The Deviance of the OMCG

• In Event: Revisiting Deviance: Perspectives From Pimps, Cockfighters and Bikers

Abstract

Deviance is an interesting subject in of itself, but never-more-so than when considering the behavior of a group of individuals who actively seek to permanently exist outside of the norms of society. One such group is the outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCG), in which people actively self-select a life often associated with deviant and criminal activity. In recent years there has also been a trend toward the ‘wannabes, and so-called RUBs (Quinn & Forsyth, 2009), or Nike Bikies (Lauchs, 2015) which has brought about what Thompson (2009) has termed the pseudo-deviance of weekend bikers. However, little consideration has been given to the theoretical examination of these groups, and where some of the previous studies have successfully opened the door to a field previously under-researched (Barker & Human, 2009), it remains one of little understanding. Thus, through the use of a number of key theoretical narratives, this short paper will build upon the previous work in order to better understand the motivation and desire for membership in an often violent and dangerous outlaw group.

Author

• Andy Bain, University of Mount Union