Lad culture. To many young women this concept is all too familiar. According to experts, young men in this country are experiencing a moral crisis, especially those between the ages of 18-25 and more commonly those who are exposed to a university environment. Candice Armer, the student union president at the University of Brighton stated that lad culture “‘is homophobia, sexism and racism, all rolled into this one horrible thing that is labelled as ‘banter’.” Over the last five years the issue has sparked much concern especially with regard to the frequent linking of lad culture to serious instances of rape and sexual assault. A culture, which not only promotes sexism, but also condones sexual harassment, and is fundamentally misogynistic at its core, has now become so ingrained in university life that the National Union of Students and other institutions are trying to crackdown on the issue. The phrase “it’s just banter” can only stretch so far; unfortunately its true meaning has been taken far out of context. According to the 2010 investigation known as “”hidden marks,” one in seven female students will be a victim of serious sexual and physical violence, while 68% of female students have experienced verbal harassment in or around campuses. Furthermore, lad culture has become increasingly exclusive; it is reserved for the more ‘laddish’ societies and sports teams. Thus sparking hostility towards those considered outsiders. More importantly, there appears to be a lack of willingness among young men to take this issue seriously. Any discussion on feminism or issues of gender equality seems to be met with a patronising; “calm down dear!” It is a complex issue, effecting both male and female students, with many links to mental illness, racism, homophobia, sexism and institutional misogyny. UoN Feminists’ communications manager Natasha Bendall further discusses this pivotal issue with us.
Can you tell us more about what lad culture is and why it can be harmful?
Lad culture is a set of attitudes and behaviours that people are often exposed to and subsequently adopt at university. This can stem from being part of a society or sports team, which, whilst being great for taking a break from your course and gaining new skills, have the potential for what has often been referred to as a ‘pack mentality’ to develop. This basically means that the society or sports team becomes very exclusive, and therefore people outside of that group, or who don’t fit in with the group’s social expectations, are often deterred from joining because the environment seems hostile to them. This hostility towards outsiders can manifest itself into misogyny, racism, homophobia and other kinds of prejudices, which appear in a range of forms, such as prejudice in language (e.g. using ‘gay’ as an insult) or, in more serious cases, sexual harassment.
This is obviously harmful to people who are considered outsiders since they are prevented from pursuing certain interests. If this kind of thing happens in halls a person could feel victimised in their own home during their first year of uni, which can lead to social isolation and, subsequently, mental health problems. A less obvious consequence of this however, is that the competitiveness within university groups to be the best ‘lad’ (a reputation often gained by being able to drink the most, by sleeping with the most people, by being the ‘toughest’, etc.) can lead to an environment in which people struggle to talk to each other about their problems, which can also lead to poor mental health within the group.
Many women don’t even know that when they were sexually harassed in a nightclub they could do anything about it, or that there was anything wrong, because this sort of behaviour has become so normalised. Thus, they felt that by challenging it they would be seen as boring or as someone who spoils the fun and ruins it for everybody else. What are your views on this compliant mentality that many female students seem to have?
I completely understand why people who get sexually harassed in nightclubs aren’t confrontational about it most of the time. It’s a scary situation to be in as you might put yourself in more danger by calling it out there and then. I also find it very upsetting that a lot of women have felt that they just need to go along with sexual harassment because their concerns wouldn’t be taken seriously. In any social situation, someone should be able to feel that they can express that they are feeling uncomfortable with certain behaviour without being made to feel like a spoil sport. Women aren’t there to be groped and threatened; social situations should be fun and care-free for them too.
What do you think are the main obstacles to fighting against lad culture and everyday sexism on UK campuses?
I think a big obstacle is that people who may have perpetuated this kind of behaviour have felt vilified over it. Punishing individuals for a cultural norm isn’t an effective way of changing it, in fact, it makes activists opposing that cultural norm seem like the enemy and therefore might risk making lad culture even more deeply entrenched. Slapping someone on the wrist and calling them a raging sexist gets you nowhere; you have to explain why certain behaviours are problematic and get people to think about what the world would look like without them.
That’s a very pragmatic way of addressing the issue. So with this in mind, what are UoN Feminists doing to combat lad culture on campus?
One of our campaigns is based on tackling lad culture using workshops. We plan on contacting various societies and sports groups about doing a workshop with them, and then tailoring the workshop to that particular society. We aim to make the workshop about reflection and discussion, instead of dictating to people what’s right and wrong. This campaign is looking promising so far, as we’ve already been contacted by Labour Society to do a workshop since politics seems rife with lad culture – just look at the heckling that happens in the House of Commons. Of course there are always two sides to every story and it’s important we address the issue from a male perspective.
According to former editor of Loaded, Martin Daubney, young men often have a rough time in today’s media as the majority of media-produced material seems to shine an unflattering light on them. In an online interview he stated that, “lad culture has got to the stage now where it is routinely identified as being the biggest threat among young people in modern Britain”. He believed that the language used in the NUS report on lad culture was combative, discriminatory and demeaning. Can you see an argument for this? Have we perhaps been too harsh on lad culture and over-exaggerated its threat? Or is this an example of men simply refuting the problem?
I’d say that you can’t really generalise what the media says about lad culture; some outlets say it’s a negative thing, others sympathise with men who are guilty of rape because of what good athletes they are. As with all criticisms, I think arguments against lad culture should be reflected on – everyone needs to recognise that they can improve themselves and that doesn’t mean being ridden with guilt for how they used to be, it means moving forward with the information they’re given and trying to be the best that they can be. These criticisms obviously haven’t come from nowhere, the NUS have done extensive research and found that certain demographics are suffering as a result of lad culture; for example, a recent study showed that over 45% of LGBT+ students surveyed by the NUS didn’t participate in sports because the environment seemed hostile to them. Many also reported harassment. The criticism is of the cultural norm of lad culture, not of the people whose behaviour may have perpetuated it, and campaigning against the harmful aspects of lad culture should be based on working with those people, not against them.
While we have looked at the effects of lad culture on young women, can there not be an equal argument made for the effects of lad culture on young men? Men are thrown into an environment where these cultures are formed and which dictate that in order to cement or consolidate your popularity and to be accepted into this new social circle you ultimately have to be a ‘lad’.
Obviously I can’t speak for that entire demographic but I expect that there often are very negative effects on young men. Undiagnosed mental illness is a serious problem for them, as is demonstrated by the devastatingly high suicide rates amongst young male. If young men find themselves in a social circle that requires them to be hyper-masculine and to always seem ‘tough’, any problems they have might go undiscussed. Even without the pressures of university and lad culture, men often feel that they can’t talk about their emotions without seeming weak so I imagine that the added pressure from fellow ‘lads’ to be strong would intensify this.
This is an important and controversial issue which has worked its way into the spotlight in recent years, and rightly so. There are many campaigns being put in place in order to combat the effects of lad culture in and around UK campuses. Changes are being made and people are taking it more seriously. Thank you for your time and input.
Edited by Jess Shelton
Sources:
http://theknowledgeplymouth.co.uk/university-pledges-to-tackle-lad-culture/
http://www.hercampus.com/school/nottingham/uon-feminists-pledge-end-lad-culture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuLAHKKjqYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twNRZ90bg-o