I wish I was a poet
I wish my words could flow
Like cherry Kool-Aid
On the kitchen floor
I wish I could create complex images
Like a child
Coloring on her bedroom door
I wish I knew a troubled life
The turmoil of gum
Tangled in my hair
I wish I could crawl inside
A Popsicle
It is eternal summer there
I wish puddles were poetry
Jump in
And splash around
I wish I could rhyme
With the sound of chalk
Scraping across the ground
1. Push It Along Social disorganization theory attempts to explain why some communities have higher crime rates than others rather than focusing on a single individual’s propensity toward crime. Neighborhoods are considered as specific zones with characteristics that have a correlation with that zone’s crime rate. The policy of community unity is used in order to reduce crime and gain social order. Through involvement in institutions such as churches and community centers and the development of a genuine concern for its other member, a community can gain more social control and have a dramatic effect on crime rates.
Social disorganization theory is essentially based on the idea of mutual dependence, that no individual can function “correctly” alone and must depend on the family and community around him or her. It is deeply rooted in ecology. That is, the relationship between and organism and its environment. Communities are generally founded on the interdependence of those living there, institutions and local government. When this relationship is functioning properly, crime levels are minimal. If police forces, schools, churches, individual families, businesses and informal associations work with a concern for the wellbeing of all, communities successfully fulfill their purpose (Miller, 2006).
Because the successfulness of community unity may vary within a single city, it is necessary to divide any crime riddled area using the “concentric zone model” (Miller, 2006). In Chicago, where the social disorganization theory was developed, these divisions manifested in five zones. The innermost zone, Zone I, was the central business district. Primarily an industrial zone, Zone I is nearly uninhabitable with the sights, noises, and smells associated with industry. Zone II is called the transitional zone; apartments and homes are more prevalent, but residents still have to deal with the side effects of industry. Homes and streets are rundown and often in decay. High crime and established poverty are ingratiated into everyday life and the people there are often complacent in attempting to change the circumstances of their community. The transitional zone is the primary zone for the study of the disorganization theory (Miller, 2006).
The other three zones become progressively more desirable the farther they are from the inner city. Zone III is that of the working class who, though not wealthy, maintain their property better than those of the transitional zone. This is the zone in which those in the transitional zone imagine one day moving into. The fourth zone, the residential zone, is comprised of middle-class families and more established residents. On the outskirts of the city, in Zone V, reside those who commute into the city. Noise and pollution is minimal here and the land is still pristine (Miller, 2006).
The crime rate in Zone II is much greater than those of Zones III, IV, and V. The outer zones are also more organized that the transitional zone and have cleaner streets, more attractive housing, and less delinquents. Social organization is clearly to the benefit of all the members of the community, yet in the transitional zone it is almost nonexistent. Resident become reliant only on themselves and crime becomes an rooted part of the community. This disorganization is due to poverty, the transience inherent in poverty, and the racial and ethnic disparities that separate individuals (Miller, 2006).
Social cohesion is not priority of the poor. When one’s life revolves around the survival of the self, it is difficult for one to consider that the wellbeing of the surrounding community is of personal significance. The concentration of poverty also limits the capital available for community programs and institutions.
Those who live in these impoverished neighborhoods usually do not want to remain in these neighborhoods; leaving and moving to an outer zone is considered a goal in personal survival. It becomes difficult, then, for one to take interest in the maintenance and upkeep that would make such a neighborhood more desirable to live in and thus improve the standard of living. There becomes an apathy and complacency in the perception of crime. If it does not involve an individual, it is of little importance as the individual does not plan to remain there.
Though racial diversity is generally considered beneficial, it often creates cultural barriers that are difficult to overcome. Individuals of different ethnic backgrounds are often uncomfortable interacting with each other, fearing misunderstandings or prejudices. Problems of one group are not always the same problems of another. Thus, priorities frequently differ and there is a lack of unity between racial groups that is reflected in the community as a whole (Miller, 2006).
Various studies have tested the validity in the assumption that one‘s neighborhood can shape one‘s propensity toward crime if the right factors are in place. A study of the direct influence a neighborhood has on the youth supports the social disorganization theory. Cantillon stated that the sense of community is the most accurate measure of a cohesive and supportive neighborhood. The neighborhood can have either a positive of negative effect on how the youth turn out (2003).
An article on the patterns of rural and urban crime used the theory of social disorganization to measure and compare crime in rural areas to those that are urban. Using a national county-level data set, it was found that the ecological and structural factors used to analyze urban crime were less able to predict rural crime. There must then be two set of variables to consider, one for rural and one for urban (Wells, 2004).
The affects of crowding in neighborhoods, like that found in the transitional zone, are described in Levy’s study based on the city of Chicago. Variables were used that induced stress in different areas of the city. It was found that in the more crowded areas there were higher crime rates and divorces (1978).
An unorganized neighborhood tends to be more susceptible to violence. Wilsem hypothesized that victimization likely occurs in disorganized neighborhoods as well as neighborhoods where improvements are taking place. Different incomes, ethnicities, and the immigration of new residents are all factors. Using a victimization survey with 70,00 people in 2500 neighborhoods, the hypothesis is supported (2006).
Other studies have confirmed that poverty, transience, and ethnic heterogeneity are the primary causes of social disorganization. Haynie used the data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health with a sample size of 12, 747 to discover why juvenile crime consistently occurs in areas of economic depression. The results indicated that disadvantaged neighborhoods often expose adolescents to violent peers and influence behavior. Socioeconomic disadvantages affect adolescent violence indirectly by increasing opportunities for youth to become concerned in violent peer groups (2006).
A study of the homicide rates in different ethnic groups in Miami and San Diego from 1985-1995 attempted to validate the social disorganization theory’s assumptions about ethnic heterogeneity and transience. Both cities had witnessed large amount of immigration and it was proposed that the cities would have higher homicide rates. The frequent influx of population would have a tendency to make neighborhoods more disorganized (Nielsen, 2005).
One study purposed that poverty, geographic mobility, and ethnic heterogeneity directly disrupt the parenting process which is considered the impetus to adolescent transgressions. The study supports that lack of informal social control in a neighborhood is the cause of juvenile crime (Weatherburn, 2006). Joanna C. Jacob’s study on male and female youth crime in Canadian communities concluded that though the social disorganization theory is often only applied to male youths, the effects of poverty on community organization is more universal and generally valid (2006).
Though data and research support many aspects of the social disorganization theory, it is difficult to measure the specific levels of disorganization. Given its limitations, it should still be considered a worthwhile possibility when forming policies to curb crime in neighborhoods. There should be the promotion of community institutions and organizations that promote bonding between members. Churches and community centers are the primary institutions through which such bonds are created. When residents agree to watch out for one another and begin to better upkeep the community, it will be a more controlled environment with fewer chances for crime.
The Chicago Area Project is an example of a large scale program that was successful in giving social control of a community to its residents (Miller, 2006). Camps, athletic leagues, and recreation programs helped to form informal relationships between teenagers and prevented the association with violent peers. It created community role models out of law abiding citizens that were seen to have been able to deal with crime. However, there were mixed results with some neighborhoods showing a rise in crime and others a fall. This fact revealed that such programs must be constantly sustained by the members of a community. In many cases, financial support was reduced or withdrawn and programs were no longer successful. Those communities that were able to sustain such programs did, however, show lower levels of delinquency and crime (Miller, 2006).
The community leaders needed to keep organizational programs running are often among those desperate to leave the impoverished transitional zone. The drawbacks of the capitalist system that perpetuate poverty prevent the development of an area while still allowing the poor to remain and benefit from the development. The incarceration of the poor and minor criminals, often seen as a quick solution, is detrimental to developing community unity. Because social bonds are necessary in community organization, continually removing and returning member of a community prevent bonds from forming (Miller, 2006). Furthermore, incarceration may prevent some communities in fostering community control because they weaken family and community structures.
The policies that should be adapted to prevent crime, according to the social disorganization theory are rather straightforward. Community programs that promote social organization should be encouraged. This includes church programs, recreational centers, and informal activities that encourage community involvement. Residents should take an active role in maintaining such programs, even though poverty often makes it seem futile. In addition, government leaders should reconsider policies that increase the incarceration of minor criminals.
While crime is clearly connected to the factors of poverty, transience, and ethnic heterogeneity, it is difficult to measure the sense of community in any given neighborhood. Informal networks, community supervision, and the participation in organizations can often predict crime in a community. However, the challenge of disorganization is often cyclical. Communities are unable to become organized because they are too disorganized to implement the needed programs.
References
Cantillon, D., Davidson II, W.S., Shweitzer, J.H. (2003). Measuring community social organization. Journal of Criminal Justice, 31, 321-339.
Haynie, D.L., Silver, E., Teasdale, B. (2006). Neighborhood characteristics, peer networks, and adolescent violence. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2, 147.
Jacob, J.C. (2006). Male and female youth crime in Canadian communities. The Canadian Geographer, 50, 487-502.
Levy, L., Herzog, A. (1978). Effects of crowding on health and social adaptation in the city of Chicago. Urban Ecology, 3, 327-354.
Miller, J.M., Shreck, C.J., Tewksbury, R. (2006). Criminological Theory. Boston: Pearson.
Nielsen, A.L., Lee, M.T., Martinez Jr., R. (2005). Integrating race, place and motive in social disorganization theory. Criminology, 43, 36.
Weatherburn, D., Lind, B. (2006). What mediates the macro-level of economic and social stress on crime. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 39, 384.
Wells, L.E., Weisheit, R.A., (2004). Patterns of rural and urban crime. Criminal Justice Review, 29, 1-29.
Wilsem, J.H., Wittenbrood, K., De Graff, N.D. (2006). Socioeconomic dynamics of neighborhoods and the risk of crime victimization. Social Problems, 53, 226.
Intuned
Intoned
Enthroned
She croons her ooo ooo ooo
Lips pursed, eyelids
Fluttering
Inside and out
Inside and ooout
Inside it builds
Until it spews
And drips
Down
Her
Chin
Pain
I got the bluuuues
I stood leaning against the wall of the small, crowded club in Orlando, a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale in one hand, a scrap of paper to be used, supposedly, for notes in the other. The club, officially called The Social but known as Sapphire to the locals, is known for its variety of alternative music including indie rock, blues and folk, and underground hip-hop. The Social’s musical diversity and “mature” atmosphere (a 21 and over crowd and a martini bar?! Do martinis come in bottles?) make it the perfect venue for an artist like Buck 65. While his music varies from pure hip-hop to blues to country and everything in between, I view Buck 65 as a story teller with a turntable. Often referred to as the Tom Waits of hip-hop for his raspy voice, experimentation, and do it yourself attitude, he defies standard genre classifications.
A good friend of mine has remarked on several occasions that there are only two forms of truly American art: the blues and hip-hop. Yet, I can’t help but think that one helped spur and has a direct connection with the other. “Before the Blues, the emphasis was on the group experience and traditional themes and stories. Blues artists asserted themselves as individuals. Blues artists quite often echoed the same ‘Me Against the World’ attitude that people today would associate with 2Pac or Biggie Smalls”.
In the smoked filled club, I find Buck 65’s music hypnotic. The stage is minimal - just a microphone and stand, the musician, and his instrument: a set of turntables. The show is personal. It is impossible to not pay attention to Buck 65’s simple yet multi-dimensional and beautiful beats weaved in with his deep, rough voice. If I were to close my eyes, I would almost believe that there had to be an old man on stage, captivating the audience with is his rhyming narratives. I tried to jot down notes on my scrap of paper, but I had lost my pen and the beer, smoke, and music was all too surreal to be interrupted by any attempt to put feelings into words.
Hip-hop blues seems pretty natural to me. A DJs scratches are reminiscent of rhythmical blues guitar; repetition and rhyme serve to drive home the point of both blues musicians and hip-hop emcees. Sampling and “borrowing” are integral in composing blues lyrics and creating hip-hop beats. In Buck 65’s song “Driftwood” on his album Vertex, he describes his beat making process: “I’m on the lookout for beats every little second / check country and western, even heavy metal records”. Beats are composed of bits and pieces of other songs, twisted and melded together, and added on to, much like the lyrics of blues songs.
In blues and hip-hop, there is a theme and tone of having lived, of possessing some experience that gives the artist credibility as a musician. As a white, Canadian artist, Buck 65 has probably not had the same experiences as black delta blues musicians or even black rappers. However, his lyrics often create brief images of nostalgia, emptiness, and resignation:
I'm a lot like my dad
I would have to say
He's been wearing a beard ever since mum passed away
She would'a hated it
Inspiring, he likes to go to church
To hear the choir sing 'Roses and Bluejays'
Winner comes, game over
He's in the driveway removing snow with a flamethrower (Buck 65, 2003)
His words are effortless and unpretentious, but the images created are full of emotion; they stir something deep inside.
Even with the despair of life that is usually considered the major theme in blues music, most musicians understand the importance of having a good time. This is usually manifested in blues music through innuendo or in contrast to more melancholy images. Transience, women, and liquor are often topics explored in Buck 65’s lyrics, things not all too unfamiliar with blues musicians. He sings in “Protest”:
The sun is shining on full blast, it’s garbage day,
Air in my tires and all my cares are far away,
You’re looking like a million bucks, feeling good and sorta frisky,
Plus enough money in my pocket for a quart of whisky (2003).
The disparity between being bogged down by life and embracing its pleasures is generally a theme that emerges in music that is inspired by poverty.
I wonder if those standing around me were feeling the same way I felt. I wonder if their senses were as attuned to the experience of music as mine were. I rhythmically rock my head back and forth to the scratch-scratch-scratches of the turntable and the revel in the warmth of his gruff, disjointed voice. When that all to familiar drum introduction to his song “Wicked and Weird” plays, my heart jumps instinctively. It is by no means Buck 65’s best song, but it is one of his most upbeat. I looked around that the crowd’s reaction. Those who had drifted off were now standing tall and wide eyed and there was a low cheer of excitement throughout the audience. Then, in a collective booming voice, they all began singing: “Driving with a yellow dog, I95 / He's got a smile on his face and big shiny eyes / Up at a decent hour, I never ate yet / Got a little Johnny Cash in the old tape deck…”
Hip-hop has been influenced by the blues in different ways and is manifested differently in certain regions of the country. Southern hip-hop artists like Outkast and Goodie Mob more explicitly echo blues themes and styles. Highly experimental artists such as Buck 65 and Busdriver use the blues in more creative ways, embodying not only rhythm and lyrical styles, but also breaking the conventions of any particular genre with a stand alone attitude. Even independent blues artists (most notably Chris Thomas King with his albums 21st Century Blues... From Da Hood (1994) and Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues (2002)) have incorporated aspects of hip-hop into their blues music. The lines between musical genres continue to blur as more artists look to the past when creating the sounds of the future.
| 2. | Jump Into My Mouth And Breathe The Stardust |
| 3. | Melt Me |
| 4. | Lollipopsichord |
| 5. | They Live In The Meadow |
| 6. | Sun Lips |
| 7. | Rollerdisco |
| 8. | Neon Syrup For The Cemetery Sisters |
| 9. | Afternoon Turns Pink, The |
| 10. | When The Sun Grows On Your Tongue |
| 11. | Spinning Cotton Candy In A Shack Made Of Shingles |
| 12. | Drippy Eye |
| 13. | Lost, Picking Flowers In The Woods |
| 14. | Caterpillar House |
| 15. | Wall Of Gum |
| 16. | Untitled Roadside Demo |
It was the best of times; it was liverwurst.
"I love liverwurst."
Cassie yearned to save Earth from itself. She'd given the matter serious thought and concluded that everyone had to have more babies. "If you wanna have more babies, eat more liverwurst, that's what it says in the bible. Liverwurst renovates the womb and transforms it into the lord's virile fortress." With an artist's total absorption, she lovingly swirled the pungent canned meat spread onto a cellophane saltine wrapper.
"Liverwurst will be an important element in the salivation of mankind, mark my words."
Zook shook his head and tried again to remember how he'd hooked up with Cassie, but recollection was elusive. Not so elusive was his utter loathing of liverwurst. "Liverwurst just ain't decent," he muttered, while his stomach growled indecently.
DISC 2
1. Da Rawkus (Sir Bang Version)
2. The Official (Rap Circle Mix)
3. Heavy (Chronic Mix)
4. Optimos for Dilla (Interlude)
5. Survival Test (Rasta Dub Remix)
6. Champion Sound (Remix)
7. The Mission (Stringed Out Mix)
8. One for Dilla (Interlude)
9. Strapped (Four-4 Mix)
10. McNasty Filth (Instrumental)
11. Nowadayz (Instrumental)
12. Champion Sound (Instrumental)
13. The Red (Instrumental)
14. Heavy (Instrumental)
15. Raw Shit (Instrumental)
16. The Official (Instrumental)
17. The Heist (Instrumental)
18. The Mission (Instrumental)
19. React (Instrumental)
20. Strapped (Instrumental)
21. Strip Club (Instrumental)
22. The Exclusive (Instrumental)
23. Survival Test (Instrumental)
24. Starz (Instrumental)
