Dr. Alice Goffman brought to light a real problem we face today and that is the alarming amount of adolescents incarcerated in the United States. I grew concerned when Dr. Goffman stated an uncomfortable statistic – The United States imprisons 716 out of every 100,000 citizens. She had a creative approach to getting her point across by giving an illustration of the two possible journeys to adulthood: school or prison. One of these adventures is not voluntarily chosen and becomes a norm for minorities. What hits home for me is the reality of white privilege and how prevalent it is today. There is so much truth to Dr. Goffman’s words in regards to specific entitlements just for the color of one’s skin. I am sure all of us can give several examples of school fights – and I (as well as my white friends) tell these stories with half-hearted grins, or similar to embellished fishing stories, and these stories never end behind bars, or in court rooms. …show more content…
Goffman went in detail about a game she observed during her study, where two boys played chase. One child was the “fugitive” whereas the other was the “cop.” They portrayed the cop as a ruthless hunter, unfair to everyone he caught – and the fugitive was submissive and had no chance to win/escape. This made me start thinking a lot and gave me a great example of white privilege and how it affects future generations; for I have a thirteen month old daughter and she is at the stage where she copies everything her parents and the people around her do. That is how she learns what is acceptable and so on. Now, I can fast forward five years from now, and I can tell you her version of chase would be quite different from those boys. Matter a fact, her opinion of a police officer would be as well! This is not because she is any better than those boys mentioned above, it is simply her
This week we were assigned to read to different articles. The first article was written by Peggy McIntosh titled, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. Throughout the article, Peggy showed the readers what it means to have white privilege. She showed the readers 50 different types of “advantages” that whites get over other races, such as African Americans. This is the biggest theme throughout her entire piece.
A culture’s narrative is so ingrained in its citizen’s lives, that the inlaid issues are often overlooked or forgotten about. Children grow up reciting pledges, singing songs and reading books that, over time, condition them to think a certain way. The American narrative, as Stevenson spoke about, has fostered a nation of white supremacy and negative stereotypes towards people of color. Because of this, millions of innocent people are automatically assumed to be dangerous are subject to a significantly higher percentage of incarceration. Stevenson’s idea is to change the narrative to eliminate these stereotypes and ultimately change the way authority views its non-white
According to Alexander, “Today, most American know and don’t know the truth about mass incarceration” (p. 182). Before reading this book I did know of the inequality towards people of color in the criminal justice. book has made me realized how easily we as humans, jump into conclusion without thinking twice and judging a person by their look or race without trying to get who they are. Although most people know better and know how wrong it is to judge a book or person on their cover we often find ourselves doing just that when we first come into contact with a different culture. This book “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander has made me realized how the United State has one of the largest population in prison.
Over the last thirty years, the prison population in the United States has increased more than seven-fold to over two million people, including vastly disproportionate numbers of minorities and people with little education. For some racial and educational groups, incarceration has become a depressingly regular experience, and prison culture and influence pervade their communities. Almost 60 percent of black male high school drop-outs in their early thirties have spent time in prison. In Punishment and Inequality in America, sociologist Bruce Western explores the recent era of mass incarceration and the serious social and economic consequences it has wrought.
It is an existing theory that our society is constructed via racial dimensions, and that racial equality is a figment of the imagination. This very principle is highlighted in Michelle Alexander’s novel, “The New Jim Crow.” The specific dimensions covered within the text include the unjust aspects of the federal drug policy, and by connection that of mass incarceration as well. Alexander claims that racism is still very prominent in present day society and is direct and frank about the heavy influence of white supremacy. One of the main arguments pushed by Alexander in this book is that mass incarceration is “ a stunningly comprehensive and well-disguised system of racialized social control that functions in a manner strikingly similar
The book On the Run by Alice Goffman narrates six years Goffman spent hanging out in a black poor neighborhood of West Philadelphia that she calls 6th Street. During her stay there, she became friends with a group of resident young men, and got to know their surroundings such as girlfriends and family members. This experience in this disadvantaged neighborhood pushed her to write this book where she describes the neighborhood’s conditions, the violence encountered by the police and the residents, and the injustices of the criminal justice system. The book’s primary argument is that the continuous threat of surveillance and continuous investigations that lead to the arrest and imprisonment of young people did great harm to 6th Street, turning many of its residents into
(Griffin 8). After acknowledging more about the circumstances of being a different skin color, comments about it can not “describe the withering horror and sadness” that is felt by those who experience such cold and spiteful words or actions (Griffin 46). If we do not make these changes together as a nation, our society will become ruined as those with
This lecture changed my way of thinking about Black Imprisonment. My beliefs were before, that blacks do things that put themselves in the position there in. From the lecture showed that it’s not really the black’s fault that they are imprisoned a lot. From the lecture it was stated that there are more African Americans that are incarcerated then in college and most of them are young African American men. Also that African American men make up more than 50 percent of the prisons in America and most are incarcerated for drug charges.
It is no secret that in this world, especially in the United States of America, there are some people who are more privileged than others. It is undeniable based on the very history of this nation; discrimination is interwoven into the creation and construction of America. Before the Civil War, it was considered a crime to teach one’s slaves how to read and write. Even after the Civil War, white Americans, those in the South especially, attempted to do everything in their power to keep the lifestyle standard of white Americans over any minority, especially African-Americans. From Jim Crow to Segregation to Red-Lining, the majority in the United States were able to use rules to keep the minorities oppressed because, as the United States is a democratic republic, the majority ends up making the rules.
Michelle Alexander, similarly, points out the same truth that African American men are targeted substantially by the criminal justice system due to the long history leading to racial bias and mass incarceration within her text “The New Jim Crow”. Both Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Michelle Alexander’s text exhibit the brutality and social injustice that the African American community experiences, which ultimately expedites the mass incarceration of African American men, reflecting the current flawed prison system in the U.S. The American prison system is flawed in numerous ways as both King and Alexander points out. A significant flaw that was identified is the injustice of specifically targeting African American men for crimes due to the racial stereotypes formed as a result of racial formation. Racial formation is the accumulation of racial identities and categories that are formed, reconstructed, and abrogated throughout history.
The book Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison, by Nell Bernstein is a compelling expose on the inherent evil of juvenile detention facilities. In her eye-opening account of the danger that lies within locking up this nation’s youth, Bernstein utilizes a plethora of rhetorical strategies to urge her audience to recognize and act on her claim. In writing this account on the heinousness of juvenile detention centers and why the system as a whole must be reformed, Bernstein uses personal cause and effect examples, studies and statistics, as well as concrete refutations to advocate the world for change. Bernstein starts her argument by providing readers with personal examples of the effects juvenile detention centers had on a handful of the kids she interviewed. Her first example briefly narrates how Jared, an adolescent many would
Alice Paul There are many notable women in the world. The one that is most notable is Alice Paul. She was a woman who fought for women’s rights her entire life. She was a simple woman educated in sociology and law.
Ferguson centralizes her argument on role race plays when boys attempt to break the rooms in a classroom setting. When young white boys cause a distraction, they are often let off the hook because this behavior is natural among males. However, this is not true across all races. When black boys obstruct the classroom peace, they are viewed as adults who are causing a crime. Another strong point that Ferguson creates is the two different views that society has of black boys.
Goffman often describes the young, African American men she encountered as always being “on the run.” She learns that just years after the boys of 6th Street learn how to walk or talk, they are taught how to run from the police. From that point on, everything they do or say is guided by the fact that they are fugitives, at risk of being locked up for, in most cases, minor offences. This fear of being sent to jail is not temporary, but it is something that follows males of 6th Street for all of their adult
His sympathetic persona along with his analogies actively connect the reader to his story, while the strong diction and depressing tone make a strong emotional impact. Unlike most essays, the anti discrimination message can be applied to multiple minority groups and other social issues. As a whole, Brent Staples essay succeeds on all levels as it makes an impactful argument describing how society's view on African Americans as being dangerous violent criminals is truly