March 25th 2009

Below is an article written by LJ James of AmericanBikerX.com Radio Show. I think it is important reading and you should take a few minutes and check it out also check out his website he is addressing  some important topics. Thanks, Big Daddy

I want to talk a little about the Brotherhood mentality versus the gang mentality in the Motorcycle Club world . Now for those of you who may be asking what is the difference? I will set up a scene to help give you an idea! At a small Bar a member of a Motorcycle Club walks in he sees four Bikers playing pool, He can tell they are a bit nervous, They see his patches and they know who he is with. Now how does he act? Does he walk over to the pool table knock the 8 ball in the pocket say games over and tell one of them to buy him a beer? Or does he walk over introduce himself and let them know when they are done shooting pool they are welcome to stop over at the bar have a beer and talk with him! One is the gang way of thinking the other is the Brotherhood way of thinking! I really don’t think I need to tell you which is which!

Now one thing everyone needs to remember is all of the original Motorcycle Clubs Started out with the idea of being a tight nit group of Brothers and just about all of these Motorcycle Clubs got along. Don’t forget many of the men who started the first MCs where returning home after serving their country during times of war. They were looking for that feeling of Brotherhood here at home that they had been left behind. These were good men seeking adventure, looking to ride their Motorcycles and have a good time with others like themselves. Today most Motorcycle Clubs have gone back to that way of Club thinking, There are very few Clubs left that still have the Gang Mentality that was seen mostly during the 70’s threw 90’s. During the late 90’s things had just gotten too far out of hand and most Motorcycle Clubs began to realize the Gang Mentality was not the way it was meant to be and it was not the way they wanted it to be anymore, This was not what the Clubs were started for ! Many Clubs who had been friends were now fighting with each other. No one wanted to wear club support gear and things were just not fun anymore. These MC’s had all started their Clubs with the same ideals and ways of thinking, How and why had they grown so far apart that they now hated each other!

Well the answer to how is during the 50’s and 60’s the golden age of the Brotherhood years of Motorcycling, The Motorcycle Clubs were really huge. During this great time many of the Biker Movies that came out showed Motorcycle Club Members as Bullies and Thugs. The Bikers in these movies would pick on those weaker then them, take over small towns and the Clubs in these Movies all fought each other just like the street gangs of the time! So of course over time many new Bikers came to believe that this was the way it was. So when New Clubs started this was how they would act and the Original Motorcycle Clubs now had members who where young kids looking to prove how tough they were by starting fights with each other. The Original Motorcycle Club Members had been threw real wars together and they were as hard as nails and had nothing to prove to no one! But many younger members felt that they had something to prove and would imitate the Biker Clubs from the Movies they had scene and soon it was Biker against Biker, Brother against Brother, MC against MC. Thus began the Dark age of the Motorcycle Gang Mentality years.

Now for the question Why did this Happen? Well When something Changes the way of thinking and being of Groups like the Motorcycle Clubs so far from their original ideals, You have to ask was it just an accident these movies did this? Or was there more to it? Was there a plan behind it? Is there someone or some group out there that would benefit from having these large groups of Motorcycle Clubs who are run in a very military fashion and are made up of many ex-Military Members fighting against each other? If these Clubs all got along and worked together the world could be a very Different place! The Motorcycle world certainly would be! Are there people out there who are afraid of this happening?

Today there are very few Clubs left that have the Gang Mentality. Most have gone back to the Brotherhood way and the word Gang in the Motorcycle Club world has become almost the equivalent of a racial slur. Now as Motorcycle Clubs are beginning to go back to the way it was at the start and trying to put the past behind them, I am noticing that there are more and more Biker movies and TV shows Coming out. Will these shows show MC’s in a good way? Will they go out of their way to stir up the quarrels of the past? Will they show us as mindless Bullies much as the Movie Wild Hogs did? Most Important will we let them influence how we really are? Or have we learned from our past? If all continues to go well we could soon be making our way into the Second Golden age of Motorcycle Club Brotherhood back to where it all Started !!!

All Bikers need to ask themselves, Are you part of the Problem or part of the Solution?

I am Your Bro LJ James with AmericanBikerX.com Radio Show at BikerLowdown.com