Code of the Street

Standards of Respect and the Regulation of Violence

The code of the street is defined as a set of informal rules that govern interpersonal public behavior [Page 115]within inner-city communities. The code is primarily aimed at the regulation of violence in everyday life. This code regulates the use of violence, as well as supplies the rationale for those prone to aggression to engage in violent encounters in a legitimate manner. The code also stipulates both proper demeanor and the appropriate way to respond if challenged.

The code of the street is focused primarily on the concept of respect. Within this context, respect translates into being treated “right”—in essence, receiving the proper respect or admiration that one deserves. In this view, respect is considered a commodity that is both difficult to acquire and maintain but easily lost. What one deserves in the way of respect, however, is problematic and uncertain. Indeed, what inner-city youth view as a “diss” (i.e., disrespect), most middle-class Americans would consider petty. In the world described by Anderson, the most insignificant act, such as maintaining eye contact too long, is viewed as disrespect and may lead to a violent altercation where both participants must fight or risk losing respect and reputation. To not accept a physical challenge, or to “punk out,” may result in a more negative outcome than getting physically harmed. Failing to accept such a challenge may result in a loss of respect or damage to one's reputation, as well as make an individual more susceptible to future attacks.

It becomes imperative, then, that residents of disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods become familiar with and, to a certain extent, embrace the code of the street. Anderson's ethnographic research suggests that while not all residents wholeheartedly endorse the code, all must be aware of these informal norms and be prepared to abide by them in social interactions. According to Anderson, the inner city is organized into two different types of families—street and decent. These are evaluative judgments made by the residents themselves that confer status in the inner city. However, irrespective of orientation, individuals are expected to display both, depending on the situation—termed code switching. Code switching is highly valued among the decently oriented because it allows one to move more easily between the two worlds in which one resides.

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