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these “Gangland Gangstas’” are allowed to brazenly glamorize and find validation in these fictionalized attributes I have no doubt in my mind there will be many a fan and many a fool out there in CouchPotatoeville who will read this vituperative on The History Channel without hesitating shortly thereafter to sardonically accuse me of being myopically captious and smugly sciolistic. More so since I’m about to accuse The History Channel of blatantly glorifying the violence and senseless carnage street and gang culture represents in our society today. In fact, with the intention of pointing out what appears to me to be nothing short of gross negligence on their behalf, let me start by saying that I also plan on accusing The History Channel of accepting Blood Money by their advertisers. But in so much that both you and I have made their television program Gangland the highly popular show that it has become, I’ll try to remember to criticize myself just as much as I do you, their viewers, and producers alike. I’m warning you though, I will in the future take delight in saying “I told you so!” when the redounding effect it will gravely have on our youth is thus shown to not be false. With that said, let the aspersions begin!
Only intending to inculcate my worthless opinion on you as opposed to wanting to provoke or antagonize every one out there in Couch Potatoeville to think for themselves, the last thing I want to do is impose on you in the same fashion the Media’s does with their obtruding barrage of consumer messages. This therein leading to the dumbing down of the masses as I’m sure you’ve noticed. To be fair to The History Channel though, let me start from a viewpoint that first lauds them so as to appear impartial, and then I’ll berate them!
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I’m sure the only time you’ll here agree with me is when I say that there’s probably no other network out there today that is more devoted to the factual delivery of history in its past and present tense as The History Channel. From prior to the world’s and mans’ evolution, up and through the centuries, to the here and now present, the network’s role in today’s terms cannot be underscored. That they continue to help raise our histrionic awareness so as to further ensure the accurate preservation of mans’ history and memory for the posterity of future generations has been no small feat. To say the least, they’re unequalled in all that they endeavor to deliver as it verily affords us the most veracious accounts possible when explaining and recording mans plight. As well as the etiology of his mind, body, and world in which he lives in. Wouldn’t you agree! At a time in man’s current history whose inhabitants have now replaced the written word with the technological genius in the way we record time, The History Channel may well be the only chance many people today have of learning history and lore. Even now, as so called advancements by our educational institutions are quibbling as to the importance of such learning with their looming threat of exsiccating the teaching of history to our future generations, The History Channel may soon be one of the only extant source’s left in which to attain our true history. And for their continued effort they have been lauded and applauded, if even none less deserving than any other program on television today.
Being a successful media network as well, I have nothing detractory or disprizing to say about their success. Nor is it my custom to vituperate or disparage any entity, or network in this case, when they’re intent is to run their business with an all together educational format as they do. Even in light of my contumelious scorn and opposition to Big Media and the powers they so often abuse by crossing every line of decency, propriety, truth, decorum, and the like, I find no such course to impugn The History channel save in one little area.
Nay, not until now have I come across any such gross negligence or consumerism on The History Channel's part so as to warrant deprecatory censure on my part as I stated earlier. But there’s always a first for everything. And in even further defense of the network so as to appear to be fair, maybe even somewhat charitable, which I’m not, I will say that this gross negligence may just be an unforeseen byproduct and side effect their successful show Gangland could have inadvertently initiated. Being that no such malefic agenda, if even imagined, surely be intended by The History Channel. Or was it!
Unless you’ve been living in Utopia, you’ve probably come in to contact in some way or another with gangs and gang bangers. You’ve at least smelled them I’m sure! From coast to coast, desert to mountain, and across the states, these viricidal gangs have made their repugnant presence known by the sickening slime they leave in their wake. This much is obvious and felt to our distaste. Whether we’ve felt it first hand, physiologically, psychologically, or by close proximity of victimization, we’ve seen gangs infest and burrow themselves deep into the core of our psyche and inner cities. From the smallest town to the biggest cities, gangs have burrowed themselves like chiggers into our society and culture only to wreak havoc in every urban city ghetto, project, and poverty stricken “hood” in
This fact is painfully validated more and more each day by the alarmingly and fast paced infestation these ignorant fools are also making into the seemingly well adjusted and quiet middle-to-upper class neighborhoods of white suburbia today. Their ranks of which are now being filled with the eager casting calls of hopefuls and other degenerates to outdo each other on T.V. It’s a phenomenon the likes of which we’ve never seen before.
In disbelief I watch as society and pop culture at large has caused the popular television show Gangland’s ratings to soar. Ratings that thereby allows Gangland’s cast of delinquent and mentally challenged stars to disseminate their perceived normalization of the Gangsta lifestyle upon its viewers. Not to mention the message they send that they somehow justify with their rationalized and tolerable means of ultra-violence they use to propagate their ideas with. And it’s scatological programs such as these that are quickening the pace of our increasingly wayward and aberrant acculturation by these gangs in our idolatrized culture today to say the least.
What started as an honest attempt to afford us a raw view of gang culture has turned into a veritable Frankenstein. To start with, the producers of Gangland have done well to thoroughly educate all of us viewers on street and prison gangs. They’ve thoroughly explained their conspicuous causation upon each of us respectively as well as their role and presence in our society and culture. The History Channel has also done well to verse most of us in the disturbed and pathological subculture of these gangs. They’ve been able to go where other cameras have until now not been allowed to go. They’ve been able to decipher their language, their high sense of fashion in the way they dress, their honorable codes of conduct, justifiable crimes, and psycho-to-socio pathologies that underline and make up these groups of forgotten, neglected, and unwanted children.
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Unfortunately they’ve also done very well to glamorize and allow these reprobates to communicate and proliferate their ignorance and message to the rest of the kids out there who have nothing else to belong to, nothing to look forward to, and no programs or parenting to teach and help them otherwise. In fact, the only acceptance these wayward “Gangstas’” have been able to procure has been by the ratings in which they’re expose by Gangland seems to get them. And that they think they’re some sort of celebrity or “superstar” in society is more internalized by the fact that we the viewers are watching Gangland more than ever.
Not that its Gangland's fault. But the reason I have such a problem with this is because of the way The History Channel presents these episodes or exposes’. To be frank, the grandiosity and glamorization of these murderous caricatures in the most theatrical and purely fantastical depiction they can possibly offer its viewers is a poor excuse to warrant attracting advertising dollars. And to put these cartoons of wanna be Gangstas on the screen is a slap in the face to every real man out there who gets up, goes out, and works hard to provide for his family everyday. If this show isn’t pro-gang I don’t know what is! And for those of you who don’t know any better, they’re only showing only one side of gang culture and life on the streets as it actually exists everyday. There’s a whole lot more reality to this world than Gangland is showing you. A whole lot more! So where is it?
Why am I coming down so hard on The History Channel you ask? I mean, it’s not their fault for recklessly giving these “homies” an obvious platform for them to expound their increasingly entropic messages to every forgotten and disenfranchised kid in the hood and suburbia today. It’s not their fault their show helps them recruit new members. My point, what purpose does it serve to put these “active gang bangers” in front of a camera where they’re allowed to talk and brag about their crimes on national television with such hubris, and a lack of personal compunction that it only fortifies and internalizes the fictionalized alter egos and identities they have of themselves! That these “Gangland Gangstas’” are allowed to brazenly glamorize and find validation in these fictionalized attributes he hears his favorite rapper running his mouth about only reaffirms his belief and mentality that he is therefore being sought and idolized, like his idols before him, to be exemplified and modeled after due his notoriety and “Gangsta” behavior. Hence he continues this pattern of behavior and in the meantime justifies his ideation that “he’s” what we the audience wants to see. He therefore seeks and concretizes his creation where his former lack of worth and identity is neither recognized nor rewarded for any behavior other than being a killer. This is dangerously done so by acting out the notorious and dangerous lifestyle that Gangstas’ represent in entertainment and pop culture today. Who would you want to be, the kid who goes to school everyday, who never gets recognized for his hard work or the kid who goes out and commits felony after felony like some famous rapper “supposedly” does and then is rewarded by being highlighted on national television. On Gangland! The thing these poor idiots don’t know is that Rappers are too rich and smart to go out and commit felony after felony. They know it’s all make believe as they know it simply as the entertainment business. Do the math yourself. Like I said, they have nothing to look forward to except now vying to become the next gang that The History Channel glorifies.
At the same time, it also seems odd to me that every time we, the fans, find ourselves hurt or victimized by all the nonsensical and stereotypical socio-criminalities and injustices’ this mushrooming demographic burdens us with, we have no cause to scorn or condemn the Media’s representation of these misfits and cast outs as tragic hero’s and acculturated models of social attrition. We simply blame the system or other socio-economic problems for breeding such monsters. What a cop out! We simply can’t keep pretending to be so naïve as to think that the Media’s capitalization on street and pop culture has no bearing or responsibility to its viewers, and purchasers, other than that of providing pure entertainment value. Let’s face it, the naked truth is the sex and violence that sells is the same sex and violence they’re bringing into your living rooms and on your cell phones 24/7. The more the conglomerates, who by the way own all the advertising, music, drug, insurance, and movie companies, merge their marketing schematics of narcissism and make believe with actual reality-the more product they sell. That’s to say, what
That these new generations of Reality T.V. Babies growing up have no more grasp on reality than do cartoons that maim and kill the cute rabbit or bear on the television is frightening. It seems to me that the distorted sense of values, distorted sense of what’s right and wrong, distorted sense of identity that has been steadily shifting with each new generation has finally caused the family dynamic to split and break apart. Combined with a host of other social problems such as the declining fundamental education system as well as too many hi-tech toys, movies and “entertainment,” it’s no wonder Gangland is such a successful and popular show. It seems, all this has caused the video games these kids play to come to life with a rap soundtrack playing in the background of their minds as they fantastically shoot, rob, and run amok in our neighborhoods. This is yet another concern I have with shows like Gangland and other Reality shows that are giving these children a national forum to notoriously garner the attention their lack of self esteem and zero sense of worth desperately need.
How dare I accuse and lay blame The History Channel! I hear you! Why not blame the parents? Good question! Why don’t we! Instead of blaming everyone else including the government. Of course it’s absolutely not The History Channel's fault! So whose fault is it then that these gangs are committing mayhem and taking over whole sections of inner cities in
I think I speak for most of us out there who would rather see the atrophied paraplegic gang member who’s confined to a wheel chair cry because he didn’t obey a police officers command to put the gun down. Wouldn’t we emphatically relate more to some poor old lady whose husband was killed because he looked at some little punk the wrong way. Or would this just not be entertaining to most of us with our archaic need for blood sport. If you really want to entertain me then show me how these “Gangstas’” snivel like the little bitches they are once they get booked into jail. Why not show them snitching on their “homies” instead of showing these idiots throw gang signs. With the exception of a small percentage of real O.G.’s and veterans out there who don’t give interviews and run their mouths on Gangland, we want to see all these little cuties beg for mercy when they’re being ass raped as opposed to seeing them brandish their guns and tattooes. If that’s what being tough is, I’ll just stick to going to work everyday and trying to provide for my family.
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I’m sure all these idiots I just mentioned as well as the many detractors that will cavil about this article will argue that the proliferation of gangs and gang violence has been growing at such an alarming rate for decades that it’s a lost cause. True! That instead of me wanting The History Channel to paint the real picture of this increasing problem I would rather have it taken off the air so as not to have to deal with the problem. Quite the contrary, I more than understand and stand behind the History Channel’s intent to educate and bring to light the increasing socio-cultural problems we are having with gangs. It’s just the way in which their messaging and relaying this material that seems to me anything but un-bias. Rather than focusing on the harm and suffering that gangs cause society, innocent children, bystanders, and law enforcement officers, Gangland seemingly portrays these amented and pathologically weak men, women, and children as anything but paranoid, insecure, self-impotent psycho-sociopaths. No doubt the cause of some of it may be environmental, even biological, but I dare say more parental. But the idea that these social rejects are tough, masculine representations of Gangstas’, that don’t take shit from anybody, is what I find most offensive, irresponsible and repulsive. And of the publicity gangs are generating is another matter equally as repugnant and alarming as well.
There’s not much else for me to rave about is here. Yeah, we can blame all the millions of things that reflect these gangs self loathing and anti-social behaviors but what’s the use. Highlighting and featuring behaviors and sentiments that are crippling our youth and adults today just isn’t as entertaining or comedic as listening to these asinine morons try to convince themselves how tough they are. And as long as we watch these shows like Gangland and deflect our own problems by avoiding them and by laughing and blaming these “Gangstas,’” our own impotence and ignorance will further their belief that we endorse what they stand for. The longer we recognize and applaud them for the actions they commit, they will continue to intimidate, extort, and terrorize innocent bystanders. But I’m again warning you, this is just the beginning of a long list of consequences to come that are going to finally tear the last strings that are holding on to the very core of mans trust in his neighbor. And I can’t watch shows like this anymore because all they do is keep reminding me of what life will soon permanently be like in our society.