Anjack

Anjack, is a common Singlish slang term used to refer to male South Indian Singaporeans and South Indian Malaysians who belong or seem to belong to the Anjack Subculture. A stereotypical Anjack would be someone who spends majority of his time being involved in the following: heavy drinking, gang related crime such as brawling with rival gang members, stealing, peddling of drugs and contraband items, going .org/wiki/Nightclub "clubbing". Unlike other nations where gangsterism and organized crime holds power in society such as Japan, Hong Kong, America and Mexico amongst others, gangsterism in Singapore is considered as a nuisance rather than being feared or respected, which leads to the low respect society has for Anjacks, as well as the other racial stereotype groups, Matreps and Ah Bengs, who are often seen as lazy by the highly educated and competitive people of Singapore. Anjacks are often NEETs.
Malaysia and Singapore are multi racial societies comprising of Chinese, Malays and Indians. Ridicule from the other races as well as Indians themselves who do not associate themselves with anjack culture, increasing literacy levels and exposure to more western ideologies, has caused the number of people in Anjack subculture to fall sharply in the 2010s, as Indians begin to see being anjack to be something disgraceful, although there are still a few of the current and older generations who take pride and embrace the stereotype.
Characteristics
Style
Anjacks in street gangs
Most Anjacks are involved in some form of gang activity (although not always, some just mimic the look and mannerisms as they find it "cool") Among the Anjacks who are involved in gangs and secret societies, a loose sense of rank and hierarchy exists. As with other gangs and secret societies, the members at the top of the chain often benefit most from the illegal activities, and often make use of the lower tier members to do their work for them.
Old Timers
Older members, often known as "Mandai" (which is translated as head in Tamil), "Old-Timer" and "Timers" among other names. Active old timers are the upper echelons of the gang’s command, they are usually in the age group of about 40-50 years old, "Old timer" may often also be used for ex-gangsters who have given up the lifestyle and leading lives as regular members of the society, but whose legacy is still known by the small Indian population, due to their past exploits and stories being passed down by other old timers. Old timers who still are involved in gang activities usually do not get directly involved as they often use younger gang members to do the dirty work for them, although this is not always true. Sometimes, they dictate gang activities and movements from within the prison system. Often, they distance themselves from the street gang activities and make attempts to appear legitimate, possibly operating a business that they run as fronts for the gang’s illegal operations.
Gang members
The most common members whose ages range from 18-30 and being in their physical prime are usually the most active members of the gangs, and carry out street activities for the gang. They are often the middle tier in gangs, bridging the Old timers and the Young punks. These age group of anjacks also often recruit younger members to groom them. They make up the bulk of a gang’s membership and are held responsible for protection of the gang's turf and fellow gang members.
Young Punks
Young Punks also called "Podiyans" (translated from Tamil as small fry), are often school kids, aged from 13-18 who idolize older anjacks and want to be part of the lifestyle. These kids associate with gang members on a regular basis and tend to consider gang life cool. Some young punks consider themselves members, even if they have not yet been formally initiated and often go around throwing gang signs and brag about their gang as a form of intimidating others. These youngsters are sometimes used by older gang members to do specific tasks, such as serving as lookouts, runners, or for writing graffiti. Many young Indian schoolboys in Singapore and Malaysia often go through a phase where they briefly dabble in these stereotypical anjack activities, but many grow out of it as they grow older.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu