Privileged Communities Versus Underprivileged Communities

Essay by ReesiPoohCollege, UndergraduateA-, April 2004

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In society of the past and of the present, individuals are extremely concerned with their way of life. Having a prosperous and unique way of living is a necessity in order to surpass the cruelties of the world. Some individuals decide to try to move outside of their communities in order to accomplish this prosperous way of life. It seems as though the moving between communities depends on the type of community a person comes from to begin with. People from privileged communities don't try to move outside of their community as much as a person who is from an underprivileged community. In the essay "Community in a Global Village", written by Dean Barnlund, the author discusses how people choose not to move out of their communities. It seems as though he was discussing individuals who live in privileged communities. On the other hand, the essay entitled "Down At the Cross", written by James Baldwin, the author discusses how a person decides to move outside of their community.

With Baldwin being from an underprivileged community, it seemed obvious why people from that type of community to quickly decide to move outside of their community. In order for a person to decide to move outside of their community, they must have a reason for doing so. Individuals in privileged communities do not really have a reason to move outside of their community because they do not seem to have to struggle as much as individuals in underprivileged communities.

Community is the basis for all individuals. A community is just another way to separate people from one another. A community is not just where a person lives. It is where they work and what they believe in. Barnlund seems to believe that there is no need for communities. He believes that...