The Rise And Fall Of Crack In New York City
Reflection #3
The rise and fall of crack in New York City can be explained through the idea of group position. The American Dream is a tool used to keep the wealthy in power and reinforce the “abstract image of the subordinate group” which took the form of welfare queens and ghetto bangers in the imaginations of the white majority (Blume 6). These designated subordinate races are then seen as undeserving of institutional support fought for in the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s. This intensified issues within these communities of color which were then imprisoned in mass due to the “get tough on crime” approach of the dominant racial group in order to “redefine the subordinate racial group” as criminal (Contreras 75)(Blumer 5). This …show more content…
They are not going against society’s whims but following them exactly to their own demise. In the American Dream “the quintessential American pursued wealth”, but the American Dream only works in favor of the dominant racial group (Contreras 52). Pursuit of wealth as a virtue is inherently destructive as the basis of a society as communities of color will destroy themselves on that virtue alone. The dominant racial group in the United States wants the American Dream to stay alive. The American Dream serves the dual purpose of affirming their own status and subdues the subordinate racial group whose exploitation is the way the dominant racial group garners wealth. Communities of color such as the Black or Latinx community in the United States are struggling against the wealthy White intent to exploit …show more content…
Going into small towns is seen as dangerous, because of the prevalence of heroin. This is part of the American Dream as people who are poorer have no institutional support and grasp desperately at increasing their wealth. Communities of color who were left in the cities during the White flight of the 50s are being forced out of their urban homes into as cities become more desirable for the wealthy White owning class. This is seen in Austin, Texas and in Seattle, Washington where communities of color are being displaced by the lack of affordable
The rise and fall of crack in New York City can be explained through the idea of group position. The American Dream is a tool used to keep the wealthy in power and reinforce the “abstract image of the subordinate group” which took the form of welfare queens and ghetto bangers in the imaginations of the white majority (Blume 6). These designated subordinate races are then seen as undeserving of institutional support fought for in the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s. This intensified issues within these communities of color which were then imprisoned in mass due to the “get tough on crime” approach of the dominant racial group in order to “redefine the subordinate racial group” as criminal (Contreras 75)(Blumer 5). This …show more content…
They are not going against society’s whims but following them exactly to their own demise. In the American Dream “the quintessential American pursued wealth”, but the American Dream only works in favor of the dominant racial group (Contreras 52). Pursuit of wealth as a virtue is inherently destructive as the basis of a society as communities of color will destroy themselves on that virtue alone. The dominant racial group in the United States wants the American Dream to stay alive. The American Dream serves the dual purpose of affirming their own status and subdues the subordinate racial group whose exploitation is the way the dominant racial group garners wealth. Communities of color such as the Black or Latinx community in the United States are struggling against the wealthy White intent to exploit …show more content…
Going into small towns is seen as dangerous, because of the prevalence of heroin. This is part of the American Dream as people who are poorer have no institutional support and grasp desperately at increasing their wealth. Communities of color who were left in the cities during the White flight of the 50s are being forced out of their urban homes into as cities become more desirable for the wealthy White owning class. This is seen in Austin, Texas and in Seattle, Washington where communities of color are being displaced by the lack of affordable