The Code Of The Street

Street Culture is known or may be called as A Code Of The Street (informal rules governing interpersonal public behavior, including violence).

Decent and Street. These two orientations socially organize the community, and their coexistence has important consequences for residents, particularly children growing up in the inner city. Such enviroment means that "even youngsters whose home lives reflect mainstream values, and the majority of homes in the community do, must be able to handle themselves in a street oriented envioroment" (Pg.75 from Adler text book).

Decent families "generally working poor" tend to accept mainstream values more fully and attempt to instill them in their children. Aware of the envioroment they live in, decent families tend to be strict in their child-rearing practices, encouraging children to respect authority and walk a straight moral line. And that's exactly why my family try to teach to their kids...for them moral values such as respect for others is one of the most important thing any human need to grow with in order to be good people in this society. My grandma says: "my family is poor but we are respecful and we understand the meaning of it".

They are polite and considerate of others, and teach their children to be the same way. In contrast, street parents, often show a lack of consideration for other people and have superficial sense of family and community (Pg.77)

The attitudes of our society are implicated in the code of the streets. Most people in inner city communities are not totally invested in the code, but the significant minority do (youth who are have to maintain the code in order to establish reputations) because they have few other ways to assert themselves. Some Young black people "will consciously invest themselves and their considerable mental resources in what amounts to an oppositional culture to preserve themselves and their self respect" (Pg.85). Less young blacks have assumed a stret oriented demeanor as a way of expressing their blackness while really embracing a much more moderate way of life; they, too want a nonviolent setting in which to live and raise a family. These decent people are trying hard to be part of the mainstream cultrue, but the racism, helps them to legitimate the oppositional culture.