'Modern Society's Emulation of Criminal Subculture'

   There seems to be a huge influence of the criminal subculture upon society in America today that seems to be an epidemic attitude among many of the younger people in the U.S.A...Gangsta rap music, Hollywood films glorifying street thugs and gangsters, along with an epidemic use of mind altering substances create a large culture of ghetto mentality.
    It permeates society so much that people from all walks of life use the terms 'pimping', 'thugging', 'thug-life', and 'gangsta' without even understanding the meanings nor implications of such words which come from a subculture that is 'anything' but glamorous...We honor cowards like pimps who engage in human trafficking and rape. Gangsters and thugs who engage in murder, pimping, rape, kidnapping, extortion and attacks on families....We honor them by listening to their songs, raps, and enjoying their over glamorized stories on film...We emulate their dress codes, manner of speech, and mimic their rhetoric while also claiming to be spiritual people of faith...Television and popular music influence the human mind so subtly that one doesn't even realize they've been indoctrinated until even the most humble of communities find gangster/ thug subculture in their speech or mannerisms.  
   And we dismiss it as just being part of the new fade, trend, or hip hop style...Since when does calling someone a 'Pimp' become a compliment? Or saying someone is 'pimping' is meant as a positive thing? Why do we refer to ourselves as 'thugged out', 'gangsta', and 'thug life' when we don't even truly know what that means?
    One whom has lived among real gangsters, thugs, criminal syndicates, pimps, and sicarios understands that their is NOTHING to admire from that culture and their is no glamour in it to be found.
    It will leave one sick to their stomach, disturbed from sleep, haunted by evil spirits, and unable to see the world with blind, innocent, eyes ever again...So let us emulate not the wicked and cowardly, but rather the brave, kind, generous, compassionate, loving, and wise in our speech and mannerisms. 
   Rather than putting on the appearance of wickedness let us put on the appearance of good.
 
   ♣Peace be with you all♣
AnDrew*

'The Gangsta/Thug Life Epidemic'

  Thinking about the epidemic trend of young people today emulating the 'gangsta/thug' life propagated by popular music and Hollywood films.
  Many real life gangsters you'll see wearing the three dots tattooed on their hand or body somewhere. Some wear other images with 'three' incorporated into the art.
  This is a reminder that their life will only take them 'three' places: Early grave, ICU, or Life sentence in prison...Sounds cool??
  Not to the ones in the grave, not to the ones paralyzed by a bullet from the neck down, staring at a ceiling all their lives, not to the ones who will never get out of prison unless it's wearing a toe tag in a body bag.
  Prison movies like Blood In Blood Out glamorize prison. But it's actually more like the movie 'American Me', only much worse.
  Most gangsters and thugs are homosexuals in lockup, many rape other men and pimp them.  Prison food is unsanitary and lacks nutrition while the chow hall often smells worse than a septic tank.           
  Forget adequate medical or dental care when you get injured or seriously ill. Sounds glamorous doesn't it?
  Murder and rape is so common place in violent prisons that I've heard Vietnam vets say they'd rather go back to the Vietnam War than remain in prison.
  If you accidentally kill some small child in a street shootout the convicts in lockup will label you a baby killer and your life is not going to be very glamorous in the pen, because people who harm children are not favored in lockup!
  And all the girls who think gangstas and thugs are sexy, imagine your macho man laid up in a bunk with another man or switch hitting with the homies.
  Not 'your' man? Well, in a gang he does what he's told sister! In the pen, all gangsters and thugs, though they deny it to their women, are pitching for the home team! And if they pitch they catch!        
  Either way they're still playing ball for the home team. And gangs use rape as both a physical and psychological weapon in prison. Do you ladies think your thug/gangster man is real macho when he rapes other men? Is that not homosexual activity he is engaging in?
  So go ahead and live that gangsta/thug life 'homies'! It sounds so glamorous I can hear all the fools now saying sign me up!
  Then after you get some street and prison credit you can break into the gangsta rap business and make millions off of fools buying your albums where you get to exaggerate about your hard core criminal life, while hiding the dirty secrets in the closet, until karma from your past actions come to collect. Then you still end up in one of those three places, maybe like Tupac and Biggie Smalls.
  There are no such things as retired gangsters and retired thugs. The words of the song wasn't wrong when they sung that gangsters and thugs don't live that long!
  Real men want to come home everyday to a 'woman' and a delicious meal, a home without sharing his room with another man, maybe some children who cheer when he returns home. Lots of love in his life.
That sounds a lot better than the three dots to me!
Hoo-ah,
AnDrew
5thPlt. Dco.
3-327th Infantry Regiment
1stBDE
101st Division
Screaming Eagles

'The Myth Of The Bad Boy With The Heart Of Gold'

  Was thinking today about all the sisters out there in the world. Seems so many looking for a bad boy with a good heart, like in the movies... But that don't exist.  

  Then when he acts badly toward them they don't understand how he could treat such a good woman so badly.
   Simply answer, "It was in his nature." You can't adopt a wild beast and expect it to behave all the time like a benevolent human being.
   Hollywood romanticizes the bad guy with the heart of gold so often, but in real life if he had a heart of gold he wouldn't be a bad guy.
   If he was secretly a good guy with a heart of gold he'd be volunteering at a community program, reading to children, doing volunteer work, helping the elders, trying to better himself, seeking a more spiritual walk with the Creator...
   Not trying to emulate gangsters, idealizing Al Pacino's 'Scarface' character, getting high, staying lit, packing pistols, trying to act hard all the time (which attracts negativity and drama into ones life) and trying to portray himself as God's gift to women.
   The Bad Guy with a heart of gold is a mythological creature. If you're attracted to bad guys just be honest with yourself and know what you're getting into. Because predators may look cool but they're vicious. When they're human they're called 'Sociopaths'. Everyone, at some point in their life, should do psychological research on the definition of a sociopath.
   I recommend a good psychology book, 'The Sociopath Next Door.' Very enlightening book by an expert in the field.
   Not to pick on guys, because there are plenty of women sociopaths and plenty of guys who have a good heart but are attracted to the bad girl and want to save her from herself and the world.

  They want to take her home and treat her right and then her hidden heart of gold will come forth from behind her hard shell.
   Well, good luck if that is your cup of coffee...Every mistake is a learning experience so just pick ourselves up and carry on to the next mission with more knowledge acquired through experience.
   Assuming we've lived through the mistakes...

Hoo-ah 4 Life,
AnDrew*