Whitey Bulger: Anthony Bandura's Social Learning Theory

In Massachusetts, Whitey Bulger is a household name. Whitey Bulger was a mafia legend, notorious drug smuggler and in the 1970s and 1980s, he was the hero of South Boston. Bulger took control of the infamous Southie Winter Hill Gang in 1965, and slowly began to control all crime rings within South Boston (Padnani). At the height of his reign, Bulger committed countless murders, armed robberies and moved literal tons of drugs onto the streets of Boston. Before his arrest, Bulger was on the FBI’s most wanted list (Padnani). Eventually, Bulger was apprehended in 2011 and charged with 19 counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, money laundering, extortion and racketeering (Padnani). The question people still ask to

As children in Southie watched rival gang wars, drug deals and gun violence, they began to learn that sort of behavior was normal and acceptable. MacDonald’s older brother Kevin grew up in the shadow of Whitey Bulger’s henchmen, and as he grew up began to perform increasingly dangerous jobs for Bulger. On the contrary, MacDonald’s older brother Frank was a role model for the children in South Boston. A talented boxer, Frank stayed away from Whitey and his gang and instead focused on improving himself through his sport. Many children in Southie looked up to him. Little did MacDonald know that Bulger’s associates were watching Frank in the ring, and waiting to recruit him. Frank was later killed after a failed armed robbery. Bulger stole one of the few positive role models the children of Southie had, corrupting yet another generation of Southie’s

In 1973, roughly 73% of all families in South Boston were raised by a single mother (MacDonald). Without a father figure, many children looked up to Whitey Bulger. He was the ‘protector’ of Southie, and would often provide housing or furniture to the families of his ‘employees’. According to MacDonald, his sister Kathy would often “brag that her boyfriends and their mothers worked for Whitey, selling drugs from the privacy of their modern furnished project apartment, paying him "rent" in addition to what they payed the BHA (MacDonald, 101). Those who worked within Bulger’s operation received special privileges, including food, better housing, or Bulger’s approval. MacDonald himself admits that despite all the crimes Bulger brought, “it was all worth it as long as Whitey kept the neighborhood as is, and we kept our ten room apartment for eighty dollars a month.” (MacDonald). The privileges people in South Boston earned for their support of Bulger was enough to buy their