After reading a little bit of Gang Leader For A Day and talking in class, I can see why sociologists need both quantitative and qualitative data.
In the reading, there was a part where he asked people how it felt to be black and poor, along with a few responses such as "indifferent, upset, happy", or responses along those lines. While I read it, i specifically rememeber writing "LOL" in the margin. That just seems like a weird thing to ask somebody, but in reality, it isn't that far out. We live in a pretty wealthy area, so sometimes we can't think outside of what we know. Possibly, some of those people Venkatesh was interviewing don't mind that they're poor, and are perfectly content with their lives. The only way to find out is research. Surveys are good ways to get solid numbers for an idea. Doing a survey for quantitative data isn't the best way to get ALL of the info though. While it provides some information, it's one sided.
By hanging out with J.T. and his gang, Venkatesh could get all sides of his info. He could find out more then just what percent of the people were "indifferent" about being black and poor. Venkatesh was able to connect with new people and learn new views on life.
I never really thought to connect the questions he asked the poor people to us. We are so used to our surroundings and the way we live as much as the people he interviewed were. Some of them may have not been okay with it, but have been so used to it that they have accepted it. And I agree that he needed to step out of his comfort zone and open his eyes to different possibilities.
ReplyDeleteYour so right! its just like if some person trying to do a study came up to almost anyone who lived around us they would ask how does it feel to be white and rich? For them to get accurate info they cant only just take a survey, they would need to get to know who we are, what we do to really know whats it like.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point of how we don't really think outside of our surroundings and how they affect us. The people that live in less affluent places might be completely okay and used to where they live, It's home for some. Just like Micaela's example of people asking us what we think of our surroundings, we think it's home so we see nothing abnormal about it.
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