Miller focal points

Miller focal points

Walter Miller believes that this lower class group has for centuries possessed their own
culture and traditions with a fundamentally different from those in the higher class. This suggests
that this lower class culture has been passed on for many generations. He has broken his focal
concerns down into six parts. Toughness, smartness, excitement, fate and trouble(Riveron).
Toughness in the lower class culture represents a combination of things. The most
important aspect is physical toughness showed by the possession of strength and endurance in
athletics. 95% of males in the lower class come from female based households with little to no
male presence. The males can be sensitive and not fight, but must fake it while in the streets.
They can’t back down or show fear, the men show an exaggeration of masculinity(Goode 106).
Smartness is the aspect of mental toughness. You must be able to outwit and con others,
but also have the ability to be able to know when someone is trying to con you. This requires the
male to have mental quickness over physicality. With smartness comes the area of “the dirty
dozens” which means you should be able to take part in a mutual insult interchange with your
peer group(Goode 107).
Excitement can also be referred to as“flirting with danger.” They find this in alcohol,
gambling, playing cards, betting on horses and dice(Goode 108). It is an emotional reaction to a
change in routine, essentially, taking things from your neighborhood and bringing them to
another.
Fate is where they believe that little can be done about their lives, they take it as being
lucky or in luck, and unlucky or jinxed(Goode 108). The lower class males can feel larger events
in life are governed by forces outside, beyond their control. To try and alter this “fate” they play

games of chance, such as the lotto. They also part take in “luck changing rituals” in hopes of
giving them luck, for example, picking up a penny on heads because it is said...

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