Essay Sample on Social Problems: Causes & Effects Across Cultures

Introduction

Social problems vary from society to another. While Americans could be worrying about security and the regulation of guns, others in a village in Africa could be worrying about famine. Social problems vary with the environment, available resources, culture, and economic status. They all, however, revolve around gender, education, race, healthcare and wellbeing, religion, welfare, and security, among others. Social problems are either personal troubles or public issues, depending on their scope (Guerrero, 2018). Some, however double as both due to their nature. In the recent past, gunfire in the streets has been frequent in the United States. The government is still trying to curb terrorism, which is thought to be a big problem, but the immediate one is public shootings. They are now more prevalent in schools, targeting innocent children who cannot fight back. Although fellow students do some shootings, mass shooting done by outsiders has been a puzzle. Their motive is yet to be understood.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

These occurrences have raised a hot debate on the regulation of firearms. It was especially after a shooting in North California that left two people dead and four injured. In the incidence, a gunman walked into a crowded classroom and started shooting. A few moments later, screens were flashing with "Hide, run or fight, find safety." The gunman, Mr Terrell, was once a student in the same institution but had dropped out. It was, therefore, speculated that he had a motive of choosing the institution or specific class. He had shot one student and injured others when one of the students, Howell, charged at him and managed to slow him down before he was shot. Howell put his life in danger to save the rest of the students, as the perpetrator would have shot more people had he not been contained (David and Julie, 2019). He died a hero and victim of one of the shootings that have left Americans analyzing school shootings.

Several reasons have been linked to mass shootings: from racism, vengeance due to discrimination, drugs, availability of guns, border polarity to poor parenting. What is the cause of the increased cases of a mass shooting? Could make regulation of firearms stricter reduce the shootings, especially those aimed at learning institutions? Taking an example of North California, Charlotte incidence, it brings doubt. The gun that was used by Terrell, the perpetrator, was purchased legally. Do drugs, depression, and painful experiences contribute to these happenings? They could have a role, but the motive remains unclear. Analyzing the issue of school shootings in a sociological perspective could yield answers and possible solutions for the problem.

Mass shootings are both a personal worry and public issue. The streets are no longer safe, as anyone could open fire at any time. The public feels unsafe. However, the issue is never resolved. When there is a mass shooting, messages of condolences flow, followed by security forces issuing press conferences on their determination to find the killers, and Congress is promising to keep citizens safe. The enthusiasm, however, dies down until another attack occurs. Sociologists seek to find the connection between the environment and crime by analyzing the issue using sociological theories.

In sociology, theories are either micro or macro. Micro theories focus on personal problems, while macro theories analyze public issues. These are the symbolic interactionism, the functionalist, and the conflict theory (Guerrero, 2018). Functionalism interlinks the society, such that it is designed to meet the biological and social needs of an individual. This is why sociologists question the role of depression and vengeance in the shootings. The perpetrators could be doing so due to frustration by authorities or in vengeance of a particular target in the group. Desperation due to lack of jobs could push youths to join groups that promise them money for killings. It has also been said that the Black community is more involved in shootings than Whites are. It has been linked to low living standards and unemployment, but the connection between race and crime is sloppy since the number of Whites is also increasing. Societal has failed in its making of responsible adults since its values no longer hold.

The conflict theory, however, suggests otherwise. In a world where everybody wants the best, yet, there are limited resources, crime could be a result of the strife (Guerrero, 2018). The society is made up of people in different stratification classes, yet they all want to be better. The scramble for limited resources has pushed more people into crime. Social institutions are an illustration of the inequality happening in society. Schools are different, roads in different neighborhoods, and even government services are provided differently. Inequality has been linked to youth joining crime to vent anger for feeling marginalized or discriminated against by the government.

Society is as a result of interaction between all aspects of humans, according to the symbolic interactionism theory (Guerrero, 2018). Personal interactions are crucial in determining how children grow up, thus what the society transforms into. Society shapes what is seen as good or bad through its values. Parenting in the 21st century is also different. Parents are less connected to their children due to prolonged hours at work. It could be the lack of people to confide in that they seek consolation in drugs, which has been attributed to the increased crime rate. Checking on friends seems simple, but it could be the savior of several lives. Society needs to renew its social fabric.

Conclusion

Social problems vary with society, but the causes are centred on similar issues. Sociologists, therefore, utilize universal sociology theories to understand and explain the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to social problems.

References

David P. and Julie T.(2019) U.N.C. Charlotte Student Couldn't Run, So He Tackled the Gunman. The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/unc-charlotte-shooting.html

Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social problems: Community, policy, and social action. Sage Publications. http://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/social-problems/book254109