Both Socs and Greasers both struggle almost daily, but which has it worse?
I believe that Greasers have it worse than Socs because of things such as having less resources to help themselves and a bad reputation. To support my claim I will be using evidence from the articles “A Generation Struggling” and “Alarming Number of Teenagers Are Quitting School to Go to Work” as well as quotes from “The Outsiders.” Socs have the ability to get what they want without working hard therefore affecting them later in life when they have to work for themselves and maybe make a name for themselves whereas Greasers don’t have much of a possibility to do things such as go to college or make a living for themselves due to the feeling of having to pass up those
…show more content…
“You can't win, even if you whip us. You'll still be where you were before - at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. So it doesn't do any good, the fighting and the killing. It doesn't prove a thing. We'll forget it if you win, or if you don't. Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs." This quote shows that everything that the Greasers do to try and make a name for themselves will just be forgotten. It emphasizes the fact that the Greasers probably won’t change the public view of them anytime soon. “That's why people don't ever think to blame the Socs and are always ready to jump on us. We look hoody and they look decent. It could be just the other way around - half of the hoods I know are pretty decent guys underneath all that grease, and from what I've heard, a lot of Socs are just cold-blooded mean - but people usually go by looks.” This quote shows that Socs are usually thought to be the “good” people while Greasers are the opposite. It emphasizes that the general consensus is that Greasers are ones causing all the trouble whereas the most of the time its the Socs starting the conflict. Greasers have a hard time socially due to the negative thoughts associated with being poor and part of a …show more content…
The Socs frequently find themselves in fights or rumbles where they are being beaten by Greasers. This is not accurate evidence of their struggles because the Socs are driving across town to start the fights. This really shows that the Greasers have learned they must stay together to defend themselves. Socs have to fight the stereotype that everything was easy for them because of their parents' wealth. Socs feel say that they worked, even if its just a bit, to get what they have even though their actions contradict this as shown in Ponyboy’s conversation with Randy. This argument is flawed because Socs don’t work very hard to get what they want as shown in Ponyboy’s conversation with Cherry about Bob. Greasers struggle more since most of them don’t have support from things such as family and have to work harder for things such as
For example, Dally is one of the poor greasers from the east side of the city, and Bob is a very rich Soc from the west side of the city. Dally, being a greaser from the east side of the city, has very little material wealth. Ponyboy states about all the greasers, “We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class” (3). What little money Dally has he earns riding in local rodeos. He does not even own a car, but borrows Buck Merill’s when he needs one. In fact, Dally does not even have a permanent home. Ponyboy states that Dally “lived anywhere he could” (105). Therefore, Dally is an underprivileged greaser with little money and few possessions. On the contrary, Bob Sheldon is one of the extremely rich Socs from the west side of the city. Bob has no reason to work because everything he wants is handed to him by his affluent parents. Ponyboy describes the Socs, Bob’s click, as “the jet set, the West-side rich kids” (2). The Socs all seem to drive around in expensive sports cars and wear costly madras clothing, and Bob is no exception. Randy states that Bob’s parents “‘spoiled him rotten’” (116). Unlike Dally, Bob has everything he wants. Money and material things are not a concern. Clearly, financial circumstances set these two
The documentary, “Crips and Bloods: Made in America” talks about many social concerns. In the documentary, both discrimination and economics are the main factors for the problems in Southern California. The gangs started because of discrimination. By denying people because of their skin color to join social activities such as the boy/girl scouts is what led to the formation of groups that later turned into gangs. Apart from that, hatred and threats escalated the situations that then turned the gangs into what they are today. According to the documentary, because of the gang rivalry there exists an invisible line that separates the territories of both the Crips and the Bloods. Not only is that the only factor, but also
Stereotyping is a constant theme throughout The Outsiders. It may seem as if the Greasers are the ones that really have to deal with presumptions, but the Socs also have quite a bit of stereotyping to deal with. While the outside world tries to force these stereotypes onto the gangs, they also tend to assume things about each other. This leads to divisions between them that most likely would not exist if stereotyping was not so abundant. The Greasers are pegged as nasty hoodlum troublemakers that are dropouts and criminals. On the other hand, the Socs are made out to be the opposite- crisp, intelligent young adults that have no real problems. Many cases of stereotyping between the two groups leads to violence between them.
William J. Chambliss, a sociologist, wrote an article called The Saints and the Roughnecks. Chambliss discusses the Saints as a group of upper-middle class white kids who society perceived as good because of their social status’ and the fact that they were well dressed and well mannered. The roughnecks on the other hand, were not well mannered, and not- rich, who society recognized as troublemakers, even though they both act similarly. This can be connected to the Crips and the Bloods by the similar treatment the African Americans receive compared to the roughnecks. This recognition as being a roughneck makes it much more difficult to get a job...
Do the Greasers or Socs struggle more?My perspective of this issue is that the poor East-side kids (Greasers) struggle more.
Did you know that many people join gangs because of Family issues. Socs and Greasers have problem with family issues.They also have problems with money and are judged by others.Both Socs and Greasers deal with money problems,family issues,and are judged by others because of the way they act.
This theme is in the Outsiders when Cherry the soc does beer blasts even though she doesn't want to just so she has something to talk about. The greasers are tough and when they don't want to do something they won't. For example, Darry did not rat out Two-Bit in jail he took the blame. In addition to the poor man, he loves his job and hobbies and does what he want that makes him happy. On the other hand, the rich man wanted a lot and was never satisfied.
...e better and the Socs to be worse. Being tough and tuff were the two things required in each group, but not every individual were able to be the two things. This caused some individuals not to be themselves for the gang. Internal and external expectations changed the group to be better or worse. The Greasers were expected by others to do bad things, but they were able to prove they could be heroes. The Greasers are disgrace to the society which helped them to strive to become real heroes. While the Socs were to pressure by the high expectations they decided to rebel. The Socs took advantage which led those group to be a disgrace, although no one ever thought the Socs were capable to do bad things. Society should stop being judgmental to avoid changes that make other worst. The only expectations people should make is to help other people to be the best they can be.
"Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while."(3). This quote from the book shows that people will think even worse of the Greasers because of their actions. Normal people would not do what they are doing because they have principles. The Greasers were fugitives, and this gave people an even bigger reason to be fearful of them and consider them a disgrace to society. The Socs did comparable things, but were not punished for them like the Greasers, and were still able to keep a sterling image of themselves. "Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next."(3). Unlike the Greasers, whatever the Socs do, it will not ruin their reputation at all. Overall, from looking at both the Greasers and the Socs, it is easy to say that the Greasers are a bigger disgrace to society concerning their behavior than the
I feel as though the novel The outsiders has many themes, but the most important one is belonging. The greasers are a group of poor, low class youth that don’t have much and live on the wrong side of town. They are always held accountable for their actions. On the other hand, the Socs are a bunch of high class youth that are very privileged and aren’t held accountable for their immature actions.
The Socs are almost always the ones that are starting the fights. For instance, jumping the Greasers all the time,just out of boredom! They usually also target weaker victims, just like when they beat up Johnny. Johnny is a Greaser, the “pet” of the group, and one of the youngest. The Socs affected him so badly that he had a scar emotionally and physically. “Johnny's face was cut up and bruised and swollen, and there was a wide gash from his temple to his cheekbone. He would carry that scar all his life. His white T-shirt was splattered with blood. I thought he might be dead; surely nobody could be beaten like that and live”(Hinton 29). Here, the author reveals that the Socs did some damage to Johnny that he would have as long as he lives, and it’s not only the physical hurt. Even though the Greasers are not fully innocent, overall the Socs have done more
William J. Chambliss’ article “The Saints and the Roughnecks” show the two sides of these groups doing about the same thing and how the society looks at those actions. The Saints are looked upon as good, while the Roughnecks are the “troublemakers”. Saints are what we call the prep people and the Roughnecks are the people who have less than everybody else. Throughout this conflict it is presented mostly as well of course conflict theory and the labeling theory. The conflict theory is when there is a result of competition and social inequality of the haves and have nots. The labeling theory is the theory of once labeled as deviant, become more deviant and is the master status. Although in the article “The Saints and the Roughnecks” by Chambliss,
The Socs and the Greasers know this, and that’s why they try to look as tough as possible, to intimidate the group they want to fight. “Half of the hoods I know are pretty decent guys underneath all that grease, and from what I’ve heard, a lot of Socs are just cold-blooded mean-but people usually go by looks”(Hinton 141). Under all the disguises and acts that humans use, there is a real person inside with feelings.
A socially approved form of a gang is a club. Americans generally view clubs as character building leadership opportunities; whereas, individuals typecast into gangs are persecuted as criminals. Clubs are formed with constructive goals in mind, such as making it easier for its members to find parts for a particular brand of automobile. Socioeconomic class, academic achievement, or perceived roles in society for its members all play a part in the preferential treatment given to a group which a society deems a club rather than a gang. For instance, parts of the public anticipated that motorcycle riders would cause a massive rise in crime within the Hollister area during the motorcycle rally.
To begin, The Greasers are dishonorable because the gang is responsible for a death. For example, Johnny, a gang member, kills Bob, a soc, for real no reason. “ ‘I killed him’ he said slowly” (56). This shows that he is dishonorable because killing someone is a crime and when someone breaks the law they are considered a dishonorable person. As a result of Johnny killing Bob it’s not only breaking the law but it’s hurting other people which is being dishonorable. In particular, he is responsible for someone's death. Therefore, killing someone is not only breaking the law it’s hurting other people.