Darren McGarvey, rapper: “In youth violence, we must discern if the anger is legitimate or they are being manipulated”

2023-10-21 11:27:51

Being born in poverty and then telling it. Darren McGarvey (Glasgow, 1984) spent his childhood and adolescence in the pits of inequality in Scotland. But, precisely, the rap with which he recounts this life elevated him to become an influential singer and activist. In addition to being an artist (Loki), he has written two books and regularly collaborates in the English press. Last Tuesday, the federation Entitats Catalanes d’Acció Social (ECAS) invited him to commemorate his 20th anniversary. “Without NGOs inequality would be greater, but they are limited in criticizing power,” he questions.

What was your childhood like?

I grew up in a working class neighborhood where there is economic deprivation. This generates a lot of stress in the family. There is alcoholism and addictions.

Also in your family?

My mother had me when she was 18 years old. I grew up in a family of alcoholics and this makes you afraid as a child. You look for security and comfort in a mother who can’t give it to you.

Did you suffer violence?

I suffered the threat of violence, which is the most corrosive thing there is. That moment when you prepare for violence. Afterwards you feel a strange feeling of relief. You return to normal, your attacker apologizes, he says he will change… And you want to believe it.

But you took the social elevator.

I was very lucky. I didn’t go to university, I didn’t go to work, I was never a great reader… Someone who wants to follow my path will have a difficult time because it is very unusual. I could say that you have to think that you can, that you make an effort… but I achieved it arbitrarily.

As?

Through social networks and their democratizing effect. I was able to communicate with an audience without asking anyone’s permission. This empowers you to negotiate with an editor, with an executive. Without social media I wouldn’t have achieved it.

What do you think of the role of social entities?

Social inequality would be greater without them, but their funding sources limit them in how strongly they can criticize power. Politicians and banks finance them. But we are all under that dilemma. You work at a newspaper.

¿Y?

You are middle class people who have not experienced poverty. There are media that find interesting things that are not important and, on top of that, create stereotypes. People getting punctured, weapons, crime…

Shouldn’t journalism talk about poverty?

The good one yes. We have more soup kitchens than McDonalds, there is security at the doors of supermarkets… We must take into account the inequality of our society. But the people who suffer from it trust that one day they will change sides.

Some encouraged by the speeches of the extreme right.

The challenges these neighborhoods face also have to do with immigration policies. Far-right parties talk about white superiority, about closing borders… These are discourses that are attractive to many people accustomed to not paying attention to their reality.

In recent weeks, in Catalonia we have had several episodes of youth violence. The police say they have lost respect for them.

There are many facets and cultures of violence, but the roots are in insecurity, anxiety and lack of opportunity. Violence is the currency of reputation. If someone disrespects you and you don’t respond, others will see it as disrespectful. Deep down, the most violent people are the ones who are most afraid. In the richest neighborhoods, violence is more psychological, more subtle… There is a relationship between violence and poverty.

But they are children from 12 to 14 years old.

There are ways to legitimately resist authorities when they act inappropriately. But there are also people who manipulate them. Traffickers, for example, have a pathological hatred of the police for their criminal behavior and they don’t give a shit about their neighborhood. When we see these behaviors we have to discern if it is a legitimate feeling or manipulated.

What is your relationship with your community and your family like now?

I live in another working-class neighborhood and I have a good relationship with my family. But I feel out of place. The people I know now want to talk about me. And it’s not mentally healthy.

What do you think when in the media we talk about success stories like yours?

For me, having given up alcohol and drugs and being a responsible father is a success. But I’ve noticed that you always try to look for more success. It is a symptom of individualism.

Is individualism the obstacle to ending poverty or do you trust each person’s efforts?

We have to change the system, but this does not happen quickly or comfortably. We are in a transition that will take longer than our lives. What will come? More authoritarianism? Direct democracy? Communism? I don’t know, but the current system cannot continue.