University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2012 'reel' Gangs Or 'real' Gangs: A Qualitative Media Analysis Of Street Gangs Portrayed In Hollywood Films, 1960-2009 Christopher J. Przemieniecki Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Przemieniecki, Christopher J., "'reel' Gangs Or 'real' Gangs: A Qualitative Media Analysis Of Street Gangs Portrayed In Hollywood Films, 1960-2009" (2012). Theses and Dissertations. 1312. https://commons.und.edu/theses/1312 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ‘REEL’ GANGS or ‘REAL’ GANGS: A QUALITATIVE MEDIA ANALYSIS of STREET GANGS PORTRAYED in HOLLYWOOD FILMS, 1960-2009 by Christopher John Przemieniecki Bachelor of Arts, Wright State University, 1992 Master of Science, Illinois State University, 1994 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, North Dakota August 2012 Copyright 2012 Christopher J. Przemieniecki ii iii PERMISSION Title ‘Reel’ Gangs or ‘Real’ Gangs: A Qualitative Media Analysis of Street Gangs Portrayed in Hollywood Films, 1960-2009 Department Criminal Justice Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work or, in her absence, by the chairperson of the department or the dean of the Graduate School. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Christopher John Przemieniecki July 17, 2012 iv TABLE of CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………………………………. xi LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………… xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………….. xiv ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………. xvii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………… 1 Organization of Chapters………………………………….. 5 II. THE THEORECTICAL UNDERPINNINGS: SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM and CINEMATIC REALISM……………. 7 Theory of Social Constructionism………………………….. 9 Theories Related to Social Reality………………….. 12 Social Constructionism and Gangs…………………. 13 Film Theory………………………………………………… 16 Genre………………………………………………... 17 Realism……………………………………………………… 19 Cinematic Realism………………………………….. 21 Cinematic Realism in ‘Street Gang’ Films….……… 26 v III. LITERATURE REVIEW: STREET GANGS, the MEDIA, and HOLLYWOOD FILMS…………………………………………….. 30 Definition of Gangs/Street Gangs…………………………… 30 Characteristics of Street Gangs and Gang Members ……………………………………….…… 36 Group/Group Size…………………………… 37 Permanence………………………………….. 37 Turf/Territory……………………………….. 38 Leadership…………………………………… 38 Graffiti (Communication)..…………………. 39 Gang Identifiers (Colors, Style of Dress, Monikers, Gang Name)……………………… 39 Negative Responses by Law Enforcement/ Community………………………………….. 41 Crimes….……………………………………. 41 Demographics of Street Gangs/Gang Members……. 43 Race/Ethnicity……………………………… 43 Gender……………………………………… 44 Age…………………………………………. 45 Location…………………………………….. 46 Gangs and the Media ……………………………………… 47 Print Media…………………………………………. 48 Sound/Audio Media………………………………… 51 New/Interactive Media……………………………… 53 Visual Media………………………………………… 53 vi History of Gang-Related Films……………………………… 56 Distinctions between ‘Gangster’ Films and ‘Street Gang’ Films…………………………………………………….…… 60 Research Related to ‘Street Gangs’ in Hollywood Films…… 61 Research Objective…………………………………………. 66 IV. METHODS…………………………………………………………. 67 Selection Process of ‘Street Gang’ Films…………………… 69 Academic Literature…………………………………. 70 New Sources…………………………………………. 70 Internet Sources……………………………………… 71 Steps in the Film Selection Process…………………………. 72 Variables, Definitions, and Coding Scheme………………… 78 Independent Variable……………………………….. 78 Dependent Variables………………………………… 78 Group/Group Size…………………………… 79 Permanence…………………………………. 79 Turf/Territory……………………………….. 79 Leadership…................................................. 80 Graffiti (Communication)..……….………… 80 Gang Identifiers (Colors, Style of Dress, Monikers, Gang Name) ……………….……. 81 Negative Reponses by Law Enforcement/Community…………………… 82 Types of Crimes…………………………….. 82 Demographic Variables ……………………………. 83 vii Race/Ethnicity……………………………… 83 Gender……………………………………… 83 Age………………………………………… 84 Location……………………………………. 84 Limitations/Delimitations…………………………………… 84 V. RESULTS and ANALYSIS OF DATA……………………….…… 87 The Emergent Themes/Patterns of ‘Street Gang’ Films…….. 87 ‘Reel’ Street Gangs Resemble ‘Real’ Street Gangs…………. 88 Characteristics of Street Gangs Portrayed in Films…. 88 Group/Group Size………………………..… 90 Permanence……………………………..…. 91 Turf/Territory…………………………….... 91 Leadership………………………………….. 93 Graffiti (Communication)………………….. 94 Gang Identifiers (Colors, Style of Dress, Monikers, Gang Name)…………………….... 96 Negative Responses by Law Enforcement/ Community………………………………..… 100 Types of Crimes…………………………..... 102 Demographic Variables……………………………. 104 Race/Ethnicity……………………………… 104 Gender …………………………………….. 105 Age………………………………………. 106 Location…………………………………… 107 viii Seeking Authenticity in ‘Reel’ Street Gangs………………... 108 Background of Director/Writer……………………… 108 Based on a True Story………………………………. 110 Using ‘Real’ Gangs and Consultants/Advisors…….. 111 Marketing of a ‘Street Gang’ Film …………………. 112 Changes in Race/Ethnicity …………………………………. 116 \ Cycles of Violence–Street Gangs as Perpetrators and Victims……………………………………………………… 121 Hollywood ‘Street Gangs’ as the Vehicle for Storytelling …. 128 Relationships/Love………………………………….. 129 Police Relations…………………………………….. 130 Race/Ethnicity Relations……………………………. 132 Class Conflicts……………………………………… 134 Social Environment/Neighborhoods……………….. 136 VI. DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, and RECOMMENDATIONS .… 139 Hollywood’s Cycle of ‘Street Gang’ Films…………………. 141 Identifying Street Gangs and Their Meanings……………… 147 Cinematic Realism–Seeking Authenticity for Hollywood Images of Street Gangs..…………………………………….. 149 Social and Cinematic Changes in the Image of the Racial/Ethnic Makeup of Street Gangs……………………... 154 Moral Panics, the Super-Predator, and Street Gangs……….. 160 Conclusion………………………………………………….. 163 Recommendations for Future Research…………………….. 167 ix APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………… 169 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………… 184 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members, 1996-2008……………………………… 44 2. Gender of Gang Members, 1998-2007……………………………………… 45 3. Age of Gang Member, 1996-2008…………………………………………… 46 4. Distribution of Gang Membership by Area Type, 2010…………………….. 47 5. Percentage of Films Depicting Group and Group Size ……………………… 90 6. Percentage of Films Depicting Permanence of a Street Gang………………. 91 7. Percentage of Films Depicting Turf/Territorial Fights………………………. 91 8. Percentage of Films Depicting an Identifiable Leader in the Street Gang…… 93 9.1 Percentage of Films Depicting Graffiti Anywhere…………………………… 95 9.2. Percentage of Films Depicting the Tagging as a Form of Communication …. 96 10.1. Percentage of Films Featuring 'Colors' as a Gang Identifier ………………… 97 10.2. Percentage of Films Depicting ‘Style of Dress’ by Street Gangs……………. 98 10.3. Percentage of Films Using ‘Monikers’ to Distinguish Gang Members……… 98 10.4. Percentage of Films Identifying Street Gangs by Their ‘Gang Name’………. 100 10.5. Percentage of Films Depicting Negative Responses by Law Enforcement Officials and Members of the Community………………………………….... 101 11. The Number of Films that Depicted the Various Types of Crime…………… 103 12. Percentage of Street Gang Members Depicted by Race/Ethnicity ………….. 105 13. Percentage of Street Gang Members Depicted by Gender ………………….. 106 xi 14. Percentage of Street Gang Members Depicted by Age ……………………… 107 15. Percentage of ‘Street Gang’ Films by Location …………………………….. 107 16. Number of ‘Street Gang’ Films Depicting Race/Ethnicity by Decade, 1960-2009 ……………………………………………………………………. 117 xii LIST OF TABLES Tables Page 1. Street Gang’ Films Mentioned/Discussed in the Academic Literature (f >= 5)……………………………………………………………. 73 2. List of Top ‘Street Gang’ Films (based on Academic/Online Sources) in News Reports that Reported on a Films Impact/Influence on Gang Culture/Violence ……………………………………………………………… 74 3. Final List of ‘Street Gang’ Films Selected for Analysis, includes Estimated Budget, Total Domestic Lifetime (Unadjusted) Gross Income, Total Domestic (Adjusted) Gross (based on 2010 ticket sales), and Number of Releases to Theaters, 1960-2009……………………………………………… 77 4. Definitional Characteristics Observed in ‘Street Gang’ Films……………….. 89 xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the support and guidance from several individuals over the last several years. I am so thankful for all the help I have