Luke Bergmann's Getting Ghost

In America, a teenager can be easily drawn into witnessing a family member being stabbed to death, trafficked into drug/gang cults, or receive severe damages to his/her physical body. Commonly, these kinds of circumstances call the responsible leaders in our community to action, but in the forgotten part of America, they continue uninterrupted. During the late 1980’s, the United States ranked as a developed nation with a competitive capitalist economy and better living standards for the higher social class. Their promises to defend critical human rights remained unrivaled around the globe; yet the United States still possessed areas with lower class people compressed into high rise projects and who struggled to overcome poverty, violence, and prejudice. The lower class people were often given very little to no resources or the

In Chapter 3 Crackhouse Management of In Search of Respect written by Philippe Bourgois discusses his experience living in East Harlem, New York, also known as El Barrior in Spanish. Bourgois’s experience talks about the logistics of selling crack in the “Game Room” which was the Crackhouse. Bourgois argues in this chapter that selling drugs and violence provides a better living wage than a regular legal job, although the legal jobs offers more stability. This impression is reinforced by the occasional financial scandals on Wall Street. Employees of the Game Room talk about rejecting past entry level jobs that they thought were not worth the time or money.

Tally’s Corner is the sociological interpretation of the culture of Negro streetcorner men. Elliot Liebow sets out to expose the hypocrisies that lead black men in this circumstance. The study is carried out in Washington D.C. The key argument posed by Liebow is that black males are incapable of attaining jobs because they lack education. He also argues that this is a cycle that inevitably results in a trans-generational marginalization of the black race.

The author indicates that money was scarce for him growing up, and that he was never in a financially stable position. Therefore, he perceived selling illegal drugs as a vast opportunity out of his current environment. “A young buck sellin drugs and such, who never had much, trying to get a clutch of what I could not touch.” Cream by Wu-tang Clan describes the unfortunate conditions many young teenagers, the author included at the time, growing up in poverty encounter while seeking resources for survival, often resulting in adolescences being

There is an importance in the black community of embracing Afrocentric Cultural Values and sharing to our younger generations and adolescents. I chose a scholarly article that utilize this factor in its hypothesis. From the Journal of Black Psychology, the article is titled Examining Afrocentric Cultural Values, ethnic Identity, and Substance Use Abstinence in Low-Income, Early Adolescent, African American Girls. This very extensive article was written or experimented by our fellow professors at the University of Austin: Delida Sanchez, Emma Hamilton, Dorie Gilbert, and Elizabeth Vandewater. Their study is about finding a possible link of cultural factors and substance use abstinence among low income African American girls.

The title of this book shows how respect is harder to get in the legal economy compared to the underground economy. In the underground economy you will not be disrespected because “having the rep – like that dude’s cool; don’t mess with him - without even having to hit nobody” (Bourgois 25). In the underground economy in order to get respect all you have to do is make people fear you in some way and then they will respect you. In the legal economy crack dealers have difficulty gaining respect because of “racism and the other subtle badges of symbolic power are expressed through wardrobes and body language” (Bourgois 161). Theses crack dealers who lack this cultural capital struggle to gain respect in the legal economy.

Elijah Anderson, a Yale professor, developed the concept or theory entitled the “code of the street” which explains the reasoning for high rates of street violence among African-American juveniles in a Philadelphia community. The “code of the street” is the way of life for many living in poverty-stricken communities which attempt to regulate behaviors. Anderson observed that juveniles in inner-city neighborhoods who are exposed to racial discrimination, economic disadvantages and alienation from mainstream society may lead violent behavior. The strain, social learning, and labeling theories are all directly related to Anderson’s work.

In Chapter 12 of Readings for Sociology, Garth Massey included and piece titled “The Code of the Streets,” written by Elijah Anderson. Anderson describes both a subculture and a counterculture found in inner-city neighborhoods in America. Anderson discusses “decent families,” and “street families,” he differentiates the two in in doing so he describes the so called “Code of the Streets.” This code is an exemplifies, norms, deviance, socialization, and the ideas of subcultures and countercultures.

McBride begins his essay in high contrast to his intended purpose with an anecdotal discussion of his first encounters with Hip Hop music that inevitably represents black men as arrogant, aggressive, and poor. The introductory paragraph details McBride’s fear of his daughter marrying a black rapper that he describes as having “a mouthful of gold teeth, a do-rag on his head, muscles popping out of his arms, and a thug attitude” (McBride para. 1). This stereotypical description of a rapper, as well as the sense of fear McBride feels, contributes to his initial representation of black males as aggressive thugs that are unsuitable to become husbands.

John Singleton’s film, Boyz N the Hood, displays the challenging upbringing of adolescents who have to live with harsh conditions around not only their home but also their surrounding town. The film compares the differences between the lifestyles of Tre Styles and his friends’, Darren and Ricky Baker. Darren and Ricky are half-brothers who are nothing alike. Singleton demonstrates the importance of male leadership in a home in the ghetto of Los Angeles by comparing the difference between the lifestyles of Tre and his friends. While many adolescents in the hood have close friendships, some form close relationships by assembling gangs and create a world of violence due to alcohol abuse, which together ultimately breeds discrimination.

In his article, “Toward a Policy on Drugs,” Elliot Currie discusses “the magnitude and severity of our drug crisis” (para. 21), and how “no other country has anything resembling the American drug problem” (para. 21). The best way to describe America’s drug problem is that it is a hole continuously digs itself deeper. America’s drug issues were likely comparable to other country’s at one point in time, but today it can be blamed on the “street cultures” (para. 21) that continue to use and spread the use of illegal drugs. These street cultures transcend the common stereotype of drug users, such as low income communities in cities or welfare recipients, and can be found in every economic class and location. They are groups of people who have

The continuous use of narcotics results in addiction, and financial struggles due to the costly upkeep. “Financial problems are one of the major side effects of drug and substance abuse” (Buaggett, 2015). Addicts cannot adequately take an active role in the economic activities, as the use of drugs inhibits the abilities of the users to earn a daily living. Due to the instability of finances, this would result in selling personal belongings to continue funding the substance of choice, and depending on the addicts living situation, this could lead to losing their house or being removed from their current housing. While being under the influence, an addicts voice of reason is jeopardized, resulting in criminal activities which raise the chances of being apprehended by the law enforcers, as well as, heavy fines are imposed.

Victims of TV violence are rarely shown experiencing serious harm, and few programs condemn violence or depict other ways of solving problems (Center for Communication and Social Policy, 1998) (Berk 2006). It is imperative to keep up with children of all races during their development because they are sponges. Positive role models within their community can help with this. “Growing concerns about the experience and achievement of Black pupils (especially Black males)

His father had a business and received good income, making $5,000 a month. Often obtaining 5 to 6 jobs in total monthly. Their family is a prime example of how a mixed economy that is part capitalist can be damaging to someone 's livelihood. Quinney (1980, p. 1) claims that “the study of crime involves an investigation of such natural products and contradictions of capitalism as alienation, inequality, poverty, unemployment, spiritual

Drug dealing provided the necessary income for them to be able to survive. Thus, these types of experiences would future alienate them from mainstream society and drive them into the underground economy of crack, the only place where they can go to make money, and regain a certain sense of dignity and