Issues In Society

I wouldn't call this an emerging issue, but more like a consistent issue that just won't go away. That issue is poverty. We have covered poverty pretty extensively in class and it is a pretty big issue on a national scale as well as a global scale. About 25.000 people die every day of Hunger or Hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds. Yet there is more than enough of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the money to buy enough food to nourish themselves and their family. They become weak and usually get sick due to the malnourishment. When people in poverty get sick and cant work it then makes them even poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families. There are effective programs to break this spiral. For adults, there are "food for work" programs where the workers are paid with food to build schools, dig wells, make roads, and other various projects. This both nourishes them and builds infrastructure to end the poverty. For children, there are "food for education" programs where the children are with food service provided when they attend school.Their education will hopefully help them to escape from hunger and poverty and in the long run end poverty all together.

Hunger and World Poverty Sources: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) , Oxfam , UNICEF

I  thought that this video would be appropriate since it was made by students for their sociology class

Deviance and Crime

You need to distinguish between deviant behaviour and criminal behaviour. Criminal behaviour Deviant behaviour Crime consists of behaviour that breaks the law (e.g. murder, theft) Deviancy consists of behaviour that differs from the norms and values of wider society Those who exhibit deviant behaviour act and dress in a way that differs to the norms and values of wider society. One example of a deviant group is goths. Most cases of deviant behaviour are legal, but in some cases their behaviour can result in criminal activity. A group of people who exhibit deviant behaviour share their own norms and values that form a distinct subculture.         Deviant groups are often labelled by the media in a negative manner. Tabloid newspapers tend to take a more overtly biased approach towards labelling deviant groups, although labelling is not simply confined to the ‘red-top’ press. TV also plays a role in labelling certain groups. Deviancy amplification occurs when the media focuses upon the negative aspects of behaviour amongst deviant groups. One example would be the recent focus upon young people who wear hoods, who are often associated with causing trouble and engaging in criminal activity. The media’s portrayal of certain groups can even create a moral panic within society, which can result in those groups becoming modern-day ‘folk devils’ – groups that become a scapegoat for problems within society (e.g. asylum seekers). When groups are labelled, society will expect certain forms of behaviour from a particular group, such as people from an ethnic minority. These labels are often based upon stereotypes, and can be either positive or (in most cases) negative. For example negative labels of certain ethnic groups can be based upon racism. You also need to be aware of the potential impact of labels, such as a self-fulfilling prophecy. The behaviour of most people conforms to the norms and values of society. Our behaviour is heavily influenced by agents of social control; which can be classified as either formal or informal. Agents of formal control Agents of informal control Agents that enforce the rules of society, such as the police and the judiciary. Includes most agents of secondary socialisation, such as peer groups and religious institutions. Parents are also a significant agent of informal control. http://www.sociologyguide.com/questions/deviance-socialcontrol.php This site is like a FAQ page for deviance and social control. It presents numerous generic questions and then answers them. It also lists many links for all different sociology related topics. http://www2.asanet.org/sectioncld/ This site is ran by the American Sociological Association. It is their Crime, Law, and Deviance page. After exploring this site I learned a lot about deviance and crime that I wasn't aware of. I figured that this would be a great site to list since it is from a highly credible source. The information found in their research and publications links is very interesting. “In the U.S. you have to be a deviant or exist in dreary boredom. Make no mistake; all intellectuals are deviants in the U.S.” There is no den in the wide world to hide a rogue. Commit a crime and the earth is made of glass. Commit a crime, and it seems as if a coat of snow fell on the ground, such as reveals in the woods the track of every partridge, and fox, and squirrel. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Before college and before I decided on what I wanted to do with a career I was interested in criminal justice and other things that go along with it. I found this chapter really interesting because it showed crime and deviance from an angle that I wouldn't necessarily think about. I like seeing things from another perspective and this chapter definitely did just that. Before I finished reading this chapter I didn't see why a sociology book had a section on crime and criminal justice. After reading the chapter it is clear to see why. People are always committing crime, sad to say, and sociology is all about people and what they do.

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