Perception is a Tool

How a person feels is everything to them. There have been thousands of studies done on what causes people to have emotions. Most commonly emotions boil down to four main ones joy, sad, anger, and fear. And there have been a great many people that have learned how to use people's emotions against themselves.

Gangsters are masters of using perception as a tool to gain what they wanted. A perfect example of this is Jay Gatsby. He wanted nothing else than people to perceive him as a wealthy successful business man. However, he was a man from humble beginnings that was running an illegal bootlegging operation. He was successful because there was many people who believed that Gatsby came from money.

Gangsters are using perception as a tool to justify there lifestyle through pop culture. For example if you look at the rappers that are loved today; they embody what is known as the "thug persona." But gangsters over the last one hundred years, have had a narrative created about them in a romanticized point of view. Therefore, allowing them to change society's view of them.

Perception has allowed for leaders to take over countries and poison the minds of the people around them. Gangsters have used perception to let people believe that their way of life is ok and they are not the type of people that society once thought them to be. As people we must look behind the facade put forth by people seen as cool and truly examine what they stand for. It is only then that we as a society can course correct and work towards forming a narrative of American Gangster culture, that shows the side that is not presented on the stage.