Mara Salvatrucha Subculture

1.) Subculture/pg. 47-48: The values and related behaviors of a group that distinguish its members from the larger culture; a world within a world. The Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13, is a gang formed by El Salvadorian immigrants in Los Angeles. The Gang grows in vast proportions and is gaining structure that distinguishes it from an average street gang. The group has intricate workings and mechanics that not only set it apart but allow it to function with notable force and precision. There are members, who are initiated by being “jumped in”, which refers to a thirteen second session of group beating where many others members attack the initiate with punches, kicks, and other physical violence. After this gauntlet is through, there are various …show more content…
There are norms and sanctions within the enterprise determining and directing its culture. These will then effect the methods or habits of the members. These sets of extreme norms tend to deviate from the general flow of the culture they exist in. The dirty truth, however, is these extremes have been let go for such a long time, and they have begun to be expected. This presents the possibility of these extremes morphing into widespread cultural norms. Some of the methods of this gang include: beheading, castrating, and dismembering their enemies. When the general United States society views such practices, they do so with the view that these are extreme and un-acceptable. These atrocious negative-sanctions are deemed taboo and very …show more content…
192: a group’s formal and informal means of enforcing its norms. MS13 is known for their violent policies and tactics. Fear is as great of a weapon for the gang as is a gun. Both are used liberally. Submission is implemented from initiation to promotion. There is a degradation of who you were before the gang and members eat, sleep, plot, and live MS13. The rest of who they were gets dissolved into the gang life. This is where the strength of MS13’s social control begins. More is revealed of the nature of such control in view of the gang’s recruitment patterns. Young boys and girls in schools, around eight or nine, become targets for this gang. If these individuals get in at a young age, the transition is seamless, and gang life is all they know. This indoctrination will eclipse the norms of surrounding culture, and it will create a state of blindness for those involved. Things that may have been counter to instinct or conscience became doable. Friends can become targets of assassination, given the order, and the sole purpose of existence is to defend and protect the