TM Garret became a neo-nazi skinhead at a young age and then grew up to become a Grand Wizard of a KKK group based in Germany. One day though, he decided to cut ties and leave that life behind him.

In this episode of American Obsessions, we’ll take a look at our cultural infatuation with Mortal Kombat and fighting games through the eyes of young champions and dark horses alike, the most competitive players among us, to create a visceral, present day and nail-biting celebration of the game we all know and love.

NYC Fleet Week - an annual event where active duty Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen descend upon the city to rub elbows with the public and blow off some steam.

Originating in the Bay Area, “sideshows” are events where participants shut down busy public intersections and perform car stunts such as donuts, burnouts, and drifts.

In Los Angeles, one of the biggest sideshow car clubs is TAKING 0VER and every Sunday, members from TAKING 0VER and other car clubs participate in an unsanctioned sideshow event called Sunday Funday.

The number of missing persons and unidentified remains in the United States has been called “the nation’s silent mass disaster” by the National Institute of Justice. Since 1980, there have been 250,000 recorded unsolved homicides in the United States, and due to lack of funding and support for forensic research and law enforcement training, that number continues to grow.

The NYPD has a long tradition of holding Smokers, “Fight Club” style events that date back to an earlier time in New York City’s police culture. The fights are held in an effort to maintain morale while also squashing beefs and petty feuds between cops.

Younger women are opting for a “designer vagina,” or a procedure known as labiaplasty. Labiaplasty, the fastest growing cosmetic surgery in the world, has rapidly grown in popularity in recent years.

Trans women, called Nupi Maanbi in Meiteilon, have been met with begrudging tolerance and rare instances of acceptance in Manipuri culture. So what is it like for them to try and find love in a society that would rather have them live away from the public eye?