It's a little disturbing how you describe all of this.
Using the word "love" when describing how these people dress and going on to talk about the horrific death and destruction these people cause.
That said, there's maybe something to your point. Looking at it from the Chicano gang world,
I noticed way early on that the way a person looks or dresses is deceiving.
You'd be surprised how many US gang bangers don't dress the way you think. Especially nowadays but even in the past there's always those ones that go all out with the gangster dress code, trying to look mean and tough. Some have all these tattoos and all that.
I noticed a lot of these guys did it to get the girls, number one and the second reason because it scared a lot of people away. A way to scare away potential "challengers". It works for the most part until you come across that real gangster that doesn't a give a shit about your look and then you're fucked. But that's that lifestyle, it's a gamble.
But I've personally known plenty of gang members that didn't dress the part at all but were the real deal, dangerous as fuck.
So yeah looks are deceiving.
But also look at what you're comparing. Apples and oranges.
Again from a Chicano gang world, remember what these guys were supposed to be from the beginning.
HOMEBOYS. From the neighborhood, growing up together, knowing each other's families, going to school together, playing baseball together. Having in each other's backs, picking up on girls, trying to get into fun in the neighborhood. Then they join the local gang and yeah things get serious with beefs with rivals and some end up dead, some prison for life and others retire by their early 20s and do the family thing.
The vast majority of them never planned on being career criminals, or serial murderers. The bulk of the violence committed by kids, teenagers and young adults between 15 and 21 years old.
That shit the cartels are doing is foreign to the average "homeboy" and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. What's happening with the cartels isn't anything to be proud of. Not that US gangs are positive either but cmon. You sound like you're boasting about these cartels. Why??
You're right that U.S gangmembers don't join gangs with the intention to become career criminals and most don't. There is a reason why most gang members are under the age of 21 and the ones being over that age are considered old. For most U.S gangmembers being in a gang is more of a phase than lifestyle and most usually grow out of it after they become older and become productive members of society. It is estimated that there are over 1 million gang members in the U.S at any one time and the vast majority aren't victims of homicide. The cartel soldiers on the other hand join the cartels for the sole reason to become career criminals and they usually hire or recruit older people that are already career criminals like kidnapping gangs, prison inmates etc. and cartel soldiers are usually over the age of 28 and many in their 30s. Their homicide rate or being victims of homicide or death is much higher than that of U.S gangs and it's incredibly high because of the way they operate and do missions along with their captains in contested or rival territory. There is a reason why the cartel soldiers are the heart of the organization and their songs revolve around their soldiers, captains and bosses. The cartels call the cartel soldiers squads that go into the headquarters of rival cartels or when they confront the military in the streets "suicidas" or suicides because they know they are going to die in their mission but they still go nonetheless and they are the ones that get the most respect in the organization. U.S gangs don't have to face that type of situations or lifestyle, most U.S gang members victims of shooting don't see it coming they just unexpectedly get shot. Cartel soldiers on the other hand they see it coming because of they way they operate. It's really scary what the cartel soldiers have to face because it's fucked up and really scary and dangerous what they do and the way they operate. When I first went to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico I couldn't believe the cartel soldiers face the military in shootouts or confrontations because it was really scary and intimidating seeing the Army troops on the streets and being in the place of the cartel soldiers. That's when I realized they had huge freaking balls. Like Commandante Bravo of Los Zetas said, "It's much more than pulling a trigger" when he was talking about the cartel soldiers.
