Deviance and Social Control Gang

Deviance and Social Control

Gang development is closely connected to social theories, as there are a series of socioeconomic factors behind the formation and existence of every group of criminals. Cle Sloan's documentary film Bastards of the Party goes at providing the public with insight on gangs, gang members, and the factors influencing them. Several social theories can be employed in studying the movie and the individuals in it, so as to gain a better understanding of the social phenomenon.

People are influenced by society in most of their activities, as it is the cause of almost everything humans do. The subcultural theory is responsible for explaining the phenomena setting off gangs and how gangs operate. When a particular territory is presented with poverty, the individuals in the respective area are predisposed to developing a culture that has different objectives than the majority culture. The people in such an environment influence each other in performing various tasks that are only characteristic to them.

Even though Cle Sloan, the director, was personally involved in performing criminal services for one of the most notorious gangs in Los Angeles - the Bloods, his movie obviously displays a nature meant to inform the general public of the harm performed by gangs in general.

While the movie is a reminder of how gangs are detrimental for society and for each individual who becomes affiliated with them, it is also intended to change the biased thinking that society puts across when dealing with gangs or with people that are associated with such criminal groups.

When living in a neighborhood where crime is considered to be something ordinary, people have the tendency to disregard criminal activities, being certain that it is perfectly normal for one to resort to crime when the circumstances press the respective person into doing so. In a gang-dominated territory, crime is socially transmitted, with individuals inheriting criminal behavior for those with more influence than them. One can go as far as claiming that crime is transmitted from generation to generation, as children are taught that crime does pay and that there is nothing wrong with being against the law.

"Bastards of the Party" does not hesitate to present the public with the advantages of being part of a gang, but even so it proves that the benefits of leading a criminal life do not compensate the deficiencies coming along with living like this. One of the main factors working against society as a whole is that environments shape people according to the trends they acquaint the masses with, regardless of the values promoted by the world.

It is characteristic for communities to be influence by the most powerful individuals present in them. Thus, most young individuals, or the largest part of those who have less power in a group of people, will certainly feel that they should behave similarly to the most prominent individual in the group in order to have success in their lives.

By committing crime, a number of people receive a lot of benefits and even fame, making it more possible for them to become role models for others. Moreover, by becoming examples for those around them, these unlawful individuals manage to turn crime into something less immoral.

Most like to believe that cities are civilized environments, where crime has less chances of occurring in comparison to rural areas, where people presumably have little access to civilization and law breakers have lesser enemies. Of course, it is ridiculous to think like this, as urbanized territories present criminals with fruitful opportunities to commit illegalities.

The very existence of cities plays a decisive role in the continuation of crime. The chances of a criminal environment developing in an inhabited territory with a small number of people in it are very little, as people are unlikely to find that they have similar objectives relating to crime in such a setting. The ones that are determined to be a part of a subculture are likely to move to urbanized areas, where they expect to find an atmosphere that fits their desires completely.

Being part of a community which promotes a number of norms, people are influenced to come up with new and diverse methods of forming smaller communities, meant to improve their lives by providing them with everything they need, regardless if such a matters involves illegalities or not.

The pro-black movements emerged as a community wanting to be different from the rest of society. Concomitantly, gangs such as the Crips and the Bloods were created from the former members of movements meant to increase the reputation of black individuals in the U.S. because they had diverging opinions and wanted diversity. The Crips and the Bloods can be deemed as subcultures of the pro-black movements, given the fact that the people that were once part of the larger group did not agree on certain matters and thus wanted to create smaller groups, which would be formed out of individuals who shared similar features, were affiliated with one another, and had similar objectives.

In spite of the fact that he came to be a member of the Bloods, Cle Sloan found that he knew very little of the group's background. This influenced him to search for more information regarding the community, what influence people in creating it, and how it became what it is in the present.

Many of those who are presently part of the Bloods are likely to know nothing of its history, as they are mainly interested in the benefits that their statue brings them and in the fact that they have the chance of spending time with individuals that share a large number of their goals.

The Bloods can be identified as being a subcultural gang by taking into consideration some of its habits, such as its members meeting face-to-face in order to discuss their plans, having team-spirit, and being emotionally involved with a particular territory.

While a subculture does not necessarily have to attract public attention and disapproval in order to exist, the Bloods did just this. Their general public opposed to the group and as a result contributed to the unity present in the community, as the members were brought together by becoming aware that society distinguished them. As in any subculture, the forming of Bloods was made possible by several influencing factors, such as the divergences which emerged between individuals formerly part of pro-black movements and the fact that a number of people were determined to be part of a group who shared their ideals. In addition to these factors, Sloan claims that the intervention of the U.S. government is also a cause for the fact that the Bloods and the Crips exist in the present day.

In spite of the fact that Sloan's assumptions cannot be verified, the director certainly brings forward a series of intriguing facts meant to support the action in the movie. A number of points that the director insisted on are logical. The subcultural theory supports the concept that the members of a particular group are brought together if they receive strong opposition from society. This was the case with the Bloods, who were fought by authorities ever since the moment of their creation and until the present. In Sloan's opinion, the government has had a significant contribution to this by adding to the number of police officers in Los Angeles with individuals from southern states, which were apparently recognized for their racist beliefs and were likely to apply a harsh treatment to non-whites.