What Does a Thug Look Like?

[Nithavela]

*deleted, sorry*

This post was deleted because it had a picture of a man doing an offensive hand gesture I didn't see at first glance because of low resolution.

 

[roamer_1]

[...]

Oh yeah... he's a playa.

 

[Paul uk]

The word "thug" is defined as a violent criminal, yet I am told that you can tell that someone is a thug just by looking at them.

Hi JGG,
When I was a kid I spent part of my time living in rough area of my city. I had to calculate the best route to school in order to avoid gangs and some local thugs. Unfortunately, I didn't always succeed and was occasionally beaten up and once even had a knife held at my throat.

I know thugs. For me it's a case of you can "sense" them. It's something in their body language, their eyes, the way they watch you, like you are prey (which you are to them). It's the barely perceptible sneer, the dead eyes, the visceral feeling of animosity when they are near you.

It has little to do with how they are dressed. As a young man I was accosted by two thugs and was unable to stop them. It was only the intervention of my mother which prevented it getting worse. The thugs in question were both uniformed policemen. They had the same sneer, the same dead eyes, they were just smart enough to say they were looking for a suspect or something. They soon vanished when they realised their pretext was flimsy.

Another time one of the biggest, scariest looking kids in our area protected me from a gang who had got hold of me. They were all scared of him and let me go. He walked me home like a guardian angel. I'll never forget that.

 

[JGG]

Hi JGG,
When I was a kid I spent part of my time living in rough area of my city. I had to calculate the best route to school in order to avoid gangs and some local thugs. Unfortunately, I didn't always succeed and was occasionally beaten up and once even had a knife held at my throat.

I know thugs. For me it's a case of you can "sense" them. It's something in their body language, their eyes, the way they watch you, like you are prey (which you are to them). It's the barely perceptible sneer, the dead eyes, the visceral feeling of animosity when they are near you.

It has little to do with how they are dressed. As a young man I was accosted by two thugs and was unable to stop them. It was only the intervention of my mother which prevented it getting worse. The thugs in question were both uniformed policemen. They had the same sneer, the same dead eyes, they were just smart enough to say they were looking for a suspect or something. They soon vanished when they realised their pretext was flimsy.

Another time one of the biggest, scariest looking kids in our area protected me from a gang who had got hold of me. They were all scared of him and let me go. He walked me home like a guardian angel. I'll never forget that.

We have to test this skill. In the OP, which of the bachelors is a "thug"?

 

[JGG]

I don't think anyone is disputing that a person can act like a thug while not dressed in the costume that is currently popularly marketed as "thug."

But the definition we were provided is that a "thug" is violent criminal. (At least) one of the "Bachelors" in the OP is a "thug". Can you tell by their dress which it is?

 

[JGG]

Agree. Just as we could say, dress as a frat boy, dress as an executive, dress as tech geek and on and on and on.

I could dress as a frat boy, an executive, a tech geek and so on. I could dress as an NFL quarterback. That wouldn't make me one. You told us you could tell who was a "thug" just by looking at their picture. Three bachelors in the OP, which is a "thug"?

 

[JGG]

I feel like my initial challenge is too difficult. Let's try this one, and come back to it.

This is Brock Turner, he is absolutely a "thug". He is a convicted rapist. Can you point out what makes it evident that he is a "thug".

 

[Paul uk]

We have to test this skill. In the OP, which of the bachelors is a "thug"?

Hi JGG,
I think you miss-read my post. I would need to be alone with these guys and in a perceived position of vulnerability. For example the rapist would have no interest in me and could be quite a nice guy to my face. It would be a different story if I was a lady who encountered him on an unlit path walking home at night.

Likewise the others. Thugs are looking for victims. If you don't fit the bill, they will move on. If you do fit the bill, you will soon know it.

 

[JGG]

Hi JGG,
I think you miss-read my post. I would need to be alone with these guys and in a perceived position of vulnerability. For example the rapist would have no interest in me and could be quite a nice guy to my face. It would be a different story if I was a lady who encountered him on an unlit path walking home at night.

Likewise the others. Thugs are looking for victims. If you don't fit the bill, they will move on. If you do fit the bill, you will soon know it.

You're saying I can't tell a "thug" just by looking at their photo?

 

[Paul uk]

You're saying I can't tell a "thug" just by looking at their photo?

I very much doubt it. Obviously, some photos of people are composed to look scary and give that impression. Others are perhaps known thugs, which you immediately classify. Some of the thugs I dealt with didn't look any different to anyone else, some were even decently dressed, like the dude who pulled the knife on me. Some looked scruffy and mean and were mean. I don't think a picture can tell the truth.

 

[JGG]

I very much doubt it. Obviously, some photos of people are composed to look scary and give that impression. Others are perhaps known thugs, which you immediately classify. Some of the thugs I dealt with didn't look any different to anyone else, some were even decently dressed, like the dude who pulled the knife on me. Some looked scruffy and mean and were mean. I don't think a picture can tell the truth.

This really puts a massive hole in our thesis then.

 

[Paul uk]

This really puts a massive hole in our thesis then.

Look at your own experience at school for example or in your neighborhood. Unless you have had a very sheltered life, you will have met the odd thug or two I'm sure.

 

[SummerMadness]

A lot of people are referring to actions and behaviors when they talk about someone being a thug; at the same time, there are people that keep saying people look like a thug. Someone mentioned dreads earlier, but I still don't see how having dreads makes one a thug.

 

[RDKirk]

But the definition we were provided is that a "thug" is violent criminal. (At least) one of the "Bachelors" in the OP is a "thug". Can you tell by their dress which it is?

I had said: "I don't think anyone is disputing that a person can act like a thug while not dressed in the costume that is currently popularly marketed as 'thug.'"

I don't see the point of your question to me when I had already said that thuggish behavior was not necessarily denoted by dress.

 

[RDKirk]

I could dress as a frat boy, an executive, a tech geek and so on. I could dress as an NFL quarterback. That wouldn't make me one. You told us you could tell who was a "thug" just by looking at their picture. Three bachelors in the OP, which is a "thug"?

When did anyone say that?

 

[RDKirk]

This really puts a massive hole in our thesis then.

It puts a hole in your interpretation of someone's thesis.

 

[JGG]

I had said: "I don't think anyone is disputing that a person can act like a thug while not dressed in the costume that is currently popularly marketed as 'thug.'"

I don't see the point of your question to me when I had already said that thuggish behavior was not necessarily denoted by dress.

When did anyone say that?

I don't know that anyone did. I'm just making sure we're clear before going down two different roads of thought.

 

[Dave-W]

Forgive my ignorance, I don't know how that works. What are the physical characteristics of a "thug"?

 

[JGG]

It puts a hole in your interpretation of someone's thesis.

The thesis is made up of three statements: "We all know what a thug looks like." and "I can tell just by looking at [their] picture that they're a thug" and "A thug is defined as a violent criminal."

Is my interpretation wrong? 'Cause that's something we should fix.

 

[JGG]

Aren't the handcuffs a bit of a giveaway though?