---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: counterparts. Although the lower-SES…"
description: "\"“counterparts. Although the lower-SES average is higher overall, higher-SES white men have the highest reported levels of binge drinking, of any drug u..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/karl-alexander-21491_african-american_counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-aver_2998052.jpg"
---

#  counterparts. Although the lower-SES average is higher…

![“counterparts. Although the lower-SES average is higher overall, higher-SES white men have the highest reported levels of binge drinking, of any drug use, and of drug use other than marijuana, followed in each instance by lower-SES white men. In fact, within SES levels, white averages exceed the…” quote by Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/karl-alexander-21491_african-american_counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-aver_2998052.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/karl-alexander-21491_african-american_counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-aver_2998052.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/karl-alexander-21491_african-american_counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-aver_2998052.jpg)

> ““counterparts. Although the lower-SES average is higher overall, higher-SES white men have the highest reported levels of binge drinking, of any drug use, and of drug use other than marijuana, followed in each instance by lower-SES white men. In fact, within SES levels, white averages exceed the African American: 3.8 versus 2.9 for those of lower-SES origins; 3.0 versus 1.6 for those of higher origins. This pattern hardly squares with the popular perception of lower-SES African Americans as the face of urban disadvantage, fueled by the media's racialized portrayal of inner-city drug abuse, dealing, and violence (see, for example, Alexander 2010). The””

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The data show that higher‑SES white men report the most binge drinking and drug use, contradicting stereotypes that associate drug problems mainly with lower‑SES African Americans.

**In simple terms:** Higher‑SES white men drink and use drugs more than lower‑SES African Americans.

Key Takeaway

Challenge assumptions about drug use and SES.

Themes

stereotypes public health socioeconomic status race substance use

Mood

critical analytical

Type

research informative

When to use this quote

- policy making
- public health campaigns
- community outreach
- media analysis

Key Concepts

social inequality media framing health disparities

Questions to Reflect On

- How do media narratives shape our view of drug problems?
- What policies could address substance use across all SES groups?

A Different Perspective

Stereotypes may persist despite contradictory evidence, limiting effective interventions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[African american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american/) [African americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-americans/) [Average Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-higher-4745776/) [Drug abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-abuse/) [Drug use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-use/) [Higher Ses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-ses-4745772/) [Ses Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ses-average-4745774/) [Ses Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ses-levels-4745773/) [White Averages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-averages-4745775/)

## Related quotes

> [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/)

[Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/)

> [This stigma associated with drug use--the belief that bad kids use, good kids don't, and those with full-blown addiction are weak, dissolute, and pathetic--has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/this-stigma-associated-with-drug-use-the-belief-that-bad-kids-use/)

[David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/)

> [“Those who seek power at any price detect a societal weakness, a fear that they can ride into office. It could be ethnic differences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/those-who-seek-power-at-any-price-detect-a-societal-weakness-a-fear/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“Although a youth culture was in evidence by the 1950s, the first obvious and dramatic manifestation of a culture generated by peer-orientation was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/although-a-youth-culture-was-in-evidence-by-the-1950s-the-first/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“People are dying because of ignorance. They are dying because unremitting propaganda is denying them essential safety information. They are dying because legislators and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-milton-trott/people-are-dying-because-of-ignorance-they-are-dying-because/)

[Dominic Milton Trott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-milton-trott/)

> [ “With drug use related harms, explanatory models are often presented as predictive tools, even though they ‘are \[rarely if ever\] predictive of consequent behavior’… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-waterman/with-drug-use-related-harms-explanatory-models-are-often-presented-as/)

[Daniel Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-waterman/)

> [When Stevie and I joined the band, we were in the midst of breaking up, as were John and Christine. By the time Rumours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/when-stevie-and-i-joined-the-band-we-were-in-the-midst-of-breaking-up/)

[Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/)

> [One of the drivers of heroin has been the misuse of pain medication. If we're gonna deal with heroin and heroin use in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-botticelli/one-of-the-drivers-of-heroin-has-been-the-misuse-of-pain-medication/)

[Michael Botticelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-botticelli/)

> [“When the black thing was at its worst, when the illicit cocktails and the ten-mile runs stopped working, I would feel numb as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/when-the-black-thing-was-at-its-worst-when-the-illicit-cocktails-and/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [Drug use and procrastination often go hand in tourniquet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/drug-use-and-procrastination-often-go-hand-in-tourniquet/)

[Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/)

> [Love is a drug Use it wisely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie/love-is-a-drug-use-it-wisely/)

[Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie/)

> [Thomas Chong is a bad influence on children because of his drug use and crude humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/thomas-chong-is-a-bad-influence-on-children-because-of-his-drug-use/)

[Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/)

> [“I'd felt the pop of the needle sliding into my veins, like a fang into flesh. I'd been enveloped in the golden haze where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-rhodes/i-d-felt-the-pop-of-the-needle-sliding-into-my-veins-like-a-fang-into/)

[Taylor Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-rhodes/)

> [“I don’t fundamentally understand why people give a shit about what other people put up their noses or what other people put in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/i-don-t-fundamentally-understand-why-people-give-a-shit-about-what/)

[Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/)

> [“In the movie I was played by an actor who actually looked more like me than the character the author portrayed in the book:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/in-the-movie-i-was-played-by-an-actor-who-actually-looked-more-like/)

[Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/)

## More by Karl Alexander

> [“From a stratification perspective, we want to understand both immobility and mobility. For immobility, the issue is how status is inherited across generations. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/from-a-stratification-perspective-we-want-to-understand-both/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“The quarter century following World War II was a ‘golden age’ for most workers and their families…, even for men with a high school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/the-quarter-century-following-world-war-ii-was-a-golden-age-for-most/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“THIS BOOK is about the reproduction of social advantage and disadvantage across generations in the experience of typical Baltimore youth, anchored in their childhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/this-book-is-about-the-reproduction-of-social-advantage-and/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“Problem behaviors potentially are obstacles in both school and labor market, especially for the African American urban disadvantaged. White men, of both lower and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/problem-behaviors-potentially-are-obstacles-in-both-school-and-labor/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“Family conditions early in life cast a long shadow. That principle holds broadly, but with exceptions, and in this context they are numerous. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/family-conditions-early-in-life-cast-a-long-shadow-that-principle/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“those African Americans who did manage to penetrate the skilled trades mostly were consigned to low-wage work. According to Social Security Administration data, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/those-african-americans-who-did-manage-to-penetrate-the-skilled/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“For almost twenty-five years, we tracked the life progress of 790 children who began first grade in the fall of 1982 in twenty Baltimore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/for-almost-twenty-five-years-we-tracked-the-life-progress-of-790/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“It is important that this first assessment of parent expectations, having been elicited before the first report card in first grade, is properly considered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/it-is-important-that-this-first-assessment-of-parent-expectations/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“Parenthood, it turns out, is common to all the negative transition sequences (that is, those that depress socioeconomic prospects) and delayed parenthood is common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/parenthood-it-turns-out-is-common-to-all-the-negative-transition/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“This volume aims to identify the resources and personal qualities that help disadvantaged youth, but also the barriers they face. It is a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/this-volume-aims-to-identify-the-resources-and-personal-qualities/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“The exclusion of blacks from high-skill, high-wage employment is rooted in Jim Crow and resistance to integration and is sustained through tradition, word-of-mouth network…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/the-exclusion-of-blacks-from-high-skill-high-wage-employment-is/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“Nationally in 2011, poor whites exceeded the poor African American total by roughly eight million: 19,171,000 versus 10,929,000.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/nationally-in-2011-poor-whites-exceeded-the-poor-african-american/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“By contrast, lower-SES children labor under the burden of cumulative disadvantage imposed by their location in the SES hierarchy. Their parents want them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/by-contrast-lower-ses-children-labor-under-the-burden-of-cumulative/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“It is commonly thought that high-poverty neighborhoods are socially fragmented and suffer a weak sense of community, but that is mistaken (see, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/it-is-commonly-thought-that-high-poverty-neighborhoods-are-socially/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

> [“Other resources located within the family also weigh on children's development. In figure 7.1, they are represented by parents' psychological support for their children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/other-resources-located-within-the-family-also-weigh-on-children-s/)

[Karl Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

[Explore all 29 Karl Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/)

## More African american quotes

> [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/)

[Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/)

> [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/)

[Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/)

> [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [“This popularity extended to Trump himself, who, according to private demographic research conducted at the time, was even more popular with African American and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/this-popularity-extended-to-trump-himself-who-according-to-private/)

[Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/)

> [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [I know I'm more forgiving than most African Americans when it comes to second chances for White people who not only commit a racial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/i-know-i-m-more-forgiving-than-most-african-americans-when-it-comes/)

[Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/)

> [Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-mehlman/some-republicans-gave-up-on-winning-the-african-american-vote-looking/)

[Ken Mehlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-mehlman/)

> [It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-people-think-african-american-female/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/)

[Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/)

> [It may be changing, but still it's the one place, that total control of an institution, that African Americans have. So sometimes, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/it-may-be-changing-but-still-it-s-the-one-place-that-total-control-of/)

[Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/)

> [Most of the more celebrated names among African-American authors, poets, and artists are known to the world because of their association with specific cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/most-of-the-more-celebrated-names-among-african-american-authors/)

[Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/)

> [I think it's easier for African American and white comics to be praised than it is Latinos because they think our culture or our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lopez/i-think-it-s-easier-for-african-american-and-white-comics-to-be/)

[George Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lopez/)

> [“Alabama in 1927 alone, 27,701 men were arrested on misdemeanor charges and offered for sale by county sheriffs. In Blackmon’s estimation, “roughly half of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/alabama-in-1927-alone-27-701-men-were-arrested-on-misdemeanor-charges/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [I'm just trying to touch the world and touch the people and just get good material. And show them that we can get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-m-just-trying-to-touch-the-world-and-touch-the-people-and-just-get/)

[Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/)

[Browse all 1,848 African american quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“counterparts. Although the lower-SES average is higher overall, higher-SES white men have the highest reported levels of binge drinking, of any drug use, and of drug use other than marijuana, followed in each instance by lower-SES white men. In fact, within SES levels, white averages exceed the African American: 3.8 versus 2.9 for those of lower-SES origins; 3.0 versus 1.6 for those of higher origins. This pattern hardly squares with the popular perception of lower-SES African Americans as the face of urban disadvantage, fueled by the media's racialized portrayal of inner-city drug abuse, dealing, and violence (see, for example, Alexander 2010). The”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Karl Alexander"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-average-is-higher-overall-higher/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "African american"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-average-is-higher-overall-higher/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/karl-alexander-21491_african-american_counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-aver_2998052.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/karl-alexander-21491_african-american_counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-aver_2998052.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/karl-alexander-21491_african-american_counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-aver_2998052.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“counterparts. Although the lower-SES average is higher overall, higher-SES white men have the highest…” — Karl Alexander",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Karl Alexander",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-alexander/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“counterparts. Although the lower-SES average is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-average-is-higher-overall-higher/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-alexander/counterparts-although-the-lower-ses-average-is-higher-overall-higher/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```