Black Middle Class Family: A Study of Black Subsociety

"Historically", says the author, "there has been a general tendency in American society to assume that whites are by some standard middle class and blacks are not. That is, upon first contact, a white person is likely to be accorded the deference and respect that is normally accorded middle class persons. Unless there are rather obvious and detectable indications to the contrary; however, a black person is likely to be held to have a lower class life style. He or she is, therefore, treated with the lack of deference and respect in the manner considered appropriate for dealing with persons of a low status. Since the benefit of the doubt is given to whites, but the reverse occurs with blacks, one would expect black families of comfortable means and good education to not only optimize material and behavior symbols of social rank to assure that their relative social worth is not misperceived, but to train their children in such a way that increases their chances of achieving and communicating the ranking of their family of orientation. This is, indeed, what this book explores and the results are quite provocative".Annie S. Barnes is the author of 'Black Middle Class Family: A Study of Black Subsociety', published 1989 under ISBN 9780932269508 and ISBN 0932269508.