MacLeod’s Finding’s: Norms, Values and Ideologies in Ain’t No Makin’ It
In the study, Ain’t No Makin’ It, Jay MacLeod introduces us to two extremely distinct groups of male youth, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers. The Hallway Hangers are a dominant group of teenagers who constantly rebel and openly resist the American ideology of education. They have little motivation to better themselves, in which some are aware of their circumstances and feel that social mobility is impossible, while others simply lack the ambition as a whole. In contrast, the Brothers are a group of black youth who believe in America as a land of opportunity. They believe that by adopting America’s rules and applying it to themselves in school will result in a successful …show more content…
These two groups have very different norms. The Hallway Hangers have no affinity for school and when they attend class they violate norms such as being under the influence of marijuana. The norm for Hallway Hangers is to be an outlaw and rebel against the system. School is not a norm for Hallway Hangers; instead, they are preoccupied with survival within their distinctive subculture. For example, Shorty, one of the Hallway Hangers, says, “Nobody learns anything from school around here. All it is is how to survive and have money in your pockets” (MacLeod, 37) In contrast, the Brothers are very conventional and conform to society’s norms and expectations about education in which they are concerned with their grades in school and their reputations, although they accept the values of the dominant culture. Derek, one of the Brothers, says, “We just have different attitudes. We like to stay away from the projects as much as possible, or they’ll give us trouble” (MacLeod, 49) MacLeod’s primary interest in Ain’t No Makin’ It is the role that aspirations play in social reproduction. Furthermore, the Brothers exhibit how positive aspirations promote healthier outlooks on life, while the Hallway Hangers exhibit the opposite. Nonetheless, both these groups’ norms shape the actions of what kind of people they want to become in the …show more content…
The Hallway Hangers have rejected what MacLeod refers to as the “achievement ideology”, which is the notion that if a person works hard they can be successful, also known as the cornerstone of the American dream. In contrast, the Brothers have fully bought into the achievement ideology. The Hallway Hangers reject this ideology and are less likely to be successful than the Brothers who live by it, in that they have very different aspirations of their
In the study, Ain’t No Makin’ It, Jay MacLeod introduces us to two extremely distinct groups of male youth, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers. The Hallway Hangers are a dominant group of teenagers who constantly rebel and openly resist the American ideology of education. They have little motivation to better themselves, in which some are aware of their circumstances and feel that social mobility is impossible, while others simply lack the ambition as a whole. In contrast, the Brothers are a group of black youth who believe in America as a land of opportunity. They believe that by adopting America’s rules and applying it to themselves in school will result in a successful …show more content…
These two groups have very different norms. The Hallway Hangers have no affinity for school and when they attend class they violate norms such as being under the influence of marijuana. The norm for Hallway Hangers is to be an outlaw and rebel against the system. School is not a norm for Hallway Hangers; instead, they are preoccupied with survival within their distinctive subculture. For example, Shorty, one of the Hallway Hangers, says, “Nobody learns anything from school around here. All it is is how to survive and have money in your pockets” (MacLeod, 37) In contrast, the Brothers are very conventional and conform to society’s norms and expectations about education in which they are concerned with their grades in school and their reputations, although they accept the values of the dominant culture. Derek, one of the Brothers, says, “We just have different attitudes. We like to stay away from the projects as much as possible, or they’ll give us trouble” (MacLeod, 49) MacLeod’s primary interest in Ain’t No Makin’ It is the role that aspirations play in social reproduction. Furthermore, the Brothers exhibit how positive aspirations promote healthier outlooks on life, while the Hallway Hangers exhibit the opposite. Nonetheless, both these groups’ norms shape the actions of what kind of people they want to become in the …show more content…
The Hallway Hangers have rejected what MacLeod refers to as the “achievement ideology”, which is the notion that if a person works hard they can be successful, also known as the cornerstone of the American dream. In contrast, the Brothers have fully bought into the achievement ideology. The Hallway Hangers reject this ideology and are less likely to be successful than the Brothers who live by it, in that they have very different aspirations of their