Gangs:

Viewed by Anarchism and Fascism

SDS 131R
Professor Theresa Romkey
Social ss!es Pro"ec#
Introduction
The #erm $gang$ can ha%e a %arie#y of meanings& e%en when being !sed by 'res#igio!s
news'a'ers s!ch as #he Globe and (ail and Toron#o S#ar )Richardson * +ennedy& ,-1,./ n #his
'a'er& #he #erm has #he same meaning as i# did for a re'or# by #he Royal 0anadian (o!n#ed
Police& namely: gro!'s which 1)a. are generally 'ercei%ed as a 2#hrea#3& )b. recogni4e #hemsel%es
as a deno#able gro!'/// and )c. ha%e been in%ol%ed in 2n!mero!s illegal3 inciden#s1 )0ha##er"ee&
,--5& '/ 3./ A re'or# by #he 0riminal n#elligence Ser%ice 0anada )0S0. ),--5. fo!nd #ha#
0anada con#ains more #han 3-- s#ree# gangs& wi#h o%er 11&--- 2ad!l#3 members6 addi#ionally&
#here are an es#ima#ed 737 yo!#h gangs& con#aining a''ro8ima#ely 9&-91 2#eenage3 members& in
#he co!n#ry )P!blic Safe#y 0anada& ,--9./ This makes a #o#al of ro!ghly 1:&--- gang members in
0anada/ This amo!n# may no# seem significan#& b!# when one considers #ha# large amo!n#s of
gang members are concen#ra#ed in #he !rban areas of "!s# a few ma"or ci#ies& #he 'roblem
becomes more serio!s )0S0& ,--5./ From dr!g #rafficking and #hef# #o e8#or#ion and in#er;gang
%iolence& #hese gangs 'rod!ce a s!bs#an#ial amo!n# of ha4ards for bo#h ci#i4ens and go%ernmen#s/
There are n!mero!s condi#ions #heori4ed #o ca!se gangs #o form& incl!ding: racial discrimina#ion
)as mos# gang members #end #o be minori#ies.& fa!l#y ed!ca#ion sys#ems )which increase #he
amo!n# of yo!#h gangs.& and 'o%er#y )0as#iglia& 1<<3./ The ca!ses are im'or#an# #o consider in
de#ermining 'olicies #o ge# rid of #he gangs/ As a means of disco%ering social 'olicies which can
be !sed #o deal wi#h #he 'roblem of gangs& #he #wo 'oli#ical ideologies of anarchism and fascism
will be e8amined/ Firs#& #here will be a brief s!mmary of each ideology& #hen an analysis of how
each ideology wo!ld %iew #he social 'roblem of gangs/ Following #his is a com'arison of #he #wo
%iews& a look a# #he 'olicies each ideology wo!ld recommend& and a concl!sion which re%iews
#he 'a'er$s main arg!men#s and e%al!a#es #he a''roach #aken by #he #wo ideologies/
Summary of Ideologies
Anarchism is an ideology which places at its centre the abolition of government, and individual
freedom. It believes that humans are naturally decent and capable of living well in a society
without any governance (McCullough, 200!. In this paper, anarchism will refer to individual
anarchism (rather than social anarchism! which sees the state as harmful to the freedom of
individuals ("om#ey, 20$a!. Individual freedom is seen as highly important so dominance is
strictly re%ected, especially the dominance which governments typically have over their citi&ens
("om#ey, 20$b!. Anarchists believe that individuals are usually the best at %udging what is in
their best interests, so they should be free to ma#e their own decisions rather than having to
follow contrived laws (McCullough, 200!. 'he e(istence of the state is seen as a concentration
of power in the hands of a few, so anarchists argue for a decentrali&ed government (when no
government is not an option! which does not ta#e away power from its citi&ens ("om#ey,
20$b!.
)ascism is an ideology which places at its centre state*leader control, and national unity. It
believes that the strong have the right to reign over the wea#, so the strongest entity, the state,
should have complete authority over all of its people (McCullough, 200!. )ascists go as far as to
say that their leaders should be given total control because they are always right ("om#ey,
20$c!. +ince their leader is perfect, a totalitarian state, which gives the leader absolute authority,
is preferred ("om#ey, 20$d!. 'o strengthen national unity, society is built around the dominant
ethnic group, while foreigners are usually hated or feared ("om#ey, 20$c!. Additionally,
fre,uent war is used both to gain strength and build a sense of commrodary amongst the citi&ens
(McCullough, 200!.
Views of the Ideologies about Gangs
Anarchism would view gangs to be a result of incompetent governments not helping its citi&ens.
+ince a good society would be able to e(ist in the absence of any sort of governance, a society in
which people are forced into the violence and suffering that comes with gang life must be due to
a faulty government. 'he gang problem may have started in many ways- impoverished citi&ens
loo#ing for a better life, bored youth see#ing e(citement, or mistreated minorities fighting for
freedom, but all the ways lead to the fact of state incompetence. In the case of the poor people, it
is the government which has failed its duty to ensure that there are enough %obs to #eep everyone
employed, and its duty to have in place social programs to help the poor live without resorting to
gang life. )or the bored youth, the government has failed to maintain decent schools which
provide students with plenty of opportunities to engage in social activities, as well as teach them
the dangers that are associated with gang life. .ith regards to the mistreated minorities, the
government does not have enough policies and*or laws in place to create an accepting society in
which its members do not discriminate against each other over such trivial differences as
ethnicity. "egardless of how the gangs came into e(istence, the current problem can only be
attributed to the uselessness of the state.
Anarchists would view the problem of gangs as a potential non/issue, depending on the
e(tremity of the gangs. 0angs are not in themselves a problem, but rather it is the activities they
parta#e in, particularly the activities which intrude on the individual freedom of others, which
prove to be troublesome. Activities such as e(tortion, assault, homicide, rape, and abduction are
all problems because they ta#e away the liberty of safety from all of the victims of the actions.
1owever, activities such as drug traffic#ing, spraying graffiti on public property, and e(clusively
inter/gang fights are acceptable. 2rug traffic#ing is acceptable because people should have the
right to en%oy themselves in whatever manner they choose, and since traditional laws are
abandoned in the anarchist land. 'he graffiti on public property is acceptable because people
should be free to e(press their creativity however they please, and no individual is at a loss since
no one owns the property. 3(clusively inter/gang fights, meaning that no bystanders get caught
in the crossfire, are acceptable because all individuals who %oin gangs are li#ely aware of the fact
that they will eventually fight members of other gangs, and if they still choose to %oin then they
should be allowed to fight their willing opponents. If the gangs stic# to the acceptable activities
then there is no problem, people can associate with whoever they want to, but if they do any of
the activities which ta#e away freedom from their fellow citi&ens, then there is a ma%or problem.
)ascism would view gangs to be a result of the wic#edness of foreigners. +ince a society
comprised only of members of the greatest ethnicity would be completely unified, rebellion in
the form of gangs can only be attributed to the foreigners. A world in which only the chosen
peoples are present can be led by the glorious leader to be a complete utopia, the foreigners #now
that they have no place in the utopia so they see# to ruin it out of %ealousy through rebellion. 'his
may seem li#e an implausible theory, but the truth becomes clear when one considers the fact
that most gang members are usually minorities. 'hese gang members see# to rebel to destroy the
great, unified nation which could be made to e(ist if they would %ust disappear. 4o matter how
one loo#s at it, the gang problem is clearly attributable to the foreigners.
)ascist leaders would use the problem of gangs to help build their own reputation as well
as strengthen national unity. 'he gangs are a clear threat national unity, so they must be gotten
rid of. 5y getting rid of this menace, the leaders would be able to demonstrate their great power,
thus deterring and future rebels and glorifying themselves in the eyes of their beloved citi&ens. It
also has the benefit of removing all of those who are not completely obedient to the leaders,
ma#ing it easier to control the remaining population. Additionally, the disappearance of all these
foreigners means that the nation is one step closer to the goal of a population with only those of
the superior ethnicity, thus strengthening the unity amongst these superior people. +o, dealing
with the problem of gangs will have some great benefits for both the leader and the people.
Comparison of Anarchist and Fascist Views
It comes as no surprise that the two ideologies on complete opposite sides of the spectrum,
fascism on the side of very high government involvement and anarchism on the side of very low,
have drastically different views with regards to the social problem of gangs. 6ne difference is
that anarchism sees the government as responsible for the creation of gangs, while fascism thin#s
governments are responsible of eliminating gangs. 'his stri#ing difference is li#ely due to the
differing views the ideologies have with regards to human nature. Anarchists view humans as
naturally good, so when they start doing something bad (li#e %oining a gang! it must be due to
some sort of outside influence (such as a lousy government!, while fascists thin# people are
naturally bad, so when the people start showing their true colours, the only choice one has is to
get rid of them. 'his difference in opinion about human nature can also e(plain why anarchists
view gang members to be a part of their society (their e,uals! but fascists see them as something
e(terior to their society (lowly intruders!. Another difference is the severity of the problem.
Anarchism sees it as potentially not even being a problem while fascism sees it as something
which could undermine the entire state. 'his difference li#ely stems from the vastly different
tolerance levels of the ideologies. Anarchism is e(tremely tolerant when it comes to people, so if
they do not do anything too bad, little attention will be given to them7 on the other hand, fascism
is e(tremely intolerant and views any act of disobedience or nonconformity to be a direct insult
to the leader. .ith all of these ma%or differences, it is to be e(pected that there are no significant
similarities in the two views.
Recommended Social Policies
Anarchists would say that the best way to deal with the problem of gangs is to abolish the
government, since it is the incompetence of the government which has caused the problem7
no other policy is needed for once the government is gone, the problem will naturally solve itself.
0ang members are humans %ust li#e everyone else, and as humans they can be changed into
better citi&ens. 'hey are simply people who are pursuing pleasure through methods different
from what most are used to, so they do not deserve any punishment. 6nce the poverty, faulty
schools and discriminatory society brought upon by the government is all gotten rid of, the gang
members will surely return to being more ordinary members of society.
)ascists would see# to get rid of the gangs in a very showy way. 'hese gang members
disobeying the wishes of the leader, and are preventing the creation of a better world for the
superior people, so a severe punishment is called for. 'here are a few possible policies which
could be used to solve the gang problem, the one used depends on the ruthlessness of the leader.
6ne policy is to simply order all gang members to leave, or else the military will come to
imprison them. Another policy is to not give the order and %ust send the military to capture and
imprison or e(ecute them. 'he third policy is to send the military not to capture but to #ill any
suspected gang members on sight. All three methods are sure to demonstrate the great power of
the leader and will certainly get rid of all the problematic gang members.
Conclusion
'he problem of gangs is a complicated one which has no clear e(planation as to what caused it.
Anarchism blame a corrupt government while fascism blame the evil inherent in foreigners.
Anarchism sees it as a minor problem at best while fascism sees it as something which absolutely
must be dealt with. 'he different opinions of the two ideologies with regards to human nature
and at what scale offences should be tolerated, have resulted in severely different view regarding
the issue of gangs. 'hese different views have also led to very different recommended policies-
abolishing the government for anarchism, and driving out or #illing all gang members for
fascism. .hile both these views seem to be e(treme (doing practically nothing and #illing them
all!, both policies are supported by sound philosophical theories and so should be ac#nowledged
as valid options.
References
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