Losers throwing gang signs...

I was cruising through my favourite website the other day when I noticed this phenomenon occurring over and over. The fact is I see it so often it has become almost subliminal.

This is the "white boy throwing up gang signs" phenomenon. I see it all the time, and it finally registered as absurdly ridiculous to me.

The whole purpose of gang signs for urban, street, youth is to identify themselves as belonging to some affiliation. It is used in many situations where other identifiers may not be possible or appropriate, and it can also show that a gang member is in the area to "do business" as opposed to just passing through.

Part of me thinks this spectacle arose from drunken girls trying to be ironic when mugging for photographs. The white guys simply didn’t get the joke. This would seem a logical beginning.

Who knows, maybe some of these kids are actually IN gangs but I am pretty sure the skinny, white, wimpy-guy that I have known for years, who lives in suburban, white-only, small-town, Ontario is not a member of the 'Crips'. He isn't nor ever has been hardcore!

My ‘example’ isn't of my generation. He is of the next one. My ‘example’ is in his mid twenties and he is less hardcore than my 14 year-old niece. What is he trying to prove? I know HE’S not trying to be ironic. He really BELIEVES he looks cool as he throws the ‘East-siiide’ gang sign. (Does he even live on the east side of our small city...? I don’t think so... Probably not.)

Maybe I don’t get it. Is this the all part of the same popular culture engine that has kids wearing their pants down at their knees? Maybe it is a generational thing and I am out of touch... again. This is possible.

I know one thing, if most of these hand-sign throwers had to spend 5 minutes with people that legitimately were gang members they would probably wet themselves. Most have never been to New York, L.A. or any American city with a large gang population. They certainly have never met a gang member because they wouldn’t have the gall to throw up their poser hand signals in their face. Ridiculous.

Anyways, enough venting from me, peeps. Peace out!