The book discusses that in addition to the alienation that the people who are struggling financially and reside in poor inner city neighborhoods feel from mainstream America, there is still yet another division within this confine, that is of the “decent” family in opposition to the “street” family. Decent families attempt to follow the rules of mainstream America, working hard and sending their children private schools even when tuition may cause a financial strain, while street families are generally uneducated, do not have many moral principles, and believe that gaining respect on the street is a top priority and in having this belief, they fully accept the street code. In some of the most drug and crime infested areas of the city, the residents have little to no faith or respect for the authority of the police or the judicial system and as such have adopted their own ideas and rules for how to handle challenges. “This is because the street culture has evolved a “code of the street” which amounts
This ethnography conducted by Bourgois and Schonberg really highlighted the problems of racism among the Edgewater community. I was honestly shocked to learn how prevalent racism was among the homeless community. I had previously thought that because these people were in such poor conditions, trying to do anything to survive, they would look past such divisions such as racism in order to help themselves survive and get back on their feet. This wasn’t the only thing that surprised me however. It was the fact that the homeless addicts weren’t just sitting around getting high and injecting heroin, but were actually trying to go out and get jobs and homes once again.
For years, the media’s perspective of the Jane and Finch community can be understood by the saying, ‘the glass half empty rather than half full”. In other words, the community is seen as one ridden with gang culture, drugs and corruption to the fullest extent due to the predominance of violence and poverty. Although the occurrence of violence is rare and momentary; it is the sole focus of the media who blows it out of proportion. Hence, the community of Jane and Finch is illustrated as an impoverished neighbourhood affiliated with gang violence almost reflexively. In contrast, the public is constantly trying to redeem the destructive stereotype cast by the media.
Environment Environment has had a powerful influence on developing youth, most importantly in areas of lower household income. Being surrounded by gangs, racial discrimination, or lack of education (all components of the environment) has influenced the youth into the choices they have made in life, either making or breaking them. The youth makes choices that make them feel comfortable during the time without analyzing them carefully because of the way they were raised and the environment in which they grew in; for example, “Monster” by Sanyika Shakur is a first-hand account of the experiences of a south central Los Angeles gang member that grew in a troubled environment in where many gangs were located and that led him into the choices
Everyone has an opinion and different beliefs on almost every topic, in which one of the most controversial topics is adoption. In adoption, people believe that race matters due to their ethical or cultural beliefs; however race does not matter because every child needs a loving home. Additionally, studies of multiracial families show that kids are more aware of their culture, as well as they are more like the community around them, then their ethnic background. There are many adoption agencies, and others with the beliefs that kids need to be with parents of the same ethnicity because it would provide the child with more cultural awareness, as well as it would prevent children from the danger and backlash they might get from others. In
Tre is not a trouble maker but seems to hang out with a group (including Doughboy and Ricky) who are continually getting into trouble. Despite Furious best efforts to keep Tre out of trouble he is learning from his friends what he perceives to be appropriate behavior. Learning theory suggests an individual does this in order to conform and feel part of a group. The learning approach considers crime to be something one learns from a person or group in which they feel a strong connection towards (family, friends, and teachers). Social control theory can also be very closely related to Tre as it focuses on the conformity of individuals within society.
“African Americans play sports and run really fast, Latinos join gangs, Native Americans drink a lot, brown skin people are extremely intelligent but easily fooled, homeless people are drug addict's, rich people make there way through money.” Unfortunately, these stereotypes we see in the media are the result of what sells. It’s difficult portraying a wide group of non-stereotypical persons in just one bit of advertisement. That’s why some companies are cautious of using a minority within their advertising because they don’t want to present a false representation. Not only in paper advertisements do we see stereotypes, but also in television ads as well. For instance, the African American niche station BET (Black Entertainment Television) was found to, “represent a venue of minority voices, [but] it is also a source of problematic representations of gender” according to Melinda Messineo.
Juveniles are robbing, stealing and even killing their neighbors behind stupidity. What are some of the reasoning behind this type of activity? Some researchers believe that the structural context of the neighborhoods impact individual participation in violence. (Crutchfield and Martinez, 2010). Living in areas that are disadvantaged causes juveniles to have low self control and bad tempers.
Education, work skills, treating others with respect, and self-discipline is stressed. Younger criminals who have committed fewer and less severe crimes are most likely to be successfully reformed. Another positive way to cut down recidivism is to begin with parents educating their kids on positive behavior. Parents must be an example for their children and model positive behaviors. Unfortunately, some parents are poor examples for their children and show their children bad behavior through example like gang and criminal activities.
Economic deprivation also reduces social trust and facilitates social disorganization, which in turn leads to youth violence and crime. The above indicates that economic deprivation may affect community and family processes in such a way that youth violence increases. Secondly, Boredom is one of the major contributors to social deprivation. In many working class communities, youth facilities or leisure areas are much scarcer, or have been cut by government and local councils. This leaves many young working class people with little alternative but to meet up with friends, and hang around streets and estates looking for something to do.