Goffman's On The Run: Fugitive Life In An American City

Famous ancient fable writer and storyteller Aesop once wrote “We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction”. I believe that, like Aesop, Goffman has created a fable out of the reality and in the process ruined the meaning and credibility of her amazing story. Although Goffman's’ study on fugitives on that Philadelphia “6th street” has been a contribution to sociological knowledge in the sense of bringing awareness to a real problem, she has brought scrutiny to both herself, her cause, and the practice of ethnography altogether due to the tall tale-ish nature of some of her experience that critics have called out. On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, is Goffman's book about her experience as an ethnographer recording

One primary problem with her book is the problem with her methods completely, they are unverifiable and unreliable. Because of this we only have her word that she didn’t aid her friend in getting revenge, that they really didn’t find the right guy and that she really didn’t commit a felony. All of her other more incredulous claims such as seeing one man get dragged out of the hospital as he’s waiting for his baby mama to give birth, the incident with the stolen car, and practically every other questionable event she witnessed we just have to take her at her word (Lubet). That is not science, that is history. It is not verifiable and only the writers get to decide how it happened. If she wished to make an impact on society and induce change without all these moral and ethical implications she simply could have written on the front “based on a true story”.
That said, although I didn’t find her book reliable as a source there is a real problem that she addresses which has a great impact on sociological understanding. A Harvard study done by a Mr. Noguera did a secondary data analysis style research paper on how “The Role and Influence of Environmental and Cultural Factors on the Academic Performance of African American Males” Here he addresses how a number of these factors including poor relations

In this classroom however the teacher “ had instructed the class to focus on the plot and not to get into issues about race because according to the teacher, that was not the main point of the story. He explained that two students in the class, both Black males, had objected to the use of the word “nigger” throughout the novel and had been told by the teacher that if they insisted on making it an issue they would have to leave the course” (Noguera, pg 446). He noted as the 4 black children in this Honors class split into 3 main categories. The one who did the assignment basically writing what his teacher wanted basically conforming to the pressures of society in order to get by but not excel, the two who left the Honors class deciding to join the rest of their peers take a lesser remedial course rather than put up with the frequent use of racial slurs, essentially causing this unfair system to rob them of an opportunity for an honors level education. The last was a girl who defied her teacher and wrote a paper about race and inequality in relation to the novel even though it may get her in trouble but with no intention of giving up her place in this advanced level of education for her age. I feel like this article reliably gives a great insight to the world Goffman writes about and shows