11 years ago
Monday
Bloods and Crips
This film is very intense. I thought about it the whole way home. I thought about how most individuals were never brought up seeing this type of violence and corruption. On the other hand, individuals like myself grew up with this enviroment still don't know how to react to these situations and problems. When these gangs are stating quotes such as "killed or be killed," or even considering themselves as soliders is very distrubing considering most Amercians would think as a solider as a hero. These individuals main goal in life is to "be respected" which what they consider to be feared. Us individuals blind ourselves to the reality of corruption we are now living in first hand. Very scary.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
yes - intense.
thanks for starting the conversation. indeed a sad message that respect = fear.
When you say we "blind ourselves to the reality of corruption we are now living in..." do you mean that the corruption we are now living in is the soil for gangs? As if the gang is the other side of the coin of official corruption?
Gangs are a subgroup within society that function in the same way that society is structured to function. It thrives off a hierarchal order that can be obtained through respect or by fear. However, I believe people join gangs to have a sense of belonging and to feel a part of. Although gang members usually partake in illegal activities it still serves a function of cohesion among a group of misfits. The laws that deem them to be social deviants are the same laws that are created and provides cohesion among the collective conscious in society. In short, the function of society also gives birth to the function of gangs.
"In short, the function of society also gives birth to the function of gangs."
As a Sociologist, I want to change that language to: Gangs function to provide the same structure that other groups provide for other humans.
The human needs a group. Gang membership is what is provided for many of our members, so they take it. Advancement within the gang is possible, but advancement out of the gang is difficult and often occurs through death.
Zebraheadgurl, thanks for starting the post. Indeed this film is very intense, riveting, and eye opening. Watching this film is like looking at pictures from my past. I would have to disagree with you about the comment, "Most Americans would think of soldiers as heroes." I think this statement would solely depend on what type of soldier you are referring to. The Crips and Bloods would consider themselves soldiers, after all, they are fighting for territory, respect, and their way of life. It seems to me that there cause is not that far removed from the reasons why American soldiers are fighting in Iraq. The only difference is that the U.S. Legislative Branch approved the war between America and Iraq.
Waterfall and MT, I completely agree with your statements.
this film was the most informative and interesting documentaries i have seen about gangs. it was especially sad to hear one of the crips say that this "gang" was his family. he did not think that it was a gang at all because it's all he knows. you hear this constantly in textbooks but to hear him actually say it in those words made it real. to think that most of gang members do not leave within 10 miles of their home...
I thought it was very sad that the men who were being interviewed began their own clubs when they were young due to the fact that they were not allowed to join the boy scouts like all the other boys. Here is this group of kids that want to join the boy scouts to stay out of trouble and are turned away. Although the gangs that we now know are very different to the "clubs" that these men belonged, this is what the current gangs stem from. These men started their clubs to feel as if they belonged to something, which is the excuse that many gang members use now.
I wish these children had the opportunity to join the boy scouts. Perhaps, this act would have changed today's gangs history in a way.
The subculture that fosters the "gangster mentality" has developed throughout many generations. Since immigrants began communities on the east coast, and further immigration by groups such as the Irish, Italians, etc. It was within these communities in which outside oppression made these groups stick together, look out for one another, and create resources for each other. It was much easier for the earlier gangs to assimilate to society's ideals for the simple fact that their skin was white. The boy scouts would have no reservation in accepting them. Black and Latino gangs were also established for the same reasons listed above, but by being excluded from such activities as joining the boy scouts for reasons as simple as they were too dark skinned creates a sense of disenfranchisement, especially among their youth. The youth gets frustrated, after all, they yearn for acceptance. Any differences between these subgroups will ultimately result in conflict. It's unfortunate that so many lives have been lost as a result, and that these frustrations and sense of hopelessness continue to plague our society.
The film was indeed intense. I actually lived and went to school in that area and I myself was unaware of all the violence going on. I now work with kids in that area and to think that they might grow up to become that is very disturbing. What angered me the most is that no one bothered to try and fix the issue when it was just starting. This is an issue that can no longer be ignored. These are human beings who simply need a second chance at life.
It's interesting how many of the gang members are so alike. They grew up in a household with single mothers. The role of the father is missing in the picture therefore they take it upon themselves to be the man in the family. Being part of a gang is like belonging to a family they never had. Unfortunately, with gang activity comes violence and aggression.
I have seen many documentaries like this. I must admit that I am intrigued with gangster lifestyle. My high school was a “crip school”, blue was even one of our school colors. Our rival high school happened to have red and white as school colors and they were a “blood school.” I grew up without a father and always longed for male companionship. (typical gang member family make-up) I was slowly introduced to gang lifestyle in my senior year in high school. The brother of the friend that introduced me to the periphery gang group was shot in the head in his apartment. That ended my involvement.
My brief experience with gangs has lead be to guess that the basis for the street gang lifestyle is to fill societies need for illegal drugs. I find it hard to believe that law makers don’t see the correlation between Los Angeles street gangs and the Gangsters of the prohibition era. When society tries to deny that drugs are a part of human existence, this denial leads to laws that are constructed to dictate lifestyle. The conspiracy side of me finds the possibility that the rulers of capitalist society ensure that their workers will be efficient and reach their maximum productivity capabilities by making recreational drug use illegal. I’m not saying that there wouldn’t ever be another riot if drugs were legalized. Extreme differences in economic status and class are root causes of riots. I just feel it would virtually eliminate the street gang’s main source of income and reason for violence geared toward controlling turf.
Post a Comment