Can gang culture films effect teenagers?

Question

I just want to know whether gang culture films can effect youths/teenagers when they watch them and how. Also, I wanna know how if they can make them wanna do drugs or any other sort of crime thinking its cool.


The longest and proper/best explained answer will be picked as best answer and rated 5 stars. However, any other answers will also be much appreciated, thanks for the help.

Answer 1

yeah, they can. whether they know it or not, teens are impressionable and tend to have imagination that adults simply don't have, and even that young children haven't developed yet. watching certain films may, if nothing else, trigger an attachment to a certain ideal (for example, watching a gang movie could spark a strong desire to "have that sort of life", because it's easy for teenagers to empathize and connect).



i know that certain films present everything in a glamorous way. for example, "Blow" with johnny depp- snorting lines of cocaine with "can't you hear my knocking" blasting in the background and beautiful Colombian women all around is pretty impressive. and attractive.



but i think it's important to note that a movie won't "make" someone do drugs. it can only encourage what's already there. if i hadn't seen blow, i'd probably still be interested in trying cocaine- it's not like the movie made me do anything.



so can a movie have impact? of course. but we, as a society, need to make sure where our priorities are. you can't go "blaming" a movie, it's only a visual of ideas that already exist.

Answer 2

Yes gang movies can affect teenagers. Everything in a teenagers life and indeed any person of any age, affects and shapes who they are. So to say that gang culture films have absolutley no affect would be wrong.



Most movies however that revolve around hard drug use andorganised crime usually have some sort o message that in the long run these things are over all not good things. Characters in movies that engage in these actions usually get killed off, one of their close family or friends dies or they end up with lonely bitter lives: Scarface, Trainspotting, The Godfather, American History X, Blow, Mean Street etc and so on. So as far as the message of the film goes film makers dont usually promote those sort of negative lifestyles.



However there is no denying alot of these films in some scenes glorify the action. My opinion in ths area is trusting people to be able to distinguish between fiction and real life. Teenagers know the consequences of the things they see acted out on the screen. Movies didn't event drugs or organised crime or gangs. Teenagers would do these things without seeing it in popular culture and, to me. a teenager who watched Blow then did cocaine was probably not convinced to do cocaine by the movie but watched the movie because they were interested in cocaine.



AND if someone really is impressionable enough to think that crime is 'cool' because of a movie then they would seem to be so easily led you would have to completely lock them out from the outside world to stop them getting convinced to do stupid things

Answer 3

I'm 16, and when I watch "gang culture" films I don't personally feel the need to perform in the same manner. Honestly, it depends on the individual; traits to take into consideration being mainly maturity and age. Most gang movies end up having the bad guy getting a lesson learned anyway, whether it be being put in jail, killed, etc.; so in a way, "gang culture" films can be portrayed as a positive influence. If your asking this question for personal reasons, then I guess you will have to use your own judgment on whether or not you want to show your youth this particular movie. If you think this child/teen can handle the movie and not act in a "monkey see, monkey do" fashion, it wouldn't hurt for them to see what kind of a negative lifestyle accompanies crime.



-Sorry if I misused punctuation too often. I've never been too good with that...

Answer 4

I think films that glamorize gang culture certainly do have an impact on many teenagers, and as the Black-eyed Peas said in one of their songs- 'Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema'. Let's face it- there are more and more films and TV programmes being made that promote gangs, and at the same time it is evident that gang crime is on the increase. Is this just a coincidence? I think not!

Answer 5

when a teenager watches a gang related film say for a couple of times then they are more likely to pick lots of things from it. this is part of a persons social development. and when you see a person taking drugs and finding it normal then there will be a chance the teenager finding it normal.

hope ive helped

Answer 6

Hmm.. properly it particularly relies upon on what form of teenager is staring at a "gang custom action picture" i assume. additionally in accordance with how the action picture provides gang custom, drugs etc If gang custom and medicines are portraid as a favorable ingredient, properly i will assume alot of youthful teenage boys will percieve the action picture as a "cool" ingredient...yet in undemanding terms too a definite volume returned based on the teen/up bringing/custom and perspectives. regardless of the fact that maximum gang videos are no longer offered in a positve way, lots are in accordance with genuine thoughts and comparable thoughts that have hapenned interior the exceeded and maximum end with an unhappy ending. Gang custom additionally can come from many distinctive nationalities international.

Answer 7

While it seems to be the case that teens watching almost anything, including gang culture films, can quite often be effected by watching them, this is usually only in the short term.



Let's look at a play by William Shakespeare which is all about street gang culture and violence. It also happens to be about two lovers, each of which belongs to a different and opposing street gang.



Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0LjuLSZU4Hk&feature=related



We must always bear in mind that the older generation, of which I am a member, quite often subscribe to the idea that the past was somehow better when in fact it was not.



Back in my youth there was as much street violence as there is today, problem is the old seldom want to believe that.



Mods & Rockers of the 1960s

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=o4LuoPh2Ku4



Teenage boys want to fight - the trick is to try to control this and organize them in boxing and judo clubs etc., where they can work off all that testosterone aggression.



For myself, I joined the British Army at age 15 and by the time I was 18 and ready for the Man's Army I was as fit as hell having slogged across Dartmoor in the rain, clambered over the mountains of Wales and canoed up and down miles of rivers at night. It leave little time for a punch up.



Only one thing to add though.. .my neighbour told me yesterday that her two year old grandson Charlie had thrown one of his shoes at her. Cannot imagine where he got that idea from! Can you?