Here is the link to the Bill Moyer's interview with David Simon.

http://weblog.liberatormagazine.com/2011/04/wire-was-not-story-about-america-its.html

Commercial Appeal Article

The article in the Commercial Appeal was incredibly interesting. Basically, the author went into great detail and served to write in such a way that I became pretty upset. He discusses Memphis' poverty economy and plays very much into stereotypes many people, including myself prior to this class hold. His interviews and comments from "the impoverished" who use the system of social safety net programs like food stamps and Section 8 subsidies depict the poor as lazy and manipulative. He does such a great job at stirring up emotions and historical precedents that there are 122 comments, like this one, 

"Terrible news for those of us that WORK.... these are leeches that destroy the economy. For every dollar that is give as a handout from the government.... a dollar is taken away from a hard working taxpayer. A dollar the hard working taxpayer could use to educated his children, a dollar that could be used to start a small business and create jobs, a dollar that could save the life of a small child with a disease. Instead that dollar provides enough of a cushion for a welfare mom to spend "her" money she got elsewhere (most likely illegally) to get another tattoo on her fat butt, another gold tooth, to buy cigarettes, beer, drugs... or to make another trip to Tunica...... and Obama smiles." 

I feel like this article was presented to us as a way to remind us that despite our semester of education in the difficulties of the urban poor, many people will continue to be on the opposite side of every argument we make. Thoughts? Was anyone else pissed off at the article or the comments?

Also, here's the article link: 
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/30/poverty-industry-drives-memphis-economy/

Avoiding social problems by joking

I enjoyed Best's observation of jokes as a form of public expression toward popular social problems.  I had never thought about why jokes circulate and it can be argued that they reflect public attitude toward social problems.  I think the argument that joke cycles are a form of claimsmaking is compelling.  The media and locality of the incident help shape these jokes.  Some argue that joke cycles allow ordinary people to participate in the social problems process when they might otherwise be uncomfortable lending an opinion(185).  What is interesting about this is that many of the people who participate in the joking do not hold the same point of view and therefore people are able to hide behind the joke and not truly express their opinion on a social problem.  Both the media, which insists on focusing on the individual, and claimsmaking through joke cycles is a way to avoid confronting social problems.

Avon was a real dude

I was review some past clips on Youtube for my paper as I came across this video.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V2U8XmQSR8

Apparently, "Avon Barksdale" is modeled after the actual Nathan Barksdale who ran the streets of Baltimore in the 80s.  David Simon wrote tons of articles about him for the Baltimore Sun.  I get a little more impressed with this show every day.

Kick out Dichotomy and Diversify

Joel Best presents a wonderful playbook to how the media supports claims, presents media coverage to certain issues and is beholden to shifting public opinion. One facet that caught my attention was how claims are often generalized into two opposing arguments, however,  time and time again Best emphasized that focus groups, polling and presented issues must be multifaceted, because generally there are more than two sides to every argument. However, the media often offers "balanced" coverage through the representation via dichotomy. Is this poor new work? What are the implications of only presenting two sides of an argument? And to make matters worse, David Simons presentation to Congress also underscored the limitations journalism has experienced for allowing large corporate newspapers to absorb and take over smaller papers based locally. Not only are arguments being eliminated, but also the freedom of choice in what to read and listen to for a news sourc. Unfortunately, the claim for capitalism in the free market of newspapers, in Simon's argument, has been mocked by the  corporate structure eliminating diverse field reporting, cutting back on journalism and pushing for more limited carrying capacities than ever before. Freedom of the press is violated when there are only a few references and as major credible sources. There are more than two sides to every story and no consumer should be forced to choose between news sources that are not competing to provide the best investigation and understanding as possible. I really admire Simon's quote about how news should function in society.  "There can be no serious consideration of public funding for newspapers. High-end journalism can and should bite any hand that tries to feed it, and it should bite a government hand most viciously. Moreover, it is the right of every American to despise his local newspaper – for being too liberal or too conservative, for covering X and not covering Y, for spelling your name wrong when you do something notable and spelling it correctly when you are seen as dishonorable. And it is the birthright of every healthy newspaper to hold itself indifferent to such constant disdain and be nonetheless read by all. Because in the end, despite all flaws, there is no better model for a comprehensive and independent review of society than a modern newspaper. As love-hate relationships go, this is a pretty intricate one. An exchange of public money would pull both sides from their comfort zone and prove unacceptable to all" (simon).

News should be a commodity that has intricate, detailed dialogue about the conditions of cities, both from the perspective of rich and poor, liberal and conservative. This could lead to discussion and collective reasoning about the political and social perspectives, which I would be willing to wager, there are most definitely more than two. 

AutNo

I mentioned this to some folks and forgot to post it somewhere. I think this is helpful for thinking about space and functionality and access in Memphis and every other city for that matter.
http://www.autno.com/

I found Best's argument in chapter 5 that media downplays social problems by highlighting the individual very interesting. I know we have discussed extensively in our class the larger social problems vs. individual problems and the impact that ignoring the larger social context has, but I have never realized that popular media does exactly this. They create short segments or stories about an individual's problem and most of the blame is usually put upon the individual. This in turn completely ignores the social context because of the lack of "social imagination". Most media sources do not have the time, resources, or feel the need to convey the social issues contributing to the problems that they do cover, which gives the audience a view of the problem that is solely focused on the individual. I think this largely contributes to the biases of media because they do not offer alternative causes to the problems that they present, other than it being an individual problem that usually coincides with a moral problem as well. I don't know what a news source that presents sociological research and opinions would look like, but I feel it is very necessary to combat the media that is offered to the general public today.
Another problem I have with media is how depressing it is. Maybe I just feel this way because we're in Memphis and the news sources LOVE covering violent crimes and all the bad things happening in the city, but just as we're doing in class, I think all news sources need at least a daily segment on good things happening to give everyone a glimmer of hope.

Protecting a Vestige of Democracy

The media is, for all its flaws, one of the main watchdogs which keeps institutions, like the government and schools, in their place by giving the public the information they need to make informed decisions. Although the expansion of internet and television media has sullied the “ideal” of media and journalism, at its heart, media is still one of the vestiges of democracy. Journalists have the unique privilege of asking questions of people who make decisions and getting an inside look at how some decisions are made and how the public will be affected.

I find David Simon’s idea about making newspapers function as non-profits very interesting. During the 2009 senate and house committee meetings discussing the decline of quality journalism, the idea of government subsidies was often tossed around as a potential solution. However, I find Simon’s point very valid: we can’t let the government control the institution that is “controlling” them. Our newspapers are important to our democracy; they were used to spread rebellion during the Revolutionary War and are still important today.

The industry seems to have only deteriorated more since these talks in 2009. For example, I was thinking about Google News (which is a really great, succinct way of getting the most important stories). Google does not have to write any stories or pay any reporters. The website compiles other news stories from struggling papers and ranks them according to pertinence, all while collecting ad revenue. I think an interesting decision is created because on one hand, charging people for the use of internet materials can help cover costs of good reporting. However, sites like the Huffington Post are entirely web based news sources. So, when the New York Times charges for use of more than ten articles per month, where do people turn? Good journalism has to balance the need for revenue with the open, mostly free, information rich Internet. Newspapers will have to do more than just charge for their resources online, because people have options to go elsewhere. Thus, a more radical solution is called for.  

Best's Commonsense Explanations

In the first chapter of Social Problems, Joel Best asserts that identifying social problems is more difficult than it may seem, despite the fact that “[m]ost people have a commonsense notion of what the term means” (p. 3). While I think that his examination here of the objectivist and subjectivist modes of interpreting social problems makes some useful, clarifying observations (particularly about the three major failings of the objectivist approach), I feel that much of his explication of the social problems process is essentially built upon commonsense observations and explanations. This became especially apparent to me in the longer second chapter. His ten-page breakdown of grounds, warrants and conclusions, for example, seems to assume that readers have no familiarity with the rhetorical structure of Western arguments; it therefore feels full of commonsense details to this Western reader. Later explanations about the interaction of different claims seems similarly long-winded to me. I did not assume that claims about social problems act in ways very different from the way Best describes them. 

Did anyone else read these chapters differently, or feel that Best explained his subject matter in an enlightening way? Do you think they may be more enlightening to people who have not already taken most of a class on social problems? And if you do agree with me, do you think that these commonsense explanations are just part of a slow start to the book?

Movements construct problems, but what constructs movements?

When I first started reading “social problems,” I must admit, I felt a bit like my intelligence was being insulted, but it got better, and hopefully will continue to do so.  We have been discussing examples how we have constructed the structures that lead to social problems throughout this semester, so discussing the social construction of social problems seemed like nothing new.  I feel that Best’s description of the social construction of problems deals primarily with social movements, and misses some of the cultural and structural forces out of which social movements arise.  Of course, social movements construct and frame topics they are passionate about as social movements, but social movements themselves arrrise from society’s structures and culture. This may be where the book is headed, but as of now, Best has not dove into the fact that the structures from which social movements arise are themselves social constructions constantly created and recreated by members of society.  One argument I did find compelling was Best’s discussion of how if claimants keep saying the same things their message will become commonplace and boring, meaning that social movements must constantly repackage and reframe their claims in order to keep them relevant. I also liked his ideas about the dynamic nature of the construction of social problems in a dialectic between groups of claimants, the media, policy makers, and the general public. The idea of an evolution of social movements made me think of some discussions I have had in Sociology of Religion about Weber. We talked about how social movements, and the social problems they construct, begin with idealism, emotionality, drive, and gusto, but become hollow and bureaucratized as soon as they are institutionalized, and end up losing sight of their original value-oriented goals. In light of weber’s critique it seems that social movements must remain dynamic and agile not only to keep the public interested, but to keep themselves interested.  

The Construction of Social Problems

It was really fascinating to me to consider social problems in the context of perception. Its interesting to read Joel Best’s analysis of how social problems are accepted or not accepted because I think we (in this class and in society as a whole) generally perceive social problems to be a given. They are a part of the fabric of our society given the nature of capitalism and our institutions. What is often not recognized, and what Joel Best highlights in his book, is the fact that all social problems are constructed by individuals or groups of individuals who are either personally affected by an issue or have a stake in seeing a problem fixed. I liked Best’s explanation of the study of social problems which stated, “[the study] should not focus on conditions, but on the claims about conditions”

Best explains the process of claimsmaking as a six-step “natural history” of social problems. This natural history consists of: claimsmaking, media coverage, public reaction, policymaking, social problems work, and policy outcomes. It is in this manner, Best contends, that social problems are constructed. The part of this natural history that was particularly striking to me was the focus upon media coverage and the need to target individuals who might already be sympathetic to the cause. To me, this step in the process seems to be the most vital in the construction of social problems but also a component that would pollute the actual problem in the way that media morphs our perceptions of things.  

This reading has made me think more philosophically about the existence of social problems and makes me realize that we are often only relying upon the information of the claimsmakers and the media to determine the legitimacy of the social problems, which are most likely not the most reliable sources. This makes me wonder about the difference between the realistic existence of problems and how they’re socially constructed and portrayed. Is there usually a large gap between the two? 

Community Development IBT tomorrow

Hi guys,

I mentioned this in class previously, but this week Kinney is hosting a Community Development Issue Based Forum.

The speakers will be:
Steve Lockwood, Executive Director of Frayser Community Development Corporation
Todd Richardson, Executive Director of Crosstown Collaborative
Joshua Forbes, Executive Director of Alcy Ball CDC
Dr. Elizabeth Thomas, Plough Chair in Urban Studies at Rhodes College

Wednesday, 4/17 at 5:30 in the Orgill room.

Making a Hallucination a Reality

"For many of those in the lowest reaches of the social structure, the American Dream is a hallucination."  (261).  Thanks to decades of history, oppression, and inequity, the poor now live their life meandering through the desert, thirsty and finding that oasis.  The American Dream tells them that if they just keep walking and searching for opportunity, the oasis will come.  However, for every man in MacLeod's ethnography, that opportunity quickly faded away like a hallucination.  Simply put, "The achievement ideology promulgates a lie" (264).

I appreciated MacLeod's insistence on turning the Eiffel Tower into an onion.  More equal distribution of wealth could go a long way to improving the opportunity structures of our nation's most disadvantaged citizens.  However, the world's insistence on a capitalist philosophy will only continue to spiral society into a clearly defined bifurcation.  The future looks bleak for the poor who for generations get cycled back into the desert of poverty.  In all honesty, until the oasis for a select few completely disappears than the falsified American Dream will perpetuate onward into the future.

"Accidental Racist" by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J

I ran across this article a couple days ago on a new song called "Accidental Racist" which is by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/deconstructing-accidental-racist/
In my opinion, its a very strange mix but its interesting because it brings into perspective two views of contemporary racism. Many of the lyrics encourage "forgetting" what has happened in the past however I don't think that forgetting is going to help stop racism and discrimination. Our history is a part of us and is an opportunity to learn and prevent such things from happening in the future. However, I agree with the article in that it is good that more music, media, movies, tv shows, etc. are discussing racism. Talking about it is extremely important and hopefully this song will spark some good conversation concerning racism. Additionally, just having the title "Accidental Racist" might promote thought and people might start to contemplate what racism means in modern United States. Racism nowadays is very different than it was years ago in a great deal of ways in that it is harder to identify because often times people may not even realize that they are racist or just try to veil their racism because they know that it is social unacceptable. I just found this song and article very interesting and wanted to share it with the class!

Structure, Agency, and Mobility

As we continue to read Jay McLeod’s "Ain't No Making It," and struggle with our understanding of the complex interrelationship between structure and agency, I wonder what we can learn from Ms. Jackson's story of her family's upward mobility via "apron power." In spite of overwhelming structural constraints, Ms. Jackson's grandmother had the ambition and drive to save up her money, get her own apartment, and buy life insurance. We can be certain, as Ms. Jackson showed us, that the ripples of her grandmother's actions had far reaching effects. One women's ability to work hard in a soul-sucking career led to her ability to ensure that her son could afford to go to a private high school, and get his diploma (something black students could not do in public schools that stopped at the 11^th grade). His ambition to become a businessman, although he was kept from it by structural barriers, allowed him to save his money and buy a home. This home, in turn, had not only a monetary effect in the way of wealth, but also very important psychological effects on him and his family. His pride and drive was socialized into his children many of whom, with the sale of the home, were able to receive college educations. The monetary wealth generated by home ownership is important to be sure, but so are the deeper more subjective benefits that come with having security, piece of mind, and the realization that one has the ability to overcome adversity. Ms. Jackson said that her father’s ability to have a stable job (due to his HS diploma), the fact that they had a 2 parent household, and the high priority her family placed on education is what built her family and fueled their mobility. The subjective aspects of that success resulted in a powerful ambition and an agency which recognized structural constraints but saw them as barriers to be overcome and successfully overcoming them as a source of real pride. McLeod makes the case that habitus is not just constructed out of social class, but out of all of the various institutions in which we participate: family, school, employment, religion, etc. Ms. Jackson's habitus, and that of her children and grand children, has been shaped not only by class and race, but also by a historical understanding of her family's challenges and successes. 

The View From The Top

On page 249 Boo Boo speaks about his experience as the only black member of the hallway hangers.  He discusses the ways that he changes and the differences in his environment when he is surrounded by predominantly white people or predominantly black people.  He talks about the differences between the two groups of people, for example the types of music they listen to, and how black people see him as "white," but to white people he is still "black."  He discusses how his friends' judgments of him and their drunken racial slurs have affected him and changed their relationships, but how it's just a part of life where he is.  "It bothers me, but- it's a part of life," says Boo Boo.  This reminded me a lot of the article we read about young women in an urban society who had just accepted sexual harassment and assault as something that was inevitable and that they had to live with.

While the hallway hangers regret the decisions they have made and wish they had finished school, wish they hadn't gotten involved with drugs, wish they had provided more support for their families, they don't seem to do anything to change that now.  It's not impossible to go back to school, nor is it impossible to quit using drugs, it just takes a lot of time and patience, perhaps things that the hangers are not willing to give up.  MacLeod calls one section of his chapter "No one to blame but me," perhaps by assuming responsibility for the wrongs they have done, the hallway hangers expect the consequences to decrease or feel like less of a burden, but admitting their faults doesn't erase the wrongs they have done.  

Historical Labor Shifts and their Relation to the Modern Job Market

I think MacLeod’s analysis of the discrepancy between the cultural identities that working-class men like the Hallway Hangers tend to develop and the strictly obsequious public personality that is needed to maintain employment in most low-level service-based jobs in chapter nine is one of the most enlightening passages in the book I have read so far. It is easy and unfortunately not uncommon for middle- and upper-class people to deride people like the Hangers for being too ‘lazy’ or ‘immoral’ to approach employment in the same way they do, but I feel sympathetic to the latter group’s struggle against occupational threats to their conceptions of themselves. Relatively little time has passed since service and information industries have usurped the position of manufacturing jobs in the American economy, so some of the difficulties that the Hallway Hangers and other working-class people have had adjusting to the new economy may have been unfortunately inevitable consequences of change. Nevertheless, I wonder how the working poor adapted to other historical shifts in the American economy, like those brought on by the Industrial Revolution and the end of the Civil War. It does seems like a long-shot, but I hope that the labor patterns of times like these might reveal some suggestions or guidelines for opening up the job market to more working-class people today.

The Exception

I found Derek's job experience and outlook very interesting. Although he has a low wage job in the service sector like many of the other Brothers do and he has had bad experiences with a previous job (military), he has a very positive outlook on life. Derek doesn't seemed to be too stressed about money, even to the point that he turns down a management position that paid higher. And the reason behind this also shows his contentment with his current job. He said he had found his niche and really enjoyed his job and the people he works with and wouldn't want to be put in a position that may weaken or break relationships with his coworkers. Derek also has the goal of one day being a police officer. Although he passed up the opportunity to become one, he still hopes that one day he can convince himself to take the position, despite others opinions about it. I don't know if there is any correlation between Derek's experience in school (that was much better than the rest of the Brothers) and his outlook on life and his job now but it is interesting that he is the only one that was very successful in school and is now the only one that seems to be enjoying his life and job. Although Derek has had advantages that the other Brothers did not have, they seem to be in fairly similar situations now. I think Derek would make the argument that life is what you make of it.

Where they are now

I was not at all surprised that the naive outlook of the Brothers did not amount to much of anything years after the initial interviews.  While I think its a good thing to have hope that one can achieve whatever they put their sights to, I also think that its important to be realistic about the social construction that surrounds you.  Reading the first few chapters, I thought that the Brothers would probably amount to more than the Hangers but in reality both of the groups were mostly stuck in poverty.  What do you think the solution is to getting out of poverty if it does not lie in completing high school, having a positive attitude, and a good work ethic?   Is there ever any escaping it once you are in it?

Urban Gardening UPDATE!

Aloha! so Grow Memphis is starting Monday nights from 5-7 and Carl Awsumb, an architect and one of the founders of McMerton Garden (where I go) just watched the TEDtalk about the guerrilla gardener in LA that one of you posted (Kate? sorry) and so he wants to talk all about median strip planting because they were very successful with some yams last year. So yeah you are all welcome anytime, but lemme know if you ever want to meet with Carl-who is exceptionally cool. He is also working on a project to help get books in the languages of the kids of the neighborhoods through tiny lending libraries-please come on by any monday or saturday. See you all Thursday-if not before.