Mitchell Duneier When You Shifting Go Summary

Mitchell Duneier excerpt from ‘When You Gotta Go’ in Sidewalk depicts an analysis of the New York sidewalk life. In this excerpt Duneier explores a socio cultural environment to portray those who are seen by the rest of society as unsuitable. He brings representation to the fact and aims to covey to the reader that there is a clear economic gap when comparing the lower and upper class of societal groups and aims to argue that there isn’t a place for these people in typical society. The group in which Duneier focuses on in this excerpt in the people working on Six Avenue in New York City and aims to deliver a comprehensive interpretation of the individuals who work on the street as well as focus on how these individuals have formed these informal social structures to help and support

their personal needs. It is important to take into consideration that Duneier argues that these social structures being implemented by the workers on Six Avenue isn’t a burden for society, but in fact benefits the rest of society at large.

Duneier aims to focus his attention on the main underlying issue of why people are denied the use of the bathrooms and the stress of the people suffering from this implications. ‘ “ You have to buy something”. I’m a regular customer. Ten minutes later, another guy walks in and he ain’t buying nothing and she gives the key to the man and lets him go in’ this gives representation to the notion that perhaps that nothing is good enough for ‘these people’ and they’ll never be the title of a ‘customer’, this is by saying that they are socialized to believed that they don’t fit in and the bathrooms aren’t available for them. A further issue taken into consideration is that the people living on the street have been accustomed to living like this for a while since they have been socialized ‘The men working on the street have been accustomed to living in this manner for a long time as they have gradually been differently socialized’. Duneier brings representation that it is important to consider that a double-edged sword ‘Why don’t the men go to the brick public men’s room located in Washington Square Park’ “It’s too nasty… The toilet bowl has no seat on it. You have to sit on the little

rum. And there’s shit all round the room. Now, who going to sit their ass where there is shit all round the fucking rim?”. It is important to note that every policy has its unintended consequences as seen in the conversation above. A moral and physical dilemma becomes clear that Duneier argues… he examines the debate of health VS embarrassment and brings light to policy settings and suggests that although they implement these policies usually in good will and are broadly correct, they do have unintended consequences on those who slip the gap in the system and can have a harsh impact of those in the homeless sector in use of a bathroom. It is clear that Duneier isn’t afraid to state out the facts to aim to strive for justice and equality, in society today many individuals view policy as something to do with equality and rarely take into account that there is always someone that is disadvantaged. This representation of policy and homelessness becomes further questioned when you take into consideration the idea that when they start letting one homeless man use the bathroom, do they have to let them all. Duneier’s uses sociology as a tool to look at the problems with homeless people from a political, health and welfare expecting, with the ultimate objective to influence policy settings through public debate by exposing those suffering to the wider community in home of change and equality for all.