Summary Of 'Code Of The Street'

Dramaturgy – the idea that life compares to a theatrical performance involving actors who imprint various ideals on its audience – is exemplified by the true role of the youth’s social interaction in “Code of the Street.” In “Code of the Street”, the poor, inner-city black youth play a role in the culture of the streets, portraying images of violence and aggression. These roles are cast upon them by the influences of their community and families as well as the overlooking social structural and cultural factors.
The streets’ cultural identity is a set of informal rules governing general behavior – a regulated use of violence, for instance. A social hierarchy exists with respect being the dominant characteristic. Respect is earning by using

Street parents are unable to cope with the physical and emotional demands of parenthood and find it difficult to reconcile their needs with those of their children. Lives of street parents are disorganized and they have a limited understanding of priorities and consequences, which leads to frustrations over bills, food, and sometimes drugs or alcohol. Many street parents are also self-destructive with drug addictions, alcoholism, or being a part of abusive relationships. In addition, men are less consistently present in children’s lives. Child abuse and neglect is also often prevalent in street families; children are left to fend for themselves. This can lead to child drug dealers or drug addicts as well as fighting to survive at an early age. Children that grow up in the streets tend to gravitate towards the streets. With a lack of strong and conventional support from their families, poor, inner-city youth have no choice but to join the street culture. They are raised with the idea that in order to survive, one must fight for his or her own life, especially when they are taught to fight at a young age. With no one to raise them correctly or show them differently, street culture is all that poor, inner-city black youth