Sons Of Anarchy And A Culture Of Violence

Sons of Anarchy is an American television series that tells the story of the biker group Samcro. They live in Charming, a small town in northern California that they have taken over. In exchange for carrying out their illegal activities, they offer protection and tranquility to the people who live there.

They can live a life away from the crime around them, due to the rivalry with other biker gangs. It manifests itself in a kind of social contract between the club and the inhabitants of Charming.

Samcro deals with weapons from the IRA, an Irish terrorist group. The Motorcycle Club has maintained ties to the IRA for several years.

Although Samcro was originally a legal aid group that offered to spend free time with friends, it slowly became a criminal group. Samcro reveals its history throughout the series and helps us understand Samcro’s core values.

The origin of the motorcycle club

The first motorcycles were created after the end of World War II, when American troops began returning to the United States. The comrades’ shared experiences between different army units and their company in battle, formed unique experiences in their lives.

But when the war ends, all this disappears. Many of them missed their lives in battle, especially because their daily lives have become unbearable. Members of the motorcycle club do not consider themselves suitable for a civilian world. They feel marginalized. They have seen things that no one else has experienced, and have forged close bonds with each other.

But these men longed for and at the same time rejected their new place in society. They formed the motorcycle club to relive their moments in the war.

Motorcycles were a means of transportation that many bought because of their low cost. Therefore, because many of them had motorcycles, they started spending more time together. Anyone who has been a brother-in-arms is invited to go for a ride, walk or attend other motorcycle events.

After the uprisings in the town of Hollister in the 50s, some of these riders differed from the traditional biker life and formed the famous 1%. The American Biker Association (AMA) said that 99% of bikers complied with the law. That left 1% of the bikers who did not agree with the imposed social norms. They became offenders.

The culture of violence in the Sons of Anarchy

Violence seems to be embedded in society itself. It seems to be a social phenomenon that a group uses to impose their ideals on other groups. Violence within a cultural context refers to a set of values ​​and norms based on violence.

In that sense, violence is understood as a means of solving problems, persistent behaviors that give rise to such behavior. Because of this, the degree of violence only increases. In the series, it is easy to see that in order to maintain control, it is necessary to use more aggression every time.

Why? Because this previous “not so serious” behavior received a disproportionately violent response. It causes a greater repression in the other party because they suppress an even more violent response.

Likewise, violence is a manifestation of respect or the imposition of authority. In a hierarchical system, honor for the individual and the club comes first.

The president, the leader of the group, must not only lead the club in the right direction, but also lead the club in the right social direction. He must maintain the cohesion of the club and ensure that the rules supporting this are respected.

The importance of the family

The motorcycle club is based on family values. They are not just friends or comrades, they are brothers. As such, they participate in the socialization of their children, who are born into a predisposing environment that follows in the footsteps of their parents.

The family is responsible for educating the Sons of Anarchy and strengthening their ideals. Children do not go to school because they are “not part” of this community. The values ​​or rules by which they are governed are different, creating unique concepts and ideas adapted to their reality passed down from generation to generation.

This restriction of learning, without allowing a socialization beyond the boundaries of the “family”, prevents new generations from having a broader vision.

The role of women

Women form a group away from the motorcycle club itself. Although within the club, they do not move away from the traditional role of women in society throughout history: Wives and mothers. In this way, the Sons of Anarchy reflects the violence that has always existed in relation to the female gender.

A woman must be a stable boyfriend or wife to club member, to become part of Samcro. Other than that, she is there simply to satisfy men’s immediate desires. The woman is continuously available to men.

The woman is the one who harmonizes the group. She has many functions to fulfill in this role. Samcro attaches great importance to the woman’s relationship with the club member. Because in this family concept, they believe that if you can not give everything to the club, you do not deserve to be there.

In conclusion, Sons of Anarchy tries to show the lifestyle and values ​​that unite many “motorcycle clubs”. The feeling of marginalization after the war led them to move away from society and deny it. They made their motorcycles their life and what defined them.