Why would a teenage boy want dreadlocks if he's Welsh and German?

You have lived a sheltered life. My nephew (white, Jewish, etc.) wore some for years (until he turned 17).

It’s about rebellion and growing up and developing one’s identity.

Completely harmless.

I know it’s harmless but he doesnt ever wash his hair, smokes weed including once on the school grounds and got suspended for the rest of the year for it . He almost never bathes and once when I told him he was Welsh he gave me the dirtiest look like i really insulted him. I think there’s a lot more than finding his identity. He and his mother smoke weed together and he has not attended school in over a year then expects me to send him a huge stack of designer clothes. I have read that many students are rejected in schools for wearing dreadlocks and smoking weed. Surely all this information isn’t foolish or false. His mother is almost dying for him to have dreadlocks for some reason and she’s English and has a cocaine problem. Anxious to read more posts on here with Caucasion relatives with dreadlocks.

Dreads on white people is fairly common. Most people call them hippies or pot heads. They usually hang around hemp shops and coffee houses.

My daughter, as blonde and blue-eyed as they get (although her heritage is an approximately equal mix of Swedish, English and German balanced by ~50% New England Yankee / Michigan farmer stock), gave herself dreads when she was a teen.

It’s just a phase.

She actually looked pretty good with them, and I got to laugh when she cut her hair even closer than mine when she eventually took them down. Apparently, there’s no other way to remove them save “removal”, via cutting.

I have a white guy friend with dreads. It’s a hairstyle. It doesn’t have to mean anything.

He likes the style. I know a college professor (and so do you, it’s SimoneDB on Fluther), who has dreads.

Dreadlocks are not related to ethnicity. Most of the people I’ve known who wore them were white. When you questioned his dreadlocks on the basis of his being Welsh, he probably gave you the dirty look because it sounds kinda racist to imply that only people with a certain background should wear dreads.

“Dreadlocks are not related to ethnicity.” Oh, really? Are you sure?
The dirty look had nothing to do with dreadlocks. It was eight years ago, the subject had never come up, and I told him he was Welsh and then that look. I said, “aren’t you contented with being Welsh and German? ” and he scowed at me, “NO.”

Weed.

If this person is white, has no intention of moving to Ethiopia, does not show much interest in king Solomon, then chances are it is just a weed smoking status symbol.

I know a white guy with dreadlocks. He’s not into black culture or music at all, he’s just a bit of a hippy, an anarchist and he likes people to be shocked (he has a lot of face and body piercings too).

Apparently though, it’s very, very difficult to get caucasian hair to form dreadlocks. It might look like its the kind of hairstyle that takes no effort at all, but it’s quite the opposite; they are very difficult to maintain if your hair isn’t naturally frizzy.

My niece (Caucasian) had dreadlocks for about six years. She started them while attending a top ranked Va. university, and the hair style didn’t stop her from getting a job in a fancy French restaurant nor getting into med school.

It sounds as if a bias is being formed due to the fact that this nephew, the only white person you know with dreadlocks, smokes pot and has an attitude problem (or worse). Not all people with dreadlocks are like this. And the hairstyle isn’t restricted to only people of a certain ethnicity.

@Pied_Pfeffer the boy was raised with his mother buying drugs from mostly black men. This is not a racist statement, it’s a fact. Its a small town and she knows most of the black men in town. He smokes weed with his mother and he was attempting to grow it on their property (which is actually her father’s property). On the other hand, he has been traumatized by her hanging out at crack dens to the point of crying his heart out both to me and to his aunt. I think his heart is broken. She signed over temporary guardianship to me once and to others at various times. He seems to have no respect for her. So this has somehow translated into him wanting dreadlocks. I don’t understand. There are no hemp shops in town. He has a collection of glass pipes and was removed from eighth grade for smoking weed on school grounds during classes. All his relatives think he’ll wind up in prison. He refused to live with us since our school district , an excellent one, has many rules and a strict dress code. I want to add that he has a very high IQ. The things he says shock you they’re so advanced. I am slightly conservative and I feel they will, fair or not, keep their eye on him at any school he attends due to dreadlocks and his school records. I am hoping rumors of them being quite costly will prevent him from having them. His mother goes to food pantries and dumpster dives for food which she loves doing. He is so insecure that he will do about anything for $150 school shoes. I’m rambling.

“about rebellion and growing up and developing one’s identity.”

We have a jelly here who is white and has dreads. This person is grown and well educated.

People posting here, ever thought that perhaps people with dreads like the look?

Sounds like dreadlocks are the least of his problems.

Well, I have zero interest in ‘fitting into’ middle to upper class society and the such but I have had dreadlocks throughout my life. I am almost 30, with a third child on the way, and as @Mama_Cakes points out, far more educated than anyone in the aforementioned sensitive caucasian society. It’s not about weed or not washing your hair or whatever other stereotype. I’ll change my picture to show my hair, if you’d like.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I miss reading your posts here. Breath of fresh air! Wish that you could be around more.

@Mama_Cakes I try, I try

Maybe Lisa can fix it so that your Flutheronion posts will get you credit towards your Dr. thesis. ;-p

Cite me! Not to be confused with “bite me”. :p

Sure thing! I’ll cite you: your signature is not an admission of guilt. It is only a promise to appear in court on the date written on the ticket. ;-)

Why are you so fixated on his dreadlocks?

From the brief info you’ve given he has far more serious problems related to growing up with a dysfunctional drug abusing Mother.

Trust me, his hair is the LEAST of the issues threatening to seriously derail (or end) his life. I honestly don’t understand why the hair is such an apparently huge issue for you. I’m totally mystified.

If you are trying to help this boy I guarantee you that if you make the mistake of lecturing him about his hair, you will sabotage your efforts and he will totally tune you out because he will know you don’t have a clue.

You are majoring in minors (minor issues that is). He needs professional counseling with someone skilled in dealing with troubled teens and hopefully there’s an Al anon or Al ateen group near him or you.

If he can begin to develop some semblance of self esteem he can decide whether its worth keeping the dreads if they end up hassling him about it.

To be honest, the lack of bathing troubles me far more than the hair as it is indicative of a lack of self care and likely pervasive depression. And, quite frankly, if I had a Mother like that I’d be damn depressed and see little hope in life.

This kid desperately needs for someone to be in his corner not hassle him about his hair.

He needs encouragement to use that mind of his to pursue higher education so he stands a chance at a fulfilling career.

His hair is so totally beside the point that words fail me.

@Brian1946 Hey! That’s a good idea. And, in many ways, stuff from fluther is in my PhD.