homework, because i have no printer and this is the only site school hasnt blocked....
Posted March 5, 2007
Why do gangs exist? It's hard to say. Why do friends exist? Why do criminals exist? To put it simply, a gang is a combination of a little bit of both these things. Studies have shown that people are more likely to commit a crime if they are in a group. A gang could commit a crime that none of the individuals had intended or would have done on their own. The police definition of a gang is "A group of individuals, juvenile and/or adult who associate on a continuous basis, form an allegiance for a common purpose and are involved in delinquent or criminal activity". A gang could start out as a group of kids that commit minor crimes such as shiplifting, then expands and graduates to more serious crimes. Tattoos and graffiti have been long associated with gang membership. It is said that graffiti is a way for gangs to communicate. There are three R's of gang mentality. They are Reputation, Respect, and Revenge/Retalliation. There are many reasons to join a gang. Some of them are identity, recognition, protection, love, belonging, money, and drugs. Gangs usually have a certain part of a city or turf that they stick to or consider "theirs". Gangs form anywhere that belonging and protection is important such as inner cities and prisons. Gangs in the 60's (the time of The Outsiders) committed many of the same crimes they do today such as shoplifting, beating people up and murder. Gangs have existed for as far back as we can think of. The basis of what they do and have done has not really changed. I would say that the way The Outsiders depicts gang life is pretty close to how it really is. Although gangs haven't really changed, they have been considered more of a threat than before. Kids are considered "at risk", and parents are warned all the time to keep a close watch on their children.
