Gopnik

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A Russian gopnik squats in a stairwell in a khrushchyovka building.

A gopnik (Russian: гопник, romanized: gopnik, pronounced [ˈɡopnʲɪk]; Ukrainian: гопник, romanized: hopnyk; Belarusian: гопнік, romanized: hopnik)^[1] is a member of a delinquent subculture in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and in other former Soviet republics – a young man (or a woman, a gopnitsa) of working-class background who usually lives in Russian suburban areas^[2] and comes from a family of poor education and income.^[3] The collective noun is gopota (Russian: гопота). The subculture of gopota has its roots in the late Russian Empire and evolved during the 20th century in many cities in the Soviet Union.^[4][5] As of the late 2010s, the subculture has faded for the most part, although youth gangs (such as the A.U.E.) that resemble gopota still exist in Russia and in other Slavic and Baltic countries.

Etymology[]

Gopnik is most likely derived from the Russian slang term for a street robbery: gop-stop (Russian: гоп-стоп).^{[6][failed verification][irrelevant citation]}

However, it could also be related to GOP, the acronym for the Gorodskoye Obshezhitie Proletariata. These were almshouses for the destitute created by the Bolshevik government after the October Revolution in 1917. According to Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary, a Russian explanatory dictionary (first published in the 19th century), an old slang word for "sleeping on street" was "гопать" (gopat', literally "to gop") something that was related to the "mazuricks" or the criminals of Saint Petersburg.^[6]

One of the first appearances of “gopnik” in written text is in Zoopark's (pioneering Soviet rock band) 1984 song “Gopniki.”^[7]

Stereotypical appearance and behaviour[]

Gopniks are often seen wearing Adidas or Puma tracksuits (mostly Adidas), which were popularized by the 1980 Moscow Olympics Soviet team.^[8][9] Sunflower seeds (colloquially semki (семки) or semechki (семечки)) are habitually eaten by gopniks, especially in Ukraine and Russia.^[9]

The subculture is stereotypically associated with Russian chanson music, specifically the blatnaya pesnya subgenre (prisoner's songs, lyrics etc...); also, since the mid-2010s, in internet memes and viral videos, with hardbass^[10] and Russian rock.^[11]

Some gopniks have Russian nationalism or Pan-Slavism as their primary political views,^[12] though there are also leftist or even far-right gopnik communities. Some gopniks hold strong anti-Western views.^[3]

Gopota are often seen squatting in groups "in court" (на кортах, na kortakh) or "doing the crab" (на крабе, na krabe) outside blocks of flats or schools with their heels on the ground.^[13][14] It is described as a learned behavior attributed to Russian and Soviet prison culture to avoid sitting on the cold ground. Gopota are stereotyped as being prone to substance and alcohol abuse, crime and hooliganism.^[14]

See also[]

• Chav (United Kingdom)
• Redneck and white trash (United States)
• Bogan and eshay (Australia/New Zealand)
• Preman (Indonesia)
• Raskol (Papua New Guinea)
• Dresiarz (Poland)

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gopnik.