The Sports Of A Boy Named Ricky

“In our media-intensive culture it is not difficult to find differing opinions… The difficulty lies in deciding which opinion to agree with and which ‘experts’ seem the most credible” (Espejo 11). The perceptions of one age group in society of another age group are built upon assumptions that are made through what is visible. However, rarely is anyone willing to understand the reason behind someone’s actions. Sibling rivalry, the death of a loved one, moving to a new school, competition among peers, and the reputation adolescents have today often end up giving a misperception of society to teens and of teens to society, thus damaging the relationships between society, as illustrated by J.D. Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye.

In the case study, Crying and Marching, Zack Will is a fourth grader boy who seemed to cry for at least 30 minutes every day in different school settings (e.g. cafeteria, classroom, hallway, and music class). According to the information provided in this case, the school guidance counselor, Ms. Ellis, mentioned how Zack’s mother provided information about some difficulties that she was also having with him. Apparently, Jack’s father had moved out, and the mother’s new boyfriend moved in, causing some issues and misbehavior on Zach’s part (p. 56). The school principal, Mrs. Debaliviere, had decided to implement an intervention plan that had been proven to be effective with another student in the past. The principal had assumed that Zack’s crying behavior occurred only to obtain teacher attention. Based on this, Principal Debaliviere had told all teachers to bring Zack to the office as soon as he exhibited the behavior, where he was going to be put in a time-out chair in a corner.

The book “There Are No Children Here” by Alex Kotlowitz details the challenges two young boy’s face by being raised in the inner city housing project (Henry Horner Homes). These challenges stem from racism, discrimination, the social construction of reality, social location, social class, and the deviance theory, which is due to their location and influences (social control) at which causes many youths to lead a life of crime. The book focuses on the Conflict and Symbolic Interaction theories of sociology. What is the true cause of their struggle? Is it the run down smelly housing project completely taken over by gangs, where murders and shootings are an everyday thing, is their family, school, society, the system, race; or maybe it's because of the economical disadvantages. While others may argue, I believe that it isn't just one of these reasons; it's all of them all together.

When Mr. Clark originally taught at Eastside High School, the culture seemed very competitive and full of high standards. The students seemed very eager to learn and at a pretty high level for their age. Twenty years later, the culture flips dramatically. The school quickly goes from pristine to a graffiti-infested playground. The teachers are the prey and the students (mainly the ‘hoodlums’) pretty much do as they please. Education is a small goal for any of the students, and the students that do want to do well fear those “hoodlums.” Mr. Clark identifies this immediately when returning to Eastside High. During his first assembly, Mr. Clark let the entire school know that he was the HNIC. He gathered up all the trouble makers and sent them home, expelling them from school. Most were drug dealers, 5th year students, or drug abusers that were dulling the spark of the other students.

In his research Jay Macleod, compares two groups of teenage boys, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers. Both groups of teenagers live in a low income neighborhood in Clarendon Heights, but they are complete opposites of each other. The Hallway Hangers, composed of eight teenagers spend most of their time in the late afternoon or early evening hanging out in doorway number 13 until very late at night. The Brothers are a group of seven teenagers that have no aspirations to just hang out and cause problems, the Brothers enjoy active pastimes such as playing basketball. The Hallway Hangers all smoke, drink, and use drugs. Stereotyped as “hoodlums,” “punks,” or “burnouts” by outsiders, the Hallway Hangers are actually a varied group, and much

Robberies, violence and drug-dealing transgressions are a constant fear of many. The decent families although opposed to the norms of the ghetto, encourage their children to understand and respect the code of the streets in an effort to protect themselves. Also, many youths in the inner-cities try to behave as others within their sub-culture. A child might dress or speak a certain way that a race is labeled to be standard to fit in. For example, a Caucasian individual may dress in baggy clothes and speak in slang in public to imitate what people label the African American youth to be uniform. However, this individual in some instances could act completely different at home or in other environments such as family gatherings or church.

Due to urban sprawl, the neighborhood of Walnut Park has been victim to marginalization. Similar to Pruitt Igeo, urban sprawl caused residents to leave walnut park and take businesses and jobs with them. Hammell (2016) states that, “Occupational deprivation arises when populations have limited choice in occupations because of their isolated location, their ability, or other circumstances”. The residents of Walnut Park cannot force business to stay in their neighborhood, so the lack of occupations is outside of their immediate control. The deprivation of healthy occupations causes a surplus in dark occupations, due to the fact people must find alternative ways to fill their time and provide for their families. Also, the link between marginalization and occupation impacts culture. Downes (1997) defines culture as, “the learned part of human lifestyles”. If a child grows up in a community where there is illegal activity, lack of opportunity and decreased importance on education, this is what they incorporate into their own life. The culture of Walnut Park is directly linked to its occupational deprivation and feelings of inferiority. However, Walbridge elementary school is working endlessly to shift this culture and bring opportunity back into their neighborhood.

Those classes are called the Greasers and the Socs. Obviously, Ponyboy is in the Greasers class. Greasers are thought of as the poor kids; they always have it rough and can never catch a break. They’re usually the ones that get into the most trouble with the law. The Socs are presumed to be the rich kids; who always have it made and live on the high side of town. Ponyboy’s self-worth comes in where he doesn’t feel like he fits in. He likes to read, observe the sunrises and look at the colors of the sky. Those characteristics don’t fit in with the typical Greaser boy, so Ponyboy doesn’t see himself as valuable to the gang as he sees everybody else because he sees every member as playing a specific role to the group, but he doesn’t understand what role he plays and if he means anything to the

Traumatic experiences, difficult home lives, and the effect of drugs can leave a significant imprint on the rest of an individual’s life. The context which individuals are surrounded by during their developmental years has a significant impact on their mental health and development. In the documentary, The Bad Kids this idea is depicted through the portrayal of adolescence and early adulthood periods of the individuals at Black Rock Continuation High School. The film portrays the lives of at risk teens, who are given a second chance to get their life on track and earn a high school diploma. However, there are complications and set-backs that are holding them back from accomplishing their goals.

Antisocial behavior can commonly be described as disruptive acts of hostility and aggression toward others. Gang or gangs is described as an organized group of criminals. This essay will discuss the nature and scope of juvenile antisocial behavior as it relates to organized gangs, discuss three of the most common forms of antisocial behavior in organized gangs, and discuss three proactive solutions to gang violence.

The corner boy is the most common response. They are not chronically delinquent but may be involved in petty or status offenses. He is loyal to his peers and eventually becomes a stable member of his neighborhood. The college boy embraces the cultural and social values of the middle class and strives to be successful by these standards. These youths are on an almost hopeless path because they are ill-equipped academically, socially, and linguistically to achieve the rewards of middle class life. The delinquent boy adopts a set of norms and principles in direct opposition to middle class values. They live for the day and do not think about tomorrow. They go against efforts made by family, school, or other sources of authority to control their behavior. The attraction, loyalty, and solidarity are some of the reasons they join gangs along with the gangs perception of autonomy and independence. Reaction formation is the result of the delinquent boy’s inability to succeed. The real problem for Cohen is status frustration, not blocked opportunity (Siegel, 2013). Lower-class youth desire approval and status, but because they cannot meet middle-class criteria, they become frustrated (Criminology chapter 4 outline sagepub.com). They overreact to any perceived threat or slight. They are also willing to take risk, violate the law, and flout middle-class conventions. Cohen’s work explains the factors that promote and sustain a

Ricky common unpopular-inappropriate behavior in the past is within peer pressure, often promoting interpersonal drama, aggression and bullying. E.g., another youth may have an unpleasant day where they would challenge Ricky, “You’re not talking about nothing!” Such verbal encounter often remove Ricky out of his acceptable behavior where he attempt to prove himself otherwise.

There are children living in societies that are filled with gangs and peer pressure. When I was growing up, my mother was a single parent; she was also the head of the house, respectfully. She had a well-paying job, but we stayed in a place that I would consider low class. I witnessed kids smoking, stealing, and being disrespectful to adults, even their own parents. Since my mother pretty much raised me and taught me not to give in to things that may cause problems in the future, I really had nothing to worry about.

I am in the class of 2021; there are cool kids and then the not so cool kids. Colton is not your average kid, he is very short, non-athletic, in band, gamer, and to top it all off he was not the most loveable or nicest person ever. Kevin was a big, tall, mean, athletic, and all around bully, now I think you know why Colton was always picked on. Recess was not the bet time of the day for him. One tiny kid and many other larger kids together for 30 minutes of the day with no teachers watching, he was defiantly the laughing stock of the whole school but, recess wasn’t the only place he was getting picked on, the hallways, lunch, after school, and in classes. “Hey Shorty want to play some kickball?” As I was just being your average human bystander.

Not knowing what to do. Not knowing what to say. Even worst if all your friends are there. Wanting to say one thing, but saying another. Wanting to do something, but doing another. How can teenagers being peer pressured by their friends affect their future? This is a very serious topic that teenagers should be aware of. If we make teenagers attentive of how they are easily influenced by their friends, then they will be able to make good decisions for their future. In the novel “Paper Towns” by John Green, Quentin is peer pressured very frequently. Margo makes him do things Quentin really doesn’t want to do but he does them to be more popular. When Quentin was with Margo he was a completely different person. He broke down into houses, and committed crimes which he