Ain't No Makin It by Jay Macleod - Essay Example

? AIN’T NO MAKIN’ IT BY JAY MACLEOD INTRODUCTION It is not uncommon today to observe that issues relating to poverty, discrimination and inequality are being ignored by concerned authorities and the government. A number of activists and private organizations have come forward in an effort to create awareness to the public, regarding these social issues, but it is as if their cry is also not being heard (MacLeod 2004). In addition, a number of writers and publicists have written books on the various social and economic issues that today’s society is undergoing, and despite the fact that a few individuals have paid attention, their efforts are still not enough. Theorists and sociologists have also not been left behind in trying to create this awareness. Examples of such theorists are Marx and Weber, Ralf Dahrendrof and Gerhard Lenski, who have come up with theories to deal with the social issues (MacLeod 2004). Jay MacLeod is one author who has sacrificed 30 years to writing. His writing is mainly about the life and times of Americans who seem too invisible to the rest of society. MacLeod immersed himself in the culture of public housing development, and in the course of working on his thesis in the year 1980, published a book that has since then become a required reading (MacLeod 2004). ‘Ain’t No Making It’ is a book recommended for any individual who cares about social and economic issues such as equality, poverty and race, as are common in modern day society. The book that has ended up being a best seller especially in the academic sector, is also a recommended reading for sociology students all around the US. ESSAY Brief Summary of Ain’t No Makin It This book by Jay MacLeod takes readers into Clarendon Heights, which is a low income American housing project. Here, readers are introduced to two resident groups of youths, where one is a black minority group calling themselves, The Brothers and the other is a group of whites calling themselves, The Hallway Hangers (MacLeod 2004). This account regarding the location where the narrative is set up, is not meant for only those who are familiar with Clarendon Heights, but also to other people all round the globe. Readers from everywhere are able to identify in a local context, where youths struggle with issues of defeatism, racial discrimination and poverty, in similar situations (MacLeod 2004). In the course, of looking at these two groups, the author questions why the groups have opposed aspirations of attainment, considering that they have experienced similar educational and living conditions (MacLeod 2004). This situation seems not to make any sense, as America has promised to offer equal opportunities to every American citizen. MacLeod also takes a closer look at the issue of hypocritical rhetoric that seems to surround idealistic ideas of America as the land of equal opportunities (MacLeod 2004). This ideology is obviously the cause of challenges these youths presented in the book are experiencing, with regards to embracing certain social structures. In the course of writing this book, the author elaborates on every question raised, thus presenting pleasingly critical, as well as, theoretical discussions, which are interwoven with logic quotes from the youths (MacLeod 2004). These 2 different groups residing in the same neighborhood are also seen discussing issues such as sex, occupations, poverty, race, crime, parents and drugs. Their discussion is presented in a candid form by the author and brought back to the theoretical (MacLeod 2004). Sociology Concepts and Theories Present in Ain’t No Makin It Sociology Concepts Present Poverty Even though, the main sociological concept and theory is Poverty in this book, MacLeod has also included other theories such as the Marx and Weber’s Theory, and sociological concepts such as Class, Status, Social Inequality, Ideology and Labor Rules concepts (MacLeod 2004). There exists a strong connection between occupational outcomes and aspirations in this book. It has been observed in the recent past, not only in America, but also in a majority of developing nations, that many of the urban poor migrate to the city centre in search of better opportunities (MacLeod 2004). In turn, they bring with them lower class behavior tendencies, which are then passed on to their future generations and considered inconsistent with the polite sensibilities of the upper class, urban residents (MacLeod 2004). The social, economic and political structure of America, which are institutions charged with the responsibility of opening new doors of opportunities for the less privileged, maintain and feed into the present culture of poverty (MacLeod 2004). The youths from the white group presented in this book are aged between 15 years and 18 years. They are, however, engaged in a number of societal vices, such as, heavy drinking, smoking pot and verbally and/or physically abusing each other (MacLeod 2004). These white youths believe the American dream to be a disillusionment of some sort. It is revealed to the readers that these youths observe their parents and older peers who have exhibited chances of social upgrading, as being too risky and remote for anyone to attempt (MacLeod 2004). They, in turn, reject the values of the dominant culture, subscribing to their individual cultural norms that are totally different from the societal norms. On the other hand, the Brothers, who are from the black minority group and only having one white member, have accepted and embraced the standards of behavior, thus striving to fulfill socially approved responsibilities (MacLeod 2004). They do not engage in vices such as those observed among the white group, and that include drinking heavily and smoking pot. They also attend school regularly even though their academic performance seems mediocre (MacLeod 2004). Unlike in the case with The Hallway Hangers parents, The Brothers’ parents constantly encourage high aspirations in their children. Looking at their public housing status, the youths from the white group families have resided in public housing for 2 decades whereas the youths from the black minority group have lived in public housing for years ranging 5 to 13 years (MacLeod 2004). MacLeod concludes in this book that the time of exposure to a low income environment which has apparently been allowed and maintained by the American society, is directly related to some level of unacceptable, rebellious behaviors exhibited by the youths presented in the narrative. The main problem of poverty, thus resides with children and their families; hence a solution needs to be found regarding what such children are missing, as it has added to the widespread ideology that the plight of the low income earning individuals is solely their fault (MacLeod 2004). Social Inequality and Class Concepts More often than not, many social reformers have rallied and called attention to better schooling systems and equal opportunities, where the quality of education for less privileged and minority children are concerned. From this book, the author notes that schooling is responsible for maintaining and legitimizing social inequality. He has also carried out an extensive assessment of the American educational system, together with its effect on children belonging to lower class neighborhoods (MacLeod 2004). MacLeod has exhaustively described what he perceives to be unequal opportunities in the American schooling, for inner city black boys and inner city white boys (MacLeod 2004). Education is not a luxury but a need in America and many other nations around the world. It is, therefore, unfortunate to realize that schooling brings about the structure of inequality, and this can be attributed to the high regard for culture within the educational system, regarding upper classes over that of the lower classes (MacLeod 2004). The youths presented in the book attend Lincoln High School which has the necessary resources, faculty and money for any given middle class high school. This convinces parents as well as the general society that poor children residing in Clarendon Heights receive equal, high quality education (MacLeod 2004). The Brothers hold high esteem for the American equal opportunity system, as they are of black minority, and blame only themselves for their shortcomings where realization of their goals is concerned. According to MacLeod, the youths from the black minority group are completely unaware of the discriminatory influences of having different educational paths, the self fulfilling consequences of teachers’ expectations, in addition to other types, of class-oriented educational selection (MacLeod 2004). The Hallway Hangers, on the other hand, understand the risk involved in equal chances available especially in a condescending educational surrounding where middle class educators possess little or no experience of their individual, lower class lives (MacLeod 2004). These youths are also aware of the challenges and barriers in their current society and have thus come up with their own sub cultural manner different from their dominant cultural norm (MacLeod 2004). Theories Present in Ain’t No Makin It – Karl Marx, Ralf Dahrendorf and Max Weber A number of theories can be reflected from this book for instance the author mentions theorist such as Marx and Weber’s who talk about class structure. It is apparent that class structure is generated from one generation to the next through the schooling system (MacLeod 2004). According to Karl Marx, class is determined by income as well as the connection a group has to the means of production, creating a distinction between the working class and bourgeoisie (MacLeod 2004). Max Weber, on the other hand, argues in his theory of social class that class is created as per a person’s individual abilities and skills, where through this they are rewarded by their status and income (MacLeod 2004). Weber’s analysis of class is quite similar to that of Marx’s who perceived class divisions as the most crucial source of social conflict. Marx suggests that the reason as to why classes exist is as a result of a group sharing similar interest and economic status (MacLeod 2004). While the rich individuals are owners of machinery and raw materials, the middle and lower class individuals own nothing and are left to sell their labor power so as to survive and provide for all their families (MacLeod 2004). Weber believes that status group normally constitutes communities, where status refers to the likelihood that life chances are dependent upon social prestige or honor (MacLeod 2004). Social restrictions for instance residence and marriage patterns result from differences present in wealth reflected in social honor. In the US, the problems facing the society are quite real and life is considered difficult for the majority of working class families. According to Weber and Marx, the dignity of high status groups is inclusive of their distinctive lifestyle as reflected in patterns of association and consumption (MacLeod 2004). This is seen with youths from the white group, which is not a believer in the realization of the American dream and have instead formulated their own unique sub-cultural norm. Marx especially considers class to be transitional as it is eventually absorbed into both the middle and high class, where functioning in society was not perceived as different from other classes (MacLeod 2004). Both theorists offer a more realistic and modern understanding of the way class within a given society is determined. Class structure is alive and present in the American society and other societies all over the globe and viewed as reasonably intact, as exhibited by MacLeod (MacLeod 2004). As earlier mentioned, Karl Marx argues in his theory that class is determined by property rather than income or status, through distribution and consumption reflecting the power relations and production of classes (MacLeod 2004). His focus on class conflict as being inclusive of social change dynamics, his perception regarding social relations as founded on power and his awareness that transformation was not random but as a result of a conflict of interest were his main contributions (MacLeod 2004). Sociologists such as Ralf Dahrendorf have in the recent past applied the spirit of Marx’s sociology to modern day industrial society. Dahrendorf concentrates on 2 key approaches to society namely the Rationalist and the Utopian (MacLeod 2004). Whereas the Utopian focuses on the balance of consensus, stability and values, Rationalist emphasizes on conflict and dissension (MacLeod 2004). Despite the fact that both are social perspectives, each approach views a separate face of the society. According to Dahrendorf, society is responsible for granting the holders of social positions power to carry out coercive control over the rest of the society, for instance through property ownership (MacLeod 2004). The sociologist believes that authority is a relation between individuals in imperatively co-ordinated groups and it thus stems from social structure (MacLeod 2004). People who assume opposing roles such as those indicated in MacLeod’s Aint No Makin It, have structurally brought about contradictory interests to maintain or transform their status quo. According to Dahrendorf, social classes thus refer to manifest conflict groups that are as a result of the authority structure of imperative coordinated groups (MacLeod 2004). It is rather unfortunate that, the consensus perspective has dominated modern day sociology, especially in the US, and Dahrendorf sets out to establish some sense of balance between Utopian and Rationalist approaches (MacLeod 2004). He does this by developing and illustrating the theoretical control of a class conflict perception. CONCLUSION It would be wrong to assume that the lower class’s culture of poverty is the main cause of the class’s inability to socially upgrade themselves out of their situation. That is why authors such as Jay MacLeod have allowed readers to conclude that, the culture of poverty is a combination of individual characteristics found undesirable to the middle, as well as upper class American citizens. It is only by making an effort to improve societal social structures that will people be able to assist the less privileged in gaining self esteem. Reading ‘Ain’t No Makin It’ by MacLeod would be considered a time well spent for those who have an interest in subcultures, social reproduction and struggles existing between culture and structure. REFERENCES MacLeod, J. (2004). Ain’t No Makin’ It: Aspirations and Attainment in Low-Income Neighborhood. Oxford: Westview Press. Read More