The Set Up

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd."
-Bertrand Russell

We all “herd”. We all like to socialize with others who are “like us.” However if you are in charge of a group and your goal is to manipulate that group for YOUR benefit you must have some controlling factors. You must create a conflict via “THE THREAT”. You have to create a “set up.”

Fear and fear of “them” keeps the group together. A group is made stronger, more cohesive, if there is a threat to the group. Usually this threat is perceived as being from another group. Sometimes the threat is real.

But often it is only a set up.

Gang leaders, cult leaders, terrorist leaders all manipulate the group to feel fear. Fear of a threat from another group. Us vs. them.

While the foolish religious fanatics kill each other in Iraq they haven’t the common sense to realize that they have been set up. How al Qaeda leaders must be laughing at the relative ease in which they set off sectarian violence. By blowing up a single Mosque they have manipulated a population into blaming each other for the attack. And the cycle begins. But really truth be told they only needed the excuse to exercise their hate. But they have been played by their leadership…all of whom are jockeying for a leadership role in the Iraqi wasteland.

Though the origins of the conflict between the Bloods and Crips is debated and somewhat shrouded in mystery, one story tells that the conflict originally started over a girl.
Yeah, a girl. Someone was dating someone else’s girl. It just so happened a conflict broke out and someone died. The two guys fighting for the girl were from different gangs.

That was about 40 years ago.

And how many Bloods and Crips have died since then? And for what? A set up. An argument that started way before most Bloods and Crips fighting now were ever born.

Whether this story is accurate or not is not the point. This and many other gang rivalries have been passed down from one murder to the next. One act of revenge for another. One set up after another.

Regardless of what the origin of the conflict was between the Bloods and Crips none of the soldiers on the streets today were involved in it. It isn’t their war but they are dying for it. Manipulated again and again and fighting, bleeding, and dying just because “this is what they are supposed to do.”

Bloods are supposed to be at odds with Crips. Vice Lords are supposed to hate Gangster Disciples. Surenos are supposed to fight Nortenos.

You kill each other “just because”. Just because someone else tells you that is what you are supposed to do. You all talk about needing no one. But the truth is you have been manipulated into believing that you “need” this war.

Without it…without the conflict…without the war between the colors, cliques, and sets what are you? Ask yourself this question. Then realize that you have been played by adult gang leaders, by manipulative people who care more about rims on their car than blood on their streets.

This isn’t brotherhood. This is a set up.