How Does an Issue Come to be Regarded as a Social Problem - Essay Example

How Does an Issue Come to be Regarded as a Social Problem Introduction The field of sociology connects directly with what civilization considers as acceptable and what society considered as being unacceptable. While Europe and the western world today can claim to be a bastion of culture, liberty and revolutionary ideas, there was a time when the situation was quite different. Less than a hundred years ago, many western countries did not think that women were eligible to vote. Where there are topless beaches, the idea of a woman showing her knee was taken as shameless. Where there is talk of peace and tolerance, innocents were burnt at the stake as witches. Clearly, there are a number of factors involved in making social change. Time does play a part but changes normally do not come of their own accord. There are several forces such as political influences, technological innovations, economic changes, legal demands and other catalysts which drive how a social problem can become a social issue that demands action from the people at large (Hill, 2003). An analysis of these forces therefore is very important for all students of sociology and human behaviour since an understanding of these forces can lead to an understanding of how the norms of society change. In many ways, these forces are also connected with each other and certain drivers of social change overlap amongst the factors mentioned above. For example, the media is one source of social awareness which overlaps with technology and with the economy since individuals which are socially better off may have access to various types of media such as the internet and foreign news sources while those in a lower stratum of society may not be aware of such avenues of getting of information (Baldock, 2004). Therefore, it is better if an analysis is made individually for these factors to show they can convert issues into social problem. Political Influences Perhaps the easiest way today to make an issue a social problem is to bring it into politics and it can easily be used to distract the public from other issues which might be more pertinent or important. For example, the war on terrorism is a prime situation where the attention of the media, the newspapers, public opinion as well as private discussion were all diverted towards the topic and other problems like the genocide in Sudan, the rising poverty levels of the world and the problem of the environmental degradation of the planet due to human activity were all pushed under the carpet. This situation, If not permanently true, was at least very true for the time being. For example, the case of Hurricane Katrina was one such situation where political influences were important in making the issue of the rehabilitation a social problem for all of America. Gerson (2006) reports that: “Hurricane Katrina revealed a kind of persistent poverty that leaves many Americans with no connection to, or stake in, the American economy. It also revealed a political class in Washington, in both parties, that seems to view this as an unfortunate fact of life, rather than a scandal that must eventually be addressed (Gerson, 2006, Pg. 42).” Undoubtedly, politics played a huge part in how, when and where the victims of the hurricane were provided medical and financial assistance. At the same time many errors were committed in handling the situation and the democrats were quick to call on the incompetence of the government which simply could not handle the situation. The problems as created by the flight of a great number of refugees to neighbouring states and the development of a sustainable program to assist presently suffering individuals as well as to protect Americans from future problems are indeed social issues. However, these should have been thought of before the hurricane rather than after it. Strangely enough that is how social policy is often created i.e. after the occurrence of the event rather than with foresight and planning for events which might occur at some future date. The debate on the foresight of political leaders or social planners for our society is beyond the scope of this essay but it can be said that from examples taken in our past history, they leave much to be desired of them. Neylan (2005) made a very clear recommendation about these risks when he said that: “To deal with these risks, bureaucracies must establish ways of explicitly assessing the uncertainty, imprecision and social construction that often lies behind the evidence presented as numbers, evidence that can easily be accepted on face value and be turned uncritically into decision-making rationales (Neylan, 2005, Pg. 23).” Similar subjects can be found in the issues of legalised abortion, stricter gun controls and same sex marriage which are political issues as well as social issues in the United States (Baldock, 2004). Clearly, these were not problems per se when America was founded but have come to the surface in recent years when awareness about the issue was raised and people began to question things as they were. Public opinion matters a lot when politics are concerned and the decisions to convert an issue (real or otherwise) into a social problem that is begging for a solution can be up to the politicians of a country (Hill, 2003). The Influence of Technology Gerson (2006) is quite clear on the point that having the technology to solve a problem often makes it a moral necessity for the owners of that technology to help others who do not have access to it. For example, the modern western world has developed cures for many diseases which were previously thought to be incurable. Awareness of these advances in biotechnology makes it known to lesser developed countries that they can be helped by the US and the EU which in turn makes the public in these countries look to the government for support. Malaria and tuberculosis are two examples of diseases which are not much of an issue for a country like America. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, these diseases are indeed an important social problem which requires urgent attention. Gerson (2006) says that: “We see the deadly prevalence of AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and diabetes in the developing world, and we also possess the technologies and resources to prevent and treat those diseases. Our capabilities create responsibilities. Our indifference creates casualties. Confronting disease abroad is generally not ideologically controversial; it is a matter of political will (Gerson, 2006, Pg. 42).” Clearly this is an area where technology, politics and economics all collide since there is also an economic element by which drugs researched with heavy investment can not really be provided for free. However, the social need of others is a compelling problem which does not seem to have an easy and ready made solution for the governments of the world. Technology has also changed the way information is given and received by the public. The internet is one such resource of information where even a basic grasp of technology can open a whole world of new thoughts for the people. One can not be sure if the internet has played a significant part in changing how the majority of people think about social issues but it must be understood that it does allow millions of people to communicate with millions more which certainly generates its own feedback into what issues become recognized as a part of our social problems (Hill, 2003). Economic Influences The study of society can not be separated from how the changes in the economy affect society. During the time of an economic boom a country faces different social issues as compared to when it is going through a comparative state of depression (Baldock, 2004). For example, the idea of the welfare state and the idea of state provided funding for some people during the times of high unemployment is quickly raised as a social problem. On the other hand, during a state of near full employment, this does not seem like a very important issue. Similarly, when a company like Enron defrauds its investors and shareholders it becomes an important social issue since many thousands of individuals had invested in the stocks of this company. Had there been one or two individuals it probably would not have even made an acceptable story for the media. There were many people who were seeking answers as to what happened to their money and what happened to their retirement fund and no one had any clear answers to their questions. Neylan (2005) reports that: “In formulating social policy the administrative arm of government relies heavily on number-based significations of knowledge, such as needs indicators and performance measures. Relying on numbers increases administrators confidence in their decisions and shifts responsibility for error away from the decision-maker and towards the numbers (Neylan, 2005, Pg. 23).” The numbers game in economic terms is very important simply because a fraud of a few dollars is nothing more than street crime while a white collar criminal that makes off with billions is headline news indeed. The actions taken by the government after the economic scandals of Enron and other companies clearly show that the government did consider it to be a social problem which clearly needed active help and control. Conclusions Any given issue can be considered a social problem if there are enough people talking about it, enough media personalities pushing the line on it and enough academics related persons discussing it at conferences and seminars. Does that make the issue important for society at large? I do not think that it does because we really can not know if something is important for society we can only know what is important for us or perhaps our loved ones. It is therefore far more important to trust the word of researchers in the field; the people who are actually conducting active studies on society and the social setup which we all live in. For example, a media crusader for scientology can not do much towards making scientology and issue for the general public, but if a respected researcher reports that scientology or other new age religions are having an effect on the fabric of society then it is more plausible that the issue really is there. Of course our reaction to the study might be quite different as compared to how we would react to the statements of an actor who believes in scientology since the person who comes from academia can be expected to know a lot more about the functioning of society. Overall, it seems that many social problems seem to be a creation of the information we receive rather than actual problems faced by society. For example, the situation of the homeless is seen so often and they are so easily spotted in society that it does not remain a problem to be discussed at any length in the media. Pedophilia or any other serious crime such as hate related murder is certainly big news and whatever becomes the ‘hot topic’ for the media becomes a huge social issue for the country as a whole. Essentially, the way we are presented information and the things which are highlighted for us are social issues while other problems remain the facts of life about which nothing can be done. Works Cited Baldock, J. 2004, Social Policy, OUP. Gerson, M. 2006, ‘A New Social Gospel’, Newsweek, vol. 148, no. 20, pp. 40-43. Hill, M. 2003. Understanding Social Policy, Blackwell. Neylan, J, 2005, ‘Quantifying Social Entities: An Historical-Sociological Critique’, Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 23-40. Read More