'Real Life'

Some of the representations, whilst originally being incredibly truthful of American biker gangs, can also be seen as though it is belittling the work of those who are the complete opposite. Bikers Against Child Abuse (1996) is an international charity where bikers protect abused children. They aim to create a safe environment to those that are abused. This even extends to Court Appearances. The violence and abuse that is exposed within Sons of Anarchy, regardless of the fact that it is not reflective of the severity of the brutality that can be encountered within the stereotypic versions of ‘real life’ gangs, may harm the real-life representations for those who wear biker cuts and aim to do good. Conversely the real-life events of the so called ‘good’ biker gangs may interfere with the perceived realism of a media piece and then influence the audience’s attitude to what is being shown on screen. It may single out ideologies and cause rifts in what is supposed to be accurate and what is not. We cannot simply rule out a version of gang culture. In the latter stages of the show, the two lives are shown together but rather than being a harmonious link, it is a juxtaposing clash of cultures. Seemingly showing that clubs can only either be good or bad, the fact that Jax Teller died during his attempt to salvage what remained of a fractioned club which happened to be in a similar fashion to his father whom had been killed by Gemma Teller and Clay Morrow during his attempt at removing the clubs ties to the gun trade, highlights a severe disposition to divide the morality and encapsulate a tradition that forces people to succumb to a single idea rather than allowing them to make a decision based on numerous ideas. The result of the abdication of the vows that kept the group together and formed the grounds of their brotherhood resulted in numerous deaths. 

The decline of trust between the men was accompanied by the increase in the risk of injury until it reached a point where their death felt unpreventable. The audience is left unsurprised, as the presentation of a soon to be murdered character becomes erratic and they become overly conscious of their actions and gain a sense of typical, humane morality. The contradiction of the characters motives from the earlier stages uncovers an issue surrounding many of the traditions, they are not compatible with contemporary ideals and yet they are still being forced to conform.