"Therefore, even though families with a decency orientation are usually opposed to the values of the code, they often reluctantly encourage their children's familiarity with it to enable them to negotiate the inner-city environment".
This quote struck me because I can definitely relate to it. Growing up, my family was "decent", meaning that my parents worked for a living, were heavily involved in our upbringing, education and knowledge of the world outside of our neighborhood. They were not, however, naive to the fact that we lived in a tough neighborhood and they equipped both my sister and I with the necessary qualities in order to "survive". Although they made sure I had enough books to read and places to spend the summer, they also made sure that I knew how to protect myself when at school or in the streets. They taught me to respect all and never go looking for trouble but also to never back away from trouble if it found me. They believed that the consequences of backing away would be far worse than the consequences of facing the problem, even if it meant getting into a fight. If i fought, I stood up for myself. If i didn't, then I would be open to more abuse.
I found the article to be very interesting and once again, clearly defined issues I was already familiar with but I am glad to have read about it!
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