Quote:Larb Dip wrote on 25
th Apr, 2011 at 6:52am:
How IS the gang situation in Laos? What names do they go by? Are they conspicuous?
Why do you assume such things exist here? Do you see gang culture as a naturally-occurring phenomenon in society?
Teenage gang culture is not a feature of Lao society thankfully.
However, I have met several Lao returnees who have teenage sons in the U.S. who are members of violent gangs - something those parents regret tremendously and wonder if it might have been better for them to have stayed in Laos and brought up their kids here.
I also see many young people of Lao descent, but brought up in the US, who visit here and display manners, attitude and unjustified overconfidence, aggression and self-promotion which is totally alien to the Lao way of behaving.
Hopefully, you are not one of those.
Old Man
I didn't assume anything, mate. In the quote it actually says:
"Speaking of guns, last year a beautiful 19-year-old girl who lives in my area
got shot in the head by a group of gangs
. It's a sad story, they said that her face was unrecognisable from the impact of the bullet".
Didn't you read that?
I have also heard of alot of Lao children in Ausrtalia, who are also in gangs. I just had a relative come over for a holiday, and he says some Lao gangs even fight it out against each other. There was a slaying recently between the two sets. You're right, all this sggression is very uncharacteristic of the relaxed Lao modus operandi. That's definitely not how
I was raised.
I'm not a 'gangster'. But I won't lie, there were times in my youth when I did puff my chest out and contort my countenance into an intimidating manner. Something I'm not proud of. If anything, I think it's just part of growing up. I have now matured into a man and it always brings a smile to my face when I reminisce about such foolery! I think it's best to just let the young ones be. It's all those hormones cracking off that brings out that persona, right?