Influence Of Gangs

Gang Culture has increasingly become a subculture for many teenage youths. Mainly minority teens, these social outcast are often have no real economic stability and no parental supervision or guidance. As a result, teenagers often rebel and seek comfort in gangs. These gangs provide what is lacking in their lives, a sense of belonging. Minorities are often stereotyped and criticized, especially minorities born into poverty. They are condemned simply because they are not of the same race or of the same class as the majority (often middle class whites). Before these minorities can even prove themselves equal, society already pushes them towards the subculture that has risen out of oppression and rebellion. Gang culture reinforces, and in some cases challenges, the social norms of economic class. Minority gangs typically come from the inner city. Society often blames the inner city teenager for giving into these gangs but still do nothing to help prevent it. Many people fail to realize the difficulty in living in the ghettos. White suburban kids do not have to avoid certain streets just to avoid confrontation. White suburban kids do not have to live with the constant violence on the streets. White suburban kids do not have to worry about drive-by shootings. With so much violence in inner cities, one can only expect teenagers to be easily misguided. Many inner city kids are able to avoid the gang life, however, there are still the others that have succumbed to the lifestyle. With the violence, peer pressure, and the need to fit in, it is not surprising that many troubled teenagers find comfort in gangs. Gangs offer them protection, Friendship, and a sense of belonging. Society often looks at lower-class minority teenager as low-class street hoodlums. Gangs only help reinforce this stereotype. As teenagers growing up, they do not have the nice sports cars of the nice clothes to show off as many other middle, upper-class teenagers do. Regardless of race or class, people associate material items with identity and status. And with these possessions, people use them as a means of competition to show off their status. However, lower-class gang members are not able to communicate through materialistic possessions. With no economic power, these teenagers often turn to violence as an alternate from of power. With all the violence out on the streets, gangbangers do not ...

... middle of paper ...

...for the purpose of being “hard.” At first, it may be fun and games, but when real gangbangers confront them, they are in serious danger. Many middle-class gang members usually back down because they are afraid of confronation from a real hard-core gangbanger. Middle-class gang members do not have the same mentality as hard-core gangbangers. Suburban gangsters have something to live for while inner city gangsters feel that they do not. As a result, when comfronation does arrive, suburban gangsters die at the hands of a real gangbanger. Lower-class minority familes are forced to live in the ghettos and the projects that are surrounded by violence and crime. Children are forced to live in dity neighborhood filled with gangsters and no proper guidance. Throughout their lives violence and gangs have surrounded them and they have become accustomed to that kind of lifestyle. Soon it is the only lifestyle they know to live. Although socioeconomic suppression plays a big part in the gang trend, proper guidance and love from parents are more important than anything. If a child is raised properly then it is less likely that they will even think of living the dangerous life of a gangbanger.