What are Roadmen?

[Confusedbymodernlife]

Can anyone explain what roadmen are, with respect to teenage lads? Are they violent or just harmlessly role playing?

The reason I ask is that I was out walking on a quiet path and encountered a group of male youths blocking my path. Dressed in black and wearing masks. Scared the shit out of me, so I dived into a housing estate and tried to lose them.

Thought I’d seen the back of them, but turned a corner to head home and came across 2 of them. They saw me, changed direction and followed me! I ran for my life, hid in some bushes and called someone to pick me up. I was quite rattled by it, probably because I was mugged before and it brought back memories.

A parent at school has said they sound like the roadmen. They roam around striking up conversations with people and have their own way of speaking- I’ve googled and none the wiser. I have seen kids riding with hoodies and masks on bikes in daylight, but just thought they were messing around.

We are in a leafy suburb, not exactly an urban gangster setting.

What is this weird cultural phenomenon?

Roadmen in Canada goose

Anyone remember this: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/asda-gosport-video-boy-staff-twitter-supermarket-hampshire-a9466216.html

His dad took him back to the shop and made him apologise.

This.

What you call "imitating the speech patterns of black men" is actually a new dialect called Multicultural London English (MLE). It's replacing cockney and apparently cockney will be completely gone within a generation.

@suncow, I didn't say anyone had to like the music but it's out there main stream everywhere so hard to avoid it?
It's not even recent, Skepta and Wiley etc?
London knife crime is all over the news.
Postcode wars are have been a thing for so long.

I don't know grown ups who buy drugs off teenagers and accessing the dark web doesn't make you cool but ok?

It's not a competition no but it's a bit ignorant

I see lads dressed like this now and again, they seem harmless (or scared of my resting bitch face). I didn't know there was a name for them!

Oh I feel this statement so much

why is everyone a fecking lunatic? Is no one normal anymore?!

I live in a rough bit of London so I have to ignore everything or I'd never go out, but I'm so sick of it and sad to hear it has spread to better places.

Roadmen following you coz you aint from their ends you get me? Can't be going into another ends and expecting tings be calm

Nah bruv!

Round our way roadmen have a uniform which is generally characterised by outerwear wot is not appropriate for the conditions....
30 degrees and wearing a massive black coat and bally? Tick

I tend to get given space, walking the dog. I get "Famalam"* comments and I smile and nod walk on, unless they feel brave enough to interact with the dog (English Bull Terrier). Then they speak quite clearly and politely

*Incomprehensible yoof speak made even less comprehensible by the heavy local Forest accent.

A quick watch of Top Boy and you'll be all clued up

Or MC Grindah from people just do nothing 🤣🤣

I've just realised when I walk my dogs I dress like one. Jogging bottoms, north face coat and a cross body bag! Not stuffed with drugs though - stuffed with poo bags!

It's a sort of chav according to a teenager I asked a few weeks ago. Whatever that means

A couple came into the baby bit of the park yesterday, not sure why. Hoods up, face masks, puffs jackets, swagger and scowls. Lots of very bored tired mums ignored them, they moved on. I live in a rough part of London but 2pm surrounded by toddlers 🤷🏻‍♀️ they didn’t pick their audience for intimidation.

I used to work in a secondary school. Teen boys would call each other "roadmen" or say "he's my roadman". It was partially a joke but also partially a bit of a mini culture that they adopted to be cool. They'd say things like "yesss Miss (name) what you sayin'?" Which basically meant "hi miss, how are you". They'd also say things like "let's bounce" meaning let's leave, and "wagwan" meaning hello. It was all a bit odd and dare I say, cringey, and some of them knew that and pretended to be joking or mocking "actual roadmen". The boys that used to describe themselves as roadmen were generally the ones that caused trouble in the community, lighting fires, throwing eggs at windows, having run ins with the police etc. They all wore similar clothing and thought they were hard as nails.

Sorry to hear about your experience OP, I certainly would have found that very frightening.

Manz not hot, innit fam.

Yes fam. 2+2 = 4 quick maths. I swear down Einstein entered the building.

DH just got home after a week away. I mentioned this thread, see if he bumped into such yoof as he travels round the country. He does. He and his colleagues refer to them as

Baby Yodas :)

@SamphirethePogoingStickerist baby yodas 🤣🤣

What are you talking about? Manz not hot is a 'thing'.

Bare shit been chatted about it, yeah.

Is 'oh my days' any part of this?

They sound like pussies.

We used to come out of the public toilets at the town square eating our own turds just for the reaction.

DS is off on a CCF cadet camp at half term. He’s been told he needs ‘smart, civvie clothes’ for the evenings - not trackie bottoms. Following consultation with the other mums, we’ve all agreed a smart pair of dark blue jeans should be acceptable. I’ve bought some this afternoon and insisted he tried them on to make sure they fit.

He’s huffed and puffed, but decided they would be OK for this trip, provided he can wear them pulled down, with the band of his (Decathlon) athletics shorts on full display. I’m going to leave it to the Sergeant Major to deal with 😂