Do gangs and gangbangers serve a good purpose in society? Has anything good ever come out from it?

I seriously doubt gangbangers have contributed anything. Rape can not possibly contribute anything good to any society. I don’t think that anyone would dissagree.

I think you are looking at it ass-backwards. What the gang members get from the gang (even if it appears twisted to outsiders) is a sense of belonging and family and protection.

Gangbangers do nothing but incite fear, Traffic drugs, and make neighborhoods unsafe for everyone. Gang members say it gives them a feeling of family and belonging but that’s just because the don’t fit in anywhere else.

@Mikewlf337 I think it is because of their poor home life and socioeconomic background.

@marinelife and the only solution is to join a gang and incite fear and make the neighborhood worse. To make matters worse media entities like Mtv and the hip hop culture glamourizes it. Making some people think that it is “cool” and “bad ass”.

Humans are social animals and arrange ourselves in groups. It’s not more “mentally advanced”, just our way of survival. Violent gangs, in general, are what some people call “toxic mimics” of normal communal behavior, influenced largely by poverty, political disempowerment, and the resulting social problems which are rather hard to pull oneself out of. It’s born of the same needs and desires that have helped us thrive as a species for many thousands of years, but when placed into a setting that is unhealthy, harsh, and violent, it comes to resemble that setting.

A gang doesn’t serve any purpose other than a sense of “family” among the members. You’d think they could receive the same feeling in a way that is safe and legal but maybe not.

@Aster exactly

@Mikewlf337 Yes, that is the problem. We need to catch the younger kids before they join the gangs and help them. Instill them with self-esteem, etc.

@marinelife that would be the ideal solution.

It’s not just a familial thing, though. Part of it is economics: it’s easier to be a part of a gang that makes money doing illicit things because there aren’t enough jobs available. They also offer protection, of a sorts.

It is overly simple to say that gangs are a self-perpetuating problem. There are systemic issues at play. I recommend watching this video by John Hagedorn: http://gangresearch.net/video/awog/LessonOne.html

He has studied gangs for over 4 generations and points out that gangs are a global phenomenon that are not going away anytime soon. He does a good job of putting gangs into a perspective that realizes the complexity of the issues.

(If you feel really inspired he has a whole series availible: http://gangresearch.net/video/videoindex2.html. It isn’t as sensational as a show like gangland, but it is certainly more balanced.)

Thanks everybody. I do understand that they do get a sense of belonging and protecting. But I still dont understand why they themselves cant find reasons to make things better and to fix their problems….I cant help but feel like they have a sense of pride in what they do. They even talk about how the like the fact that they inflict fear in others and how “the best” in the group earn their way up by killing other people from other gangs…they’re looked up to that and respected…And I just feel thats stupid. I wouldn’t want anybody to look up to me and feel inspired by me because others fear me and I’m considered a murderer… that isnt right.

<throws up a South Side Jellies gang sign>