Scammer's Yard

Scammer's Yard
Author :
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages : 300
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781452964362
ISBN-13 : 145296436X
Rating : 4/5 (36X Downloads)

Book Synopsis Scammer's Yard by : Jovan Scott Lewis

Download or read book Scammer's Yard written by Jovan Scott Lewis and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2020-10-27 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tells the story of Jamaican “scammers” who use crime to gain autonomy, opportunity, and repair There is romance in stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but how does that change when those perceived rich are elderly white North Americans and the poor are young Black Jamaicans? In this innovative ethnography, Jovan Scott Lewis tells the story of Omar, Junior, and Dwayne. Young and poor, they strive to make a living in Montego Bay, where call centers and tourism are the two main industries in the struggling economy. Their experience of grinding poverty and drastically limited opportunity leads them to conclude that scamming is the best means of gaining wealth and advancement. Otherwise, they are doomed to live in “sufferation”—an inescapable poverty that breeds misery, frustration, and vexation. In the Jamaican lottery scam run by these men, targets are told they have qualified for a large loan or award if they pay taxes or transfer fees. When the fees are paid, the award never arrives, netting the scammers tens of thousands of U.S. dollars. Through interviews, historical sources, song lyrics, and court testimonies, Lewis examines how these scammers justify their deceit, discovering an ethical narrative that reformulates ideas of crime and transgression and their relationship to race, justice, and debt. Scammer’s Yard describes how these young men, seeking to overcome inequality and achieve autonomy, come to view crime as a form of liberation. Their logic raises unsettling questions about a world economy that relegates postcolonial populations to deprivation even while expecting them to follow the rules of capitalism that exacerbate their dispossession. In this groundbreaking account, Lewis asks whether true reparation for the legacy of colonialism is to be found only through radical—even criminal—means.


Scammer's Yard Related Books

Scammer's Yard
Language: en
Pages: 300
Authors: Jovan Scott Lewis
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-10-27 - Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

GET EBOOK

Tells the story of Jamaican “scammers” who use crime to gain autonomy, opportunity, and repair There is romance in stealing from the rich to give to the poo
Elder Fraud Wars
Language: en
Pages: 286
Authors: David Neil Kirkman
Categories: Family & Relationships
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-06-01 - Publisher: McFarland

GET EBOOK

By recounting actual court cases, this book examines the multi-billion-dollar elder fraud industry, the special vulnerabilities of those it targets, and the eas
Schemer [sic], Scammers, and Sweetheart Deals
Language: en
Pages: 112
Authors: United States. Congress. Senate. Special Committee on Aging
Categories: Fraud
Type: BOOK - Published: 2002 - Publisher:

GET EBOOK

Scam Proof Your Life in the End Times: Justice & Restoration for Christians
Language: en
Pages: 84
Authors: Steve Cioccolanti
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2024-08-13 - Publisher: USA Press

GET EBOOK

Scammers can target anyone, but especially trusting people like Christians. That's why Jesus told Christians to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matth
The Scammers
Language: en
Pages:
Authors: Daniel Davidson
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-05-16 - Publisher: iUniverse

GET EBOOK

Separated from his rock star wife, J.J. Walker awakens from a drunken binge to face the harsh reality that he is no longer a part of a rich and famous lifestyle