Justin Martin

Professor Anderson
Sociology 1
7/10/16
Project 1: Video/DVD Analysis
For my project I decided to analyze a scene regarding gentrification Boyz
n the Hood, directed by John Singleton in 1991 in the city of Compton, California. In this
scene, Jason Furious Styles portrayed by Laurence Fishburne explains to his neighbors
the dangers their community faces if it were to be gentrified. Gentrification is the process
by which an urban neighborhoods property value is increased and displaces low-income
families and businesses (Flag Wars, PBS 2003). Jason instills this knowledge on the
crowd that "they", assumed to address white people, are trying to buy up the land in order
to capitalize on the profits. He begins to stress the importance of keeping the
neighborhood the way it is, or as Jason says, "keeping it black, like the Jews, Italians, and
Koreans". An older man with a cane blames the younger generation for pushing the drugs
and violence into their community, but Jason begins to explain that the drugs and guns
were purposely put into play for the black community to destroy itself. The catalyst that
worsened the African-American community was the Nixon administration during the 70s
with his declaration on the War on Drugs. Through this scene of the film, you observe
the unique individuals that center around this community, most of which outsiders would
most likely stereotype, are observed. Laurence Fishburnes character, Jason is dressed
modestly indicating him as a blue-collar worker. His son, portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr.
is dressed in a t-shirt and jeans which is a contrast of the other young men that are also
present in this scene. These young men are dressed in all black, some with sunglasses and
snapback baseball caps, which would gives them an impression of deviance. The old man

with the cane symbolizes the first generation of African Americans that have moved to
this community presumably in the late 60s or early 70s.
Comtes understanding of society was derived from two components,
which are social statics and social dynamics. Throughout the movie, the institution that
appears to maintain stability are the family and the community. Furious Styles teaches his
son Tre the value of education, honesty, and aspiration to be anything he can be as long as
he does not let society dictate his life because of the color of his skin. The gentrification
scene touches on the reality that the problems the community faces is from within
stemming from the gun and drug epidemic. The simple yet just as complex solution to
progress the social dynamic would be to stop using drugs and to stop killing one another.
Because the youth in this community are disadvantaged in obtaining an education and
other opportunities for them to progress, there is no other way for them to be aspirational.
The social dynamic is truly reliant on the social static in this case. Without the basic
institution to teach the children morals, language, and religion, they are unable to have a
need to strive for a social dynamic. As Stephen L. Carter claimed, The AfricanAmerican family and the African-American church are the institutions that have sustained
the community in its everyday life (Carter 2008). If there is a lack of stability in these
core institutions this would result in the community to fall apart.
From Durkheims functionalist perspective, each institution serves a
function in society in order to maintain stability. The most fundamental institution in this
case regarding the scene is the family. Family institutions nurture children with skills to
socialize, knowledge, and culture. If a family institution fails to serve its function, the
youth results to disadvantages in education and growth into adults. In the film, it is hinted

that the drug and violence epidemic was inherently put into the African-American
community in order for it to destroy itself which originated from Richard Nixons War on
Drugs. Because of this observation, this gives a reason for law enforcement to treat South
Central L.A. as a problem. As long as the violence and drugs are televised to the public
that the problem is being taken care of, social order seems to remain stable. Even
further the scene reflects the intention to put this African-American community at a
disadvantage to inhibit its members from gaining upward mobility in society. Since this
cycle seems never-ending, a young African-American growing up in this kind of
environment will never be able to serve a meaningful function in society except for what
is ascribed to him or her.
In contrast, Karl Marxs conflict-theory focused on the uneven distribution
of power and the tension between social classes. Much of the conflict theory deals with
the control of the status quo and the entities that exploit these resources. A modern day
example that connects to Marxs theory and the Boyz n the Hood scene is the Black Lives
Matter movement. There is a tendency in American society that stereotypes individuals
who look different, who come from different communities, who live different lives. I
want to compare the privilege in the case of Brock Turner to that of Alton Sterling and
Philando Castile. Both Sterling and Castile were victims of the ongoing police brutality
due to minor offenses they were accused for. These mens lives were cut short and all that
society was shown were the videos that have spread throughout social media. Not either
of these men were giving due process of law for their faults. Turner on the other hand,
was seen violating an intoxicated female student who also attended Stanford and was
even apprehended by a passerby until the police came. This young man was given a

lenient sentence because of his star athlete status and no prior criminal offense. The
parents of this young man even plead that a prison sentence would harm their son, not
even taking into account the harm he committed to that young woman. Because the
hierarchy of power and authority in America favors those with a peach complexion,
people of color are left to a disadvantage to achieve upward mobility and equality.
The conflict paradigm is most presented with this clip. According to
Marx, the ruling class who controls the key resources and means of production, where the
working class only has control of transforming raw materials into goods. It appeared that
the African-American community in South Central L.A. seemed alienated from
progressing and also lacked creative capacity, creating a stigma of the African-American
community that labels the individuals as deviants and hoodlums. These young men in the
clip only saw opportunity to distribute drugs and involve themselves in illegal activity
because of how small their social networks are and also the behaviors they learned from
their reference group. With limited resources and opportunities, there is little aspiration to
become a lawyer, doctor, or police officer because society tells them, You cannot
achieve anything more in life because of your skin color and your lack of education.
They were only seen as Boyz n the Hood.
There is an underlying clash of socio-economic classes between, 1. the
African-American community, which we can see in the clip but also 2. the Capitalist
(presumed to be white) machine trying to swallow up a cultured neighborhood for
economic benefits. I do not see this community having any ownership whatsoever. This
reminds me of a line in Ice-Cube's "It Was a Good Day" where he says, "thinkin will I
live, another twenty-fo'". You are able to grasp the idea that due to the lack of upward

mobility in the black community, a young person is pressured to distribute drugs,

immerse themselves in organized crime, or to create their own motivation to escape the
ascribed role that society has given them. The major factors that play on this are the
complexion of one's skin, their socio-economic background, and their community from
which they come from. In a research study, S. Michael Gaddis concluded that, While
both whites and blacks may be able to alter their educational trajectories to improve the
name of the institution on their college degree, blacks can never shed the penalty of race
and catch up to whites (Gaddis 2015). Although there will always be discrimination, I
am hopeful that our society will become more understanding and welcoming.

Work Cited

Carter, Stephen L. "Religion, Education, And The Primacy Of The

Family." Emory Law Journal 58.1 (2008): 23-30. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11
July 2016.

"FlagWars."PBS.PBS,17June2003.Web.11July2016.

Gaddis, S. Michael. "Discrimination In The Credential Society: An Audit

Study Of Race And College Selectivity In The Labor Market." Social Forces 93.4 (2015):
1451-1479. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 July 2016.