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
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