Describe the riff-raff theory and the alternative explanations for the urban riots
What will be an ideal response?
In April 1968, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., more cities exploded than had in all of 1967 . Even before the summer of 1968 began, there were 369 civil disorders. Communities of all sizes were hit.
As the violence continued and embraced many ghettos, a popular explanation was that riot participants were mostly unemployed youths who had criminal records, often involving narcotics, and who were vastly outnumbered by the African Americans who repudiated the looting and arson. This explanation was called the riff-raff theory or the rotten-apple theory because it discredited the rioters and left the barrel of apples, White society, untouched. On the contrary, research shows that the Black community expressed sympathetic understanding toward the rioters and that the rioters were not merely the poor and uneducated but included middle-class, working-class, and educated residents.
Several alternatives to the riff-raff theory explain why Black violent protest increased in the United States at a time when the nation was seemingly committed to civil rights for all. Two explanations stand out. One ascribes the problem to Black frustration with rising expectations in the face of continued deprivation relative to Whites.
You might also like to view...
Higher rates of mental health problems among homosexual men and women are due in part to the social discrimination and cultural stigmatization they experience, according to the text.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
The symbolic aspects of culture are less real and important than the actual reality of life
a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false
Which of the following is an example of cultural diffusion?
A. A group of people in a nation reimagines television sets and designs a unique smart television that offers the services of a smartphone. B. A group of engineers in a nation develops the blueprint for a new flyover that would be the longest in the world. C. A group of scientists in a nation develops a cure for AIDS but is unable to produce it on a large scale because of a lack of resources. D. A group of people in a nation develops a new style of music, and their idea is soon popularized by the media and eventually adopted by people in other nations as well.
Discuss how sociologist Judith Stacey's concept of the modern family differs from her idea of the postmodern family. How does class factor into each type of family?
What will be an ideal response?