Crenshaw: The Labeling Theory

Throughout the neighborhoods of Crenshaw, there are many gunshots and bright lights from the helicopter above that make it difficult for many African Americans to escape the grim conditions in a society that is based on capitalism. If you have power in a capitalist society, the main goal is to figure out what to do to keep the wealthy in power. Capitalist societies are dependent on “competitive forms of social and economic interaction and upon substantial inequalities in the allocation of social resources” (Conley 246). There are times that many African Americans need to compete because they need to fend for themselves and help their families out. The film shows an increasing termination of Black families in South Central. Brenda, the mother

He is able to capture how African Americans are portrayed falsely due to media and society. Singleton creates the three main characters to represent someone from the African American community. He illustrates how their personalities are different, but how they are connected through social issues that affect their lives. The labeling theory is best exemplified through Doughboy, Ricky, and Brenda. Brenda’s viewpoint of life and lack of general interest culminates in the paths that both of her son’s take. Throughout society, family plays a big part in the labeling process of youth. Ricky and Doughboy have different fathers. Doughboy’s dad is known to be lazy and uninspired, which is what Doughboy’s lifestyle has become. Brenda doesn’t look at Doughboy like the way she looks at Ricky. She sees Ricky as her ticket out of South Central. She has high hopes that he’s going to get drafted into the NFL. When she looks at Ricky, she sees dollar signs and a better life for herself, but when she looks at Doughboy, she doesn’t see him amounting to anything. By installing these feelings of worthlessness rather than countering them with core values it is a clear example of the labeling theory. In addition to the misrepresentation of each other the characters and the labeling theory, the movie itself is labeled as a gang movie. Boyz in the Hood is not a gang movie because Singleton doesn’t emphasize