Bangkok’s “Mexican” Gangsters: Hangin’ with the Far East Eses
The drug cartels of Mexico are some of the most notorious gangsters of our times, causing havoc and spreading fear in parts of this federal republic, while supplying the West with cocaine from South America and showing off their resulting riches on Instagram. So you would expect any online imagery and videos of this persuasion to be….Mexican? Wrong!
Maybe the latter is where these young guys from Bangkok have seen and now copied the look of Latino gangsters, imitating their style complete with tattoos, shaved heads and baggy clothes. It’s cosplay like you’ve never seen before.
On the outside, many of these Thais resemble the Cholos who inspire them. Their clothes, tattoos, and hairstyles emulate those sported by real homies. That said, tattoos and bling do not a gangster make.
However, it seems none of the men appreciated the brutal violence that is often associated with real Latino gangs like the Latin Kings.
This is a brotherhood of style-conscious men who bond over baggy white shirts and gothic-baroque tattoos.
Moreover, most only had a shallow understanding of the foreign urban culture and Mexico in general.
It seems the Thai obsession with these groups is simply an appreciation of their aesthetic.
Being captivated by “the clean and simple style†that “worked well in this (Thai) weather,†as one gang member said.
Perhaps what really separates the Thais from the Mexicans they imitate is that almost all of them hold innocuous 9-5s as teachers, policemen and bureaucrats.
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