In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio Philippe Bourgois

Introduction:
1. Explain the authors original conception for the book. How did he prepare to do
ethnographic work in the field? Is this an appropriate method of data collection
for his original research purposes? How else would you conduct such research to
answer such questions 1!
!. "hat is the underground economy? #i$e some examples. "hy might some
people engage in the underground economy? "hat functions does it ser$e for its
$arious participants? %inally& how might this present a problem in the urban
community?
'. How might substance abuse ser$e as mere symptom of large social ills such as the
(dynamics of social marginali)ation and alienation?* !
+. ,he people studies were not interested in discussing drugs but rather about their
daily struggles for subsistence and dignity at the po$erty line. "hy is this
significant? How might this pose a problem for a research interested in studying
drugs? !
-. .ccording to official statistics& the people of Harlems barrios should be homeless
and star$ing. /ost& howe$er& are not. "hy? How is this important to our
understanding of the informal economy? Explain.
0. .nswer the authors question on page + asking why young people would take a
long subway ride to work in a lowpaying and often dehumani)ing 1obs rather
than working in the informal economy in their neighborhood? In fact& instead of
asking why so many people work in the informal economy& we should better
inquire why so many conform to the formal economy. #o ahead2 make a good
sociological explanation one way or the other.
3. "hats the problem with relying on 45 census date on inner city neighborhoods?
+0
6. "hat is the difficulty of estimation the si)e of the underground economy? 0
7. "hat is inner city street culture? 6 Explain
18. How might street culture ser$e as an alternati$e forum for personal dignity? 6
11. 9an street culture be thought of as :cultural creati$ely in defiance of racism and
marginali)ation? Explain. 6
1!. How is the street culture of resistance coopted or recuperated into popular
culture? ,o what aim? 6
1'. .lthough street culture is& in many ways& a search to preser$e indi$idual respect
in the face of marginali)ation and racism& it also has another affect on problems in
urban community. Explain.
1+. "hy did the author choose addicts& thie$es and dealers as his best friends for
obser$ation and study? Explain 11
1-. Explain the concept of ;uerto <icos (oppositional mentality* created in the
struggle experienced during longterm colonial domination. 11
10. Explain some of the problems and contradictions that often comes with
ethnographic fieldworks& the politics or representation and negati$e stereotyping =
especially when it comes to research race and ethnicity in socially marginali)ed
positions. 11 >Hint? see last line on page 11@
13. "hat does the author mean by looking at the interaction between structural
oppression and indi$idual actions? 1!
16. "hat is the problem with traditional social science research techniques to study
and understand the experiences of people who sur$i$e in the underground
economy? 1!
17. Aiscuss the authors research techniques and methodologies. 1!1' Explain. "hat
do you think about this method of obser$ation and data collection? Explain. "hen
should this form of data collection be used? How does this $iolate the canons of
positi$ist research?
!8. "hat is the myth of ethnographic authority and hierarchical politics of
representation? 1'
!1. "hat is selfconscious reflexi$ity? 1'
!!. Explain& in some detail& the profoundly elitist tendency of many post modern
approaches that ethnographically study the other. #i$e some examples. 1+
!'. "hat are some of the methodological problems with participant obser$ation
techniques? Explain. 1+ ><eread pages 1+1-& this are $ery important@
!+. "hat is the :culture of po$erty thesis? 10 Explain. "hy is this type of thinking so
pre$alent in popular culture? 10
!-. Explain the debate between humans as acti$e agents or passi$e $ictims. 13
!0. "hat does the author mean by (cultural production theory?*
Chapter 1: Violating apartheid in the US
1. Explain the authors ma1or mistake and lack of street smarts that almost lost him
his main griot. 17!!
!. "hat function does rays ruthlessness and cruelty towards colleagues and
customers in the underground economy play for the effecti$e leadership? !+
'. what is cultural capital? How did <ay lack cultural capital in the dominant culture
though he thri$ed as a businessman in the informal economy? !6 "hat are the
consequences of lacking this ability to operate in the formal economy? !6!7
+. Explain some of Bourgoiss problems and conflicts when confronting situations
dealing with race& class and the police. !7'!.
-. Explain the authors obser$ations about racism and the culture of terror. '! How
do most people $iew all black neighborhoods like 1768s1778s Harlem? "hy did
most people in the neighborhood lea$e %elipe alone? How did they $iew him? ''
0. Explain the concept of :culture of terror.* '+ How is it created and what are its
consequences?
3. How does 9aesar $iew cops as part of the problem in urban community? '0
6. "hat was the 1768s (1ust say not to drugs* hysteria? Explain how this is a classic
example of a moral panic. '7
7. Explain the story of how Bourgois gained access into the game room crack house&
achie$ing e$entual entrCe into this social world. '7
18. Explain the contradictory code of the street ethics Bourgois disco$ered when first
offered cocaine. +8+1
11. How id Ben)ie and ;rimo percei$e Bourgois during his first two years of
researchD +'++
1!. Aiscuss .frican .merican and ;uerto <ican relations in Harlems street culture.
+-+0
1'. "hat did some of the main characters of the book& like 9aesar& think of
Bourgoiss idea in using these stories to gi$e back to the community? "hat part
did the characters& main and marginal& want to play in the book? +0+3
Chapter 2: street histor! of El Barrio
1. Explain the significance of the term 1ibaros and why knowing this history helps to
understand many ;uerto <icans in the 45& especially EF& today? -8
!. Explain some of the macro structural dislocations ;uerto <icans experienced o$er
the past two to three generations. "hy is this significant background to
understand the li$es operating in the informal economy? -!
'. "ho has benefited most from the 45 go$ernments coloni)ation of ;uerto <ico?
Explain -!
+. Explain the racist cultural assault may ;uerto <icans ha$e endured mo$ing from
their rural based cultural worlds to urban inner cities like EF. -!-'
-. "hat is the problem with explaining street life in el barrio with arguments of
structural $ictimi)ation which ser$es as an historical apology explanation& -'-+
0. Explain the position many ;uerto <icans operating in the informal economy take
on the whole structure $ersus agency debate. -+. Include in your discussion the
1ibero past& puritan .nglo beliefs& rugged indi$idualism and a sur$i$al of fittest
mentality. Is the $ictim blamed or does personal pathology account for this human
suffering?
3. How did the (alarmed* politicians
EF9 $iew the influx of southern Italian immigrants to East Harlem? -6 How
were these groups treated by the local institutions?
6. 9omment on the quote on page -7 about the effects of pre1udice on Italian
.merican adolescents.
7. How were ;uerto <ican immigrant percei$ed when entering El Barrio East
Harlem neighborhood in the 17'8s and 17+8s. Explain. -7
18. Explain how mainstream society held the most antipathy for ;uerto <ican
immigrants. 01 Include the health hysteria o$er ;uerto <icans
11. Explain some examples for the po$erty and ecological disrepair of East Harlem
that applies to the 1668s to the 1778s. 0!0'
1!. Explain ,hrashers ideas on 17!8s and 17'8s Italian Harlem and (interstitial
areas* and concentric circles. 0'
1'. "hat do you think of the whole socalled culture of po$erty thesis first proposed
by Gscar Hewis? 0+
1+. Explain the result of (urban renewal* in 1778s East Harlem. 0- what is anomic
infrastructure?
1-. Explain some of the effects of physically concentrated and ethnically segregated
po$erty for urban communities. 0-
10. 9ompare the East Harlem street scene from an area dominated by speakeasies to
crack houses. 0003
13. "hat happened when Bourgois attempted to introduce his neighbor .ngel to the
public library? 06
16. Aescribe the presence of Heroin and cocaine in East Harlem. How did
schoolteachers react to this? 0607
17. How has the mafia legacy of operating in the underground economy still persist
though with different actors in East Harlem. 0731
!8. Explain the demise of mafia hegemony along with the shift in the underground
economy in the 1768s east Harlem 3+3-
Chapter ": Crack house #anage#ent: addiction discipline$ and dignit!
1. How was the crack game room founded? 33
!. How and why did ownership change from %elix to <ay? 3336 and 61
'. How did primo en1oy reminiscing about his days as a crack addict? 3637
+. Explain how <ay managed to crack corporate operation in the game room. 616!
How did this business operate like many other business establishments in the
formal economy? 616!
-. How did <ay manipulate kinship networks to ensure employee loyalty? 6!
0. "hat kind of work benefits did higherle$el employees& like ;rimo& recei$e? How
is this similar to a (regular* 1ob? "hy would someone like ;rimo e$er want& if he
could get it& a regular 1ob in the formal economy? 6'
3. %or people like ;rimo& what are the ad$antages and disad$antages of working in
rays crack business? 9an one argue that working in the underground economy
offers more human dignity than many working class 1obs? Explain. In fact& why
would anyone prefer dehumani)ing employment in the formal economy o$er the
informal?
6. "hat role dos $iolence and outburst of rage play in performing $arious 1obs& like
lookout& in the informal crack economy? 66
7. "hat happened when a 1ealous young man high on angel dust disrespected the
employees at the game room? "hy was their action deemed necessary? 66
18. How did ;rimo and Ben)ie establish a trust in their business relationships while
working for <ay? 67
11. "hy do most streetle$el crack dealers remain without money during their
careers? "hy is this not surprising gi$en the conspicuous consumption mentality
that dominates mainstream society? In this regard& are crack dealers and their
consumption habits different from most working class workers? Explain either
way. 71 ><emind me to talk about waiters and bartenders in EGH. and EF@
1!. Aiscuss how most crack dealers are paid. "hy do so many brag to outsiders and
themsel$es about their incomes? 71 How much do most actually get paid on
regular nights of work?
1'. "hat kinds of 1obs did Ben)ie work at 1ust abo$e minimum wage in the formal
economy? "ho was he subser$ient to in these 1obs? 7-
1+. Explain how Ben)ie explained the difficulty in maintaining respect in the entry
le$el legal economy. 70 Explain some of your experiences of this same
challenge& indeed& most of us ha$e experienced this
1-. Explain the relationship between ones being denied access of the legitimate
means of achie$ing established cultural goals& drug addiction& dependency on the
crack economy& economic sur$i$al and maintaining personal dignity. 76
10. Aiscuss willies struggles while working in the brutal and poor paying conditions
of the legal labor market. 76 "hat problems does this realty of working in the
legal labor market create for urban communities?
13. Aiscuss the managementlabor conflict at <ays game room. 77 How did ;rimos
importance in <ays network erode? 77188. In your discussion& included the
example of managementlabor conflict exemplified with 9aesar and ;rimos
con$ersation on page 18!. .lso& include the internali)ation of labormanagement
antagonism between ;rimo and 9aesar and ,ony that escalated when three
bundles of crack disappeared. 18'18+
16. How did ;rimo deal with security issues in the #ame <oom? 18-180& 186 "hat
role did the author unknowingly contribute to the security of the game room? 186
17. How does the author explain the in$ulnerability of <ays crack house to police
control. Explain 187
!8. Explain some of the precautions <ay and his workers took to minimi)e the risk of
arrest. 187118 How did ;rimo a$oid four years of incarceration on his last
arrest? 118
!1. "hat are some of the problems with the Eew Fork 5tate penal system and drug
arrests? 11! How did this effect ;rimo? 11!11'
Chapter %: &'oin( legit): disrespect and resistance at *ork
1. Explain some of the consequences of restructuring of the 45 economy from
factory to ser$ice 1obs for many working class people& especially ;uerto <icans.
11+
!. Aiscuss the contradictions of obedience to high scale office culture and street
cultures definition of personal dignity. 11-
'. "hat kinds of legal employment ha$e many game room regulars held in their
li$es? "hat does this tell you about many of their decisions to enter the informal
crack economy? 11-
+. Is the straightforward refusal to be exploited in the legal labor market an act of
heroism? Is the legal labor market exploitati$e? Explain. "hat is exploitation? Is
this resistance to the legal labor market a triumph of free will and resistance to
dominations? 11- Hets discuss this important point.
-. Is working at Burger Iing& /cAonalds and other similar establishments as 9aesar
so puts it& sla$erying? Explain. Is he& as he selfdescribes& la)y for not taking
such employment? 113
0. Explain some of the consequences to the perception of self when struggling to
find employment. ;rimo ser$es as a fine example. 1171!'
3. "hat does the author mean by internali)ing unemployment? 1!'
6. <eread ;rimo and "illies con$ersation while on heroin& crack and rum. "hat
insights into the world of drug users does this discussion pro$ide you? explain.
1!-1!6
7. Explain the problems Jindi$idual and structuralK ;rimo had with finding (any kind
of bullshit 1ob.* 1!8
18. How is crack dealing and unemployment culturally redefined as a badge of pride
for some young men on the streets? Explain. 1'8
11. 9omment on 9aesars con$ersation with the more economically successful
/exican immigrant. 1'81'1
1!. Explain the conflicts ;rimo& 9aesar and e$en <ay ha$e o$er celebrating rebellion
and wanting to go (legit.* "hat factor does cultural capital and exclusion play in
this discussion? 1'!1''
1'. Explain the different types of cultural capital needed to work in the formalDlegal
and informalDillegal economy. "hy did <ay operate better in the latter? 1'-
1+. Ao you agree with the authors assessment that mainstream society e$okes racial
stereotypes to dismiss people like ;rimo& 9aesar and <ay as loser& pathological&
la)y and selfdestructi$e? 1'3
1-. Explain the cultural production theory argument that places immigrant and !
nd
and
'
rd
generation ;uerto <ican immigrants in their economic and political structural
location. 1'3 Is this structural politicaleconomic understanding best to
understand the lifeworlds of these men? "hat rare the benefits and problems
with such an approach?
10. "hat is the immigrant working class dream? ><emind me to discuss their concept
with my experiences growing up in an immigrant family.@
13. Explain this idea of working class ideologies and the $alues associated with them.
1'7 "hat does this ha$e to do with dropping out of school?
16. How doe these working class ideologies& and $alues& associated with them&
conflict with the changing economy of often highly femini)ed office support
ser$ice work? 1+1 Aiscuss.
17. How do the old factory 1obs conflict less with working class& or e$en oppositional
street culture $aluesD explain. 1+11+!
!8. ,hinking about the last two important questions& summari)e how oppositional
street and working class culture $alues work effecti$ely in the factory but remain
totally dysfunctional& in most mainstream 1obs& and moreo$er& mainstream society
in general ><emind me to discuss the /exican pulqueria& the Brooklyn coffee
shop& the EGH. bar& the Hondon punk pub and my friends beha$ior in a ;eru$ian
pub.@
!1. How is cultural autonomy and class solidarity lost working in entryle$el office
1obs like in a mailroom or behind a photocopy machine? 1+!
!!. How do workers like 9aesar and ;rimo appear to office staff and super$isors?
How do you explain this? .re these men really articulate? How does this re$eal
the different types of cultural capital $alued and used in working and middle class
cultures? 1+!
!'. "hat types of clashes occur when street culture meets office ser$ices worker
culture? 1+!1+' "hat is the clash between yuppie power and the oppositional
street culture power? 1+'
!+. Ha$e ;rimo and 9aesar accepted their structural $ictimi)ation G< resisted in
inno$ati$e ways? Explain 1+'
!-. 4sing some concrete examples& explain how many of these working class ;uerto
<ican men (get dissed* in the office. How can we explain these beha$iors
sociologically? 1+'1++ Include in your discussion cultural or symbolic capital.
!0. How do the following institutions impose .ngle middle class cultural capitol in
the following?
a. Education
b. ;rofessional 5er$ice 5ector
c. /ainstream religion
d. 9ouncilor 5er$ices
!3. Explain the gender diss. 1+0 How can we understand this sociologically?
!6. How do extreme work inequalities result in misogynistic and sexist re$erences on
the part of the lowly worker? Explain 1+61+7
!7. How did ;rimo and #loria percei$e one another? 1-' How can we explain this?
9ould #loria ha$e been a wellintentioned liberal? "hat does all this ha$e to do
with maintaining dignity? 1-+
'8. Explain some of the weapons of resistance used by so many marginal workers& in
any economy. 1-- "hat are your experiences and strategies? ><emind me to
discuss the GI strategy@ "hy does this work less well in the office?
'1. "hat is alienated working class culture in the office space? 1--
'!. Aiscuss the importance of subcultural style and symbolic power among members
of the working and upper classes. 1-6 Explain this with our sociological hats on.
1-7
''. How do clothes and style become real obstacles in successful employment in the
mainstream economy? 5ee Bourgoiss con$ersation with ;rimo. 101
'+. Aiscuss the contradictions between working class ghetto residents gaining legal
employment in demolition and gentrification Jbleachification8 pro1ects. 10+ "hy
do El Barrio young men experience this as positi$e?
'-. "hy did 9aesar ha$e problems gaining full entry in EF9s construction industry?
Aiscuss EFs construction union. 10!10+
'0. "hat type of scapegoat argument did 9aesar and ;rimo use to compensate for the
structural $ulnerability with labormanagement confrontations? 100
'3. Explain the replay of historical forces between the earlier Italian .mericans and
;uerto <icans and the current ;uerto <icans and newly arri$ing /exicans to
EF9. 103106
'6. Aiscuss J107K the experiences of new /exican immigrants& their participation in
the new ser$ice economy& and& at least temporarily& lack of concern for the slight
to self that influences other Eew Fork born ethnic groups.
'7. Explain what becoming a bicultural innercity office work implies. 138 "hat are
the implications of this?
+8. "hat does the author mean by the legitimacy of apartheid in the 45? 4se some of
your own examples. 13'
Chapter +: School da!s: learning ,e a ,etter cri#inal
1. Explain the idea of immigrant children and their parents confronting cultural
capital in their initial contact with the public school system. Explain some of the
traumatic situations that often occur. 13-130
!. Ao you agree with cultural production theorys assertion that teachers
unconsciously process subliminal class and cultural message to hierarchi)e their
students? #i$e some concrete examples from the literature and your own life
experiences. 130
'. Explain some of the tangible markers teachers consciously or unconsciously use
to hierarchi)e students. 130 "hat other markers might exist?
+. Hooking at your response to the last two questions& how might this maintain class
and economic inequalities in the 45. Explain
-. How does middle class white dominate society impose its will& its $alues and
cultural capital on other racialDethnic and class groups through the use of symbolic
$iolence? 133
0. 4nder the guise of liberal $alue neutrality and ob1ecti$ity do public schools
remain racist institutions that force mainstream bourgeois Eurocentric $alues on
other more marginali)ed groups? Explain.
3. Explain ;rimos problem as a Euyorican sent back to ;uerto <ico to li$e with his
grandparents. 136137
6. "hy is it necessary for youths to culti$ate $iolent personas in school& especially
when frequently changing schools. 16116!
7. How does 9easars con$ersation with Bourgois reflect batteredchild
rationali)ations and denials of early childhood abuse? 16+16-
18. /ake some comments on 9aesars school experiences using his con$ersation with
Bourgois on pages 163167. In your discussion& include 9aesars experiences with
this teachers& girls& and special education students.
11. How did the abo$e con$ersation force the author to confront anthropologys
methodological ca$eat of suspending moral 1udgment? 167
1!. How and why do many minority children get labels in the the public school as
emotionally disturbed& learning disabled Jlow ILK and placed into an undesirable
class? Hets discuss this.
1'. How was ;rimos future career in the underground economy learned at school?
171
1+. How does the author $iew graffiti sprayed on the schoolyard walls? 17' Ao you
agree?
1-. Hook at the changing demographics of /anhattans 4pper East 5ide and Harlem
using social explorer. <ecord your obser$ations. Explain.
10. How did people like ;rimo become incorporated into (street crime* through
sociali)ation in the peer group? 17+17-
13. .s a researcher& how did the author deal with the stories of adolescent gang rape?
"hat issues was he confronted with? How did he deal with them? How would
you deal with such issues? !8-
16. Aiscuss the authors comments after ;rimos rape story on pg !73 and the
challenges he faced with :psychopaths that had become his friends.
17. Explain the authors reser$ations about reporting his findings on rape in the
;uerto <ican street culture of EF. !83!87 Include in your discussion his
reser$ations from a political perspecti$e J!83K and colluding with the sexist status
quo.
!8. "hat does the author mean by the raciali)ed common sense of society? !86
!1. 5ociologically explain how someone like ;rimo learns to become a rapist. J!86
!87K
!!. "hat kind of logic did the rapist de$elop for their actions? !87
!'. .s a researcher& how would you handle the challenging and painful issues the
researcher confronted on gendered $iolence and terror?
Chapter 6: Redrawing the Gender Line on the Street
1. How is the patriarch on the street in crisis? Explain some of the consequences of this.
213 and 215 Is there an assault of masculine dignity?
2. How have the relatively recent struggles and achievements of women been framed in
terms of individual rights that ultimately mirror patriarchal models of empowerment?
Explain. How else might they be framed? From whose perspective? 214
3. Why have many working class men, especially first and second generation New York
Puerto Ricans, lost their authoritarian power in the household? Explain some of the
consequences to this. 214
4. How is the macro-structural transformations in gender relations measured in liberal,
middle-class and Anglo-oriented terms? What is this concept of hegemony? (214-215)
5. Talk about the author's first perceptions of Candy.
6. How do many working class young Puerto Rican women use romantic elopement to
express individual rights? What is the contradiction to this? Explain. 218-219 How does
this become a legitimate cultural institution? What does this legitimacy depend on?
7. How does Candy's psychoanalytic understanding of herself as a battered women reflect
ideas that originate from folk catholicism and New York's therapeutic jargon? Explain.
220-221
8. How does this understanding of herself miss the structural aspects of her situation? 221
9. Discuss the gendered interpretation of the gun shot that juxtaposes female liberation
and traditional sexual jealousy. 222 and 226
10. How does a sociologist, like Bourgois, understand the Puerto Rican psychiatric
concept of ataques to explain how women respond to male abuse in the family? How
does this serve to reaffirm patriarchal etiquette? 226
11. How does Candy use traditional female strategy for making assertive life-cycle
change? 226
12. How did Candy's metamorphosis flip gender roles and invert notions of patriarchy?
231 and 232
13. Explain how Candy's struggle for autonomy and rights, though limited to El Barrio's
street world, have been defined by patriarchal parameters. How does this complicate
feminist debates over the meaning of women's rights? Explain. How do you define
women's rights? What, if any, are the problems with your understanding of women's
rights? From where did you get this understanding? Explain. 241
14. Using the story of Primo's mother, explain the alternative view of women's liberation
separate from the middle class white dominant perspective. 241-242
According to the author, how have US government agencies viewed the poor? 242-243 In
your discussion, talk in particular about the problems the welfare department creates for
its clients. Use specific examples from the literature and what you may know outside of
book knowledge.
15. Do you believe that the welfare department dehumanizes their clients? Explain
16. Discuss the effects of jail and the welfare bureaucracy on single women like Candy.
247-252
17. Discuss candy's experiences as a single mother in jail. 253
18. Explain the problems with the different cultural interpretations of clothing and
fashion that occurred between Candy and the judge. 256-257 How did candy respond to
the judge?
Chapter 7: Families and Children in Pain
1. How do most developmental psychologists and psychiatrists called experts view
childhood socialization and family violence? What are (the many) limitations of these so
called theories? Explain. 259-260
2. What does the author mean by psychological-deterministic approaches to understand
child socialization in violent families? 259.
3. Politicians, the press and general public talk about the crisis in family values. How is
this a poor and intellectually weak understanding of the problem? What does these pop
cultural ideas miss? 260
4. Discuss some of the past explanations that account for the problems of past generations
of youths in East Harlem. 260-261
5. Explain the differences between how the author's new son is treated in downtown
Anglo-dominated parties and the folks in El Barrio. 262
6. Explain some of the issues the author faced as a parent while living in El Barrio. 263
7. What happened when the author crossed the apartheid lines of Manhattan with some of
the children of El Barrio. 263-264
8. Explain what the author means when he says that victims in el Barrio internalize the
social structures that dominate them. Give some examples from your experiences. 264-
265
9. Discuss the author's experiences with the youth growing up in El Barrio and his
observations on their biography watching then become socialized into street culture. 263-
267
10. Explain the gendered interpretations of Jackie's rape. 267-270
11. What are some of the reasons the author provides explaining why mothers continue to
bear so many babies into the suffering streets of El Barrio. What do you think of such
explanations? Explain.
12. Why should the women of El Barrios embrace of motherhood not simply be
explained away with fleeting romantic whims? Explain. 275
13. What was the distinctive feature of the crack epidemic of the 1980's and 1990's
distinct from other moral panics about drugs in prior times? 278 What is a moral panic
and how are they often used by media outlets and other members of social control?
14. Discuss the explanations that the press, academics, mainstream America, and inner-
city residents provide to understand the so called mystery behind the feminization of
crack use. Why are these poor understandings of the problem? 280-281
15. According to the author, how can pregnant crack addicts be de-essentialized from
monstrous images of cruel, unfeeling mothers and reconstructed into self-destructive
rebels? Explain. What analogy does the author use. 285
Chapter 8: Vulnerable Fathers
1. What is the material bases for the failure of fathers to support their progeny into stable,
loving families in El Barrio? 287
2. How do the men in El Barrio, especially the men of Ray's network, celebrate paternal
powerlessness? Explain. How does this compare to other men you have may have met in
your life? Explain. 288-291
3. What insight does Eddie provide regarding male sexual relationships with women in El
Barrio? 291
4. According to the author, how is male masculinity in historical crisis? Explain. 292.
5. Explain the author's insights on the material basis for the polarization of intimate
violence on pages 301- 303. Why should such explanations not be reduced to
individualistic psychological and reductionistic understandings of pathology and failure.
6. Discuss the contradictions of the men yearning for fatherhood and their actual
relationships with their children. In your discussion, review the detailed interview
excerpts the author provides. 308-314
7. How do some women, like candy, serve to accommodate male patriarchy and family
irresponsibility? Explain. 314-315
Chapter 9: Conclusion
1. Do you agree with the author that the US lacks the political will to address poverty?
Explain. 318
2. How does one work to help eliminate poverty in the US. What are some structural
solutions to poverty, inequality, and marginalization? Are these solutions possible? The
answer to this question lies at the heart of one of the most important discussions in
dealing with problems of urban community.
3. Address some of the short term policy debates on poverty, racism, marginalization,
inequality and American apartheid. Do you believe, as the author does, that these policy
debates are nothing but sideshows for confronting long-term structural problems?
4. Comment: drugs are not the root of the problem, they are the expression of deeper,
structural dilemmas. 319
5. Can we safely ignore the drug hysterias and moral panics that the control society and
their mouth-piece, the media, flood into the American mainstream? Explain.
6. Explain the author's solutions in public policy debates on poverty and the so called
drug problem. Provide your comments to these solutions. 320-321
How are job training programs and seminars (among many other institutions I can think
of off hand) examples of institutionalized examples of racism? 323