Getting Played By Joady Miller Summary

"Getting Played: African American Girls, Urban Inequality, and Gendered Violence" Jody Miller’s book gives an account of the young African American girls’ victimization in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. As stated by Ruth Peterson in the foreword, the focus should be placed on the girls’ relationships or interactions, and their contexts (Miller, 2008). The book explores the structural vulnerabilities, cultural expectations, and enacted risks that shape the lives of these young women. Additionally, it delves into the coping strategies they employ to mitigate threats and navigate dangerous environments, while also acknowledging the challenges they encounter in doing so. Miller employs theoretical frameworks provided by sociologists like Robert

In these settings, conflicts are resolved through force, and violence becomes an acceptable way of exercising power over others. Miller also elaborates on the cultural implications that are created as a result of the structural factors. For instance, the ‘playa’ culture of young men, characterized by pursuing sexual encounters and the desire for dominance over women, normalizes different forms of gender violence (Miller, 2008). This culture that is common in many urban neighborhoods promotes violence and sexual harassment, and women are viewed as objects to satisfy the sexual desires of men as opposed to being treated with dignity and respect. These norms are reinforced by peer networks as well as the general social structures, which means girls cannot easily avoid getting victimized. In addition, the widely accepted culture of victim-shaming escalates the issue. Cultural beliefs such as the clothes one is wearing or the behavior one exhibits leads to girls being blamed for their objectification, contrary to the culprits and societal structures that encourage such

Miller responds to Sampson and Wilson’s perspective by illustrating how the structural conditions and cultural adaptations create environments where gendered violence becomes normalized and pervasive. Her research highlights the everyday experiences of young African American girls, revealing that social disorganization and its resulting cultural norms significantly increase their risk of victimization (Logan, 2009). This perspective offers "new ways of thinking about race and crime" by moving the focus away from individual pathology and towards the broader social and environmental contexts that foster violence. According to Miller, poverty, race segregation, and community disinvestment are the key issues that need to be tackled to solve the problem of crime and to improve the lives of African American girls. The integration of Sampson and Wilson’s framework with a gendered lens highlights a better approach to structural inequalities and cultural norms that enhance violence that requires a holistic approach to solving