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Prompt: Research a social problem that was NOT discussed in this course

Sociology

  • Prompt: Research a social problem that was NOT discussed in this course. Write a paper that is supported by research and defines why the issue is a social problem. What theoretical perspective would you choose to attempt to explain the social issue? Justify why you would choose this perspective. Utilize Scripture to support how your Christian worldview approaches this issue. Does the church seem to have this approach? Justify your response.

 

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Social Problem: Civil Rights and Racial Discrimination

            In recent years, America has experienced a myriad of debates and demonstrations seeking to raise awareness on the rising cases of racial discrimination. Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, riots broke out across America fueled by individuals who felt that the efforts made by the Civil Rights movement had not borne fruits. Furthermore, globalization has made it possible for individuals to move from different parts of the world to others irrespective of their race. This has however led to a situation where racial discrimination becomes a social issue. This has thus ensured that racial discrimination is not only experienced within American borders but also in other parts of the globe. Civil rights and racial discrimination are thus a social problem that requires global attention to effectively and comprehensively eliminate. Understanding the roots and form in which civil rights and racial discrimination exist as a social problem is one of the most efficient ways of addressing this issue.

            When individuals are discriminated against based on their color, race, or ethnicity, the human part of such an individual is humiliated. Humiliation affects the socio-emotional well-being of an individual. In the current world, cases of depression and socio-emotional issues have multiplied immensely leading to an effective society. Studies have shown that the effect racial discrimination has on the socio-emotional wellbeing of individuals has a huge role in dictating the mental state of society. For instance, Macedo et al. (2019), discovered that Aboriginal Australian children tended to report socio-emotional turmoil more frequently compared to the other Australian children. This has been attributed to the massive cases of racial discrimination that these children face within the community and schools. Therefore, the result sees a generation of children that have been depressed and are incapable of contributing effectively to the building of society. This shows that racial discrimination harms the growth and development of societies, making it a social problem that needs to be addressed.

            According to Krieger (2012), America has faced some of the most serious cases of racial discrimination and civil rights violations. These violations have more often than not targeted a specific group or race to be precise. The African-American community has been affected by these discriminatory tendencies that have even hindered access to some of the basic civil rights. However, after the uproar, several changes have taken place that has seen the African-American community finding life a bit easier. While positive steps have occurred towards correcting this issue on civil rights violation and racial discrimination, there are still cases where this social problem persists (Dayal, 2018). In the current American society, racial discrimination still exists in several forms. For instance, in the healthcare sector, African-Americans are still not able to access quality medical care. The places where these communities are found are known to lack proper healthcare facilities (Stanley et al., 2019). When this is the case, the sick and old from these communities lack appropriate care measures leading to increased mortality rates. This means that a particular race is facing serious health issues due to the particular race that they belong to. Racial discrimination is thus a social problem that is affecting how a community lives.

            Racial discrimination is not confined to what happens within communities between individuals of different races. It is experienced in a much larger platform where its existence seems to disadvantage individuals deemed to be of different races. This form of racial discrimination often called institutional racism leads to a system where a culture has been created within the country’s key institutions leading to policies and practices meant to disadvantage a particular community. When this happens, Jones (2005) claims that injustices will often happen but due to the normalized nature of these injustices nothing will happen. For example, cases where police officers are more aggressive when handling groups of a particular race compared to how they handle groups from other races. Furthermore, institutionalized racism is also seen in organizations that find it difficult to employ individuals of a particular race due to an existing culture. This has thus increased unemployment cases among communities such as Blacks and Hispanics. Increased unemployment leads to other social evils such as increased crime rates and drug use within these communities (Pager and Shepherd, 2008). The result is having a community that is impacted by the original racial discrimination. This further solidifies the notion that racial discrimination is a social problem that needs to be addressed immediately to eliminate the continuing negative impacts.

            In America, housing discrimination is fueled by the underlying social problem, racial discrimination. According to Santiago-Rivera and his fellow authors (2016), people of color have often been given a raw deal when purchasing houses. This has led to a situation where people of color are only found in certain despite their ability to purchase a house. This kind of discrimination has seen a large number of individuals incapable of living in neighborhoods that have been categorized as predominantly white. Furthermore, a person of color requires more money to purchase a house compared to the money that a white person will need to purchase the same house. This is evidence that racial discrimination leads to extortion where individuals are subjected to financial burdens due to their color, race, or original ethnicity.

            After establishing that racial discrimination and civil rights violation is a social problem that will often affect the whole community irrespective of one’s race, it is crucial that effective approaches are determined and initiated to lead to positive changes. As is already seen, all social problems are started and fueled by individuals within the community. This means that people are the driving force required to initiate these changes. Changing people requires a deep understanding of what motivates and inspires people. One such motivational concept is religion. In this case, Christianity can be taken as a possible approach capable of changing people.

            The creation story in the Christian Bible offers insight into how God intended humans to exist. In the creation story, God decides to create humans in his image and likeness, meaning that everyone was created from one perfect form. As a Christian, this means that everything that God created is perfect. The perfection of God’s creation makes everything good and equal. Having been created in God’s image, all humans are made in God’s image and likeliness. This makes everyone equally irrespective of their color or ethnicity. This is because the origin of everyone is from God and thus our origin is from one being. This makes us family and should always encourage to question these doctrines and ideologies that try to separate us on differences based on color, race, and ethnicity. When this approach is relayed to society and well-understood, the result will see the rise of informed individuals capable of putting aside their differences. People of all colors, races, and ethnicities will then unite to topple ideologies and concepts founded on racism.

            According to the Gospels, love should be the founding principle of anyone who proclaims Jesus Christ as his savior. The teachings of Jesus have been the root instiller of love for one another in society. There is an instance where Jesus teaches that “you should love your neighbor as you love yourself.” For believers of Christ, this teaching alone if followed to the latter, has the power to transform societies. When one loves their neighbor as they love themselves, then racial discrimination cannot exist in such a society. When Jesus said neighbor, he was referring to anyone within our surrounding. A neighbor is an individual that we interact with and does not specify their race, color, or ethnicity. Therefore, adhering to the teachings of Jesus will eliminate racial discrimination for a neighbor can be anyone. Furthermore, loving my neighbor will mean that I won't subject them to harm or watch by as they are harmed.