GANG CULTURE VS. 'CULTURE OF WEALTH'

I am writing in regard to Carl Strock's June 28 column, titled "Gang life
rooted in culture." His column reminded me that relying on a narrow
conception of culture that uses behavior and culture interchangeably is
another opportunity to construct pathologies that project negative singular
versions of culture, or as Strock noted, "urban African-American culture."

The column did not mention that gangs and violence are not limited to only
African-American or Latino cultures; in fact, at the turn of the century,
urban European immigrant youth were involved in gang activity that resulted
in deadly violence.

Just once I would like someone to address the problems associated with what
political scientist Charles Henry has called "the culture of wealth." This
tangle of deviant behavior is characterized by a rejection or denial of
physical attributes, which leads to: hazardous sessions in tanning parlors,
frequent trips to weight-loss salons, rootlessness, antisocial behavior,
and an inability to make practical decisions. The evidence lies in their
tendency to own several homes, frequent private social clubs, and their
vast amount of unnecessary and socially useless possessions.

The "culture of wealth" is engulfed in a web of crime, sexism and poor
health. Drug use and white-collar crime are rampant, and this group is
engaged in a permanent cycle of divorce, forced child separations through
boarding schools, and rampant materialism that leads to the dreaded "Monte
Carlo Syndrome." Will society close their tax loopholes, end their
subsidies, or not allow them to buy influence?

Carl Strock wrote that "urban African-American culture seems to define
itself by its most antisocial elements." I disagree. It is white America
that finds it easier to scapegoat black culture rather than look at the
real issues. When black urban culture is projected in the singular (or only
related to crime), it reduces black culture to reflect only negative
cultural values.

What really annoys me about Carl Strock is the same old boring commentary
that blames the victim.

DEBORAH ASHLINE Schenectady