Causes of gangs in Our Communities

6 Pages 1483 Words

Gangs Gangs are a violent reality that many people have to deal with in today's cities. What has made these groups come about? Why do kids feel that being part of a gang is both an acceptable and prestigious way to live? The long-range answer to these questions can only be speculated upon, but in the short term the answers are much easier to find. On the surface, gangs are a direct result of human beings' personal wants and peer pressure. To determine how to effectively end gang violence we must first find the way that these morals are given to individuals. Unfortunately, these can only be hypothesized. However, by looking at the way humans are influenced in society, I believe there is good evidence to point the blame at several institutions. These include the forces of the media, the government, the theatre, drugs, and our own economic system. On the surface, peer pressure and greed cause gangs. Many teens in gangs will pressure peers into becoming part of a gang by making it all sound glamorous. Money is also a crucial factor. A kid (6 - 10 years of age, who is not already a member) is commonly shown how he/she could make between two hundred to four hundred dollars a month for a small part time gang job. Although, one wouldn't think that factors such as this are strong enough to make kids do things that are strongly against their morals. One of the ways that kids' morals are bent so that gang violence becomes more acceptable is the influence of television and movies. The average child spends more time at a television set than he/she spends all day in a classroom actually learning something productive. Since nobody can completely turn off a child's mind, the youth must be learning something, even if it is morally wrong. Very few hours of television watched by the common child are educational, so other ideas are being constantly absorbed during this period of time. Many shows on television today are extremely violent and are often shown...