The Struggles of Chicago
Sampson introduces the appeal for
social science research at the neighborhood level. He teaches us that even in a
wired world, physical proximity still matters in shaping life outcomes. He also
proposed that the ongoing segregation in particular areas of the city is proof
of there being a defined contribution to the effect that include: low economic
status, ethnic heterogeneity and residential instability. Sampson makes a very
good point about the urban metropolis traversing into chatting away on a
cellphone, plugged into an iPod, or even “tweeting”. Social network theorists
have proved to us that urbanizes have created non spatial communities.
Nowadays, urbanism and social relations are not with your community and instead
they are with internet surfing, blog comments and superficial things like
Facebook and texting. The classic thesis of decline has been described as
“community lost” that posits the idea that the social ties of modern urbanities
have become impersonal, transitory, and segmented that creates social
disorganization. How many times have you been sitting at the dinner table and
you try to have a conversation with someone and they are attached to their
phone checking Facebook updates and texting their friends back and completely
ignoring the fact that you are in the middle of the conversation with them. It
gets really frustrating because their phone continues to vibrate from these
texts and the individual today has to read and respond to it right away.
Going
on further in the chapter he emphasizes on what he calls, “A Birds Eye View”.
Neighborhoods dramatically differ in their quality, feel, sights, sounds, and
smells that much is experiences in out walks. But the diversity of behaviors
and social actions that cluster together in space and that define the social
organization of the city. Looking at the aspects of Chicago
neighborhoods-whether it be the measures of homicide, low birth weight, infant
mortality or teen pregnancy, there is compelling evidence point to geographic
compromised health. Collective civil engagement and impassioned protest, is not
fully modern either. Maybe networks are where globalization instantiates the
potential to destroy community differences. Data suggests that the civic life
is not dead but instead highly spatially ordered by looking at the outcome of
fund drives, blood drives, parades, etc.
This makes me think of the movie, “Pursuit of Happyness”.
Linda and Chris struggle to make ends meet in their low income neighborhood in
San Francisco. They strive to make things work but Linda leaves him one day.
Chris struggles with bringing his son to day care each day. Chris learns
he's been offered the coveted internship. But it’s unpaid. Despite the
financial risk, Chris decides to go for it, but dwindling savings quickly result
in an eviction from their apartment. And then another from a motel. Soon,
father and son are homeless, staying in city shelters on good nights and in
public restrooms on the worst. This correlates really well with Chapter one
based on the poverty levels Sampson talks about and the struggles people have
to go through.
This clip is extremely relevant when it comes to getting a
good outlook on the crime and poverty living conditions inside of Chicago.
I think the overall blog was very well written and tied in a lot of good examples from the book. I love how you mentioned things like blogging taking away from our sense of interaction and community as I am responding back to it and you had to write one. I also like the use of the movie Pursuit of Happyness, I saw it a long time ago and can still remember the power it had in showing the children especially go through hard times. I think the message of making sacrifices for what you want shows how sometimes those risks can pay off and how sometimes they fall short. It is not good to think that someone should be satisfied with just getting bye, but when you have that all taken away for actually trying I could see how so many people fall into that pattern. From what I could tell as well the video clip/documentary was full of a lot of relevant research and information. I will admit though that I watched just about five minutes from each video.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honesty samantha. HAHA
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