In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio was written by Philippe Bourgois in order to explain why a substantial amount of the residents of El Barrio stray from legal job markets and into lifestyles of crime and poverty. Many people attempt to blame the socioeconomic gap between “mainstream” and “ghetto” societies on laziness and poor morals. However, Bourgois argues that because of societal oppressions, these residents are forced to chase the “American Dream” of respect and success in extremely different approaches than those of mainstream America.

Philippe Bourgois moved to an apartment in an area in East Harlem known as El Barrio in 1985 to research the cultural apartheid that is present in the United States. He eventually gained the trust of El Barrio residents and through thousands of taped conversations and one-on-one experiences he tries to explain the struggles of street life from a first hand point of view.

The biggest struggles represented in the book are due to racism, poverty, and crime. The majority of the people living in El Barrio are Puerto Rican; therefore we witness many instances of discrimination throughout In Search of Respect. In the �

Poverty is also a major issue within these sub-cultural societies. Because the funding to public schools is based on property taxes, those in the underclass do not get the benefits of a good education that is obtainable to suburbanites. Hence, they are denied well paying jobs not only because of their race but because of their lack of education. Therefore in order to obtain the luxuries of the “American Dream” such as adequate housing, a job with opportunities for advancement, nice cars and other such amenities, those in the “ghetto“ lifestyle opt to participate in criminal activities such as the drug trade.

Contrary to popular beliefs there are Puerto Ricans living in the same neighborhood who are very different from those who are involved in the drug trade. These people are able to hold legit jobs and practice the morals and values of mainstream America. However, Bourgois doesn’t choose to acknowledge those from El Barrio who have been able to overcome the struggles of the ghetto through honest hard work.

Crime is also a huge issue in the underprivileged society of El Barrio. The drug trade provides an opportunity for advancement for those of the underclass that cannot be obtained in “real life” mainstream America. Through this lifestyle the undereducated are able to estab

Some topics in this essay:
El Barrio, Primo Caesar, Caesar Ray, Puerto Rican, Puerto Ricans, Philippe Bourgois, el barrio, Search Respect, America Bourgois, mainstream america, drug trade, criminal activities, primo caesar, puerto rican, philippe bourgois, residents el, “american dream”, socioeconomic gap, residents el barrio,