Exam 3 Flashcards
Which city is Germantown in?
Philadelphia
What is studied in Germantown?
social ecology
What is the code of civility and code of conduct regulated by the threat of violence
Code of the Street
Describe Chestnut Hill
- The”suburb of the city”
- most affluent and educated white people
- small upscale businesses
- no feelings of hostility
- blacks and whites get along
- middle class
- little to no crime
What event do many people come to in Chestnut Hill which acts as a diverse social scene?
The Farmers Market
Describe Mount Airy
- more integrated neighbor hood
- black mostly middle class
- exterior bars on windows
- state run liquor pizza parlors
- sense of defensiveness in middle class
- whites avoid public spaces (basketball courts)
- safe low crime
- further down buildings not maintained
- deeper in looking out for “street element”
- high schools mostly black with street element liquor stores nearby police car parked on corner
Describe the mentality of people living in Chelten and Germantown
- disregard for the law is visable (drink from bottle in street)
- rich man tries to flaunt it
- diverse in class and race
- less respect for codes of civil behavior
- robbery and gunfire
- people have guns
Which location acts as a large drug exchange area. There is a large mural on one wall.
Vernon Park
What are areas called that invite violence?
Staging Areas
Describe Chelten
- food stamps
- isolation of black poor
- “little people” - owners of small businesses
- not much violence
- residential areas with strip malls
- police station, state employment
What is the most dangerous place in Philidelphia?
Broad St. And Erie Avenue with German Avenue
Describe Germantown
- extremely poor
- Hyper Ghetto
- criminal businesses
- lots of security guards
- drug deal and gambling in the open air
- “watch your back”
- try to avoid violence (stop car in front of you don’t complain)
- public decency gets little respect
- liquor on streets
- woman on welfare
- eligible men = scarce
- iron bars
- take what you want from others
- bepper = possessions of money, coolness and drugs
What is the most pressing problem in poor inner city?
Impersonal violence and aggression spilling out and harming innocents
Inclination of violence comes from?
Lack of jobs, public services, stigma of race, drug use and trafficking, alienation and loss of hope for the future
What is the best thing to fight against aggression?
“decent” families with strong and loving families committed to middle class values.
What is necessary in order to not be bothered and to have more security?
Respect
Why was the “code of the street” formed
As a cultural adaptation to a profound lack of faith in the police and judicial system.
What is our ethnocentric reaction to Germantown Avenue?
We are offended by it.
What is the focus of “code of the street?
How young men use violence to obtain a sense of decency and have a moral life
Flight (movement out of the city) boarded up buildings, factories and businesses close, lack of infrastructure, hospitals and schools go into decline
Deindustrialization
Factories growing, disappearance of farm and migration into cities
Industrialization
What caused deindustrialization
Loss of 102,500 blue collar jobs (53 %manufacturing jobs) 1985 - 2000, Only jobs growing are service jobs mostly composed of woman. Men loose jobs and never return
What does the word “code” suggest?
- set of unwritten rules that insiders know but outsiders have to quickly decipher
- offers a punishment if don’t follow something will happen
- code doesn’t cause violence but allows it so no one gets killed
- violence can be administered not out of control
Code - how to maintain sense of decency and moral life where socio economic around you is going down the drain - definition of honor different in each society Calling Police honorable vs. dishonorable
Our opinion on good part of town vs. bad and good people vs. bad. Shaped by economics change
Moral judgements
What decides if you are “decent” or “street”
Degrees of alienation
Person may behave according to either set of rules depending on the situation
Code-switching
Share many mid class white society values but most will code-switch to stay alive on the street
Decent
Defy Law itself, not well educated, Most desperate and alienated, cynical outlook, lack of trust, winners vs. losers - violence
Street
Characteristics of Decent Families
- hope for the future
- value hard work and self -reliance
- very family oriented
- respect adults
- father = bread winner
- teach kids to avoid street
Sense of responsibility in young members
Backbone
Story Mr. Taylor and Family
When he comes back to the table kids sit up extra straight
Marge Skids story
- baseball bats given by Mr. Lee
- kids borrow and stolen
- daughter bullied 9th grade comes to house fist fight
- girl gets 20 people
- if they come up here we’re gonna have to do something
What do decent families call it when they have to fight?
“Get Ignorant”
Diana Story
- Single mother
- 4 sons 1 left 15 try to keep interested in automobiles and not theft
- most of his friends street
- tries to keep him inside
- took him out of school to avoid violence
Describe Street Families
- don’t care about others
- superficial sense of family
- kids not parents responsibility
- believe firmly in the code
- poor
- frustrations over bills, food, liquor, cigarettes and drugs.
- self destructive behavior
Dicken’s story
- 3 kids
- rents his own house
- lawn is wrecked
- Cares for kids but doesn’t see himself as responsible
- only attention to them is when he yells and curses at them
- pays more attention to buddies than the kids
- neighbors call police but they rarely come
- afraid him or buddies will hurt them
- suspect he is a crack dealer
children value toughness and self absorption
Maxine’s story
- abandoned house in decent neighborhood
- moves in 6 kids
- drug dealer
- kids loud and disrupt peace of neighborhood
- trash everywhere
- 2 men come police take a young man
- neighbor’s worst fear = Maxine established street on block
Don Moses’s Story
- He is a taxi driver
- hears shots every night
- good relationship with neighbors until boy borrows money and not pay back
- sister say will
- keeps nagging and Mom goes off on him
RESPECT/PROPS = important - doesn’t ask for money because try to avoid violence
- sister tried to intervene so bro not look like disrespectful
Yvette’s Story
- grows up in street neighborhood
- parents shelter her
- dad not really dad but loves him
- protect her from own relatives
- private Christian school
- wants to be a doctor
- wants to get out of ghetto
- keep goal in mind
- mom controlled who could play with
- talks way out of fights
Why is Yvette’s mom criticized
White collar job and owns a house
Gain respect by looking the cutest, having a boyfriend,, competition for a boyfriend, jealousy, gossip
Girl Street Fight
Respect is…
Valuable, protective, and increases self-esteem
Some decent get caught up in street ways in order to get honor they want, some don’t do violence but good athlete or good student
Status Passage
Gained when kids go out to street and hang, socialize at night and learn social meaning of fighting
Street knowlage
Story of Mary’s Son and Terry
- kids bully son
- tells him to bad mouth but not fight
- stand his ground
- mom there in case bad stuff happens
Share of Respect
Juice
How to increase respect?
- running buddies
- family background
- when wear something you can’t afford
- preservation of self
- not run from conflict
- stealing
- girlfriend = trophy
- payback and revenge
3 types of staging areas
1) Local - neighborhood establishments liquor store and bars
2) business strips - stores
3) Multiplex theatre, sporting events and concerts
Tyree’s story
- 15 yr old
- old house burned down
- mom = nursing assistant
- Mike = janitor
- move in w/ grandmother
- goes to convenience store, roll on him with ritual punches, angry was violated, punches guy in the nose very bol he sees.
- fights JC looses but a worthy opponent so they let him in (gets cool)
- expected to share what he has with the other bols
Who is Tyree’s friend?
Malik
Why do Malik and Tyree fight
Tyree was hitting on a girl and Malik was showing disrespect. fight creates stronger relationship
What you can’t do when fight:
- can’t hit face
- can’t draw blood
- only use hands
- no low blows
- rolling violence
Positive value of violence?
Long term relationships are formed among men
Building self image in street?
Get expensive shoes, new jeans, things they can’t afford
- appears violence because comparison side by side and wonder what they did to get those clothes
What you have is so difficult to take
Privilege
How the code administers violence?
Tyree needs to get relations with group to “get cool” have to fight to establish social relations with time.
People likable like me to establish like others
getting cool
Physically dominate
Rolling