Code of the Street Chapter Five PDF

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Notes over Code of the Street Chapter 5
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Code of the Street: Chapter 5 “The Decent Daddy” The decent daddy is a certain kind of man, with certain responsibilities and privileges: to work, to support his family, to rule his household, to protect his daughters, and to raise his sons to be like him, as well as to encourage other young people to demonstrate these qualities too. 

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The role of the decent daddy has persisted throughout periods of sharecropping, segregation, industrialization, and beyond - The decent daddy is known for personal qualities such as: a. Wisdom b. Advice c. Respect d. Truthfulness The decent daddy not only raised his own children this way, he would gather young boys on street corners and persuade them to follow his lead A larger part of his agenda was the defeat of racial apartheid – caste – in the wider society - Being proper - Being good Being proper and being good that is, assimilating the values of the wider, dominant system – would, he was convinced, lead to acceptance in that system. A critical mass of the members of the black community supported this view, which was reinforced by institutions such as the church Some men even worked two or three jobs to earn a decent living and raise a family with all they had. During the 1960s and 1970s, as the system opened up and black middleclass family began the development of different institutions, their children often had opportunities for social mobility Today, the decent daddy’s role of sponsorship is being challenged by: - deindustrialization - loss of these jobs in a racially conscious society in which black men’s talents and contributions may not be appreciated the decent daddy is also engaged in a kind of public relations war, working to distinguish himself from what he considers to be the worst features of his community - much of his own behavior is geared to counterbalancing the street - tries hard to uphold the dominant society’s standards, but his efforts are not readily apparent to that society, which is liable to confuse him with the street element in the inner-city black community, though there are relatively few of him, the decent daddy is still the embodiment of grit and backbone - qualities he stands for: a. propriety b. righteousness c. religion d. manhood

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e. considered to be a blessed man f. socially conservative g. independent h. strong i. God-fearing j. Believes in work ethic He tries to supply them not only with food, clothing, shelter, and other material things, but with spiritual nurturance He enjoys the respect of his community for these qualities are on public display in the neighborhood and earn him ready deference from neighbors, friends, and casual acquaintances A man’s success at this task is profoundly linked to his financial wherewithal – the steady job that is the hallmark of American manhood Believing in the sanctity of hard work, the decent daddy often works two jobs to have more than enough money to support his family’s lifestyle He wants to be the head of the household, or at least to present himself as such, he wants to make the major decisions concerning the family, and in company the women should not speak out of turn or talk too much and make him look small Violations of such rules: - Reflect poorly on him - Looks like she’s disrespecting him in front of his friends He holds individuals responsible, not the system, and sees resorting to “aid,” or welfare, as showing a lack of gumption He admits that racism is a problem, but he knows that it can be lame excuse for not applying oneself to the task at hand He believes that in this world you make your own bed and that you succeed if you try He truly finds it difficult to sympathize with those who cannot find work, let alone with those who do not want to work, and who through their stance insult those who do Today, more and more young men are emerging from socially disorganized home situations This can result in: - Strongly embracing the street - Faced with high-tech workplace - Not qualified enough - Low pay - Low experience - Not having a decent daddy in their life - No role models themselves Yet many of these young men do know enough about the role to miss it. From their experiences on the streets and in the home of uncles and friends, they know the outlines of the role, the form if not the substance Many of the young men interviewed in this chapter, who are today anywhere from twenty to thirty years old. Betray a certain amount of anger mixed with sadness when they speak

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of their won father, some have even shed tears, for they believe that they would have turned out better if they “had such a daddy” As noted in the preceding chapter, for a young man to playhouse effectively he needs enough resources to make the woman love him without resorting to abuse According to the lore of the streets, he must be able to support his lady before she will let him spend her time He must be able to: - Afford for her to get her nails done - Her hair tracked - Supply her with gold adornments - Whatever else she requires

Martin Davis: A Decent Daddy Martin Davis is a young man about twenty-five who has a steady job as a furniture mover for a secondhand store downtown. Martin grew up in the inner-city community of West Philadelphia and has been dating a young woman named Joleen for many years   

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When Martin met Joleen, she already had a six-year-old named Terry, by a man named Maurice, who wasn’t much of a parent Maurice was a known drug dealer that made good money so was always able to give nice things to Joleen When Joleen became pregnant with Terry, Maurice had less and less time for her, especially once she began to show, when the baby was born, he distanced himself even more Martin had known Joleen for many years, but always considered himself too square to “get with her”, so he admired her from afar for many years. But when he saw how things were going between her and Maurice, he knew it was his chance After a year of seeing each other they had a son together, named Tommy Unlike Maurice, Martin was very involved in the kids lives Martin learned very many different family ties while growing up as a child and it goes to show how those values and morals relate to his future when stepping up and being a decent daddy. One of his aunts was a pastor so he had very strong religious ties In Martin’s family, kinship ties are strong and encompass men as well as women As a result: - Many male role models in his life - Father - Many uncles - Had friends and family to play sports with growing up - Many people to counsel him in the ways of the world Although Martin had very strong family ties, it went against him morally to marry Joleen until Terry’s father wanted to step back into the picture and get with Joleen He felt as if he really loved Joleen and was prepared to care for her children, then he should marry her

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Friends Reactions - When Martin announced his decision to his friends, he was met with scorn and some support - His friends made fun of him and saw marriage as a loss of freedom and derided him from wanting to “put his head in the noose” - Didn’t believe he could meet the responsibilities as a father or a husband - Though he was putting himself in a position in which a woman might exploit him Families reactions - His aunt counseled them before they were married and gave them her blessing Why young men will give up the idea of the family man: - No active role models or father figures - Financial wherewithal - Support of their families - Unable to play house - Provide for a family - Lack of employment Why Martins case turned out different than any other inner-city youths - Benefit of exposure to traditional men and women - Saw the role of a caregiver in his childhood - Lived in an improved inner-city area - Many different role models in his life growing up

Mr. Charles Thomas: A Decent Daddy “Charles Thomas: is in many respects in the epitome of the decent daddy. Now sixty-seven years old, he was born and raised in the South. He came to Philadelphia when he was a young man and had many relatives around him growing up. He is married, has a family, and is the perfect image of the strong black man. He was a federal police officer, deeply religious and a lifelong church goer. Mr. Thomas’s son, Mike was stabbed to death one night. The violent death of his son ruined his family, causing his wife to have nervous breakdowns and caused their daughters to carry around anger all the time. He is reminiscent of the men of the Old South. His case illustrates many of the themes of this book, particularly the prevalence of street violence among youths and the tensions between decent and street orientations 

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Why Mr. Thomas had a problem with letting the boy in the house - Not pleased with his daughter’s homework - Passed by him without speaking - Wasn’t particularly happy about the boy being in the house - Not the type of kid he likes Mr. and Mrs. Thomas catch Sara being high - Said she had to go to the bathroom, didn’t believe her - Didn’t talk much in the car - Fidgety - Eyes were glassy

Michaels Death  

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Germantown high school Mayor Frank Rizzo - Michael was killed October 18, 1974 - Police were well aware of the gang war around the community - He states if this would’ve been a white neighborhood they would’ve stopped, searched, and arrested everybody in the area Police said they arrested the guy with the gun and the guy who had the knife Guy who witnessed it didn’t want to testify - His father didn’t want him too - Said he owed it to Michael to testify

Conclusion The roles of decent daddy and other old heads are becoming problematic in today’s economic and social circumstances goes way back in history. These factors have seriously undermined the role of the traditional old heads, who were associated in young black people’s minds with the wider society. Their moral authority is weakened when being nice doesn’t lead to material benefits: a good job, a good household. Today’s young people who reside in pockets of concentrated ghetto poverty, even the most decent, often have less experience with stable communities and families than their own parents or grandparents did. The old days of the manufacturing economy are more than a generation away. The more successful families and individuals have left the inner city for the wider community...