Darrent Williams: A Study of American Gang Culture—Part One

Let me begin this way, by way of an admission, when I first heard about Darrent Williams, a Denver Bronco, an American footbal player, being shot, the farthest thought from my mind was that, his death was gang involved. In fact, I chastised a fellow blogger for bringing it up; and, for the record, I still would. I chastised them for it, because speculations were made before the facts were in.

Their “speculations” as they put it was “based” on athlete related violence. Maybe. Maybe not. My attitude was a wait and see. Let’s find out first what happened, then opine on what the state of athletics, and the culture that surrounds it. To recapitulate the obvious, the clichéd, hinders us, and ties us to unsubstantiated facts, and once out there can never be redacted out of existence. Their assumption, of this blogger, only indicated their own bias.

Admittedly, however, the end result of their “speculation” turned out correct, but it was not based on the normative idea, but on the multicultural assumptions, not raw data or presented facts, their assumptions were based on clichés and stereotypes—not facts. Furthermore, their “speculation” did not count or include the man, the type of man, Darrent William was, and yet to be ascertain the worthiness of praise or ridicule.

What is apparent is that Darrent Williams (dwill) was playing a dangerous game. He was trying to balance his popularity (locally) with his teammates, his fans, his coach, his old neighborhood, and his family with an outside the “normative” popular culture extreme known as “violent hip-hop.” Some call it gang-bang hip-hop; some refer to it as “keeping it real.”

Darrent Williams, ever the one trying to please everybody, with those from his own neighborhood, or former socioeconomic grouping, he was trying to remain with those in the hood. Unfortunately, for Darrent Williams, you can’t please all the people al l the time. Young male egos (whether white, yellow, black, or red) are hypersensitive—trying to prove their own value; and, often these egos become easily bruised. They are often emboldened, especially within groups, trying to prove their manhood, their machismo, their worth.

It’s not because they feel “inferior,” or “less than,” the individuals who they feel that have slighted are consider “beneath,” thus it is the attitude of superiority that belies their anger toward the person. The thought is this, “How dare you? Don’t you know who I am?” Or what I can do to you?” Their confidence is in their numbers, the group, and their family of brothers or sisters.

No Darrent Williams walked, no ran, into the piety of self-righteousness, arrogance of an attitude that believes that they are untouchable. And now, he is dead, because of a mistake by him. His own inability to say “no,” his youth, lead to his death—and always to wanting to please other had him cultivating a culture he should have walked away from. Nonetheless, I will not demonize him for it… (end part one).

photo credit by AP