Inner City Gangs and Wild Dog Packs: A Comparison

By Alanna Fox

My First Rant: for month of July, 1998

First of all, on an entirely different subject, I begin my mini-lecture. I would like to see a sign, advertising the Godzilla movie, that says, "His penis is as long as this sign"
You know, that sex sells, and this may be an interesting selling point. After all, I have seen signs that merely state, "His jaw is as long as this sign"and "His toe is as long as this sign"(as seen on the side of a city bus).
Oh, come on, some of you out there may actually go and see the movie, if there was a giant reptilian penis on the 40-foot wide screen. Of course, others may feel insecure about their manlihood, and would refrain from seeing an otherwise somewhat entertaining film.
(Ok, ok, so this plan may backfire, I guess that is why I am NOT in advertising!)

So, speaking of manhood, (it is all about the segueway, isn't it?), I have often wondered why in modern inner-city society does becoming a member of a gang preclude becoming a man? Young boys are talked into becoming gang members, with the promise of being a MAN. This strange, but common, rite of passage, has obviously been detrimental to our cities, and citizens. Most young boys that involve themselves with gangs do so because of the comraderie of being a part of a "club" type atmosphere. They also love the escape that drugs have to offer, drugs that are easily attained by becoming a gang member. Plus, the weapons are cool, just watch the latest cop/crime movie (I believe that "Lethal Weapon 4" is due out this summer --even the name sounds cool). Boys and Men alike get into guns, the outward, socially acceptable means of playing with their phallus, symbolically speaking. If I had a solution, I'd share it, but at this point old organizations such as 4H and Boy Scouts are out of the question. Unless, of course, they'd be willing to serve Heroine Hot Cocoa and Hash Oil Brownies at their meetings. Although, they DO have a merit badge for target shooting, I guess 2 out of 3 isn't so bad....

So you may be asking yourself, at this juncture, what do gangs and wild dogs have in common?
The obvious answer to this would be thus: They both hang out in packs, or groups, with mostly menace on their minds. There are other gang/dog behaviours, however, that may not seem so obvious at first. Here is a short list that I came up with:

#1. Gangs run around mostly at night.
So do Dog Packs.

#2. When confronted by an enemy, or potential threat to the "bad boy system", gangmembers may beat up, or shoot at non-members, which in most cases, results in fatality for the intended victim (would be a higher percentage of fatality rates, had they taken Target Shooting in Boy Scouts).
Dog Packs would simply attack, gnawing teeth and dog-claws, obliterating the enemy (aka, "food"). The only difference here, is that gangmembers don't actually eat what they kill. Dogs, hence, show a bit more resourcefulness.

#3. Gangs listen to loud music, to frighten other people.
Dogs use barking and growling, as their means of "intimidation music".

#4. Gangmembers flash gang signs, as a way of showing "whaz up".
Dogs smell each other's butts.

#5. Gangs have what are called "taggers", those members which are in charge of marking walls, signs, houses, fire hydrants and the like with their gang name, or initials with spray paint. This lets other gang members know that they (think) they "own" the territory.
Dogs also mark their territory, by peeing on walls, trees, fire hydrants, and the like. Perhaps gangmembers would work this way, but they don't have the sense of smell needed. I guess smoking (cigarettes, pot and crack) would be quite detrimental to one's nostril intake capacity.

So far, it is most likely assumed, that I speak solely of male members in gangs, and dog packs. Au contraire, mon frere, I also have some observations on female gangmembers and female wild dogs (we all know what they are called, so I won't 'go there' (to coin an inner-city colloqial phrase).

#6. Some girl gangmembers spike their hair to stand straight up (depends on the gang, or breed, if you will), as if to warn normal community members of their 'status'.
Dogs, regardless of gender, will also warn others of how they feel, or their 'status', when their hair stands up straight on their backs.

#7. Girl gangmembers will often have children, sometimes many, out of wedlock, and still continue to run around with the rest of the gang, after the birth or births of their offspring. These children will often be taught in the ways of "Gang Life"
Female Dogs have litters of puppies, which has led to problems of overpopulation of local animal shelters with these unwanted puppies. The dogs will continue to run with the wild packs, and still have litters of puppies, some of which will grow up and become a part of the Wild Pack Dog Life.

#8. All gangmembers, regardless of gender, have to get a tattoo for everytime they kill someone, as a way of showing off how tough they are. This makes them look scarier. Sometimes, these tattoos are in the shape of a tear, and put under the eye, on the face. Of course, this depends upon the gang.
Dogs automatically get scars on their faces, where fur refuses to grow after being in nasty fights. Dogs lose teeth sometimes, also making their appearance scarier.

#9. Most gangs have a similar agenda, when it comes to gaining riches or spoils. Some gangs sell drugs, and some steal merchandise to be fenced off later. In either case, they have to have a hiding place for the drugs or the stolen equipment, so that other rival gangs won't steal it from them.
Similarly, Dogs have a tendency to gather tasty bones, and sometimes toys, (Dog spoils) and they bury them in a place that cannot be found by other Dogs.

#10. Gangs pride themselves on being self-sufficient, denying societal rules, and 'ruling' themselves. They have a Gang Leader, in a hierarchy-based social structure.
Dogs, also have their own social structure. The leader of the pack is referred to as the "Top Dog".

#11. When gangmembers are caught by police, they are put in a jail or prison --the 'joint'. Most community members are glad to see gangmembers go to jail, they may even think "good riddance". Sometimes, gangmembers get the electric chair for heinous acts.
When Wild Dogs are caught by the dogcatcher, they go to "doggie jail" --the 'pound'. Luckily, dogs can be turned around, and adopted by loving community members. Dogs are not punished by their acts, but can be 'put to sleep' if no one wants them within a certain time limit.

#12. Gangs avoid reading, and are mainly illiterate, due to the popularity of being dumb, this is witnessed in the new, arising lingo of gangs: "Stupid" (means 'cool'), or "Dope" (similar to 'Stupid') are the most obvious characterizations of this, with other words simply misspelled and used out of context to the original meaning. This is seen in words such as "Phat" (from 'fat', but means good-looking), and "Fly" (similar to 'Phat' and 'Stupid'). The word 'Fly' may also have the undertone of taking drugs and 'getting high', or 'flying'.
Dogs also don't read, and have their own language. Their language consists of barks, growls, yowls, howls, and woofs. Of course, if Dogs had opposable thumbs and walked erect, they might actually pick up a good book and read. They aren't really allowed in Libraries, either, so there has been no studies conducted on the literacy of Dogs, unlike that of inner-city gangmebers.

Well, there you have it: the similarities between Inner-City Gangs and Wild Dog Packs. Please don't think that I hold anything against dogs, because I have, in fact, two dogs of my own. I have prevented them from showing off their "manliness" by running around in Wild Dog Packs. This task was easily acheived by having them nuetered. You see, once a dog is 'fixed', he or she is less likely to run around, especially with other dogs. I guess I nipped that in the bud, (pun thoroughly intended).

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