Reference no: EM133390674

Question: In Richard Rodriquez's "Gangstas" (502-510), he says that what he likes best about Joseph Rodriguez's photographs is that "they are devoid of a middle-class nostalgie de la boue"(504). Examine some aspect of contemporary culture that does seem to be romanticizing gang life and culture for the voyeuristic benefit of middle-class consumers. Rodriguez mentions the "outlaw chic" of a Jean Colonna fashion show in which "the models fired blank cartridges at the photographers at the foot of the runway" (507). An often-cited example is that the biggest consumers of gangster rap are young white middle-class males. Another example is the recent attempt to promote the gangs in L.A. as a tourist attraction by selling bus tours through South Central and East L.A. On the other hand, perhaps this (white) middle-class curiosity about "others" is relatively harmless. Do you agree, why or why not? (MINIMUM of 1,000 words. When incorporating print sources (the essays from Convergences), you should follow the MLA rules for in-text parenthetical citation. Also using MLA rules you need a bibliographical entry for the essay on a Works Cited page.)