The Null Device
2004/11/26
Are fans of rap-metal group Insane Clown Posse just another teenage mook trend, or something more sinister?
Behind the face paint, Juggalos are teenagers mostly. Self-described outsiders -- tired of trying to fit-in with quote, normal society. Most will tell you they had no sense of belonging until they joined the dark carnival.
What they're saying is hardly inspirational. Most of the lyrics we found are about things like assault and murder. But, Juggalos argue there's a religious message hidden in the violence.
"Well, the thing I found most interesting is that they're very organized. As I mentioned they have web-sites with local chapters and memberships. And also, they have an actual philosophy they follow -- don't know that I'd call it a religion exactly."
Young Europeans are moving to India to work in call centres, as that's where the jobs are. They get paid Indian wages (i.e., a pittance when translated to euros, pounds or krone), but get free accommodation, subsidised food and free taxi fares to/from work, as well as sufficiently flexible schedules to travel around the country. At the moment it seems more like a backpacker working-holiday thing (somewhere between the two Australian rites of passage, the backpacking trip through Thailand and pulling pints in a pub in the UK) than a new trend in migration, though many are staying for longer, mostly for the culture and lifestyle (or possibly to defer the shock of finding how little their bank balance is worth back home).