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Analysis Of Steinberg's The Ethnic Myth

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Throughout Stephen Steinberg’s book the Ethnic Myth, multiple examples of how different ethnicities achieved economic ability and how others did not is discussed. He analysis a variety of different immigrant groups and how more than their cultural values played into whether or not they were successful in America. The following information in this paper will provide an example using black Americans as part of the “culture-of-poverty”. “The wronged are always wrong…” (New Republic, June 24, 1916) is the opening statement to chapter four and is associated with why the Negro is blamed for their own misfortune. On page 107, Oscar Lewis mentions how the culture-of-poverty is one which arises from existing situations and becomes a “design for living”. …show more content…

Leaving the only options for an ethnicities high crime rate and low educational success to cultural values or biological inferiority instead of a by-product of economic disadvantage. Continuing to state that the history of racism has done undo-able damage to cultural integrity and community among blacks with information such as “…deterioration of the Negro society…is from deterioration of the Negro family…with the source of weakness being the Negro community…” (Moynihan, 120). Implying that society provides opportunities for class mobility and it is black cultural institutes that are …show more content…

Such as poverty caused low aspirations, crime was a reaction to poverty and poverty created unstable families. Throughout this paper there are various explanations for why cultural values aren’t the only thing preventing an ethnic group from success. Rather that beliefs, racism, associations established with some races, etc. created and idea that some groups were better to higher than others and that these ideas were so ingrained that they still effect how society acts today. By viewing much of one’s failure as their own problem and not taking into consideration that ethnic groups history and how they have been compared to other immigrants. In other words, in order to undo the idea that a culture-of-poverty exist we need to recognize the faulty assumptions we have put in place and begin removing them with facts for why certain groups did not exceed and begin putting into place programs that not only redesign morals but offer financial assistance until no longer

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