mean.”

Interviewee 15: “I agree with that.”

Interviewee 14: “Also hate when boys get their willies out.”

Interviewee 13: “hahahaahaa. Rugby initiations; they’re all lads.”

Interviewee 14: “Ooo yeah good example.”

Interviewee 13: “Dressing up as women… they love that. Just go on ****’s profile, he’s the biggest LAD… not.”

Interviewee 14: “There’s definitely a lad culture about sleeping with girls… haha **** is a big lad… when boys flip their willies out.”

Interviewee 13: “Sneaky nuts?”

Interviewee 14: “haha sneaky nuts.”

Interviewee 13: “That is so gross hahaha. Lads can be sweet behind the scenes when they write little notes when they leave the morning after; this rugby boy writes notes to my housemate every morning he leaves ours! So cute! Then he pretends to be a rugby lad.”

Interviewee 14: “Hate gym rat lads. Always different behind the scenes. Just boys that love gym-ing… hate that.”

Interviewee 15: [on the topic of ‘ladettes’] “Yes girls who think they’re ‘lads’ – I hate one atm. Basically this girl who all the boys call a ‘lad’, ‘she’s basically a lad’ etc, told ****’s housemate that she likes him and then started crying about it on a night out and being like please can we speak **** etc. How weird is that. ‘I need to speak to you’ ‘I really like you’.

Then today we had a fight about it and he said ‘well I’m still going to talk to her and have a laugh with her.’ I never liked her cause she’s loud and she thinks she’s a lad. Also how rude to say that to someone with a girlfriend. I said what would you do in my position… and he said he wouldn’t care.”

Interviewee 16: “Dunno usually an ugly lad who has no excuse but to act like a cunt. Lols.”

Interviewee 17: “They make themselves less fit because they’re a lad. It’s intimidating I think. It makes you feel very insecure if you walk into a group of lads, especially if you don’t know them very well. Always worry about what you look like because they can always pick something to laugh about with the other lads. They always judge you on what you look like.”

Interviewee 18: “Needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. It’s funny to an extent.”

Interviewee 19: “Lad culture varies between groups of friends, as you know what gets the most laughs. I see lad culture as pushing behaviour as much as you can, what is a little out of order, but can get away with it amongst friends.”

Interviewee 20: “They’re all cunts.”

Interviewee 23: “I think young people have always had to find their own roles in life and challenge existing status quo and authority- this is probably more prevalent in males – this is probably hot wired into our genes so that the new generation strives to move forwards, challenging for power, setting up new groups e.t.c. This momentum can either be positive, but if there are not positive outlets, it can be channelled into socially wasteful and destructive behaviour (E.g. Geordie Shore).”

What are your views on the relationship between feminism and ‘lad culture’? Do you think that ‘lad culture’ could work with feminism?

Interviewee 1: “Yeah I think it probably could [work together] but I don’t think that people have enough patience to understand either opposing concept. For example, my views on ‘lad culture’ are probably similar to many men’s views on feminism. I suppose it’s the lack of understanding that prevents anything from working together…but on that note I hate men cos I don’t understand them so I will probably be a spinster.”

Interviewee 4: “[Lad culture] leads men to act a certain way, rather than allowing them to act however they choose, even if that be in a typically more feminine manner. So this is not

hand in hand with feminism as feminism is for equal rights of the sexes, lad culture is promoting men to be very different from women when in actual fact we all have the right to choose how we portray ourselves through how we dress/act etc. Lad culture does not reinforce this idea of gender equality.”

Interviewee 8: “As women have become more powerful and challenging to men’s roles and self-esteem, men have responded by behaving in a stereotypical dick-headed way; to try to reassert themselves and exclude women. Women have contributed to this by colluded with these idiots in a feeble attempt to be ‘popular and seek male approval’. Women have also started to push men in a corner by dressing and behaving in very extreme sexually aggressive ways. How else can men respond?’

Interviewee 5: “This whole lad culture thing comes the whole thing of it just not being cool to be in a serious relationship and ‘lads’ pretend to their friends that they’re not in a committed relationship. They must never put the girl before their fried because like: ‘mate, bros before hoes?!’ …And a lot of girls just accept that, which is wrong.”

Interviewee 12: “I don’t think girls challenge laddy behaviour; if a guy were to slap a girls ass I think they would get aggressive perhaps but I don’t feel it bothers the lad. I don’t think guys would actually be too bothered if girls acted the way lads did…I’ve grabbed a boys ass before and they didn’t mind…Also if we were going on about ‘banging’ them they would not be like ‘ah how disrespectful’ they’d be like ‘woooooo shag!’… cos they are completely different to women lol.”

Interviewee 2: “This is where lad culture gets teens these days *sends photographs of pregnant girls*” Interviewee 16: “Fucking stupid. By trying so hard for equality they go so far past that point and ultimately being the most hypocritical ideology I’ve ever seen.”

Interviewee 17: “What even is feminism? Fighting for women’s rights and things? I don’t think lad culture is anti-women I just don’t think they have respect for women. I don’t think they do it on purpose as a thing to piss off women or upset them it’s more a thing within lads itself to impress other lads just women become the victims.”

Interviewee 18: “I think they’re different to be honest, feminism is a lot more serious when lad culture is more of a jokey type thing.”

Interviewee 19: “No, because lad culture tends to be more derogatory.”

Interviewee 20: “Total opposites… because lad culture turns women into objects and use sex as an achievement and feminism believes in equality.”

Interviewee 21: “Not exact opposites as they work around the same thing but with different opinions.”

Interviewee 22: “If lad culture conveyed a different value of women [then feminism and lad culture could work together].”

Interviewee 23: “Lad culture is a fairly negative expression of identity and seems to rely on disrespecting other social groups, particularly girls- so it inevitably conflicts with feminism. I do not think they are opposites as feminism is about social equality – a positive force- where as lad culture (and ladette-ism for that matter) can be indulgent and destructive- a negative force.”

What are your views on ‘banter’?

Interviewee 1: “Banter is ok if both parties consent to the manner of said banter. Banter is not ok if it genuinely offends someone and is used as an excuse to make a joke. Banter is also ok if it comes from me bcos I am hilarious.”

Interviewee 4: “Typical lad banter I feel is quite sexist in itself as I think the ‘lads’ are allowed to get away with saying quite outrageous things in social circumstances as it’s ‘lad banter’ where as if women were to say the same sort of comments/do the same sort of things, they would be deemed by society that they are outrageous or a slut even; which I think is absolute inequality.”

Interviewee 8: “Umm not sure, it can be funny but mostly it seems unkind and never makes anyone feel good about themselves, would be my view.”

Interviewee 17: “What type of banter? I like a laugh as well as the much person. If you don’t like banter you don’t like laughing then. It’s funny until it gets taken too far. For example, when they start being disgusting.”

Interviewee 18: “Taken with a pinch of salt… but gets taken too far. I love a bit of banter though.”

Interviewee 19: “Banter is playful, and entices reactions from others. I use banter to get reactions from people or tongue in cheek remarks.”

Interviewee 20: “Good fun but can get too far, have to be able to take it.”

Interviewee 23: “Banter has a long and fine tradition of humerous inter change between people, Look at Chaucer, Shakespeare and some of the old Hollywood films with the quick talking, witty heroes! It is entertaining and seems to exemplify a healthy sense of perspective and fun and is usually affectionate, tolerant and so socially positive as opposed to abuse, scorn etc. Of course some try to defend their insulting or abusive comments, by the defence that it is just ‘banter’ – which it is clearly not.”

Interviewee 24: “It’s only a laugh and people take it way too seriously and need to stop taking offence, although it can get taken too far.”