Introduction
So, I went to see the latest movie just released based on “The Bike Riders” movie, as I imagine many of you did. I don't know about you but my takeaways from that movie were in line with what I know to be true of the club life. But we must keep in mind that although this movie may have been generalized of a specific club, the character's in the storyline were fiction. This is not to say that the motivation wasn't based on a semblance of fact. For example, why clubs were created in the first place.
The Purpose Behind Motorcycle Clubs
Searching for Belonging
One fact that I wholeheartedly agree with is that motorcycle club members tend to join because they are searching for something that they are missing in their life. Now that could be the camaraderie of military service, or a lack of family, or the desire to feel appreciated. I have often said that we are all from the island of misfit toys.
“Lightning” often said of the Aces MC, that they did not necessarily intend on creating a motorcycle club but that they had a group of people that had a lot less without each other. He said something to the effect of when it comes to food, fighting, and fucking, ten hands were better than two. Now I can understand the value that a group could bring together in a communal style survival and that everyone adds a little bit of something and together we have everything we need. I never really understand the fucking part though, but then again it was a different time. I've often said that for all I know I may have been conceived in a clubhouse.
Betrayal and Loyalty in The Life - The Bikeriders Movie
The Downside of Large Numbers
But sadly, one element that stands out in the movie is betrayal. There is a belief that the bigger you are in numbers, the more powerful your club becomes. I would argue the exact opposite. If you were a small group of vicious, immoral, and dangerous people with the same agenda, you are far more dangerous than large groups of strangers whom you cannot rely on and could quite possibly be working against you.
Personal Experiences
I have witnessed the upheaval of leadership depicted in The Bikeriders but I have also benefited from the Lifetime Friendship that I have gained. I witnessed, was the beneficiary and the victim of all of it. Maybe it's related to our inherent desire to pro-create but I also was driven to the same manner of thinking to build multiple chapters. At the time I hung my patch for the last time, all but a handful of the members and an entire state I had personally recruited and put the patch on their back. Barely any of those people had the balls to stand up and defend our honor.
Reflections on Leadership and Integrity - The Bikeriders
The Reality of Leadership
Yet even when the entire leadership of my state, and myself, stood against tyranny, in the end most of those people that I had patched along with the efforts of my administrative leadership all chose to stand with the bullies in charge of our club. Much like in the movie when the president was executed his so-called brothers not only did nothing in retaliation, but they also fell right in line under the new leadership. These are some hard lessons.
The Value of True Loyalty in The Bike Riders
But just as depicted in the movie you should know this; you are only on top for so long. Someone in your organization hates you because they want to be you and they will do all they can to work against you. The unfortunate truth is that those who stand beside you currently will most often not stand with you and defend you when the time comes. That's just a fact of “The Life”.
Conclusion -The Biker Riders
I wrote a song that you'll find on the website titled "The Life Left Me". I wrote the lyrics a couple of years ago after leaving the club the right way only to have the narcissistic leadership create mountains of lies to deflect their wrongdoings and to try and destroy my reputation and those of my leaders. It didn't work. But the opening verse in the song says, “They tell you they love you and when they do they lie, there ain't nobody really on your side.”
Why? Because we said so.
Keep it Real!
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