May 2, 2012

  • On Men and Gangs

    Last weekend I was in Canada for a bachelor party. We ended up being out in the entertainment district at AM times, all eleven of us loping along the sidewalk, trying to find a good place to, um, read books and sip cokes. My half-sleepy, half-stimulated mind suddenly started thinking "We own this sidewalk, man. The crew, right here! All eleven of us, no one's going to mess with us..." and would have broken into old-school rap had I known any. About two minutes later I reminded myself that I'm a white-collar fattie and my go-to fighting move is the fetal position. Still, WHAT?!

    See, I'm trying to figure out, why do men have this natural affinity for gangs? Why is it, even if you get a few nerd bros in a chat room, you suddenly have this weird alpha and beta structure where the most reckless males immediately lunge for the lowest common moral denominator and the supporting males form a phalanx of support and supplies? We're hardly talking about the mean streets of Chicago here, more like the weak streets of Cyberbia. Yet there's this natural tendency of men to form a gang structure for support (ok, and assault too. FLEE, CANADIAN WEAKLINGS. I CLAIM YOUR BORDER TOWN AND ITS CASINOS FOR AMERICANA.)

    The more male gang behavior I see, the more I laugh, but the more I'm fascinated at how deep the roots go and how easily we form a hive mind. It's almost instinctual to go submissive or dominant as needed to form this odd Borg unit. Is there a way to turn these instincts for good? Why does this happen? Not sure.

Comments (21)

  • I notice this in women too... Is it natural instinct to think life is a competition, even though it shouldn't be?

    As for the mean streets of Chicago... >.< Not all of Chicago is "Hood" lol Just half of it. lol

  • We instinctively know we are better, stronger, smarter when we work together.  We quite often use that bonding productively, but roaming the streets late at night tends to make anyone feel a little feral.

  • ""We own this sidewalk, man. The crew, right here! All eleven of us, no one's going to mess with us..." and would have broken into old-school rap had I known any."

    The picture in my mind right now is PRICELESS! Seriously, thank you for the much needed entertainment!

  • You go strut your Greek Physique! I'm loving the imagery in this =]

  • Haha. Old school rap? :D I would have known one just that specific occasion. You could have busted out with some Vanilla Ice. Haha.

  • "natural affinity" . . ."roots go deep" - ??? There are lots of us who never have thoughts like that cross our minds. Why the hell would I want to "own the sidewalk"? In all seriousness, a more enlightening and accurate question would be, "Why do SOME men, like me, have an affinity for gangs?" That could lead to a better understanding of yourself, rather than a facile capacity for generalized projections. Sincere kudos, nonetheless, for owning up to the fetal position fighting stance. 

  • All I know is I'm digging this sentence: "Why is it, even if you get a few nerd bros in a chat room, you suddenly have this weird alpha and beta structure where the most reckless males immediately lunge for the lowest common moral denominator and the supporting males form a phalanx of support and supplies?" Bahahaha yes!

  • It's the natural pack mentality we see in many other species, wolves, lions, etc.  Establishing a social hierarchy is imperative to social order.  Animals tend to fight when there is a question as to who is stronger.  When everyone knows their place, there is less fighting and greater stability.  The fights should be few and only when one animal thinks he or she is ready to move up a rank.

  • "my go-to fighting move is the fetal position" That made me lol, hahahahaha....

    Also, ain't no way you could take us, Yank.

  • @Cancerous_Sagittarius - Dude, why so harsh?

  • I like the humour in this. Thanks!

  • @nimbusthedragon - The piece points out valuable food for thought, which is why I sincerely commended him on the upfront modesty of the "fetal position" comment. However, generalizations about human beings are the root of any number of heinous things - racism, sexism, and other forms of dehumanization and outright hatred. There is nothing like that here, so I know my reaction seems extreme, but it's the same seeds. People (myself included, who is as guilty as anyone) should have it pointed out when they're indulging in them.  

  • Dude check it out nancy's hot for ya. Maybe there's hope yet. Oh BTW, you are the most recent trololo victim, hope it meets your standards, bro ;) trolololo......

  • @MistyEyes22 - ALL INNER CITIES ARE FILLED WITH GANGSTERS. --Pablo Suarez, European who watches American TV.
    @lanney - Feral is an underutilized word.
    @AmyDoo - @nerdyveggiegirl - @epiginoskete - @nov_way - As always, I am pleased to have amused, or amused to have pleased, etc.
    @ItsAll_A_LoveWar - YES! ICE ICE BABY indeed.
    @Cancerous_Sagittarius - I should add some background that for the most part, I have a pacifist, sensitive nature that I would say is a bit odd for a man, so by citing myself I indicate that even seemingly exceptions to the rule conform. Naturally, not all men everywhere, but the vast majority seem too. I would dryly add that one might also argue that a protest against generalization is a protest against science and statistics. In such a supposed scientific age, our struggle to not be identified by labels and facts amuses me.
    @zircle999 - Interesting perspective, and much appreciated.
    @nimbusthedragon - careful, I kick well while in the fetal position, I'm only 99% helpless.

  • Teach me how to date.

  • Eugenicists are also scientifically-minded individuals amused by those who wish not to be defined by "labels and facts." That you equate "labels" and "facts" is equally amusing. Labels can occasionally be factual, but it's not an inherent quality, and often their purpose is to obscure facts. Not to mention that history has seen the crumbling of one scientific "fact" after another as new knowledge, intuition and technology have led to better understanding. In other words, they're not facts, but what a genuinely inquisitive mind recognizes as highly educated guesses. Making pronouncements and decisions regarding human beings based on, "Well, it seems to be . . ." doesn't make a lot of sense. Regarding treatment of human beings, I believe it's written, ". . . render in your gates judgements that are true" in your beloved, oh-so-scientific book of superstitions.

  • Cyberbia! You know, I was just thinking about this actually, cause RH and I watched American History X. It was phenomenal and made me wonder about the gang mentality.

  • good point nice post.

  • @GreekPhysique - I employed it today, as well.  I enjoy compensating for deficiencies in the usage of meritorious verbiage. 

  • Well that self-awareness put you above at least 90% of the pack

  • this is a revealing post. i had no clue men had a secret gang obsession. 

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