Commentary
Wednesday, January 11,1995 Page 5
Delinquents find kinship in gangs
Gangs and gang involvement ar<
big issues in America today. On the
news and in the papers, stories of
gangs and related violence are ever
present.
. Every day, young people,
elementary and high school-age,
are getting into drugs and stealing
and are dying. Over the past 40
years, more research has been done
to try to learn and understand more
about the people that get hooked
into gangs. Questions of how, why
and under what conditions people
become involved with gangs are
being answered. Theories and
concepts of sociology are being
used to aid in the understanding of
gangs. .
In studies and research, much
emphasis is placed on delinquency.
This, after all, is a factor in the
individual gang member. It is a
well-established fact that delin
quency is an enormous problem in
society today and that it must be
understood.
Gang involvement is most
frequently associated with the
lower-class male. Violent offenders
and victims of violent crimes tend
to be young, male and residents in
urban areas. It is true that minori
ties are more often involved in gan£
activity. As gangs have become a
bigger problem and threat to
society, social scientists and
researchers have looked at and
discovered the role society plays in
the contribution to this problem.
Everyone in society pushes to
meet the values and goals set by it.
But what happens when a young
person fails?
An influential book on juvenile
gangs^“OeUnqjLi£ncy and Opportu
nity,” explains three types of
subcultures that exist among lower
class male adolescents. It suggests
that in order to achieve goals and
Yousuf Bashir
statuses they could not achieve by
more legitimate means, the ways
accepted by society, these youths
have to turn to criminal and gang
related activity.
The first type of subculture is the
criminal subculture. Members seek
to gain power and social status
through illegitimate means such as
theft of property. In this subculture,
there are ties between juvenile
delinquents and adult criminals in a
community. The adults transmit
values and skills to the young. The
young, in turn, learn these socially
unacceptable values and continue to
carry out criminal actions. Conflict
gangs are subcultures that provide a
way for adolescents to achieve a
status in their peers’ eyes.
Because relationships with
; adults in their lives are weak, and
because juveniles lack legitimate
access to achieving success, they
establish their own success goals.
Tough reputations and deviant
means such as fights, are used to
achieve goals. Retreatist gangs
include juveniles who have failed to
use legitimate means of succeeding.
They do not have close ties with
adult criminals in their community,
and they lack skills to attain a
status in a conflict subculture, so as
goals ah^mreaT^to^^^^^ "
alcohol abuse.
g In discussing individual choice
and behavior, a question arises of
delinquents: Are they morally
different from other juveniles? A
problem of adjustment to these
values arise, adding to the burden
of their class and youth. These
youths search for answers to their
problems by developing a group
consisting of members in a similar
situation. They find they can
communicate, interact and band
together to seek a solution.
The socially accepted mode of
adaptation is to conform. To
conform is to accept cultural goals,
such as getting an education, and
accept institutional means, such as
going to school and studying hard.
Innovation accepts goals but
rejects institutional means. An
example would be how gangs try to
acquire scarce resources to get a
better economic status, but they do
it by stealing, which is not socially
accepted mean. Retreatism rejects
both cultural goals and institutional
means. These people live on streets
and join hands with gangs to make
living and surviving easier.
Another concept and mode of
adaptation is rebellion. This
involves rejecting society’s goals
and means with their own.
I believe that most gangs belong
to this mode of adaptation because
after these young people face the
problem of not being able to meet
society’s goals, they form gangs.
The gangs form their own goals
and means of reaching them,
opposite of what society accepts. In
my view the studies on gang
delinquency, combined with the
theories and concepts of sociology,
help dramatically in the under
standing of gangs. Only when
society understands this widespread
problem,*-canrfh&sures be taken-to
improve it.
Bashir Is seaior food science major and a
Dally Ne braskan columnist.
Greek system needs change
I had a dream. It wasn’t nearly
as profound as Martin Luther King
Jr.’s, but it is appropriate with his
birthday coming up next week. I
saw people in the greek system
organizing events, in the most
grandiose nature, with ethnic and
cultural organizations at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
My dream has been temporarily
shattered.
I spent the past semester at this
university introducing cultural
awareness to the greek system.
Over the last three years, I worked
my way into positions where I could
do and say something, instead of
having to listen to other people in
my system that I don’t always agree
with, and getting slammed for
views I don’t hold.
Believe it or not, there actually
are greeks who know there is a
blatant lack of communication
between the greek system and
various ethnic (and even non^
ethnic) organizations on campus.
I’ve attended cultural seminars.
I’ve spoken with John Harris, an
administrator who deals with multi
cultural issues at UNL. I’ve also
presented resolutions and ideas to a
group comprised of seven UNL
ethnic and cultural groups.
Boy, oh boy, did I receive
feedback. Of course, not all of it I
wanted to hear. But a lot of it, I
expected to hear.
My goal — my “King” dream —
was to run for Panhellenic president
(the head honcho of all the sorori
ties) and make a change. I wanted
to be a greek representative and
say:
“We need to begin implementing
diverse programs into our system.
We need to spend more time
interacting and developing philan
thropic events with other campus
Unfortunately, on campus, the
most visual greek leaders in the
Lara Duda
past haven’t represented the views
of our system as a whole. It would
be difficult for a leader to represent
all beliefs, but regardless, people
will continue to categorize that
individual’s beliefs with those of
the system he or she represents.
Well, as you probably guessed, I
didn’t get president. Thankfully,
the woman that was elected shares
my views and realizes we need to
do something. I was, however,
elected to another executive
position, but one not nearly as
visible.
And then, three days later I got
another job — thus, here I sit.
I know I’m not alone. People do
like people. I think there are a lot of
people who are compelled to learn
about other people’s beliefs and
backgrounds. But ignorance is not
bliss, and I see this ignorance
encompassing our campus. I think a
little more education, a little less
stereotypes and a little more v
listening might get us out of this
embarrassing rut.
For instance, some people in
APU don’t know about all the
things greeks do for humanity, the
environment, or how culturally
aware they actually can be. On the
other hand, some people in the
greek system don’t even know what
APU stands for (it’s Afrikan
People’s Union).
organizations. We need to let this
campus know we’re ready to take
the heat for the reputation we’ve
obtained, because there are a large
percentage of us who don’t fit that
perception. (We’re not all racist,
elitist Republicans.)”
Nevertheless, Lincoln, Neb., is
not exempt from the illusions of
racism, but as of now, we don’t
even seem to have a foothold for
progress.
There are places in this world,
and even in this community, that
have gotten past some of the typical
conflicts tied with prejudices that
our campus still has.
Maybe to some, this is all out of
line or a little idealistic, but I tend
to see the good in the greek system,
and I know there are non-greeks
who agree things need to change.
If more of the greek system and
other ethnic and cultural organiza
tions would just start talking to
each other.
And I’m not giving up.
The greek system nationwide has
given a lot to humanity. I fear
though, at our campus, not very
many greeks or non-greeks are
changing or seeing the necessity to
become better educated with other
cultures. In the meantime, the
world is getting smaller, and
believe it or not, we’re going to be
forced to understand people with
different backgrounds than our own
if we want to live together peace
fully.
We can’t keep ignoring this
issue at our own university, and we
may as well stop all of our dream
ing because in die long run we’re
not helping ourselves.
So, despite a few personal
alterations on how to spend my
time this year, I still have a dream.
Dada is ajuior aews-edltortal aad
English major aad a Dally Nebraskan
cotaunalst
Unethical Chung
asks weird questions
Sure, Connie Chung was
unethical in the way she treated
Mom Gingrich. No question
about it. But she’s also weird.
The TV creature has created a
flap in politics and journalism by
tricking Newt Gingrich’s mom
into calling Hillary Clinton a
nasty name.
In a taped interview with Mrs.
Kathleen Gingrich, 68, Chung
asked Mrs. Gingrich what her
boy, Newt, had said about
President Clinton.
The question led to the
following exchange:
Mom Gingrich: “Nothing, and
I can’t tell you what he said
about Hillary.”
Chung: “You can’t.”
Mom Gingrich: “I can’t.”
Chung: “Why don’t you just
whisper it to me, just between
you and me.’
Mom Gingrich: (In a loud
whisper) “She’s a bitch. About
the only thing he ever said about
her.”
But obviously Ms. Chung was
fibbing when she said “just
between you and me.”
The cameras were still
running, and now it seems that
Ms. Chung really meant some
thing like: “Just between you and
me and the millions of people
who will tune into my show
when we let out the word that
you—Newt’s mom—called
Hillary a baaad name.”
various 1 v executives are
now saying that it was Mom
Gingrich’s own fault, that she
should have realized that with
the cameras still running,
anything she said was on the
record.
But Mom Gingrich is 68 years
old. While that doesn’t make her
addled or senile, it means she is
of a generation that still believes
that you can trust people and
take them at their word.
So there she was, talking to a
reporter, but not some scribbler
from the neighborhood paper.
Ms. Chung is a network star, big
heat, as much a celebrity as most
of the people she interviews.
Would so prominent a figure
as Ms. Chung lie when she said
“just between you and me?” I’m
sure that possibility never even
crossed Mom Gingrich’s mind.
She might have even thought
that she was engaging in “girl
talk” about her boy, “Newtie.”
(Incidentally, his mother
called him “Newtie,” I didn’t,
and that ought to be what he’s
mad about. He should tell her,
“Mom, I am (now the speaker of
the House, so please don’t call
me Newtie anymore because
unscrupulous members of the
press will think it is funny and
they, too, will start calling me
Newtie, and that will diminish
Mike Royko
my aura of being an incredibly
powerful leader of men and
shaper of history. Please, Mom,
guys named Newtie don’t shape
history.”)
But to get back to the sly Ms.
Chung. Of course she knew that
she used trickery and deceit to
get that “bitch” quote out of
Newtie’s mom. And she should
admit it. Why not? People will
understand. All she has to say is
something like:
“Yes, I tricked her, but
consider my perilous position.
Network news is a vicious jungle
and I had to bite and claw to get
where I’m at and I want to stay
there. We live by the ratings, and
people aren’t going to tune in to
be bored by some old doll
bragging about what a smart lad
her Newtie is and how he always
flossed. Not when they can get
something cheap and flashy just
by clicking their zapper. So if I
can get something cheap and
flashy out of an interview with
Newtie’s proud mom, can you
blame me?”
Actually, little harm has been
done.
Newtie, as his mom calls him,
was given the opportunity to go
on TV and defend his mom
against the unethical and
unscrupulous network vipers.
Speaking up for one’s mom
never hurt any politician. And it
made for more lively news than a
debate over changing some
House rules.
What Hillary Clinton should
do is ask her own mom to give
an interview to Dan Rather and
whisper that she thinks Newt is a
pudgy wimp, which would even
the score with Chung and Mom
Gingrich.
I mentioned earlier that
Chung is weird. Yes, she is. In
all my years in this work, I’ve
never heard a reporter say: “Why
don’t you whisper it to me?”
What kind of question will
Ms. Chung try next? “Am I
getting warm?” Or “Why don’t
you tell it to me in Pig Latin?”
Or “Stamp your foot once if the
answer is yes, and twice if it is
no.”
Just between you and me, I
think Connie Chung is a real...
Want to play 20 questions?
(C) 1995 Trlbaae Media Services, lac.
OR ORCL
Ed Gamble