Zandy's post

After reading all the texts in our American Studies class, I decided that my favorite text was the Straight Into Compton article. This article provided surprising and enlightening details on the transformation of a once middle-class neighborhood to one of the most notorious neighborhoods in the US. After hearing Compton invoked often by the media and in pop culture, it was exciting to learn more specifics about this particular neighborhood in Los Angeles.
While reading the article, I noticed how the educational system played a significant role in the neighborhood’s transformation. Throughout this class I frequently noticed the impact of education on a community. This article proved how proper education is vital if a community wants to progress. It was interesting to see that Compton once had a decent educational system and during this time the neighborhood was considered nice. However, with the development of crack cocaine and gangs in Compton, the school system deteriorated. Many students became embroidered in these activities and thus did not focus on their studies. As a result, the school system declined along with the neighborhood. Since students did not get a good education and possibly go to college, the neighborhood was unable to progress. Thus, Compton provides a great model for why a community needs to invest in education.
Another interesting aspect of the article was the fact that pop culture provided an image of Compton that did not present all the facts. Many rappers in the 1980s and 1990s incited Compton into their lyrics in order to sound “gangsta”. The most prominent example was NWA and their album Straight Outta Compton. Even though many of the NWA rappers were not even from Compton, the rap group wanted to create an image by invoking Compton. Although the group did present some accurate facts surrounding life in Compton, it filtered out many other aspects important to the neighborhood. Also, movies such Boyz in the ‘Hood and Menace II Society did not show Compton’s general historic reality, but instead tried to show it as one the most notorious neighborhoods in the country. Because of these pop cultural references, society solely learns about the chaos of the neighborhood instead of its other aspects.
--Zandy