“It’s not cool to be a dumb dummy and disrespect your mommy”? -Slick Rick the Ruler

It seems as if the youth in our community gravitate more towards the criminal than the scholar, they seem to find it more fulfilling to degrade a woman in order to look cool amongst their friends than to give the proper respect due to another human being, the same that they would want given to their mother, sister or daughter. Why is that? And why does it seem that everyone wants to be a thug these days?

I want to discuss the thug mentality in three parts: What is a thug? Where did the popularization of the thug come from and what is the usefulness of the thug mentality?


Growing up I saw thugs as people that were looked down upon. They didn’t care about the welfare of anyone but themselves and their momentary needs. If a thug saw something he or she wanted they’d simply take it, by intimidation, violence or any other means of persuasion (this could be applied to other things besides a certain kind of person but for this discussion my focus is on the person). Usually they were the dudes on the corner in the neighborhood or somewhere in the streets grouped together hustling or just being. So I was told to stay away from that element because they were bad news, with no long term tangible goals, no insurance benefits and could look forward to living most of there lives in a cell, even though growing up poor and in the projects, that was usually all that was around me. But I noticed that thugs looked out for their family and loved ones as much as possible and had a kind of code that they lived by that whatever they did they had to do in order to survive and whoever it hurt in the process probably had it coming to them anyway. Most thugs I knew didn’t have stable home environments or anyone that cared for their well being, their families were usually hustlers or simply struggling single mothers or grandparents trying to survive like mine were. Their guardians, if any, showed love by providing food, clothes and shelter for them and didn’t need any problems.

Where did the popularity of the thug mentality come from in today’s society?

I don’t want to place all the blame or praise on one person but I look at someone whose persona was so strong that he couldn’t be denied, but one whose message far surpassed the basics of the thug mentality: Tupac Amaru Shakur. Tupac lived the thug creed to a science, he made it where the “have-nots” had a face, a voice and a spirit that was felt around the world. He came from a life of poverty and long standing struggle, so he had a full understanding of ghetto life and its pitfalls. But the beauty of Tupac’s being was that he embraced all the negative attributes that society placed upon him and applied his intelligence, creativity and passion into making the “thug life” popular and positive, in the sense of using “thuggism” as a movement in mobilizing the “have-nots” into a positive force in unifying and changing the plight of youths in ghettos around the world. As well as exposing the hypocrisy of a system that was designed to keep those outside of the status quo in a permanent state of poverty.

What is the usefulness of the thug mentality in today’s society?
To me, with the death of Tupac Shakur it seemed that a lot of people forgot the point of his message and focused on the negativity surrounding most of his life and untimely death. We always seem to see the people who profess their thug creditability in style of dress and attitude only but not in principle or practice. The goal of the true thug was to elevate himself from the ghetto and live comfortably within an unbiased society without having to succumb to the evils that go along with having to thug in order to survive. And deeper still, to live and be recognized as a human being, contributing your god given talent, whatever it may be in elevating and molding a society that gives equal opportunity to everyone. The thug life mentality to me was meant to be more of a vehicle in advancement and promoting pride in one’s self, embracing who you are, no matter your financial situation, or background and educating yourself to be a better person rather than being the recipatant of a street level badge of honor. This mentality has to become more than just a derogatory, buffoonery like symbol that we see in videos and on the streets that have come to define young people and more of a movement, joining in a long line of survival tactics used by some of our greatest leaders from George Washington (the father of our county) to Africa Bambatta (the mighty Zulu nation).

Too many of our young people are victims of violent crimes, rape, and murder and have no clue of the value of their own life. We all have choices and must strive to look deeper to uncover the truths in any situation. This mentality is useful when applied in positive principle to bring about a positive change within yourself and your community if applied with the right spirit. But don’t try to be something or someone that you know that you’re not. You are beautiful in your own way. Remember when faced with a choice it’s always better to do the right thing than the wrong thing.

God Bless