Charlotte
Hawkins
Make up Exploration
GANGS
History
''The word "gang" comes from "gonge," a term originally meaning a journey, but later referring to a "gonge" of sailors in the fifteenth century. "Gangs" of outlaws or wild young men came into common usage by Shakespeare's time. The "Father of Gang Research," Frederic Thrasher, gave the word its industrial-era meaning in the 1920s and made “gang” into a term which meant kids of the street. But US gangs had other predecessors than unsupervised street urchins.''
The history of gangs from the website: http://gangresearch.net/Archives/UIC/Courses/history/beforethrash.html
Frederic Thrasher was a sociologist at the University of Chicago. He wrote a book called 'The Gang' published in 1927 about thousands of gangs in Chicago.
Thrasher looked specifically at the ways in which urban geography shaped gangs. He traced gang culture back to feudal and medieval powersystems and linked tribal ethos in other societies to codes of honor, power and glory also found in American gangs.
There are many types of different gangs such as Organised Gang Syndicates also known as The Mafia, youth street gangs, Racist gangs, Biker groups and many more all around the world.
Street Gangs
A Street gang is a more or less structured group of teenagers or young adults who use group intimidation and violence to carry out criminal acts in order to gain power and status and control and make money by selling drugs, stealing and committing other criminal offences. There are many different types of Street Gangs from small ones in London to Larger Ones such a The Mexican Mafia. The Mexican Mafia is called the daddy of all street Gangs.
I found this artical online about the Mexican Mafia and their reasons for being the daddy of all street gangs.
The Mexican Mafia also known as La Eme (Spanish for "the M") stood out to me for their symbolic tattoos and Violence. Not only this but there drug organisations and hierarchy this gang has over other gangs.
For my project i want to research further into the reasons behind Gang tattoos, there meanings, violence, torture techniques performed and why, and how gangs are percieved in performance such as Tv shows, films and Advertising. The mexican Mafia is one gang which i will research into because i find their whole body tattoos interesting and the gang culture intrigueing to take my research further into this gang.
The Japanese Yakuza
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Image 0 shows the feudal system. Each gang has their own system like the feudal system. Starting from the most important/boss/leader of the gang. As the triangle gets further down the less important or high up in the gang you are. Hierarchy and earning your place in the system is a huge part of gang culture. Doing wrong in the gang or making mistakes automatically gets you kicked out of the group or even killed. They would be punished, tortured or beaten depending on what they had done wrong. I find this part of gang culture interesting as it is all about hierarchy and being the best. This is then done to who makes the most money and who is the most respected. Every Gang is about making money. This is what their lifes revolve around.
Background
In Japan, organized crime and criminals come under the general heading of Yakuza. According to tradition, the name is derived from the worst possible score in a Japanese card game. It comes from Japan's counterpart to Black Jack, Oicho- Kabu. The general difference between the cardgames is that in Oicho- Kabu is that a winning total of the cards is 19 instead of 21. As you see, the sum of 8, 9 and 3, is 20, which is over in Oicho-Kabu. In a hand resulting in a score of 20, the worst possible score, a player's final score would be zero. Among the losing combinations, the phonetic sound of an 8-9-3 sequence is ya - ku - sa. It's from there the name, yakuza is derived... without worth to society. This doesn't mean that they have no use for the society, it means that the members are people that somehow do not fit in the society, in other words societies misfits.
The Yakuza are Known for their distinctive bright beautiful body tattoos. Missing fingers and professional organised criminal acts.
Until recently, the majority of yakuza income came from protection rackets in shopping, entertainment and red-lightdistricts within their territory. This is mainly due to the reluctance of such businesses to seek help from the police.The Japanese police are also reluctant to interfere in internal matters in recognized communities such as shoppingarcades, schools/universities, night districts and so on. Yakuza are heavily involved in sex-related industries, such as smuggling uncensored pornography from Europe,Australia and America into Japan (as the local pornography is censored in ways Western pornography is not). They also control large prostitution rings throughout the country.
Many organised crimes have a huge part of the sex industry and always revolves around making money.
The Yakuza is the gang group which I find the most interesting. After visiting japan and seeing how much the Yakuza has a huge impact on day to day life out in Japan really shocked me. Tattoos are not to be shown and certain public places refuse entry if someone is to have a tattoo because of the Yakuza. The sex shops, prostitution and gambling is all owned by the Yakuza. Their beautiful colourful tattoos, missing fingers and well groomed appearance is what stands out for me. I will research and look further into this gang.
Above shows the Yakuza Hierarchy system and the different members in the gang in the system. When being in the system it is important to work and deserve your roll as a syndicate.
Hells Angels
On March 17th 1948 the first Hells Angels Motorcycle Club was founded in the Fontana/San Bernardino area in the United States of America. About the same time, other clubs were formed in various places in the state of California, but none of these clubs were associated with Hells Angels nor with each other. Most of them do not exist today, but the Berdoo charter (San Bernadino) still do.
Today the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has spread its wings all over the World. From Alaska and Norway in the high North, to South Africa and Argentina in the southern hemisphere. All around the globe from the Caribbean Islands to Turkey, who became the first Muslim country to join the club in 2009.
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This image shows a Oyabun leader in a yakuza gang topless showing off the colourful detailed gang tattoos.
The Hells Angels are known for their Harley Davidsons, violence and tattooed bodies. They call themselves 'motorcycle club' however they are in fact a biker gang, Causing criminal activities and inflicting violence on others. Hells Angels members and prospects follow strict rules their winged death's-head patch on the back of their leather vests or jackets identify the gang.
The image above shows a member of the hells angels biker gang with the winged death's head logo tattoo'd onto the head.
The Russian Mafia - Thieves in Law
Each boss, called a "pakhan," controls four criminal cells through an intermediary called a "brigadier." The boss employs two spies that watch over the action of the brigadier to ensure loyalty and that he does not get too powerful. At the bottom of the structure are criminal cells specialising in various types of criminal activity or functions such as drugs, prostitution, political contacts, and "enforcers."
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Image 5 is the Thieves In Law gang system. This is how the gang is ranked. The top of the triangle being the most important, The Elite Group. This triangle is very similar to the fuedal system as the top of the triangle were Kings and the further down the system the less important you are.
Organized crime in Russia began in the imperial period of the Tsars, tsars are supreme leaders. It was not until the Soviet era that vory v zakone ("thieves-in-law") emerged as leaders of prison groups in gulags a Soviet prison labor camp. Their honor code became more defined. AfterWorld War II, the death of Joseph Stalin, and the fall of the Soviet Union, more gangs emerged in a flourishing black market, exploiting the unstable governments of the former Republics, and at its highest point, even controlling as much as two-thirds of the Russian economy.
Their Honor Code
Their code was very simple. To not betray eachother and to not collaborate with other authorities. The Thieves in Law are the highest authority in the criminal world.
The laws were as followed. No family, no business, nothing. No money of your own, no job or no apartment, not even their own address.
A member of Thieves in Law were to make everything about their life this gang. If they portrayed the gang in any way there would be serious punishments such as torture, being kicked out of the gang or mostly death. As soon as a gang member does wrong he is no longer a part of the gang. No one is ever given a second chance.
When rearching briefly about different gang cultures and types. I found that each gang were different culturely, however all the gangs had a lot of similarities when coming to their gang is run. They all have a hierarchy system all run in similar ways. They all own and run the same criminal acts such as drugs, prostitution, casinos etc. The two things which stand out to me as a makeup artist is their Appearance. Appaearance is a huge part of the gang world. Tattoos, scars and their clothing is ways in which the communicate, have a code, represented as a member of a gang. Another is violence. Each gang commits violent acts on people and torture to punish, bribe and get useful information. This shows power in a gang. I will research further into these two main points of gang culture.
I want to also compare their difference in the gangs such as appearance, heirarchy system, power, loyality, code and laws.