02-12-2011, 03:13 PM
(02-12-2011, 02:47 PM)Duchess Wrote:
I will never understand why someone would aspire to be looked upon as a gangster. Am I missing something here? Why in hell would a reputation like that be considered cool? Gangsters are not respected or thought well of yet, someone wants to be looked at as "gangsta" & does what they can to enforce they be taken as such. Jesus Christ.
That's a thought that probably many people on this board share. I am a sociologist - my focus is on education, more specifically how college can serve as a way to better one's socioeconomic life prospects. But I've done a lot of reading and research on growing up in a lower class social context and how education can intervene to improve these circumstances (which is obviously a tough if not impossible task). In some environments, the reality is quite different from mainstream society in terms of acceptable behaviors and norms as well as what's respected (i.e., "gangsta" attitudes). Also, people feel so powerless to escape their circumstances, acting tough is a way to exert individual control despite the fact that it often leads to self-destruction. A very readable book on this is "Gang Leader for a Day" by Sudhir Venkatesh.
It's been said earlier on this board, but I think a lot of the interest in this case is fueled by the intersection of this "gangsta" culture with, at least from outside appearances, a very mainstream household and a cute normal seeming upper middle class white family. It's jarring for many who live in the suburbs to see this culture and its ramifications move into their boundaries.