Is The History Channel advocating gang mentality, or just reporting history?

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice | April 28, 2008 

April 28, 2008

Is The History Channel advocating gang mentality, or just reporting history?

By

Chuck Adkins

Earlier tonight, I was watching the History Channel. I enjoy history; it is a favorite subject of mine. In recent years, the History Channel has started showing these mini-series shows; most of them are quite informative. Ax Men, which is a show about men who cut down trees, in our Nation’s far north country. Battle 360 is a telling series about battles that took place during various wars; Modern Marvels is a series about modern inventions that make our lives easier. Ice Road Truckers is a show about truck drivers, who haul loads across Canada’s frozen north.

However, there is one show, which very much concerns me, and really makes me wonder about as to why it is even being aired on television at all.

That show is “Gangland,” Gangland is a supposed documentary on the history and origins of gang activity in the United States, most notably in the areas of Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York, and Chicago, Illinois. The gangs that are highlighted and are discussed are; so far, are Nuestra Familia, The 18th Street Gang, MS-13, The Mexican Mafia, The Black P Stones, The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, The Skinheads, and The Latin Kings.

The biggest question that I have, is why? Why would anyone want to document a lifestyle that is direct opposition to any normal law-abiding citizens normal mentality? What troubles me is the imagery that is promoted in this series of shows. My question is, are they reporting history or are they glamorizing a thug outlaw lifestyle? What bothers me is what if some young, impressionable, child happens to come across this show?

The only reason I bring this up is, tonight I was watching an episode about the gang called “The Crips.” I also noticed that they were using footage from a Video that I posted on one of my Blogs, a while back. This video, that you can see, by clicking the link, is glamorizing the gang mentality and lifestyle. What bothers me is, if the History Channel wants to document outlaw gangs, for the law breaking gangsters that they are, why would they use footage from videos that makes these law-breaking thugs, look like heroes?

To be fair, The History Channel did document the fact that murders did happen, the destruction of the communities and death of some of the members of the gangs, the drug addictions of some of the members and the results of this. I will give them that.

However, I feel that if the History channel wants to correctly document the activities of the outlaw thug gangs. They need to focus more on the ruined lives, the destroyed communities and the lives lost to this senseless form of lifestyle, instead of glamorizing the gangs, by using videos, that give credence to a lifestyle that does more to harm, that it ever does to help.

Watch out for Gangland.
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Chuck Adkins is a 35-year-old freelance writer and unsigned political commentator. He is the owner of several Independent Political and Christian Blogs. Politically he is somewhere between a libertarian and a Constitutionalist. He also contributes to Blogwonks, a Conservative Opinion Blog and has a Blog at townhall.com.

His Blogs are located at:

http://cnationalist.wordpress.com/
http://politicalbyline.blogspot.com/

http://christpersuit.wordpress.com/

Chuck can be reached at <!–
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-Chuck Adkins
http://chucksplace.wordpress.com/
http://politicalbyline.blogspot.com/
http://cnationalist.wordpress.com/
http://christpersuit.wordpress.com/
http://cpa313.townhall.com/Default.aspx

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