Intelligent gangsters

Spring break, by all accounts, was an experience in understanding, covered by a thick cloud of outlandish fun.

For years I had seen various programs dedicated to college spring break, so instead of sitting at home twiddling my thumbs, like I’ve done for years, I took the 12-hour trip to Panama City, Fla.

To call it a great time would be a gross understatement, but instead of simply living in the moment, at times I would step outside of the box and take an introspective look at reality.

I’ve been around a great deal of people who pretend to be what they aren’t.

Sure they put up a mighty good front, but for those who have been around the people these pretenders imitate, it’s pure comedy.

It almost seemed as if some of the people down there had looked up what it meant to be “gangster” and followed the provided steps to look the part.

I’ve been to some rough areas and still know people who live in these places, so for me it was truly a wake-up call describing the importance of staying true to myself.

People see these images of thugs and gangsters as a way to escape their boring lives, but what they fail to understand is that these people they imitate, who actually live that life, would do anything to be able to sit at a dinner table with their family or go to the park to play baseball.

They don’t just do crime for the sake of doing it; hey do it because their environment, and in many cases poor judgment, has brought them to this point.

So in some weird way, people are either running or reaching to be something else.

The love affair with this image of pushing the envelope and breaking the rules is completely ignorant, as those who either run from or seek this image have no idea that real gangsters have probably never shot anyone or bought a broken down car and put 22-inch rims on it.

The real thugs, the real bullies, wake up everyday to a full breakfast and are driven to work by chauffeurs dressed in cheap clip-on bow ties.

The real gangsters don’t peddle drugs to the community or “look like a fool with their pants on the ground.”

They sit in their offices, in their blue or black suits, wearing ties in shades of blue, red and gray.

 The real gangsters care about themselves and position their network to better their small circle of friends, as opposed to everyone else.

In my mind, politician is synonymous with thug, gangster and all the other words to describe those whose personal gain is more important than the collective whole.

There are some who work at not being characterized this way, but in a general sense, most promote this image of being a great representative, while only representing themselves.

Washington is getting away with promising the world, while doing nothing.

Politics have gotten in the way of progress and both sides, Democrats and Republicans, simply look like bullies. They take our lunch money (taxes) and scare us (Patriot Act) but instead of looking like the classic gangsters, they smile and kiss babies on the forehead.

As the suburban and real-life gangsters of our age bracket progress, it’s important they hold fast to the harsh realities of life by looking at what is on the inside as opposed to what our eyes tell us.