SOC 325 Final Project Milestone One - Overview

The speaker, Melissa Humphrey, is recording her final project milestone for SOC 325, discussing the film "Boys in the Hood." The film follows three young black men in an inner-city neighborhood, dealing with gang activity, violence, and the challenges of growing up. Each character takes a different path, with Doughboy involved in crime and Ricky facing the consequences. The film addresses social issues such as teen sex, parenthood, racial profiling, and limited access to resources and quality education. The speaker raises questions about the role of social groups in these outcomes and emphasizes the need for society to support marginalized groups and inner city areas. Hello, everyone. This is Melissa Humphrey, and I'm recording my final Project One milestone for SOC 325, Sociological Perspectives of Southern New Hampshire University. The film I chose for my analysis is Boys in the Hood. The story follows three young black men from childhood through high school in a South Central neighborhood. Trey, Doughboy, and Ricky go through lots of life lessons together. Living in an inner city, their lives are riddled with gang activity, violence, sex, and the norms of growing up in America, too, like school, family dynamics, and friendships. Each of the boys follows a different path in the film. Doughboy has decided on a life of crime and is perpetually involved in conflicts with gang members, which eventually leads to his half-brother Ricky's death. Ricky was hoping for a football scholarship before his unsightly death and was working hard on his grades so that his talent could pay for his chance at college. He was a teen parent who lived with his child's mother and helped raise his son. Trey has plans to go to college with his girlfriend, who is adamant about waiting until after marriage to have sex. This film spoke to me because I, too, grew up in the inner city. I regularly experienced drills at grammar school and middle school because both schools were located in the line of frequent gang activity. My mother was able to get us out while I was in high school, but I remain friendly with many people who are raising their families there today. Some major social issues demonstrated in the film are exemplified by the results they have on the boys' lives. Teen sex and parenthood are obviously displayed in Ricky's life. Gang activity is prevalent in all aspects of Doughboy's life. We are introduced to the older boys in the film at a welcome home party for Doughboy's return from prison. Racial profiling and racism is evident in interactions Trey's father had with police after a burglar entered their house. It was almost as though they were treated as the criminals. So, my sociological mind begins to wonder what the role their social groups play in these outcomes. Does the white population in South Central meet the same fate as Ricky at the same rate as black youth? What are the rates of teen parents among South Central and how do they compare to the surrounding areas? What is the majority age and race groups involved in gang activity in L.A. in general? And further, what is the level of accessibility to resources and quality education in South Central? What sorts of assistance are available to the children and teens and their families to boot to avoid these negative outcomes? How can our society do better for the children coming up in marginalized groups and inner city areas?