Figuring it out Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Figuring it out - Essay Example The opportunity and availability of respected earning ways; can only minimize the problem to some extent. Social and racial biases have to be kept aside to recruit the people and provide them with an alternate way to earn otherwise poverty will lead to more abuse and destruction of humankind.† Low income Americans name drug abuse as no.1 cause of poverty for them† ( npr, poverty in America, 2001). Ethnography is a qualitative study, through which various cultural phenomena can be understood regarding lives of people of any specific cultural group. It also tells the social welfare qualities, ethnicity and composition of a community. This method is required while collecting empirical data on specific societies and groups. Participants in particular society play vital role in this method, as data is collected through personal experiences and observation of these participants through interviews and questioners. Dr. Lee D. Hoffer in his book, Junkie Business: the evolution and operation of drug dealing network; described the process of development and working of an illegal drug dealing business. It sheds light on how a street based partnership became a running organized business with clear and planned division of labor. The change in dealer’s life is also evident throughout ( Hoffer,2006). According to Micheal Agar, the collection of data directly extracted from the people of specific culture and through direct involvement, can only enable one to understand better the coherent system. Anthropologist research is always based upon two major strategies to collect the research data accurately, the way to interview the participants and to extract participant’s observation. They both go hand in hand as one cannot be considered accurate without the other.(Hoffer, 2006) During the late ninetieth century, anthropologist only relied upon interviews to gather cultural data. This procedure was suitable for them as the change in cultural norms and custo ms; only began at that time. But to understand it better; they needed an inside vision of it. They lived with the participants to observe and understand the various distinctions. They realized soon people often misinterpreted and provided the information by predicting the expectations of the interviewer. This was a psychological factor, where at times they wanted to please the interviewer for material gains and sometimes to hide the truth ( Bailey, People, p.99). Drug business in various parts of America verifies the acceptance of illicit usage of drugs commonly and it also describes the vast expansion of network; with its organizational skills. The people hired for the sole purpose of drug selling; don’t come into it by choice but they are left with no option to earn from other means. The poverty and disappointment from unemployment leads them to drug selling and risking their lives with it. Sometimes they are unable to explain to their prospective employers the reason of un employment period as they became what economist call â€Å"discouraged workers†. (Robbins.p.174). Hence they come into contact with drug dealing to support and pay for their addictions. Therefore they become more actively involved in the business due to their need of the drug. However, the financer or investor does not seem to be bounded in such obligations. It’s merely a way to earn more than normal. Though risk of life is also involved