The Cultural Matrix Analysis

1271 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Racism and police brutality

Adversity is commonplace for black youth in the inner city. In Patterson’s The Cultural Matrix, there are a plethora of examples that express these various facets of hardship and differentiate the institutional blockades from the cultural obstacles. To start, African Americans have never had a fair chance for success in the United States. From colonial chattel slavery to the era of Jim Crowe to the contemporary use of mass incarceration, there are always regulations in place to keep the black population from prospering. These institutional problems that black youth face today encompass police brutality and litigation, our discriminatory capitalist economy and educational system. All these barriers intersect to form an overall mountain of …show more content…

As in Small’s lecture slides, the rules of the street revolve around the three R’s (respect, retaliation and reputation). Often times black youths have to engage in conflict to build respect or a reputation that will ensure future safety. However, it is easy to get caught up in this world and no think about future success with the allure of drugs and violence. In chapter six of the cultural matrix, Patterson describes how most youths in the inner city have had friends or family shot in front of them. This culture of fear instills values that promote survival but may not promote stable finical success as would the values instilled in a white suburb. There are the injunctive norms that both communities can understand but there are in turn the descriptive norms of how to behave that ensure …show more content…

Patterson examples the concrete aspects of masculinity in which males don 't want to be perceived as “wearing a skirt”. Anything from negative glances to bumps in the hallway or verbal harassment can turn into physical altercations. On one hand, not engaging can lead to future bullying whereas fights can prevent future incidents but results in legal or physical damages. Either option does not pose a full proof plan of survival. The same principles apply to back girls. Whether they are fighters or good girls, there are no true ways to avoid conflict in their environments. Often times joining a gang can seem enticing but again this also creates more enemies. For many black youths trust is a major component of their lives. When they have no figures they can look up to or friends that are not going to betray them, their whole world view is skewed. Ultimately they believe they can only trust family ergo the “FOE” motto came

Show More
Related

  • Suffering and Struggle in Sonny´s Blues by James Baldwin

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    The transition of being a black man in a time just after slavery was a hard one. A black man had to prove himself at the same time had to come to terms with the fact that he would never amount to much in a white dominated country. Some young black men did actually make it but it was a long and bitter road. Most young men fell into the same trappings as the narrator’s brother. Times were hard and most young boys growing up in Harlem were swept off their feet by the onslaught of change. For American blacks in the middle of the twentieth century, racism is another of the dark forces of destruction and meaninglessness which must be endured. Beauty, joy, triumph, security, suffering, and sorrow are all creations of community, especially of family and family-like groups. They are temporary havens from the world''s trouble, and they are also the meanings of human life.

    Read More

  • What Is Tough Guise 2?

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    As described in the film “Tough Guise 2”, the U.S. is both obsessed with and is a victim of its own culture. On one hand, movies and video games that glamorize violence and books that argue that violence. Additionally, many other films and books highlight that violence is a core aspect of male masculinity and argues that men are losing it through the empowerment of women and the loss of employment. At the same time, the United States has suffered through countless gun-related deaths and the mainstreaming of media such as Bum Fights, where actual homeless people are assaulted on camera. But due to the politicization of the issue of violence and the news media to properly explain the issue to the U.S., many people are taught that violence stems from the youth, which is only part of the broader picture. Instead of identifying and preventing the largest source of violence in the country, young white males, the focus is instead shifted toward the potential of violence of young men of color in poor urban

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie Boyz N The Hood

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    This movie was very sad but depicted the many social problems of struggling black communities in the early 1990’s. We learned in Adler, Mueller, & Laufer how criminal behavior as a result of frustrations suffered by lower-class individuals deprived of legitimate means to reach their goals are

    Read More

  • Impact Of Mass Media On Black Men

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many, many forces — physical, historical, cultural, and political — that shape and constrict the life chances of black males in the U.S. Some of these are longstanding legacies that may take generations to shift. But in other ways, the social, economic, and symbolic place of African-American men and boys is recreated and reinforced every day. In particular, public perceptions and attitudes toward black males not only help to create barriers to advancement within this society, but also make that position seem natural or inevitable. Among the most important mechanisms for maintaining (or changing) these perceptions are the mass media with their significant power to shape popular ideas and attitudes.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Bloods And Crips: Made In America

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to meet the ideal measure of standards and morals to be a part of the usual social standard, one must be able to meet specific goals to achieve economic success. When these standards are not met, it is called anomie according to Robert Merton. In the documentary Bloods & Crips: Made in America, we see the underlying and outside factors which have provoked African American youth to become involved in gangs and gang related violence. According to Merton, “some social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons... to engage in nonconformist conduct,” (672). There are two social structures that are important in order for youth to succeed the normal standard of living which can cause pressure on the individual and cause

    Read More

  • Punished Policing The Lives Of Black And Latino Boys Summary

    1849 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book "Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys" is written by Victor M. Rios, who was a former gang member in his hometown and later turned his life around. He went to Berkeley and earned a doctorate in sociology. This book explores how youth of color are punished and criminalized by authorities even under the situation where there is no crimes committed and how it can cause a harmful consequence for the young man and their community in Oakland, California. The goal is to show the consequences of social control on the lives of young people of color and try to remind the authorities. This is important Since society plays a crucial part in shaping the lives of people. And the authorities have biases towards them and mistreat

    Read More

  • Essay On Arab American Community

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Black communities today are growing in socioeconomic status and have the same opportunity as any other race in the United States, children are allowed to receive education and are able to socialize normally with the rest of the society. In addition, this community has the opportunity to participate in the US political system from the point of having a representation in the White House with the first African American president, Mr. Barack Obama.

    Read More

  • Racism Exposed In Coates's Between The World And Me

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    Coates conveys that “[he] saw it in their loud laughter…[he]saw it in their brutal language…”(15). Here, “it” refers to the insecurities or inferiority the black children feel, which provokes them to act aggressive with “loud laughter” and “brutal laughter”. By employing this anaphora, Coates emphasizes the growing fear that black teenagers face that antagonizes them to react violently. Furthermore, Coates demonstrates that “[he] knew that there was a ritual to a street fight...attested to all the vulnerability of the black teenage body” (15). The fact that the “street fight” is “ritual” or mundane highlights that violence is a tradition that black teenagers are adopting. Thus, Coates employs violent imagery to prove that the result of this prevailing fear that builds up in black communities due to racism. Additionally, Coates articulates that “[he] would watch them after school” as “squared off like boxers” and “leaped at each other” (15). Here, Coates illustrates that the black teenagers showcase the violence in the black community “after school” as they “squared off like boxers” as to resolve conflicts. Through this violent imagery, Coates portrays how the racial injustice in black communities influences the black teeneagers

    Read More

  • Empire Strikes Back Analysis

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is a deep seated hatred between rival gangs, which makes it difficult for the gang’s members to let go. Gangs became a source of income for some people, which made it difficult for many young African Americans to escape the gangs. Significance: This film shows how the police saw activist groups such as the Black Panthers and the U.S. Organization as a threat, which led to repression despite the Civil Rights Movement. This repression leads to anger and hatred and the need for a sense of belonging amongst the African American community.

    Read More

  • Critique of Geoffrey Canada's Fist Stick Knife Gun

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Geoffrey Canada gives his readers a rare opportunity to look inside the life of a ghetto kid and what they have to go through just to survive. He also provides answers to the many questions asked of why certain things happen the way they do in the Bronx. He used his childhood experiences and turned them into a unique tool when helping the youth of today. Now that he works as a youth councilor he sees that the problem in the slums has gotten dramatically worse with the emergence of guns. It used to be about pride and status, now any thug with a gun can be feared in the community. This, to Canada is a major problem because guns gives kids a sense of power, a strong feeling that is often abused and results in someone, even an innocent person dead.

    Read More

  • Gang Violence in Philadelphia

    2395 Words  | 5 Pages

    The presence of gang violence has been a long lasting problem in Philadelphia. Since the American Revolution, gangs have been overpopulating the streets of Philadelphia (Johnson, Muhlhausen, 2005). Most gangs in history have been of lower class members of society, and they often are immigrants into the U.S (Teen Gangs, 1996). Gangs provided lower class teens to have an opportunity to bond with other lower class teens. However over time, the original motive of being in a gang has changed. In the past, gangs used to provide an escape for teens to express themselves, let out aggression, and to socialize with their peers. It was also an opportunity for teens to control their territory and fit in (Johnson, Muhlhausen, 2005). In the past, authorities would only focus on symptoms of gang violence and not the root. They would focus on arresting crime members instead of preventing gang violence. Gangs are beginning to expand from inner-city blo...

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Hip-Hop Generation Fights Back

    296 Words  | 1 Pages

    Andreanna Clay and her book: The Hip-Hop Generation Fights Back expresses many views, ideologies, and upbringings of today’s youth of color. The book goes on to discuss many key factors some of which are youth violence, to the impact of high stakes biased and blatantly racist educational testing, to social media rewording youth of color in a negative light, to even the moral failures of hip-hop culture. Young people of color are often portrayed and stereotyped as gang affiliated, simply troubled or, ultimately, dangerous, and not safe to be around. This book looks at and examines how youth activism has come about recently to address the persistent inequalities and injustices that affect these urban youths of color. Clay provides an over encompassing

    Read More

  • The Young Warriors Violence Prevention Program

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    In particular, inner-city(e.g., low-income urban) African-American male adolescents have been identified as a high-risk segment of youth due to their disproportionately high rates of exposure to (and often participation in) violent situations (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,2001; Hammond and Yung, 1993; Rich, 2001)" (Abdul-Ali). Elijah Anderson states, that "the 'code of the street' in poor, inner-city African-American communities places all young African-American men under much pressure to respond to certain situations-show of disrepect-with violence" (Anderson. 1994). The Young Warriors Violence Prevention program is consistent with Anderson's research because the program targets those that Anderson identified that were the most at risk: African-American Males from poor inner-city enviroments. Anderson, states that it is not only African-Americans that have a 'code on the street", but other races (white and Latino) who come from disadvantaged environment have a 'code of the street'. Economic and social disadvantage in these communities create "a threat of violence that is high in many disadvantaged communiites" (Cullen & Agnew, 2011, 143). The Young Warriors Violence Prevention for Inner-City African American Male Adolescents program uses rap music to challenge 'the code of the street' and they use this as a mechanism to unify the youth and prevent violence. For instance, Jaleel Adul-Ali who reviewed the program found that "critical consciousness may be a particularly important sociopolitical resource for enhancing violence prevention efforts with inner-city African-American male adolescents(Watts & Abdul-Adil, 1998; Watts, Abdul-Adil & Pratt, 2002; Watts, Griffith & Abdul-Adil, 1999). Kerns and Prinz (2002) arg...

    Read More

  • The Struggle for Freedom Among African American Citizens

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    Diversity, we define this term today as one of our nation’s most dynamic characteristics in American history. The United States thrives through the means of diversity. However, diversity has not always been a positive component in America; in fact, it took many years for our nation to become accustomed to this broad variety of mixed cultures and social groups. One of the leading groups that were most commonly affected by this, were African American citizens, who were victimized because of their color and race. It wasn’t easy being an African American, back then they had to fight in order to achieve where they are today, from slavery and discrimination, there was a very slim chance of hope for freedom or even citizenship. This longing for hope began to shift around the 1950’s during the Civil Rights Movement, where discrimination still took place yet, it is the time when African Americans started to defend their rights and honor to become freemen like every other citizen of the United States. African Americans were beginning to gain recognition after the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, which declared all people born natural in the United States and included the slaves that were previously declared free. However, this didn’t prevent the people from disputing against the constitutional law, especially the people in the South who continued to retaliate against African Americans and the idea of integration in white schools. Integration in white schools played a major role in the battle for Civil Rights in the South, upon the coming of independence for all African American people in the United States after a series of tribulations and loss of hope.

    Read More

  • Family Relationships in Morrison's The Bluest Eye

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    A main theme in this novel is the influence of family relationships in the quest for individual identity. Our family or lack thereof, as children, ultimately influences the way we feel as adults, about ourselves and about others. The effects on us mold our personalities and as a result influence our identities. This story shows us the efforts of struggling black families who transmit patterns and problems that have a negative impact on their family relationships. These patterns continue to go unresolved and are eventually inherited by their children who will also accept this way of life as this vicious circle continues.

    Read More

More about The Cultural Matrix Analysis

Open Document