Interview Summary
At around the age of 14 and 15 years old, Quon, who is from Indiana, started being heavily involved in a gang that is under crip. He joined a gang as he thought that there was nothing to lose. He was aiming from this to make friendship and brotherhood within his gang and he never cared about the media that depicts gang culture as a bad thing. However, he instead didn’t change his mind to stay on as a member. He didn’t see himself a gang banger because belonging to gangs deems to be an inherent thing to do. He was not obligated to do so, but he instead felt he needed to feel a sense of belonging to brotherhood; a group where he is gonna die for them and they do the same. Since he joined a gang, he has never regretted belonging to it. Rather, he felt stronger than ever as they all feel like brothers.
Finding Brotherhood
Within the source "Gangs are Good for Society" there is a segment addressing that much of the involvement in gangs stems from wanting to belong to a group, "Young people join gangs because it is a crucial part of growing up" (Walsh 2011). From both the input of Walsh and Quon (our interviewee), reasons for joining gangs stems from the longing of brotherhood. Brotherhood is not a new concept and can be found within various collective organizations such as fraternities, sororities and sport teams, just to name a few.
Full Content of interview
Jordan: How common is gang culture within your region or state?
Quon: Bruh, gangs is like everything, like dumb common, like it’s super common. It's thrown in our face now, like back then you feel me like gangs were a little lowkey but now they're thrown in our face. Like it’s cool to be a gang banger now, like a trend.
Jordan: Did you feel obligated to join? If so did the media play a part in it?
Quon: It wasn’t even really about me wanting to be a gang banger, you feel me. It was just like I am in a gang, but I wouldn’t even label myself a gang banger, because like it's not about ganging it's just about brotherhood. The brotherhood, and having brothers that ride or die for you.
Jordan: You wouldn’t say that the media had a part in it? It's just like the way you grew up?
Quon: Yeah I mean you feel me. Wherever you grow up, you're a product of your environment you feel me. They gang banging, you gang banging. They’re selling drugs, you’re selling drugs. That's just how it goes, especially in bad neighborhoods or less privileged neighborhoods.
Jordan: What age were you when you joined?
Quon: I didn’t start ganging until I was 14 or 15.
Jordan: Did seeing the depiction of gangs in the media impact your overall self image or how you viewed yourself?
Quon: I mean not really, because you don’t really care about the media or you don’t really care about what nobody says like it's a brotherhood for real for real. You got these group of dudes who gone die for you, and you gotta die for them, and your problems is their problems it’s not really like a media thing it's not something that you feel me it’s cool to gang it's like this is my brother and I want y'all to know that he's my brother.
Jordan: Is there any advice you would give your past self or in regards to joining one?
Quon: I would say, when you join it doesn't always gotta be negative. It doesn't always gotta be I'm gonna pop him, I’m gonna shoot him, I'm gonna kill him. If it comes to that, then it's that you feel me but it doesn't gotta be that. When you think gang you automatically think that, it's not necessarily what that is, like I said it's them brothers.
Jordan: Do you think the positives outweigh the negatives of gangs?
Quon: No because with gangs it's just like you feel me, you got this group of people and you got that group of people if somebody doesn't get along then it’s up, that's just how it goes. It's not just you and that person, it's you and the whole gang so these dudes gone step behind me so I’m gone step behind them, so it becomes like an everybody thing.
Jordan: Do you think gang culture is acceptable in American cities?
Quon: I mean it is definitely not accepted but you feel me, but you feel me it's just like they can’t do nothing about it you can’t do nothing about it. It's basically demand, you know what I mean by demand. Gangs really started because mother fuckers were just at the point where they were like I ain’t got nothing to lose and this dude I am close to him so bet it's all circles. With nothing to lose it's like why not gang, now it's cool to gang bang, now it's cool to pop and shit like that and that's the bad part of the gang like just because you're ganging, just because you ganging doesn't mean you gotta kill or you gotta pop. But the media twists it, where you can't be ganging unless you kill somebody like come on bro be for real that's not ganging, that's stupidness.
Quon: Bruh, gangs is like everything, like dumb common, like it’s super common. It's thrown in our face now, like back then you feel me like gangs were a little lowkey but now they're thrown in our face. Like it’s cool to be a gang banger now, like a trend.
Jordan: Did you feel obligated to join? If so did the media play a part in it?
Quon: It wasn’t even really about me wanting to be a gang banger, you feel me. It was just like I am in a gang, but I wouldn’t even label myself a gang banger, because like it's not about ganging it's just about brotherhood. The brotherhood, and having brothers that ride or die for you.
Jordan: You wouldn’t say that the media had a part in it? It's just like the way you grew up?
Quon: Yeah I mean you feel me. Wherever you grow up, you're a product of your environment you feel me. They gang banging, you gang banging. They’re selling drugs, you’re selling drugs. That's just how it goes, especially in bad neighborhoods or less privileged neighborhoods.
Jordan: What age were you when you joined?
Quon: I didn’t start ganging until I was 14 or 15.
Jordan: Did seeing the depiction of gangs in the media impact your overall self image or how you viewed yourself?
Quon: I mean not really, because you don’t really care about the media or you don’t really care about what nobody says like it's a brotherhood for real for real. You got these group of dudes who gone die for you, and you gotta die for them, and your problems is their problems it’s not really like a media thing it's not something that you feel me it’s cool to gang it's like this is my brother and I want y'all to know that he's my brother.
Jordan: Is there any advice you would give your past self or in regards to joining one?
Quon: I would say, when you join it doesn't always gotta be negative. It doesn't always gotta be I'm gonna pop him, I’m gonna shoot him, I'm gonna kill him. If it comes to that, then it's that you feel me but it doesn't gotta be that. When you think gang you automatically think that, it's not necessarily what that is, like I said it's them brothers.
Jordan: Do you think the positives outweigh the negatives of gangs?
Quon: No because with gangs it's just like you feel me, you got this group of people and you got that group of people if somebody doesn't get along then it’s up, that's just how it goes. It's not just you and that person, it's you and the whole gang so these dudes gone step behind me so I’m gone step behind them, so it becomes like an everybody thing.
Jordan: Do you think gang culture is acceptable in American cities?
Quon: I mean it is definitely not accepted but you feel me, but you feel me it's just like they can’t do nothing about it you can’t do nothing about it. It's basically demand, you know what I mean by demand. Gangs really started because mother fuckers were just at the point where they were like I ain’t got nothing to lose and this dude I am close to him so bet it's all circles. With nothing to lose it's like why not gang, now it's cool to gang bang, now it's cool to pop and shit like that and that's the bad part of the gang like just because you're ganging, just because you ganging doesn't mean you gotta kill or you gotta pop. But the media twists it, where you can't be ganging unless you kill somebody like come on bro be for real that's not ganging, that's stupidness.