Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 Source: Daily Gazette (NY) Copyright: 2001 The Gazette Newspapers Contact: http://www.dailygazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/105 Author: Deborah Ashline GANG CULTURE VS. 'CULTURE OF WEALTH' I am writing in regard to Carl Strock's June 28 column, titled "Gang life rooted in culture." His column reminded me that relying on a narrow conception of culture that uses behavior and culture interchangeably is another opportunity to construct pathologies that project negative singular versions of culture, or as Strock noted, "urban African-American culture." The column did not mention that gangs and violence are not limited to only African-American or Latino cultures; in fact, at the turn of the century, urban European immigrant youth were involved in gang activity that resulted in deadly violence. Just once I would like someone to address the problems associated with what political scientist Charles Henry has called "the culture of wealth." This tangle of deviant behavior is characterized by a rejection or denial of physical attributes, which leads to: hazardous sessions in tanning parlors, frequent trips to weight-loss salons, rootlessness, antisocial behavior, and an inability to make practical decisions. The evidence lies in their tendency to own several homes, frequent private social clubs, and their vast amount of unnecessary and socially useless possessions. The "culture of wealth" is engulfed in a web of crime, sexism and poor health. Drug use and white-collar crime are rampant, and this group is engaged in a permanent cycle of divorce, forced child separations through boarding schools, and rampant materialism that leads to the dreaded "Monte Carlo Syndrome." Will society close their tax loopholes, end their subsidies, or not allow them to buy influence? Carl Strock wrote that "urban African-American culture seems to define itself by its most antisocial elements." I disagree. It is white America that finds it easier to scapegoat black culture rather than look at the real issues. When black urban culture is projected in the singular (or only related to crime), it reduces black culture to reflect only negative cultural values. What really annoys me about Carl Strock is the same old boring commentary that blames the victim. DEBORAH ASHLINE Schenectady - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom