Week 2: Problems In Society
1192 words by cdennis1
Three of the biggest issues I see facing the world today are access to health care, hunger, and inequality in education. It would seem that in this age of technology that humans would be capable of eradicating some of the simplest problems. We are capable of creating children through in vitro fertilization, we can clone animals, and we can send individuals to explore space but politics sit in the way of making solutions to aid the general public. The United States is one of the only industrialized nations that does not offer universal health care. I am not saying we are not a benevolent country, it is clear that we are. Thousands of people volunteer their time, effort and monies for greater goods in society but when it comes to one of the most fundamental needs our country falls short. The United States considers itself a leader in all fields but when it comes to helping its own it lags behind. I feel that the United States is so engrossed with trying to be the leader in all things that when it is clear that they are not ahead of the competition they sabotage efforts to conform to other nations ideas even when they are clearly better than the solutions we have provided in fear of having to fall in the role of a follower.
It is evident that the citizens of the United States are in need of universal health care. I know from personal experience how dire circumstances can get when someone falls ill. In my community you did not go to the hospital unless you broke a bone or looked like you were dying. Many working class citizens, including my family, live from paycheck to paycheck. We only have the bare minimum to survive. One lost paycheck could mean living out on the street. God forbid that the breadwinner of the house becomes stricken with illness. Years ago I remember my mother getting very sick and having to stay home from work for two weeks. For people who can afford it, a two week break might have seemed like a vacation for them but it meant more hardships for our family. Not until the next year when my mother filed taxes and collected a tax return were we able to get back on our feet. Until that time my mother had to constantly negotiate with bill collectors. Being behind on the bills was not the thing that got me the most but it was the fact that my mother does not have insurance and was not even able to see the doctor. As of now my mother still does not have any health insurance and she prays everyday that she does not get sick. Hell, I pray she doesn’t because we simply cannot afford it. It is sad that poor communities cannot have access to health care. Even if we were fortunate to have Medicaid, you still are not granted the same luxuries as people who have private health care insurance.
Another issue in society is hunger. Some nights I see paid programmings that show how children in less developed countries dying of hunger. Hunger is not just a problem abroad but at home as well. When I walk the streets of Chicago I constantly see minority men and women begging for food on the streets. Again I think, how can the United States let its people starve? We can go out and buy the latest in fashion, five hundred dollar purses, and designer dogs but we cannot feed the citizens. Angelina Jolie and her children command more attention on television that the thousands of people starving on the streets of highly populated cities. People see the hunger of people as a personal problem. Somehow that individual got themselves in that predicament but when its thousands of people starving it is no longer a problem but an issue; an issue that needs to be addressed regardless of how sad it sounds.
The third issue I see that deserves attention is inequality in education. The landmark decision in the Brown vs. Board of Education case was more than fifty years ago and unfortunately we still have segregated schools. Although it is not explicitly stated that schools are segregated it is not that hard to jump to that conclusion. I know my city used to have one of the best school systems in the country but when the wealth of the steel mills collapsed so did the economic plight of its citizens. Most of the wealthy people left leaving many Blacks without jobs. My hometown is more than ninety percent Black and more than half the people are unemployed and on welfare. Our educational system is constantly on blast in newspapers saying that it is one of the worst in the state of Indiana. My city is now considered one of the most violent cities and in recent years has gained the notorious title of “Murder Capital”. When high achieving students try to go to neighboring school systems most do not get in. Not until recently have students been allowed to go to a school in a nearby city but even the demographics in that city are changing. As more black people flock to the city more white people move further out to smaller towns and with that are viable teachers. Most of the teachers in Gary’s school system were there to collect a paycheck. I do not know how many times we were told “I got mine, you got to get yours.” When the teachers are apathetic about their jobs and what they teach then you know the system is in total shambles. It hinders students from doing the best that they can.
The issue with inequality in education is a subject that I think I could make a difference in. Last year we did a service learning project with some students at a local charter school and I noticed that many were deficient in math and science. Our society is turning toward STEM careers and minority students are falling behind. I think if I could make science more appealing and fun that students would see that as an option. I asked a lot of the students what they wanted to do when they grew up and most of them said video girls, rappers or athletes. I think more exposure to science would make young students take it into consideration.
As far as the policy on plagiarism I fully understand it. Give credit where credit is due. If not then it is considered plagiarism. Last week in class I looked on the syllabus and saw the statement “why there is no such thing as the Bible” and I was like what? I thought we were going to negate the whole existence of the Bible. I never thought about the Bible just being a collection of books I just assumed that some prophet had put them together but I knew that it was not one continuous work. I now wonder how these books were kept long enough to make the Bible.