Urban Inequality And The Wire

Social and economic disparities are plaguing the city of Baltimore. There are numerous issues that the city of Baltimore is facing, many of which did not come to light until the case of Freddie Gray. On April 2015, a 25-year-old black man by the name of Freddie Gray fell victim to police brutality. After the discovery of his death and the unreasonable way he was treated, Baltimoreans began to protest. The anger and frustration began to escalate due to other social and economic problems the city faces regularly.

Income inequality has a direct relationship with middle class Americans’ destructive and poor lifestyle. In the poor areas of South Chicago, the black communities suffer “higher crime rates, poor performance in school, and family management,” said Robert Sampson, a sociology professor at the University of Chicago. Similarly, Harvard University sociologist William Julius Wilson found “patterns of racial exclusion” and “concentrated poverty” among the middle-class Americans in South Chicago “are much more likely to be exposed to crime and other manifestations of social dislocation and social problems…” Poor minority groups are not only affected by destructive and poor lifestyle due to income inequality but also, poor whites are affected. Poor

The sociological issue depicted in the video The New Ghettos of America is deviance. This is any belief, characteristic or action that members of a societal group consider a violation of group norms and that the person who violated these norms will be punished. One example of deviance from the video is the increase in crime in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. There are two cops in the video that talk about having to take twenty-four hour shifts most of the week to at most keep the crime under control because they haven’t even made a dent in solving the problems with drug and gang violence crime. Another example is the woman in Los Angeles who lost her son because gang members came into the house and shot him in his bed while he was unarmed.

Even the climate has the ability to impact inequality. As the frequency of natural disasters increases, there is a growing need for people to have enough money to pay for recovery or to afford insurance against such occurences. One only needs to look at New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, or even how the different boroughs of New York City were affected by Sandy. As catastrophic weather events increase, there is a need for more economic stability.

This paper is about the anthropology book Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community by Elijah Anderson. In the book, Anderson exposes the racial relationship between blacks and white along with the class relations between the poor and rich in an urban community located in Philadelphia. Elijah Anderson uses both native Philadelphian stories and his own professional understanding to describe, in detail, the interactions of people of different race and social standing in Philadelphia. Even though, Anderson spent years living in Philadelphia to research for this book, Streetwise could be used to describe any major city in the country. Although, Streetwise was originally published in 1992, Anderson’s research is still an applicable issue in contemporary society. That is why I believe Streetwise; Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community is a great read for anyone interested in learning more about Philadelphia’s social differences.

In recent years and over the course of the past fifty year history dating back to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, the city of Chicago has been a center stage for violence, protest, racial clash, and inevitably segregation. Since the days that Martin Luther King Jr. led marches in some of Chicago’s most historic moments, the city’s sizable black population has hardly witnessed an upturn in their quest for equality. In fact, many studies have identified a pattern of poverty, violence, bias, and pre-mature mortality. All of which have led to the systematic oppression of an entire population in one of the nation’s largest cities. As a result, over the course of the past fifty years in Chicago, poverty has expanded, neighborhoods have become

“Inequality in the United States has prevailed on all levels, be it the justice and legal system, or the social class. This inequality is not only the basis of discrimination, but also encourages the increase in criminalization.”

(1) The question of economic and social mobility is important to the question of inequality because less economic and social mobility is an indicator of inequality. Unequal access to resources for children in their formative years, affordable higher education, private business ownership, and inheritances all perpetuate weak economic and social mobility.

Social inequality exists in the United States through the Elite’s power to maintain their dominance in the United States capitalist system. The Elite Ruling class is made of the upper class and this class of individuals share similar ideology and are the members of the United State’s Superstructure. The Elite Ruling Class members of society are the decision and policy makers in the United States. Research and history has proven that many policies and decisions made by the Elite Ruling Class serve their own interest and promote their ideas. These decisions are the source of the inequality in the United States and it contributes to their ability to maintain their dominant status. The inequality is trickled down to the other classes through social policy and social institutions that affect our lives everyday citizens. A major example of this social inequality can be seen in the United States housing market or home ownership. A significant amount of studies, statics and data supports the evidence of social inequality within the US housing market or home ownership. The following passages will discuss social inequality in the United States as it is connected to Karl Marx’s theory of capitalism’s power and influence of the Elite Dominant i.e. the Ruling Class view as it relates to homeownership within the United States. Karl Marx’s theory however focuses mostly on economic s and the difference between upper and lower class not race. It is also important to point out that the Elite

The classism that gentrification brings into communities cannot be understated, simply because it is one of the negative driven byproducts of it, because when individuals are forced to see homes in their respective communities go for 2 to 3 times the market value for what they were previously going for, it sends the message that those within a higher income bracket are able to dictate the set prices in real estates. Furthermore, this financial inequality goes beyond just the housing market. Areas that have seen the wholesale installment of the businesses that stem from gentrification are often overlooked and not taken in consideration when it comes to the prices set by them. It is almost as if these independent coffee shops, Whole Foods Markets,

Instead, it tacitly insists that inequality is the price we pay for growth. The fact is that almost all American adults need to work -- those with children, those without. Many work two jobs, with no hope for a raise or promotion of any kind, because employers are too greedy. Many are one illness, or car breakdown, away from homelessness. Poverty robs not only your pocket book but also your mind and your spirit. Poverty also keeps a person isolated and lonely and sometimes bored. Also we live in a society that requires money. Monetarily poor don't have money so add being on punishment to the list of ills a monetarily poor person suffers. Even working people with health insurance can be thrown into poverty. Health care costs, premiums, deductibles,

Jackson shows the complexity of class identities in Harlem through different arguments from social scientists about race and class. Some theorists believe that poverty is due to one’s own actions and if one should “behave properly” (4) such as working harder, stopping devious acts, finding a spouse and producing less offspring; one would be able to overcome one’s poverty. Another popular theory is that it is more difficult for people who do not have “soft-skills”(4) to thrive in the job market because these “soft-skills” provide the upper hand in competing with other candidates for a job. These “soft-skills” are viewed as the separation between the middle class and the under class. Another theory is how we express our behavior in certain locations

When I ask locals if they think the city is segregated, they say, “No, not really. Not like in America at least.”In America, inequality is systematic. Here, people have explained to me that there is systematic oppression faced by minorities, but it is also very clear that the immigrant populations are excluded or often exclude themselves in urban settings.

The question or problem I would solve would have to be the war on poverty and the streets influence on children in the inner cities of America. The amount of people in America are hungry and it seems as if the inner cities are the focal point for those terribly high numbers. I would attend the all the food drives ad even possibly start a food bank and help families feed their young children who have no way of providing for their selves. I would even maybe visit their schools to help them pursue their dreams no matter how crazy because, isn't that what America is all about?

Many Americans believe that America has one of the most powerful economies that is involved in the global market and the best average living standards. Since the creation of the United States it has been known as the land of endless opportunities, regardless of social or economic classes. Under this philosophy, all citizens should have equal rights and given equal opportunity to progress in the workforce. However many Americans are living full lives and do not have financial obstacles to get over. Even so, millions of Americans are still faced with poor living conditions and struggle with providing for their families basic needs. Whether Americans believe poverty and inequality exist in America exists or not, the authors in three different articles:” Culture of Success” by Brink Lindsey, “A Great Time to Be Alive?” by Matt Yglesias, and “Born Poor and Smart” by Angela Locke, and “The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty”by Herbert J. Gans, shared ideas on how to help fix the problems of the impoverished community and address the cause of the problem. The four articles also explain different biases that the impoverish have to endure everyday.