When looking at the San Jose Mercury New I found an article titled "Yearlong investigation roots out 42 suspected gang members in Watsonville". Just as the title says this article was about the Watsonville police arresting 42 suspected gang members of the Sureno gang located in the city. This gang is responsible for drive-by shootings, stabbings, robberies, and other attacks. The police suspects them to be responsible of the recent murder of a Norteno.
I was first attracted to this article because it took place in Watsonville, where the elementary school T.O.U.C.Ch. is involved with is located. I also thought that gangs were one of the type of groups who's deviance is more noticeable in society. Gangs have been around for many years and they exist everywhere.
I think the reason why people enter gains can be related to the rites of passage discussion that we were having today. In class we mentioned how there is not an American rites of passage for men. We also discussed how men tend to need a rites of passage ceremony to confirm that they are indeed a man. This is why in class we believed the military and war to be attractive to young men.
On the other hand of military and war, there are gangs. The structure of gangs usually consist of a leader or a group of men who are in charge of everyone else below. To enter a gain you have to gain the respect of these people and usually to gain the respect of these people you have to commit a crime. The crime can range from robbery, rape, to murder. After you have satisfied all the requirement to enter the gain you are accepted into the gang, which is more like a brotherhood. Being accepted to a gang can be seen as a rite of passage. When you have gained the respect of the other gang members it is like you are now seen as a man of equal status to them.
Therefore I believe that people participate in deviant actions to be in a gang because they desperately want to have a rite of passage, something that signifies that they are men and a part of something. In addition if the person comes from a low income background in can be easier to commit crime to gain status than it is to get a job and gain status. Being in a gang and participating in deviant actions allows these men to feel like men.
First of all, nice graphic! (Really grabbed my attention)
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I agree with your connections of gang activity and initiations to rites of passage. The examples you used were well linked to our class discussion today with the lack or rites of passage for males and deviant behavior.
Nice Job.
I totally agree to how it relates to the rites of passage, the majority of young men who join gangs is to gain respect from others. Many of those young men come from rough family backgrounds where the family usually show no love for them. Therefore they join gangs to feel a sense of "brotherhood" that they do not receive from their families. I am a witness of this because my friend from high school has been involved with gangs since middle school and the reason why is because both his father and mother left him at a young age.
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