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Youth Gangs Youth gangs in North American society are nothing new. When we turn on the news we often hear stories of misguided youth contributing to yet another
Youth Gangs Our community is not the only community currently having gang problems. Many small towns and rural areas are experiencing gang problems for the first
youth gangs Within the past two decades, beginning in the early 1980's a growing concern has been focused on what can be considered a social epidemic among the youth
Youth Gangs Youth Gangs Across The Globe From L.A. to El Salvador Most gangs are created to form a sense of power and control. All types of problems are presented
youth 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
Submitted by jatt_romeo on March 10, 2006
Category: Social Issues
Words: 1441 | Pages: 6
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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 or she could make between two-hundred to four-hundred dollars a month for a small part time gang job (Carroll 48). 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 or she spends all day in a classroom actually learning something productive (Clinard 73). 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...
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