One of the key functions of sociology is to attempt to comprehend the underlying causes and effects of various events, issues or phenomena from a social perspective. All of our personal experiences, our actions or reactions, are primarily shaped by larger societal forces. Some of these forces are within our control, or the control of people near us such as family but other forces such as social inequality are under the control of dominant, powerful groups that exist in the society. Social inequality is a major social problem in the United States of America that affects the lives of millions of citizens. Some are affected positively by it as it creates endless opportunities for them regarding education, employment and high standards of living. However, some citizens depending on their gender, race or ethnicity and social class suffer tremendously due to social inequality. They get discriminated against by individuals or social institutions, and the outcome of their lives gets determined by the experiences that they have to go through in the society. This paper focuses on social inequality, the societal forces that shape our experiences and the dominant social institutions that exist in the state.
Keywords: Social perspective, social problem, social inequality, social institutions.
Part One: The Sociological Perspective
Sociologists object the fact that different issues or experiences arise from a biological aspect such as genetics. They believe that no experience whether personal or collective is inherent and each social issue or event is as a result of one of the three social theoretical perspectives; conflict theory, functional analysis or symbolic interactionism. Conflict theory believes that the society as a whole is made up of groups which struggle and compete against each other for the limited resources that exist in the world. These groups especially compete for power and authority and the dominant group, in turn, controls the other groups and relatively makes the prime decisions concerning social issues. Functional analysis, on the other end, believes that every faction of the society is interrelated and this interconnection ensures the society operates as one component. Symbolic interactionism believes that humanity uses different symbols to interact with each other. It believes that without these symbols, there would be no definite meaning of life and people would be unable to communicate effectively.
Drug Abuse: A Social Issue
Substance abuse in the United States of America is gradually on the rise and has become a major societal setback. Misuse of drugs not only affects the individuals actively involved in it but also affects the persons around; family, friends, relatives and workmates. Moreover, it negatively affects the populace as a whole as it impinges on the nation’s social and economical rate of productivity. I encounter victims of drug abuse on a daily basis almost everywhere I go; from school, in the neighborhood, on the streets and even outside church establishments. A drug report conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2007 states that at least 114 million people of age twelve years and older in the states have engaged in illegal drug use during their lifetimes (Schulden J. D., 2009). Further recent reports conducted in 2017 by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime states that in 2015, drug users were around 250 million and of this number, about 29.5 million individuals are deeply rooted in drug abuse and suffer from its many disorders and gruesome effects (UNODC, 2017). Substance abuse has unfortunately become part of the world and continues to get deeply rooted in people’s lives. I have close friends and family relatives who have gotten intensely involved in drugs, and at the moment, some of them are in rehabilitation centers, some are just hanging on to life by a thread, others completely vanished while the rest were reported to have sadly passed away. Drugs can completely take control of a person’s life and utterly ruin one’s future. I believe that the thought of not knowing what exact damage may occur to a drug user if not taken care of is precisely the reason why drug abuse should be carefully addressed and acknowledged as a societal problem. It should get dealt with for the better good of the individual and the population.
Conflict Theory on Drug Abuse
Conflict theorists argue that social groups exist that compete for limited resources such as power and the governing class in turn, not only makes the principal decisions but also dictates the way of life of citizens. Majority of drug abuse is thus as a result of societal disparity, power and difference in class (Henslin, 2017). Authorized drugs like alcohol and tobacco are some of the most abused drugs in the United States of America. Furthermore, these legal drugs, unfortunately, carry more severe effects than some of the illegal drugs such as marijuana. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that alcohol-related deaths involve approximately 88,000 people annually and the death rate of tobacco users is even higher making it the leading avertable cause of death in the states (NIH, 2017). Even with the apparent evidence that legal drugs are causing more harm to individuals and the society, little to no efforts are made by powerful authorities to control or limit the use of these drugs. In fact, influential business groups that financially benefit from the sale of legal drugs gladly pay enormous amounts of money to commercial advertising companies to market such drugs as extensively as possible. Paid advert companies on the other end do not hesitate to promote the products as often as they can throughout social platforms and persuade citizens of the benefits of the drugs. Robert Ferris writes in CNBC that averagely 1000 alcohol advertisements feature every year (Ferris, 2016). These attractive adverts that exclude mentioning the specific gruesome effects of using these substances are in turn watched by millions of people who become influenced to partake in the drug hence contributing to the increased rate of substance abuse by the public.
Besides power, social inequality is also a leading contributor to substance abuse. Conflict theorists argue that imbalance exists in the states which differentiate the wealthy from the poor (Henslin, 2017). Individuals living in poorly maintained regions have to deal and struggle with a lot of tough situations. Some of these regions are most affected by crimes including theft, murder and gang violence which makes citizens residing in such places have to live in daily fear and anxiety. Aside from that, individuals that come from these regions often get discriminated against and isolated by persons of higher social statuses. It becomes harder for them to get accepted into good schools or get well-paying jobs. In turn, they end up feeling depressed and mostly aggravated by their current low and undeserving living standard which then leads to substance abuse in an attempt to relieve life stresses. Some of these individuals even get involved in selling illegal drugs as they see it as an opportunity to earn good money and better their lives.
Cultural Elements Associated with Drug Abuse
Some symbolic cultural elements play a significant role in the cause, effect, and solution of substance abuse. These elements include norms, language, and sanctions. Norms are what is generally expected of an individual or the society as a whole. Norms represent the correct thing to do. However, sometimes norms become overwhelming for a society and a limited break is put in place for people to loosen up. This limited break commonly referred to as a moral holiday is what contributes to substance abuse (Henslin, 2017). The freedom that individuals get from moral holidays to do whatever they wish without worrying about the consequences influences them to engage in immoral acts such as drug abuse, inappropriate sexual behavior and sometimes crime. The Great American Beer Festival is an example of such moral holidays. Groups of people gather in Denver, Colorado where over 3800 beers are made available for consumption at an affordable price. This festival lasts for more than three days which is a more than enough period for persons to get involved and severely addicted to as many drugs as they can get access.
The elements of language and sanction contribute to the solution of substance abuse. Language allows individuals to converse with each other. It creates a channel for advising and counseling and gives a drug user the chance to open up emotionally and mentally. Through language, therapy sessions and rehabilitation centers are made possible, and a drug addict can get all the help required to abstain from drugs. Application and strict follow-up of negative sanctions to drug abuse can help decrease its rate in the states. A negative sanction such as getting fined heavily or imprisonment for illegal substance abuse scare people from engaging in such acts and ensures norms get followed. When it comes to legal drugs such as alcohol, restricting their usage and punishing people who go against the restriction is helpful in controlling its abuse.
The Relationship of Agents of Socialization to Drug Abuse
The neighborhood in which an individual grows up in plays a huge role in determining the type of character developed. A person is likely to get involved in substance abuse if they are from a poor neighborhood where gangs are dominant, crime rates are high, and there is insecurity. Children that grow up in these areas are often forced to adapt to a harsh way of living as survival is the prime policy. Most of them do not get opportunities to enroll in good schools and even when grown up, the class difference that exists in the states limits their chances of getting good jobs. Thus, the living situation may drive a person to get involved in drugs to relieve some of the unpreventable stress. Moreover, other members of the locality especially gang members engage in substance abuse openly on the streets which makes it harder to keep away from doing drugs. Wealthy neighborhoods, on the other end, limit the chances of a child getting involved in substance abuse because the level of security is often high, region watches exist, and there are little to no gangs that exist in the vicinity to influence teenagers negatively.
Family shapes individuals characters as well. A child raised into a caring and responsible family is likely to grow up into a hardworking, and moral individual provided all external factors remain constant. Norms and values get instilled in the child, and he or she grows up able to make the right decisions even when influenced negatively by peers. A family directs a child’s initial path in life, and irresponsible parents can as well cause a lot of mental damage to a child. For instance, what is likely to happen to a child raised by a single mother who is a cocaine addict and is unable to fund the child’s education? The child is likely to grow up believing only in drugs as a way to handle life situations. The child will look up to his addicted mother if not provided with any other form of guidance. The kid will grow up as a drug addict unable to make the right decisions and will end up becoming a poor victim of substance abuse thanks to the mother.
Part Two: Social Inequality
My parents belong to the working social class. They are high school graduates who managed to score jobs at a small industrial factory just outside our neighborhood. My mother receives averagely $25,000 while my father receives $36,000. For a family of six siblings including myself, the income they get is hardly enough to sustain all of us. They both have to work part-time jobs to ensure that they can cater to the basic needs of all their children. We do not own any private properties nor do we have any insurances thus our wealth is relatively low. We live in a small two bedroomed rented apartment. My parents’ income is not enough for any profitable investments. I am currently a student with no part-time job. I tried to get several jobs at good classy places but got rejected because of my social background. The only jobs that I can manage to get are in my black neighborhood, and most of the jobs are not very safe and are often illegal. My educational journey has not been easy for the most part because of lack of a reliable income. I have enrolled and dropped out of several schools since childhood because I was unable to complete the fees required. Some of my younger siblings are currently at home because we cannot afford to pay for their education. I have tried applying for scholarships and was fortunate enough to get one which took me through the last years of my elementary school. I was able to finish high school with the help of my mother’s close white friend who felt pity for me. Currently, I am still in pursuit of looking for a good part-time job and another scholarship that can guarantee my college education’s payment and relieve my parents of the economic burden.
I am a young male, and so far my gender has both positively and negatively affected me throughout my life. It worked to my advantage as I was applying for my elementary scholarship. We were a total of ten applicants of which eight were females. The day of the final interview, all the females got denied the chance, and the one male that I was competing against failed to show up. I immediately got the spot, and I think that the education choice was because I was male. The same luck has however not worked for me in my attempt to look for a part-time job in sophisticated places. Because I am an African-American, my gender works to my disadvantage. Stereotypes assume that I want the job so that I can get the chance to steal from them or commit immoral sexual acts such as rape. My father and mother work in the same factory but earn different incomes because of their gender difference.
I am an African American, and both individual and institutional discrimination have affected my life chances. Most of the upper-class institutions where I request part-time jobs have rejected me because of my skin color. The employees and employers at some places negatively sanctioned me with harsh whispers or disgusted looks as I walk into the building. I immediately know that I cannot get a job at such a place because of the initial discrimination. Furthermore, it is very difficult to get enrolled in a school dominated by whites. Even when my mother’s white friend offered to help get me into high school and pay wholly for it, she admitted that she had to beg almost five schools to accept me. All of which were hesitant because of my race.
Part Three: Social Institutions
Politics and Economy
Two dominant political parties exist in the United States of America: the Democratic and the Republican Party. Both parties primarily strive for the same common objective of freedom and individuality as well as protection of citizens of the states. However, these two parties each believe in different legislations thus making the whole difference in a voter’s choice. Statistics point out that the highest social classes in the society always supports the Republican Party while the middle to low-class citizens usually supports the Democratic Party (Henslin, 2017). This fixed difference in the choice of vote is because of the legislation that each party believes. The Democrats believe in social equality and fairness of all citizens. They work for the benefit of the minority. They support laws that call for equal income distribution among all individuals, equal working opportunities and favorable working conditions for the minority. The Republicans, however, support legislation that mostly favors the wealthy. As an African American belonging to the working class, this political system deeply affects my family and me. A republican system usually makes us feel alienated from the political world. Little improvements favor our well-being regarding education, employment or income. My family has to work hard for the capitalists to get money to survive on, which is still not sustaining. A democratic system is however different. Barrack Obama, the former president, was a Democrat who made a variety of accomplishments that benefited us greatly. He reformed the health care system and ensured 32 million uninsured citizens got covered from 2014 (Glastris P., 2012). Political votes also differ according to citizen's education status, income flow, and race. Over the years, college and high school graduates have voted in higher numbers than school dropouts. Citizens with higher income also vote more than lowly paid citizens. Whites vote more than Black Americans. My parents do not turn up yearly to vote because they see no difference. As a working-class group, the income they earn is rarely enough to provide for all needs. They believe they have nothing to gain from politics. Economics in the state as well affects our lives as blacks. Globalization of capitalism which is causing shifts of jobs to nations where workers get paid less in an attempt to lower the production cost leads to loss of jobs in the state. My parents are always in constant fear of getting laid off suddenly due to globalization. They cannot rely on their jobs as the only source of livelihood and are forced to each work part-time jobs to try and balance their living.
Social Class in the United States
An American’s social class largely determines the kind of life they live; the higher the class, the better the living conditions. Social class affects one’s physical and mental health, family life, education, and religion. My parents belong to the working class. They make just enough to survive on basic needs. We are not privileged to live in a wealthy neighborhood or attend prominent schools because of the limited income. Healthcare is a common problem for citizens in the minority. The working poor and underclass citizens especially struggle more to survive. Their income does not allow for them to get suitable medical care when needed leading to more severe effects of disease including mental disorder (Marmot, 1997). Moreover, their immune systems develop weakly than that of wealthy citizens due to the pressures of life. They lack sufficient resources such as money for therapy to handle stress. Additionally, family life is different for the poor as compared to the wealthy. Low-income families tend to divorce at a higher rate than wealthy families. Divorce comes as a result of low income, high-stress levels and unpreventable loss of jobs. Parents find it difficult to support a family and look for other alternatives including divorce or joining the illegal drug trade industry. Children in the upper societal class get privileged with the opportunity to attend exalted schools where they get taught how to gain power and dominance. They do not have to worry about waiting lists as their parents have enough resources to get them a direct pass into the University of their Choice.
Conclusively, there are larger societal forces that determine the path of everyone. Politics and social class are instances of the dominant institutions that exist which primarily decide our fates. Social disparity and drug abuse should be considered severe social problems as their effects on human lives are detrimental. They bring about a lot of suffering to people especially those in the minority. The government should work to address such issues and ensure that all citizens of the United States get fair treatment and equal opportunities in all sectors of life.
References
Ferris, R. (2016, May 18). American kids see about three alcohol ads each day: Rand study. CNBC.
Glastris P., C. R. (2012, March). Obama's Top 50 Accomplishments. Washington Monthly.
Henslin, J. M. (2017). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-To-Earth-Approach (12th ed.). Pearson.
Marmot, M. R. (1997). Social Inequalities in health; next questions and converging evidence. Social Science & Medicine, 44(6), 901-910.
NIH. (2017). Alcohol Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Schulden J. D., Y. F. (2009). Substance Abuse in the United States: Findings From Recent Epidemiologic Studies. Retrieved July 27, 2011, from National Center for Biotechnology Information: PMC: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144502/
UNODC. (2017). UNODC: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Retrieved from World Drug Report 2017: 29.5 million people globally suffer from drug use disorders, opioids the most harmful: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/releases/2017/June/world-drug-report-2017_-29-5-million-people-globally-suffer-from-drug-use-disorders--opioids-the-most-harmful.html
