Gang
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A gang, in the popular usage, is a group of people formed around a common identity who usually assume an adversarial stance towards society, or at least some other group. More generally, the term used to refer to any group such as a work gang, now uncommon since the term has assumed negative connotations. The usage today is often in the context of moral panics about crime, drugs, "outlaw" gangs, and kids wearing baggy pants and their hats backwards at the mall.
Gang culture
Template:Hatnote Gang culture is a term used mostly by the media when referring to rising levels of violent and urban crime. Although the criminals may not be part of formal gangs, the term is a catch-all one and often cited as a "cause" of increased violent crime, often used synonymously with terms such as "gun culture" or "knife culture" in reference to the rising incidences of these weapons being used. Blame is often placed on rap music, dance music, heavy metal or any other form of music that middle-aged, right-wing newspaper columnists don't understand. The music is usually imported from America, although the trans-Atlantic crossing has worked the other way at times. Inner-city gangs tend to have exceptionally macho names like "The Burger Bar Boys" or "The East Side Playpark Massiiiifffff".
Violent crime rates have decreased dramatically since the early '90s, so presumably rap music and gang culture no longer exist.
Gang banger is an American term used in connection with gang culture - the use of which causes no end of amusement among the British.[1]
Purported gangs
- Lesbians
- Urban gangs: Crips, Bloods, etc.
- Outlaw or "1%er" motorcycle clubs such as the Hells Angels
- Kids wearing baggy pants and their hats backwards at the mall
- Westboro Baptist Church
- Straight edge, at least according to the Salt Lake City police
- 99% of the United States
Actual gangs
- La Familia Michoacana
- The Manson Family
- The Church of Scientology
- The Freemasons
Footnotes
- â Don't try to look this up at work, unless you work in a brothel or the Netherlands.