Oy!Oi!Oy!
Cornell’s annual Dragon Day, set up by the hard-working and sleep deprived Archies, was a completely terrific spectacle – the shaved heads, the donut costumes, the royal family. (I had to kiss the royal baby!) What struck me the most was not the dragon or the person in the “Drunkin’ Donuts” costume, but three simple words, if they could even be called words: Oy, Oy, Oy! The persistent and nagging thought running through my mind during the celebration was “why oy?” Dragon, dragon, dragon! Oy, oy, oy! “Oy” is what someone yells when they want to get another’s attention. What is the expression’s purpose within the context of Dragon Day?
One of the first associations that comes to mind is the Yiddish phrase “Oy vey,” which translates to “Oh woe!” Oy can also be used to express surprise, as common among Russians and possibly other Eastern Europeans. I can basically state this as a fact because I was raised by a Russian mother; “Oy! My goodness!” was an often heard phrase.
Another association that comes to mind – although this one may not be as intuitive – is with Oi! punk music. After all, the Cockney Rejects have a song called “Oi! Oi! Oi!” so I really wonder what Dragon Day has to do with the British working class youth of the 1970s and 80s.
“Oi! Oi! Oi!” is a call to action for the kids living in the “shitty backstreet[s]” to join together and do something. It’s not absolutely clear what they’re supposed to do – perhaps reclaim England and smash the “wankers” – but to the youth of the time the meaning of this battle cry must have been rather evident.
British punk had no singular static definition; some punks were anarchists, some were neo-Nazis, and some were in-between the two extremes. Oi has its roots within the working class. Many of the songs discuss living on the dole, incompetent politicians, the rotting city, and even the hope for a better life – although this can only be attained through determination and (usually) force. Naturally, Oi! was also influenced by the Sex Pistols, England’s first major punk band and Malcolm McLaren’s art project, and by the larger punk movement’s fetish for Nazi imagery.
Yes, Oi! is the punk subgenre that is commonly (and not entirely correctly) accused of being fascist, racist, and nationalistic to an unhealthy degree. Some songs call for the kids to bomb the hippies and to demand women’s rights (”Oi! Song” by the Casualties) while others take a different route and unabashedly promote white supremacy (really any song by Skrewdriver). Skinheads often go hand-in-hand with violent neo-Nazi Oi! Ben Shermans, Docs, shaved heads. However, the skinhead style originally developed from a mix of English working class aesthetics and Jamaican rude boy influences during the 1960s. Eventually a sector of this group – the one that’s not afraid to wave St. George’s flag in your face – broke off to form a more militant and exclusive culture.
Now back to Dragon Day. I can still find no clear connection between the Archies’ shouts and the etymology of Oy/Oi. Perhaps this could just be a working class expression appropriated into the context of an elite university and its over-homeworked students.
So the search continues.
