Wikipedia
Gopnik is a pejorative term and a social slur used in Russia, post-Soviet countries, and Israel to refer to aggressive young lower-class suburban male dwellers (usually under 30 years of age). coming from families of poor education and income, somewhat similar to British chavs, neds, or Scallie subcultures. The female form is gopnitsa , and the collective noun is gopota .
One of the distinctive characteristics of the gopniks is that they will often be seen squatting (sitting on haunches), a learned behavior attributed to prison habits or disadvantaged origins.
The gopnik stereotype includes predominant use of underworld mat slang, flagrant disrespect for the laws (such as mugging and beating up passers-by; public consumption of alcoholic beverages, most usually – the least obvious "Jaguar" cocktail or homemade beverage created by adding vodka into fizzy pop for same reasons) and love for snacking on roasted sunflower seeds while remaining squatted, spitting the seeds' shells.
Fashion preferences include flat caps, Adidas tracksuits, often cheap and obvious counterfeits or label-less replicas. Shoes include dress shoes and loafers, often made of PVC or artificial leather. In the winter, a leather jacket and a "gondonka" (a beanie or knit cap) are added to a typical Gopnik's attire.
Gopnik is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
- Myrna Gopnik, Canadian linguist
- Adam Gopnik, American writer, son of Myrna
- Alison Gopnik, psychology professor, daughter of Myrna