Article Response #5 - ai huynh

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Article #1 1. Name of the Reading: Bourgois, Philippe selections from “Workaday World” from 2012 Conformity and Conflict, Readings in Cultural Anthropology . Pearson, New York. 2. What is the article about? The article "Workaday World—Crack Economy" by Philippe Bourgois dive into the shadow economy in inner-city New York, focusing on the lives of Latino/a African Americans engaged in the informal market system. It explores the allure of the shadow economy, the structural challenges that perpetuate its reliance, and the experiences, motivations, and aspirations of individuals like Primo and Caesar. The text sheds light on the prevalence of illegal income-generating strategies, such as drug sales and unlicensed construction work, and the cultural clashes and sense of humiliation experienced by individuals attempting to enter the legal labor market. Additionally, it highlights the complex dynamics within the shadow economy, the inferior working conditions, and the desire of individuals to transition back to the legal economy. Bourgois effectively provides a thought-provoking analysis of the intersection between the formal and informal economies in inner-city New York. 3. Interesting Elements: An interesting element in the article "Workaday World—Crack Economy" by Philippe Bourgois is the exploration of the cultural clashes and sense of humiliation experienced by individuals attempting to enter the legal labor market. The article provides evidence of this through the experiences of individuals like Primo and Caesar, who faced deep humiliation and insecurity in their attempts to penetrate the foreign, hostile world of highrise office corridors. The text describes how these individuals appeared inarticulate to their professional supervisors, struggled with unfamiliar office norms, and felt like idiotic buffoons to the individuals for whom they worked. This highlights the clash between street culture's definitions of personal dignity and the norms of the highrise office culture, creating a thought-provoking analysis of the challenges faced by individuals from the shadow economy when attempting to transition to the legal economy. The article effectively sheds light on the complexities and cultural dislocations experienced by individuals navigating the formal and informal economies, offering a comprehensive understanding of the structural challenges and cultural clashes within the labor market. 4. Thoughts, Feelings, Persuasion: While reading this article, I felt a range of emotions and thoughts. The personal stories of individuals like Primo and Caesar working in the underground economy stirred my empathy and compassion for the difficulties they face. Their experiences of humiliation, insecurity, and cultural clashes when trying to find legal employment left me feeling

frustrated and indignant about the obstacles they encounter. Comparing the working conditions and motivations in the informal economy to those in the formal economy made me reflect on the complexities of economic survival and maintaining personal dignity. The article also made me keenly aware of the need to address systemic issues that perpetuate reliance on the informal economy and to create fairer opportunities in the legal job market. In summary, the article triggered a mix of empathy, frustration, and a desire for social and economic reform. Article #2 1. Name of the Reading: Polekha-Toe, Sametra and Valerie A. Middleton. 2018. “Ethnic Beauty in a Western Society” in Explorations in Diversity 3rd Edition Edited by Sharon K. Anderson and Valerie A. Middleton. Oxford University Press, New York. 2. What is the article about? The article discusses the impact of skin tone and beauty standards on African American females, particularly in the context of identity formation and counseling. It addresses the challenges faced by Black women due to societal beauty standards and emphasizes the importance of strengths-based counseling to combat oppressive beauty ideals. The document also goes into the significance of racial and cultural identity development, the connections between sexism, privilege, and oppressive beauty standards, and the impact of historical trauma on perceptions of race, identity, and culture. Additionally, it provides strategies for counselors working with African American adolescent girls and recommends introducing them to civic and social organizations reinforcing Black culture and instilling confidence. The article also highlights the role of strengths-based counseling in addressing societal biases and promoting self-acceptance, focusing on clients' strengths rather than perceived weaknesses. 3. Interesting Elements: An interesting element in the article is the emphasis on the strengths-based counseling approach to address societal biases and promote self-acceptance among African American adolescent girls. This approach focuses on the client's strengths rather than perceived weaknesses, deficits, and problems imposed by society. It acknowledges the existence of problems such as discrimination, sexism, and oppressive beauty standards but encourages individuals to use their strengths to cope with these challenges. The document highlights that strengths-based counseling is particularly relevant for African American girls, as it does not deny the existence of societal problems but rather empowers individuals to navigate and cope with them. This approach has been informed by the efforts of cross-cultural counseling psychologists who recognized the inherent biases in dominant cultural approaches and the need to consider cultural strengths that are often overlooked. The article provides evidence from the literature, citing the work of scholars such as Ponterotto & Casas (1991) and Smith (1977, 1989), who have

contributed to the development and validation of the strengths-based counseling approach. 4. Thoughts, Feelings, Persuasion: When I read this article, I felt a range of emotions and thoughts. The discussion about beauty and identity formation, especially in the African American community, made me empathize with the challenges individuals face in meeting societal beauty norms. Understanding the historical trauma's impact on race, identity, and culture made me reflect on the long-lasting effects of systemic oppression and the resilience of marginalized groups. The focus on strengths-based counseling to empower African American adolescent girls and challenge oppressive beauty ideals gave me hope and a sense of empowerment. It offers a proactive and culturally sensitive approach to addressing these issues. Also, the suggestion for counselors to connect adolescent clients with civic and social organizations supporting Black culture inspired optimism about positive identity development and empowerment within these communities. Overall, the article evoked empathy for the struggles faced by African American individuals, a sense of empowerment through the proposed counseling methods, and a deeper understanding of the intersections of race, identity, and beauty standards. Article #3 1. Name of the Reading: Stryker: Public Interest Ethnography-Women’s Prisons and Health Care in California” from from 2012 Conformity and Conflict, Readings in Cultural Anthropology . Pearson, New York. 2. What is the article about? The article "Public Interest Ethnography: Women’s Prisons and Health Care in California" discusses a public interest study conducted in two California women's prisons, focusing on the experiences of female inmates with the health care system. The study, which involved talking to women in prison, showed that there are big delays and problems in getting proper healthcare. This leads many inmates to try to take care of themselves or ask other prisoners for help instead. The study found a difference between what the healthcare policies are supposed to be and what happens for the women in prison. It shows there's a need to make the policies better to fix delays, improve trust in medical staff, and make sure the prisons are cleaner and have better food. The article also talks about suggestions given to California authorities to improve healthcare in prisons and how the study helps people understand that prisoners should have basic human rights, including access to healthcare. 3. Interesting Elements:

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The article reveals a big difference between what the healthcare policies are supposed to be and what happens for women in California prisons. Rachael Stryker and her team did a study that showed how hard it is for female inmates to get proper healthcare. Many of them end up trying to take care of themselves or asking other inmates for help instead. The study found that there are problems with delays, trust issues with medical staff, and the conditions in the prisons, like cleanliness and food quality, which all make it hard for women to get the healthcare they need. For instance, the article talks about how women in prisons must wait a long time to get treatment for simple infections or surgeries they need, which makes them suffer for longer. Also, they don't trust the medical staff in the prison and feel like they're not qualified enough to help them. The article also explains how inmates try to deal with their health problems on their own by using medication without prescriptions, sharing medicines, or pretending to have emergencies to get quick medical attention. Moreover, the study showed how it's sparked bigger movements to improve healthcare in California prisons. The findings could lead to changes in policies and laws to make sure prisoners get better healthcare. This shows how important the study is for raising awareness and making changes to improve the healthcare experiences of women in California prisons. 4. Thoughts, Feelings, Persuasion: When I read this article, I feel a mix of emotions like empathy, concern, and a sense of urgency. It talks about the tough experiences of women in California prisons, especially when it comes to getting good healthcare. The stories from the inmates show how they feel scared, don't trust the prison medical staff, and are frustrated with the whole healthcare system. Hearing about the long waits, inefficiencies, and lack of help they face makes me really feel for these women and worry about their well-being. The article also talks about how the study has bigger implications, showing how there's a gap between what the state says about prison healthcare and what these women go through. It also talks about the push for changes in policies and the need to fix the bigger problems with the healthcare system in prisons. Reading all this makes me feel like we need to act fast to help these women and push for better healthcare policies and conditions. Overall, the article hits me hard emotionally, making me think about how public policies affect real people's lives, why everyone should have fair healthcare, and why we need to stand up for the rights of people in prison.

Article Response #5 - ai huynh

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