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Re: Oppressed Minorities (was: Social Engineering)
PioneerTom (pioneertom@aol.com)
9 Feb 1995 17:28:52 -0500
Gerald Firl wrote:
<In an anonymous urban environment, in a money-based
economy, there is no need to maintain the goodwill and support of fellow
members of the underclass. In centuries previous, brigands often needed to
have a base of support among the poor, upon whom they could rely for
information and food. This restriction no longer applies. Perhaps some
historical parallels, and illuminating distinctions, can be gained by
contrasting the current american criminal subculture with previous
episodes of banditry.>
That comparison could be made with a little thought about the publicity
given by gulled journalists to drug gangs "trying to reform" in various
communities. The gangs donate a little money to youth groups, food
programs, etc. and get some good will in the surrounding neighborhood.
They have gotten some good press as well, at times. One has to look no
further than the long-runnung love affair of the press with a prominent
Bay-area street gang, the Black Panthers. Even more potent has been the
example of the Medellin drug cartel, and it's successors in South America.
They have built hospitals and all sorts of things that convinced
communities to shield them for substantial amounts of time. It seems to
be little different than before, actually, just the press romanticizing
some of the gangs is different.
Tom Billings
pioneertom@aol.com
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