You're Not A Gangsta

What is your definition of a "gangsta?"

If you described little boys running around with their pants around their ankles and shooting at people, then you're sadly mistaken. If you thought of any rapper that you've ever heard on the radio, then you may need to crack open a history book now and then.

I'm going to explain the difference between a "thug" and a "gangster" ("gangsta" is a term rappers coined to make them seem harder than what they actually were).

First, let's discuss thugs:

Is there anything about this photo that says "masculine?"

thug: a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer.

This is what we see daily. The guys walking around trying to "look hard" and act as if they don't have a care in the world are thugs. Thugs are rough, but they're dumb. They don't make the effort to plan the dirt that they do, they just do it. Thugs are the smash-and-grab guys that break in your home, pull guns at gas stations, and wear Obama masks while robbing banks.

They are generally broke which is why they're constantly pulling off multiple petty crimes to "stay fly." They sell weed, crack, etc. just to be able to put gas in their SUV sitting on 26" rims. Although they may appear to be kings of their block, they're actually rulers of nothing. They terrorize a small group and often mistake that group's fear for respect.

Thugs generally work for gangsters.

gangster: a group of persons associated for some criminal or other antisocial purpose.

These guys still exist, but we don't see them.  They thrive on being anonymous because the spotlight threatens their very existence.  They may be well-known in their local communities, but it's not from them flaunting their worth. They develop reputations from getting things done (be it good or bad).

Al Capaone was the definition of a gangster.

Gangsters (also considered Mafia, mob, or organized crime), have a method to their madness. Things are planned and not done impulsively. That's why they've been successful for centuries while thugs generally have a shelf life of around six years (before long-term incarceration or death). Gangsters don't do petty crimes. They get thugs to do petty crimes for them and bring them the money. It's very similar to a pimp's treatment of a ho. Gangsters were so big in society at one time that it was an all-out war by the U.S. government to stop them.

When's the last time you saw a U.S. Amendment being directly affected by something a thug did?

Never. Thugs are local. They're not worldwide like gangsters. The reason gangster life is called "organized crime" is because they are just that. "Organized."

With any organization, you have rules. Here are the Sicilian Ten Commandments:
1. No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.
2. Never look at the wives of friends.
3. Never be seen with cops.
4. Don't go to pubs and clubs.
5. Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife is about to give birth.
6. Appointments must absolutely be respected.
7. Wives must be treated with respect.
8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.
10. People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values.

Now looking at those 10 requirements of being a gangster, do you see the things I've highlighted that absolutely don't apply to any thug we see on the streets today?

The Mafia is not a myth. Gangsters still exist. We just don't see or hear about them often. Why? Because they know how to handle business. They don't buy flashy vehicles to attract cops. They don't "make it rain" at the club because they don't do clubs. Again, the attention thing.

Sure, the mob boss may flaunt his wealth a little, but that's because he's untouchable. His funds may have been achieved through dirty means, but he's laundered his cash and cleaned it up through a side business. His i's are dotted and his t's are crossed. People may know he's crooked, but they can't prove he's crooked.

Lil' Rooster from around the way will have $3,000 cash in his pocket, a semi-automatic weapon in the trunk of his car, six dime bags of weed on the back seat, and then will run a red light in a hot pink Escalade sitting on 26's. Five minutes later, he's face down on the pavement while one of the boys in blue gives him a new set of matching bracelets for his wrists.

Do you see the difference now?

So, don't go thinking that holding a gun sideways makes you a gangster. It doesn't. It makes you a thug. Besides, anyone holding a gun is scary. Even a two year old flailing a gun in your direction is scary.

Gangsters can ruin your life without touching you. Gangsters go after your family. Gangsters own politicians and police. The difference between a thug and a gangster is the same difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.