Everyone should be famous for fifteen minutes according to the late Andy Warhol. Following this concept it is not surprising that total nonenties desire fame and are prepared to humiliate themselves, their families and anyone who knows them, hence the television show "Big Brother" where young people with only a desire to be recognised, become a pseudo-celebrity, famous for fifteen minutes to sink back into obscurity from whence they came. However a more serious problem has now arisen, the cult of the celebrity gangster, both living and dead. The Krays are now an icon that can be bought on T shirts, tea mugs and fridge magnets. They are now dead and revisionist historians are trying to excuse the crimes they did, the terror they inflicted on the population of the east end of London, the murders of George Cornell and Jack 'The Hat' McVitie were justified as they were also criminals. The Krays were parasites, they earned their living by extortion of money from small businessmen who had to pay large sums of money to avoid being beat up, stabbed, cut or their business set on fire. The Krays used the same tactics on other thieves to extort the majority of their ill-gotten gains as tribute.
                   The cult of the celebrity gangsters is among us, Mad Frankie Fraser now conducts coach parties to the scenes of his and others past crimes, he earns more money now than when he was an active criminal, he kept being arrested and put in gaol. The larger than life character Dave Courtney has written books celebrating the criminal lifestyle. Young middle class kids wear clothes and 'bling bling' jewellery to ape the black ghetto gang bangers from America; the rap musicians praise their exploits and belief system, women are bitches or whores to be used and abused, the police are the enemy, people are justified if they kill someone for 'dissing you', showing disrespect. The status symbol is the gun, it's a fashion accessory among British Street Kids. Dealing in drugs is seen to be socially acceptable means to earn your living among the young. Changed days from the programs of 'Dixon of Dock Green', when there were bobbies on the beat and the actor Jack Warner as P.C. George Dixon who always got his man.
                    Perhaps it is the increasing powerlessness of the youth of today perceive in their life, whether by casting their vote, or expressing opinions opposing the views of government; nothing seems to change, so the gangster as a figure outside of the law, has become a figure to be admired. This perverse logic is powerful to those who seem without influence in our society, the rise of global terrorism is the frustrations of Muslim Youth against cultural imperialism from America, admired and reviled at the same time.
                                                 Yours in budo.
                                                                      Ian "Lurch" Durie.  

Martial Arts according to Lurch