2003-05-20 - 2:05 a.m.
For the past year and a half I've had the unsought opportunity to become a self appointed amateur socio-urban-ethnologist with a concentration in gangs. While my field research has reaffirmed many of the things we already know about gangs, I have recently developed new theories culled from my conversations, observations, and reading the markings they've left behind on bathroom stalls.
I believe there is a socio-political aspect to gangland that until now has been overlooked. My findings are simple. The 'Bloods' are conservatives and the 'Crips' are liberals. When one decides which gang to join, the individual's decision reveals a dynamic characteristic truth. To be a Blood is simplistic and obvious. Me = bad. Blood = usually pretty bad. I am a Blood. Fear me.
Crips on the other hand denote an individual who would rather stand out from the pack. To know and understand what it is to be a Crip usually conveys a greater finesse with vocabulary (especially if they are familiar with the root 'crypt') much in the same way Democrats are thought of as more educated. A lesser mind would think Crip was short for 'cripple'.
In the end, all I ask is, please, vote Crip in 2004.
