TIME TO MEET THE OUTLAWS
BY: Lisa Petrocelli
Source: examiner.com
. - It is fascinating that the outlaw club subculture can exist and actually thrive in today's society. There's a lesson here. If you understand the brotherhood aspect inherent and maybe mandatory, in clubs, you eventually see the relationship to a family structure that the brotherhood nurtures, and thus why this subculture succeeds.
Consider the 'class' structure of an outlaw club: "Hangaround," Prospect, Full patch member. There is good reason for this class structure. Just as in traditional families, there is a hierarchy –President Dad, Co-Pres Mom, and down (or up) the line (Polywog, Tadpole, Frog). In every society there are class structures and outlaw clubs are no different. Respect is a major factor here. The prospect must go through a process of discernment first to determine whether the club is the right fit for him and then to insure that he learns and earns the respect that will be required of him as a full patch member. This process forces an evolution of the soul. Kind of like having to walk in someone's shoes before you really "get" it. You're young before you're old. Experience before wisdom. Darkness before dawn, you get the drift.
I admire the brotherhood ideal in these clubs. There is discipline, there is respect, and there is love. They are part of an elite group and are proud to represent each other. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." This stuff doesn't just happen. Takes time and sacrifice, just like any lasting relationship in life.
Do we have family secrets or skeletons in our personal closets? Yes. Do we get justifiably provoked if one of the family members airs our dirty laundry or throws one of those skeletons out for all to see? Of course. Do we take action to preserve our dignity and respect? Yes. Are you noticing a pattern here? Family. Values. No question that outlaw clubs have been notorious for criminal behavior, even if they were not truly guilty of every accusation. But how different really are these guys from the average citizen you pass on the street every day? These are not super-human beings with supernatural powers. Most of us live insulated within our little cocoons, always careful not to step out of the cocoon and shed our skin. Perhaps one difference is that they choose not to always hide their sins – and do shed that skin now and then. Maybe they actually enjoy being the rebel with or without a cause. Haven't we all felt that way at some time in our lives. If we walked around with our sins typed up and taped to our chests, we would all be declared candidates for a special place in Hell.
Families are continually struggling with generation gap issues, personality conflicts, disagreements among family members, faulty decisionmaking. What do families do when they are struggling? They may have a family meeting, they may turn to their faith for strength to get through the days and weeks, they may even call on relatives. Club brothers behave in similar ways. Some attend meetings, called 'church,' in which various issues are discussed – financial, upcoming events, problems that need solutions. Working together, the club members find the resolutions they seek and business is taken care of.
Occasionally, club members may call upon support clubs for assistance. Some clubs grow very close and the relationship is akin to that of cousins who are almost as close as brothers. The reference, "brother of a different patch" can be a high honor achieved over time. A full patch member is indeed a full member of the club and inherits all the benefits entitled to him, but earning the patch does not mean everyone in the club automatically gets along with each other, or always agrees. Personality conflicts are dealt with, individuals may compromise for the good of the club, and life goes on. Bottom line is whatever each member brings to the table is what makes a club what it is – just like with any family you are there for good times and bad.
Outlaw clubs have their own ancestors and I'm sure many of them actually trace that genealogy. Walk into a clubhouse if you ever have the opportunity, and notice all the "family" pictures on the walls. Also notice the care and reverence taken with their placement. These photos represent those from the club who have gone before them. Current members look to those ancestors as their heroes, their mentors, their soldiers who have paved the way for future generations of the dynasty. We learn from our ancestors, we learn our history and tradition and we carry it on.
We are loyal to our family and friends. Club members are loyal to each other, in fact, club members can probably count on their 'brothers" as much if not more than family members. This fact is well-known and one of the reasons that brothers are willing to sacrifice so much time and energy to their club. They know to whom they pledge their allegiance, and they are devoted to promoting the good of the club.
Just as we might forfeit certain relationships in order to preserve the consistency of our family structure, the outlaw will place a high priority on his club brothers and may consider them first before his own family. This tells us how serious the brotherhood relationship is in this culture. If that relationship is severed, trust is breached, and there are usually serious consequences for the club and its offending member. Kind of like when Amish families 'shun' the male or female defector. They are never allowed back into the family and are no longer acknowledged, they become invisible. The club president must insure that no fracture results in a shattered foundation. Though a branch may be broken from the tree, the tree remains standing tall and continues to grow.
The promise of security is naturally appealing to potential prospects, especially (but not exclusively) to those who hail from broken families or damaged affairs of the heart and soul. Club brothers vow to protect, defend, and support each other at all costs. The initiation process is worth the reward that is earned. Another family member is born and the occasion is marked by celebration. Members are dedicated to contributing to the benefit of the club and partnership with neighboring coalitions. Their ambition is driven by a desire for acceptance and amity among each other and with neighboring outlaw clubs. While at first a member may appear guarded, it is simply his innate sense of potential danger. Only when a man earns his full patch does he finally feel at peace in the company of his brothers. All members are considered equal. Brothers greet each other with handshakes or hugs to stress the significance of the member's status and remunerate the brother for his loyalty and ambition.
We may see the future of outlaw clubs much in the same way the family structure has evolved today. There are just as many divorced families as families who stay together. Those who stay together know they have to work through all the dynamics of their family empire, at every stage of their lives, whether living through great times or struggling through trying times. Family and club life are closely intertwined and both possess the basic need to love, survive and prosper. And what remains, despite all odds, is the constant birth and continued growth – some laws of nature cannot be halted. The club family perseveres and the spirit of brotherhood is eternal.
