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Gangs in American Society
Gangs have been around since almost the beginning of time. There have been records of gang mentality dating as far back as the time of Jesus Christ and the Bible. A gang consists of a group of individuals that have similar agendas and are working towards a similar outcome. In more recent times these groups of people have caused many social problems ranging in everything from drug dealing to gambling to human trafficking, and these are just a few of the ways in which society has been inundated by gangs. A social problem is defined as an alleged situation that is incompatible with the values of a significant number of people who agree that action is needed to alter the situation.
The influence of gangs can be seen in almost every city in the world whether it is a prostitute on the strip or a drug dealer on the corner, a bookie hanging out in the back corner of the bar, illegal aliens or even the less seen human slaves known as indentured servants that work in underground sweat shops. This essay will show the influence of gangs within the society in which we live. It will also show the ways in which they alter the way our lives on a daily basis in both big and small ways alike. It will be shown that the voluntary associations within these groups can be used to promote the mutual interests of the groups in which they have associated themselves. The influence of different gangs can be seen in many more ways than an individual may think, such as the ways we dress and the ways we go about getting to a destination. These small ways in which they influence our lives are just the surface of the ways we accommodate ourselves to live as a society.
The first thing to be said about gangs is that there must be control of some sort. Whether it is a single commander or a group of individuals that share power, without a command core there would be no organization to speak of. Without organization there would be no way to seek out the mutual interests of the people associated with the group. This control can be viewed in many ways. One way in which this can be done is by applying the differential association theory. This theory was founded by sociologist Edwin Sutherland who said that we are who we are because of the groups we associate ourselves with. It is said that the ways we either are or arent a “normal” part of society is because of the things we learn along the way as we grow up. This is connected to the gangs way of control because of the way in which some individuals grow up. For instance inner city youths are brought up in sometimes low income, crime ridden neighborhoods in which they become accustom to poverty. These areas promote the ways of the typical gangs because these organizations promote easy money by ways of law breaking activities. Because of some individuals poor backgrounds this easy money becomes attractive to them regardless of the legality of it. Because of the way that they had grown up knowing only crime it is easy for them to become part of it all by joining one of these groups. Also in joining a gang they can get a sense of comfort and belonging.
One of the ways in which gangs show their control over our culture and of individuals is by the symbols they use to promote their ways and lives. One of those ways is by gesturing. Gesturing is an easy way to make a statement without the use of words. Gangs use hand gestures to show their allegiance to the particular group and also to say things on the “down low” as to not bring any attention to themselves from the authorities. Another way they can show their dominance over society is by the wearing of specific pieces or styles of clothing. Some members of certain gangs use colors in their clothing to show their membership in one of these groups. For