An Analysis of In Search of Respect2
In his book, In Search of Respect, Philippe Bourgois discussed his experiences living in El Barrio (East Harlem). An interesting new insight into the street culture found in New York was captured in this book. The amount of poverty in this portion of our country is much higher than that in most other areas. Bourgois argues that this neighborhood, which is well known for high rates of violence, does not have widespread violence occurring amongst all of it's members. The higher crime rate, argues Bourgois, occurs for the most part within the factions of the underground economy. Some insight into this economy would explain the reasons for higher rates of violence.This book is a summary of the events that occurred during Bourgois' stay in El Barrio. The original purpose of the book was to write a first-hand account of poverty and ethnic segregation in the heart of one of the world's largest cities. Bourgois was swept into the area drug economy because of the abundance of information from the dealers and their families who all lived within the immediate area. The problem was so prevalent that the focus of th
The result is a high risk of harm to those who participate in the drug economy. Bourgois states that many of the unemployed in the inner-city are not successful in finding work because they lack the skills of working efficiently with people that they don't already have an every day relationship with, something that factory jobs provided. Bourgois states that, during the day, children are safely left to play in the streets unattended by their parents. Bourgois states that there is a strong feeling of community among the people living in El Barrio. The jobs pay little and aren't generally respected. The amount of drug dealers or crack houses is an indirect result of the lost jobs in Harlem. This would force small time dealers out of business, eliminating the need for them to commit violence amongst themselves, while making the streets safer for all citizens. Bourgois argues that, to reduce the violence within the drug community, we should consider the decriminalization of drugs. The way in which he writes also compliments his argument by drawing the reader in and making him feel like he himself were there. Many may not agree with the solution that Bourgois suggests, but everyone who reads the book will re-think their own views before discussing them again. This tends to lead many people within this community to become involved in the drug economy. Factory jobs that moved out of the inner-cities left the large minority groups without a collective workplace where everybody knew their task and how to complete it. 1995Bibliography Bourgois, Philippe.
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