FREE ESSAY ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

America has seen a great amount of social change during the past few decades. From they
way we eat to the way we treat our criminals to the safety of our children at school,
things have definitely changed. The rash of recent school shootings is a sure sign of the
breakdown in parenting and a lack of family values being taught to our children. The
highly processed foods that we are eating have led to a nation, which is severely
overweight and ill. The Criminal Justice system in this country is a joke; it has been
shown to be biased against minorities and the poor. A guilty rich man is known as a free
man, while a poor murderer is destined for years on death row.
In the Kip Kinkel article we are given a view of Kip's life as told by his friends and
classmates. A symbolic interactionist would say that this violence is caused by a break
down in the child's social structures, organizations, and culture. The main social
structure to decline is that of the family. Twenty to thirty years ago the family was
much stronger. There were less single parent homes and the divorce rate was lower. Since
these changes have taken place, families have demised and some children have become
unruly. 
A Structural functionalist would say that the fast food we eat serves two purposes. The
first purpose, which is the manifest function, is food which is served almost as fast as
it is ordered. This would be a good function of fast food, since it has been labeled fast
food. The second function, or latent function of fast food, is the battle of the bulge,
which many American's are fighting due to their dependency on fast, over processed food.
The food industry is interrelated with corporate America and also with poor Americans.
Corporate America generally gives its workers thirty minutes to an hour to eat lunch. To
get out get a bite to eat and get back to work in this time; one needs to go to a fast
food restaurant. In these same restaurants you will find workers who are paid very little
and who do not have many benefits if any, since only the managers are full time
employees. 
The criminal justice system is a hot bed for conflict theorist. Conflict theory is based
on the idea that all society has inequality, and theses inequalities lead to societal
strain. Minorities and the poor are disproportionately imprisoned in this country. The
rich are able to afford competent defense attorneys, while the poor are given low paid
public defenders. These defenders are usually friends of the judges and wish for the
cases to be rushed through the system. The inequalities in education, housing, and wages
have led some to resort to crime. We all aspire to obtain the "American Dream." But due
to the class system the rich are getting very rich, while the poor are wallowing in an
even worse state.
It does not feel good knowing that the legal lynching of minorities and foreigners still
take place today. By acquitting police of murder because they were afraid of a man and
his wallet, we send a message to the country saying it is okay to kill a Black man as
long as you feel unsafe. While, on the other end of the spectrum a Black man defending
himself from a police officer is sent to death row for his murder. Being a Black man in
this country I think a bout the social changes which affect me on a day to day basis. I
am a conflict theorist to the core. Without equality we will continue to live in a broken
nation. The country's dependency on fast food also needs to change and it needs to do so
just as fast as they produce the food. Many Americans have put on extra pounds because of
eating fast foods and processed foods.
The social fabric of our nation has undergone a radical change. Some changes such, as the
Internet and communication tools are good. While, the changes I have discussed in this
paper are definitely not good.