With the success of the recent film “Black Mass,” we are once again reminded that the outlaw way of life is something that has enchanted the American public for generations.

Some of the most successful films of all time are of the gangster/Mafia persuasion, such as “The Godfather” (parts I and II), “Goodfellas”, “Scarface” and “The Departed,” to name a few. Many of this generation’s most beloved TV series — “Breaking Bad,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “The Sopranos” — focus on the lives of members in criminal organizations and the gangster way of life.

So one must beg the question, why does our culture show so much admiration for this type of lifestyle? We profess to be a morally upstanding, Christian nation, and yet many of our favorite movies and TV characters are people who we would universally deem as “thugs” in real life. The answer is simple: it’s an escape for the average person.

The average American works long, hard hours for increasingly less pay. They worry if they’ll have enough money to make the car or house payment and still be able to provide for their children, all while putting up with bosses and coworkers that occasionally (or often) get under their skin.

The lifestyles portrayed in criminal cinema are an escape from that. Having unquestioned power and freedom is appealing to many people, as is carrying around rolls of $100 bills and being able to talk with as many expletives as you please.

VICE News recently published a lengthy article focusing on the state of the American Mafia, and discussed with former Mafia soldier Louis Ferrante why the gangster life seems to appeal to so many people.

“My lawless years were undoubtedly the most free I’ve ever felt. I think everyone has a part of them that wishes they could do whatever they want. Imagine someone aggravates you at work today, and you can just pistol-whip him. Lots of people like to fantasize about things like that,” Ferrante said.

This mentality is so obviously appreciated in American culture that President Barack Obama once said in an interview that his favorite TV character was Omar Little from “The Wire.” Little is a Baltimore stick up man who robs drug dealers of their stash. He only kills when necessary or to avenge a loved one, but at the end of the day he’s a thief and a murderer.

Of course, most Americans understand the difference between fiction and reality. We understand that Hollywood romanticizes the outlaw lifestyle as it does anything else, so we go to work every day and put up with our often mundane routines. But once our day at work ends, we turn on the TV and for 45 minutes, pretending that we’re off riding a Harley or smashing a glass bottle over someone’s head.

Cheyene Miller is the managing editor for the Kentucky Kernel

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