The Mexican Gangsters of Bangkok
No, that's not a typo...Bangkok has its own (Thai) breed of Mexican Gangsters:
A somewhat curious new trend has emerged in Bangkok, where young Thai men are identifying as “Mexican gangsters.”
On the outside, many of these Thais resemble the Cholos who inspire them. Their clothes, tattoos, and hairstyles emulate those sported by real Mexican gangsters on the streets of Los Angeles. Having said that though, tattoos and shiny bling do not a gangster make.
When local news outlet "Coconuts" interviewed members from three of these “gangs” - Balcony Pain, Fratez and D Sixty - it was found that none of the men liked the brutal violence that is often associated with real Latino gangs such as the notorious "Latin Kings". Moreover, most only had a shallow understanding of the foreign urban culture and Mexico in general. Some where not exactly sure where Mexico was on a map.
What became clear is that the Thai obsession with these groups is simply an appreciation of their aesthetic. Like many things in Thailand, its all about the look. All of the men who Coconuts spoke with were captivated by “the clean and simple style” that “worked well in the Thai climate,” as one gang member said.
Perhaps what most separates the Thais from the Mexicans they imitate is that almost all of them hold innocuous jobs working 9 till 5 as teachers, policemen and bureaucrats. Many are family men, and some admitted to consulting their wives before getting certain tattoos. Yes, some of these pretend gangsters are Thai Police. When we all know that the Thai Police has no shortage of real gangsters.
Needless to say, the Thai gangs don’t fight amongst themselves or deal in illicit drugs, both of which are hallmarks of real Latino gangs. In a nutshell, this is a brotherhood of style-conscious men who bond over baggy white shirts and stylized tattoos.
That’s not to say that the Thais don’t have an understanding of the fierce take-no-shit Cholo attitude. Thanks to Youtube and Hollywood movies they’re very much aware of that culture’s hyper-aggressiveness and machismo. One Balcony Pain gang member - Mr. Shiro Local - bared his inner gangster when he rapped a few lines from an original song he had written called “Fuck the Popo” in which he compared corrupt Thai police to parasites in his scrotum. Pretty sure I've heard "Fuck the Popo" before from other rap artists though...
Such outright vitriol is rarely directed towards people in authority in Thailand, where the dominant culture is one of extreme deference towards the powerful. Yet, you’d be hard pressed to find Thais who disagree with Mr. Local’s assessment of Bangkok's cops. Perhaps a little more Mexican gangstah bravado is exactly what Thailand needs.
