Gangsta Mentality

The need to make yourself look bigger than you actually is a given. You want to be tough, and the best way you see to do that is to act tough. Right now, the toughest characters out there are rappers, who have criminal records, know how to use guns, and apparently get all the women they want. For someone wanting to be tough this is not a bad example to emulate.

Now, I could go through and deconstruct the gangsta myth, but that’s not productive to the conversation. More to the point, boys have emulated their heroes since the time of the caveman; the most popular heroes have always been the stoic stranger who fought with his fists when a bigger weapon wasn’t available, and got the chicks. Instead, let’s look at how you can do better.

Let’s start with the firearms. First off, never hold a firearm sideways; it requires a lot more strength to make work and it’s never as accurate as it may seem. If you are going to use a firearm, make sure you have actual training with it; the less training you have the more likely you will become a statistic, and not in a good way.

If you really want to be someone who is trouble in a fight, versus in trouble in a fight, just wrestle with your friends a lot. If you can, take some martial arts classes. This should give you the experience and skills you need. Martial arts insruction comes with the added advantage that someone is actually keeping score, and you can be rewarded for fighting well. At the very least, you will use up some of that anger you’re carrying around.

If someone offers to teach you dirty fighting techniques, shake your head and just walk away; dirty fighting techniques work, but they tend to get you into more trouble than they are worth. After all, if you are beaten in a fair fight that’s the end of it, but if they had to cheat it just doesn’t feel ended. Also, the techniques are useless against most actual fighters; a decent wrestler won’t give you a chance to use them, and everyone else keeps enough space between you and them to really get them in. So avoid any kind of reliance on dirty fighting.

Never do drugs right before a fight. I’m trying to avoid the “Don’t use drugs” preaching, but there is nothing more sorry than a fight between two guys that are high on marijuana. If you’re going into a fight, drugs will only slow you down or cause you to make worse decisions than normal. You’ll want to get into the middle of things, and that never leads anywhere good. Worse, when it becomes apparent that the only solution is to run away, you’ll take on whoever is there, up to and including the cops. Cops versus drug-infused kid: Never a good thing.

And never wear sagging jeans. Regardless of whether or not your believe that it was a trend started by prisoners looking to get lucky, it’s a bad strategic move. If you get into a fight, your pants limit your mobility; if you want to run, help a friend, or get into the center of the action, you can’t because your pants get in the way. On the other hand, if dating girls is something you are trying to avoid, you just found the perfect way to do so; nothing makes a girl less interested in a boy than seeing his pants below his waistline.

So, find a way to be tough, but do it in your own way. Learn to fight, preferably from someone who already knows how. Don’t rely on movies and rap videos for your firearms techniques. Drugs are bad when you need to focus. And please learn to wear a belt properly. This is one time knowing basic fashion may save your life.