Fit to Miss,but Matched to Hatch: Success Factors among the Second Generation's Disadvantaged in South Florida

Abstract

This article examines the elements of successful outcomes among disadvantaged members of the South Florida immigrant communities and assesses the utility of rational choice theory and the Wisconsin model. The findings are derived from ethnographic interviews and analysis of two of the most underprivileged South Florida districts, Little Haiti and Hialeah. The article builds upon the elements of success as identified in the lead article of this volume, which include items relevant to the family, the individual, and the broader community context. The authors add the following to those success factors: (1) ignorance (or disregard) of the barriers to success and the odds against overcoming them; (2) emotionally motivated responses to the surrounding social conditions or to specific (cathartic) events; and (3) exiting underprivileged neighborhoods of origin to facilitate access to resources, mainly educational.