A Rouge Sociologist Takes To The Streets Analysis

Chapter 1, “Intimate Apartheid”, introduces one to the group of homeless people living on Edgewater Blvd. It dives into the racialized micro-geography of homeless encampments and how segregation plays a key role within the lumpen. However, the authors do reveal moments where the racial hierarchy is trumped by the “moral economy” of street life.

Levitt and Dubner present a Chicago drug gang with a misperception that all drug dealers are wealthy. Since the police had portrayed drug dealers as wealthy to the public. The authors use Sudhir Vankatesh research to disprove the conventional wisdom about how all drug dealers are wealthy. Their question was, “why drug dealers are leaving with their moms if they are so wealthy?” They start to provide analysis by using Sudhir research on The Black Disciples. They started their analysis by proving information on how Vankatesh got interest/involved with the project. Then the authors mentioned how Vankatesh got his hands on the J.T. financial notebook. J.T. was the boss of the gang and a college graduate on the project Vankatesh was doing. The financial records showed the conventional wisdom about drug dealers was wrong. Drug dealers earned far less than minimum wage at the time. Also it illustrates the reality that only the leaders were getting payed at least

J.T. had been promoted into higher ranks in the Black Knights gang. This allowed Sudhir the opportunity to speak to other leaders in the Black Knights. The other gang leaders also saw themselves and the gangs as helping the community (Venkatesh 2008:249). It seemed that the leaders all shared many of the same views against police and for the community.

I really enjoyed the article Gang Leader for a Day: Adventures of a Rogue Sociologist, however I found it unclear on exactly what Sudhir Venkatesh was researching exactly. The article never explains exactly what it was that Sudhir was going into “the projects” to study other than expressing his question to the few individuals that he encountered which was “ How does it feel to be black and poor?” I would have liked to know his precise purpose in going into such a dangerous area only to ask how it felt for the African American and poor when there are other areas I am sure that contain individuals who are under the poverty level and African American in safer areas. Sudhir’s objective was very unclear and I wonder if his choice to go to this location

Though following a similar vein as its hardboiled predecessors, Chester Himes’ A Rage in Harlem adds new layers of violence and criminality to detective literature, giving insight into the lives of Black protagonists in a brutally corrupt city. Himes depicts a world where detectives not only fight criminals but they must also forcefully navigate through a hardened city, stricken with poverty and desperation. Harlem is a place where corruption and crime is bred everywhere, and all who are involved or affected become cynical and dark because it. Himes writes, “Below the surface, in the murky waters of fetid tenements, a city of Black

he ghetto economy has become a part of the informal economy. It constitutes of low wage jobs with no benefits, and welfare payments. It contains illegal and semi-illegal activities such as: drug dealing,prostitution, and working outside the marketplace businesses under the radar of regulation. Various Welfare policies becomes a way of controlling and monitoring people. Loic Wacquant unveils the space and symbolic power asymmetry in the ghetto: “So much to say that the ghetto results not from ecological dynamics but from the inscription in space of a material and symbolic power asymmetry, as revealed by the recurrent role of collective violence in establishing as well as challenging ethnoracial confinement” (Wacquant 18). In the ghetto, Inner

Violence in front of the minority is a strong feeling that a person can feel. It can be cause that people who are experiences of this violence become an instrument of another because they are abused. However; hatter and hopeless are a consequence of the violence that people make to the minority in the society. The articles, “ Notes of a Native Son by Balwin states the idea of the black community need to be prepared in order to protect themselves, and “ The Question of Class” by Allison argues how the poor people move forward in order to survive in society. Both articles explores the issue of violence about how the minority like the black people and the women embraced emotions like desperation, hate and rage with the life. According to both

The Lower East Side formerly once joined with the East Village is home to many working class families, many of whom are foreign born. Over the past 50 years, this neighborhood has gone through many changes, both negative and positive. Located in Manhattan, the Lower East Side is surrounded by 14th street, the East River, Bowery, and the Brooklyn Bridge. This area today has faced gentrification and has also faced many housing developments that threaten the character of the community. The LES has gone from once considered a slum to be one of the trendiest neighborhoods today in New York City.

While genetic management of foods can be traced throughout history, the modern phenomena of GMOs and transgenic plants have come to light in just the last few decades. In today’s modern society, the science of biotechnology and the process of genetic modification are developing throughout the planet. As of 2004, 8.25 million farmers in 17 countries were using genetically modified crops. Today, approximately two- thirds of all food offered in supermarkets has been genetically modified. However, the subject of GMO’s is one of great controversy. Although this modern invention does have some positive results on the food industry it also has brought some negative consequences along with it.

Upon my quest to pursue a website relatable to chapter 1 in our textbook I came across a site that shared information that it also found in our textbook. This site is titled Degree in Sociology, found at the address of http://degreeinsociology.net/influential-sociologists/. Found on this page is information about 10 of the most influential sociologist of the 20th century. I chose this page after reading this chapter because I strongly believe that it is important to know who these individuals are and their contributions to sociology. Reading about these individuals it helps to make sense of how sociologist study social behaviors in human groups and gives it credibility. Before reading the chapter including information on these sociologist I

The strong connection between APS’s key attributes and my interest about civil not only confirms that this is where I should be but also motivates me to become a sociologist.

The book “Gang Leader for a Day” by Sudhir Venkatesh is and interesting insight into the life of a gang member, as well as people who live in the projects. When reading this book, several sociological things stood out to me, however three things really captured my mind. Those included social class differences, racial discrimination, and power conflict theory.

I intend to study how divorce affects the home happiness of different genders, ages, and socioeconomic statuses. Divorce is an issue that has become more prevalent in our society over the years. As divorce becomes more common it becomes more of a social issue. I believe this issue has significant research, but does not take precedence amongst social issues because it is seemingly accepted as a social norm.

This study has described the organizational culture and leadership of my company. I analysis my company adopt the?functionalism Paradigm, which is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology.

“Peter Berger has suggested sociologists look for general social patterns in the behavior of particular individuals. While not erasing our uniqueness as individuals, sociology studies the social forces that impinge on our lives in so many unseen, yet significant ways.” (Chapter One PP) This sociological perspective by Peter Berger describes the character of Batman the Gotham City’s vigilante, because it is an example of how Batman learns the way curtain individuals goes through patterns of insanity. Still “Seeing the strange in the familiar” is something both sociologist and Batman question. In the Chapter One power point states that “ thing are not always what they seem” (Chapter One PP). Batman has to deal with criminals not always up to