The so-called outlaw biker culture, it would seem to me, has become ingrained with and assimilated into American popular culture over the past several decades.

Witness the popularity of television shows like “Sons of Anarchy,” and of events like Ironton’s annual Rally on the River, which every year draws thousands of two-wheeler enthusiasts to the city for several days of mostly incident-free fun and entertainment.

People from all walks of life have adopted the biker lifestyle on at least a part-time basis. There was a time years ago when the people who sported leather, chains and bandanas while storming the roads and striking fear into the hearts of small-town residents were considered societal outcasts.

These days, though, the individual you see decked out in “colors” — a denim or leather vest with a motorcycle club insignia on it — and riding a chromed-out, customized Harley-Davidson or some other make of bike could just as easily be a doctor, lawyer or blue-collar worker. It could be your neighbor.

It could be me. As faithful readers of my semi-coherent ramblings are well aware, I own and ride a bike. I also belong to a club.

Notice I said “club.” Not “gang.”

As an indictment handed down in federal court this week vividly illustrates, there’s a vast gulf of difference between the two.

The true bill named 55 known members and associates of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, including the group’s national president and vice president, accusing them of a veritable cornucopia of criminal activities stretching back to 2003.

Misdeeds outlined in the 83-page court document include racketeering, illegal gambling, raffle ticket sales for non-existent motorcycles, violent attacks on other biker gangs whose members stepped out of line and refused to abide by the rules laid down by the Pagans and even a couple of murder conspiracies that, fortunately, failed to come to fruition.

These acts all were allegedly committed by men with nicknames like Kicker, Creature, Hammer, Razor, Tombstone and Spider.

Scary stuff, to be sure. And, a stark reminder that, yes, there still are “bad” bikers out there.

Outlaws, or “one percenters,” as they sometimes refer to themselves, and their supporters have done their best over the years to portray themselves as decent folks who are simply misunderstood and by persecuted by society, mainly because “regular” people are jealous of the freedom their lifestyle engenders.

That much was evident in comments I read on a local TV station’s Web site regarding the Pagans indictment.

To read many of them, one would think the Pagans — profiled on The History Channel’s “Gangland” series — was an organization no worse than the Kiwanis.

Several posters went out of their way to point out that club conducts a toy drive for underprivileged kids every Christmas. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but, if it is, great.

Here’s the thing, though — rustling up a few toys during the holiday season doesn’t give any one individual or organization the right to commit mayhem.

While I obviously have no way of knowing whether they are guilty, I deplore the type of activity of which the government has accused the Pagans. Every other law-abiding motorcyclist out there should feel the same way.

It’s this type of thing that gives all of us a bad name.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.