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Analysis Of Code Of The Street By Elijah Anderson

1851 Words8 Pages

Society is structured so that the association of normality goes to the diffuse status characteristics of: white, man, heterosexual, and masculine. From a Symbolic Interactionist perspective, the expectations of people based on the stereotypes constructed by people of that particular society create a process of socialization where individuals are categorized and analyzed based on the norms of that society. The classifications of what is and is not normal for a category has created norms of how people should look, behave, think, feel, and even influences how they identify themselves. This process of classification negatively impacts the psychological aspect of many people’s health. Two of the largest aspects of psychology altered by categorization …show more content…

If I do not have evidence that the individual(s) I am engaging with are judgment-free towards diverse individuals, I approach everyone with a mutual sense of respect that I would want to be treated myself. If someone proves to me that they are not deserving of the respect that I would want someone to show me, I ignore their presence unless the situation necessitates a response from me. In Code of the Street by Elijah Anderson, people who honor the street morale demand respect from everyday people through their position of power in gangs, promises of vengeance, and strength in numbers. The author states that the code of the street “involves a quite primitive form of social exchange that holds would-be perpetrators accountable by promising an ‘eye for an eye,’ or a certain ‘payback’ for transgressions.” (Anderson 10) In most cases the “payback” has increased potential for more harm to the victim than the initial transgression. I have personally witnessed this promise of vengeance and the return of pain and suffering ten fold. While on my way home from school in November 2013, one of my lesbian friends and I were …show more content…

This attack on us was a repercussion of her friends feeling violated for being friends with a homosexual without their knowledge. Because of this incident I distance myself from people who I can not confirm are accepting of diversity. This paranoia created by the categorization of people are dramatically influenced by corrupt actions of discrimination based on inaccurate stereotypes from the thoughts of how “types” of people are expected to be. These expectations limit the interactions between people based on the stereotypes that discourage an individual from interacting with someone who the individual believes is unworthy of their friendship. As an individual on the object of analysis side of categorization, I have experienced instances of intrarole conflict for the roles of man, black, and gay. While interacting with individual(s); in a particular instance, I experience a form of paranoia as if I can feel myself being analyzed and evaluated based on societal norms from individuals who perceive my expression of self concept as actions of gender abnormality instead of gender

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