Thinking about Social Problems

 Chapter 1: Thinking about Social Problems
I choose this chapter because I think that it is one of the most important chapters in the book. It teaches you what exactly a social problem is, how it becomes and social problem, and that its can change over time. Without Social Problem being identified by a society they cannot be fixed.

What is a Social Problem?

219-pound 8 year old boy shows growing problem of extreme obesity, an article by Kim Palmer (2011) tells of an overweight boy being taken from his mother. Over the past decade the United States has been battling obesity. Michelle Obama has claimed childhood obesity as a social problem she is going to fight. Read this article on a current social problem http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/03/us-obesity-children-idUSTRE7B202A20111203

















What would you consider a social problem?....Well, your probably right. Social problems are not problems unless thought to be by society. We decide what a social problem is and this opinion changes over time. According to our text Understanding Social Problems, there is no universal, constant, or absolute definition of what constitutes a social problem.

Two  important elements of all social problems:
  • An objective social condition
  • A subjective interpretation of that social condition
 This link will take you to short definitions of the two elements and some examples of changing social problems http://www.bolender.com/Dr.%20RonSOC1023G%20Social%20Problems/Units/Unit%201%20Thinking%20about%20Social%20Problems%20as%20a%20Sociologist/What%20is%20a%20Social%20Problem.htm



Below: A group of students in this video "Critical Approaches to Social Issues - Academic Connections" (2008) share their opinion on what they learned and think are social issues facing us today.





    This quote by Emma Goldman (n.d.) makes me think of stories that you hear that sounds so horrible they can't be true, but they are;
    " One cannot be too extreme in dealing with social ills; the extreme thing is generally the true thing."

    Gunjan Singh wrote and article of America's biggest social problem (2011), check it out at this link for more insight on what American's are recognizing as our bigger problem today, its far from tea drinking (Understanding Social Problems 2009 pg. 3). http://www.examiner.com/cognitive-science-in-national/what-is-america-s-biggest-social-problem

    Visit this website to learn more about different type of abuse in "Love" Relationships. Physical abuse usually leaves a mark, but how about emotional abuse? This site has 11 warning signs of Emotional Abuse. Learn more here: http://l-pawlik-kienlen.suite101.com/different-types-of-abuse-in-love-relationships-a12723

    Referenes:



    [Begging Child] Retrieved from http://www.thehumanrightsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/3299812868_2e36c88b73.jpg

    Mooney, L. A., Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2000). Understanding social problems (7th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Wadsworth. 

    Critical Approaches to Social Issues- Academic Connection. (2008,July 25). [Video]. Retrieved from  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEr1jhfnTxI

    Goldman, E. [Quotation]. Retrieved from http://quotes.dictionary.com/subject/social%20problems  

    Reuters. (2011). 219 pound boy shows growing problem of extreme obesity. Retrieved from 
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/03/us-obesity-children-idUSTRE7B202A20111203
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