3. April 2010 by student.

Almost 70 million women and children around the world have been subjected to female ginital mutilation/cutting which is also referred as FGM/C. Female genital mutilation “comprises all surgical procedures involving partial or total removal of the external genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for cultural or non-therapeutic reasons.” This procedure is said to have began in Africa and through the years travelled to Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA.

Usually this procedure occurs between the ages of four and fourteen, but in other places in the world this procedure can take place on a female as young as under a year old. There are several different reasons why people do this to women. Some of the reasons are sexual, sociological, hygeine, health, and religious reasons. The genital area of a women is said to be dirty in some cultures which is why they surgically close it or in other cases, it is said to enhance fertility and child survival.

 What people in these cultures do not realize is that it is a violation of a womans rights. At age one, how is a baby supposed to stop someone from doing this to her? If a girl refuses to have the surgical procedure, they will face severe punishment. If the girl shows pain, they are made fun of.

There are many harmful effects of this procedure. Some of these include failure to heal, exessive scar tissue, excessive loss of blood, reproductive tract infection, and death.

This practice will always continue because they happen in small cultures and societies where many are not known. Even if others found a way to stop it, it would continue because it is a procedure that usually occurs in their own household with trained midwives. UNICEF showed much concern to this problem, but it still happens everyday. http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_genitalmutilation.html

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3. April 2010 by student.

Social Problems: Symbolic Interactionism

            The current social problems seen in our society today include, but are not limited to, violent crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and poverty. These three social problems are hot topics in the field of sociology and there are three main explanations that sociologists try to use to explain them, structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory. Out of these three explanations the one that best explains our society’s current social problems of violent crimes, drug and alcohol abuse, and poverty is symbolic interactionism.

            To begin with, violent behavior is any crime that causes harm to another or where the criminal threatens another with violence. Symbolic interactionism gives several explanations for violent crime, one of which I will mention. The first is known as the Neutralization theory, which gives five rationalizations for crimes that criminals use to justify their criminal behavior, four of which apply to violent crime. The first of these four is denial of responsibility, which basically means the criminal was propelled into crime because he had no other option. An example of this actually involves another of the social problems I will mention, poverty.  Many violent crimes occur because the deviant rationalizes that because he cannot afford food he must rob the local convenient store in order to eat. Even though the criminal is hungry he does not have the right to rob a store. The second is the denial of the victim, which means that the victim of the crime deserves whatever was coming to him. An example of this would be a person whose friend is murdered decides to payback the person responsible for it through violence, rationalizing to him self that he deserved it. The third way that this theory of symbolic interactionism explains for violent crime is through the rationalization of condemnation of the condemners. This means that the criminal believes he has the right to perform some violent crime because the authority figures are corrupt and perform the exact same crimes themselves. The fourth rationalization used by criminals is the appeal to higher loyalties. An example of this is if someone has a friend who gets hurt from another, this someone has the right hurt them back because to them friendship is a higher power than the law. This theory is only one of many offered by symbolic interactionism to explain violent behavior in today’s society.

            Symbolic interactionism explains for the drug and alcohol abuse problem in today’s society through Sutherland’s differential association. Sutherland’s differential association is usually applied to deviant behavior, however, it can just as easily give an explanation for drug and alcohol abuse. This theory explains for drug and alcohol abuse through the use of symbols. All throughout society symbols are used for all aspects of everyday life, including drugs and alcohol.  When the symbols and ideas about anyone of these aspects are viewed as more favorable than unfavorable, it will occur more often. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol are often put forth as positive and cool things in today’s society, which explains for their abuse in society.

            Symbolic interactionism explains for poverty through the logic that through their actions, individuals create the symbolic structures that make life meaningful. In other words, reality does not give meaning to things, but rather people must make things meaningful in order to make them socially real. This means that it is the people’s definition of something that makes it important or not. This may not give an explanation for all poverty, but it does offer an explanation for it in some cases. In today’s society things such as flashy cars and expensive jewelry are sometimes seen as more important than more realistic things, which will lead to people spending what little money they have on these less necessary things. In many cases this is the cause for some individual’s poverty.

            In conclusion, even though functionalism, symbolic, and conflict all offer explanations for society’s social problems, symbolic interactionism best explains for all three of the mentioned problems. Whether through Sutherland’s differential association or the Neutralization theory, or any of the other theories given in symbolic interactionism, symbolic interactionism offers an explanation.

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3. April 2010 by student.

In today’s America, when teenagers turn eighteen, we tell them they are adults and send them into the world. They can go to college, get a job, marry or join the military. They do grown-up things like vote, take out loans, pay taxes and become parents. They can drive cars, buy a gun, smoke, serve on a jury, and go to an adult prison. But they can’t go to a bar for a drink because when it comes to liquor and beer, they are still just kids. Why is it that you are considered an adult when you turn eighteen but when it comes to alcohol, eighteen year olds are not seen “mentally” ready for the consumption of alcohol? (Engs, Ruth C and Hanson, David J, Pg# 79-84)
          In 1984, the Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed. It required all states to increase their minimum drinking age to 21, or lose out on Federal Highway Funds. (www.mudpc.org) obviously, states don’t want to ever lose out on federal money so therefore, the act was passed. Should the drinking age be lowered to 18 years old, when one is considered an adult, and assumes adult privileges and penalties, or should the drinking age remain at 21 years old, since people are more mature and therefore, can be safe and responsible with alcohol? 

The debate over whether or not to change the drinking age to 18, or keep it at 21 has been discussed for years, continually brought up by special interest groups, such as MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who wants to keep the drinking age at 21.    One of the special interest groups in favor of lowering the drinking age is LAFAA – Legalize Alcohol for all Adults.  Another organization that would like the drinking age to remain at 21 is SADD, or Students Against Drunk Driving. (Brake, Mike)

Drinking under the age of 21 is illegal, and therefore seen as a rebellious activity by teenagers.  Some even believe it’s made drinking alcohol, especially abusively or excessively, more widespread among college students and others in the 18-to-21 category.  An editor for the National Review, Jona Goldberg said, “In some ways, it perversely encourages drinking because it made it a rebellious thing to do.” There are many surveys to suggest teen drinking is on the rise.  According to researchers, the average age that teens start drinking was 18 in the 1980’s, and has lowered to 16 in the 1990’s.  Half of high school students have consumed alcohol in the past month, and increase as students get older, according to a 1999 survey.  43.7% of 8th grade students, 62.7% of 10th grade students, and 74.3% of 12th grade students report using alcohol in the past year. People under 21 years of age continue to use alcohol even though it is illegal. (Philups, Randy, Pg.# 5)

Instead of society telling our young adults that we aren’t ready for alcohol and try to keep it in the dark from us, teach them about it; everything from the pros and cons and how to be responsible with it. It is natural for a person to be curious about what they cannot have and eventually the “too young adults” will experience what has been hidden from them. This is the reason for all of the underage drinking problems.  There is talk about raising the minimum drinking age, which does not make sense because as one can see from the statistics that were previously stated, young adults are getting their hands on alcohol in the first place. There are many ways to get alcohol as a young adult, from fake Identifications to drinks your parents stock in the cabinet. Duke President Richard H. Brodhead said. “If what we are doing now doesn’t work, then we have an obligation to ourselves, and to society, to explore what might.”

When you think about it, what is so great about 21? Are you really going to have an epiphany and be educated about drinking and know how to be responsible?                               “Currently, young people can legally purchase and drink alcohol only when they reach the arbitrary age of 21. There is no educational requirement before they can legally purchase, such as knowledge of legal limitations and liabilities, the facts of intoxication, or the role of intoxication in the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. There is no reason to assume that people suddenly and magically become mature or wise or thoughtful at any arbitrary age. Nevertheless, in a kind of simplistic hypocrisy, the age of 21 law has become part of our culture’s “solution” to the problem of irresponsible drinking.” Dr. Roderic B. Park of the University of Colorado. (Brake, Mike)
           Ideas of stepping up to the challenge of changing the youth culture from one that is too accepting of abusive behavior, to one that is intolerant of abuse, and promoting responsibility, are in the making. One idea that is being considered is establishing a type of “learner’s permit” for limited alcohol consumption, similar in concept to the driver’s permit. (Brake, Mike)

“With parental or guardian permission, a person under the age of 21 might apply for such a “license” which allowed limited use of beverage alcohol under monitored conditions where the licensee is held accountable. Licensing would occur within the context of educational programs and parental or guardian supervision. Permit cards, similar to a student driving license, could be issued for the purchase of alcohol and, like a driving license, could serve as a social contract used to help monitor the holder’s conduct.”( Brake, Mike) Before receiving the permit, you would have to pass a series of courses on the expectations of responsible use of alcohol, what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable conduct, and the consequences of alcohol abuse. (Brake, Mike) Very similar to the expectations for receiving a driver’s license; why not have the same for alcohol consumption?
           Giving people something to be responsible for is the best way for them to mature and become responsible. At 18, most students go to college and they are finally free to do what they want. (Engs, Ruth C., and Hanson, David J, Pg.# 79-84) The anticipation of the mind state is the biggest problem for young adults. They don’t know how to react to the situation of drinking. Many factors go into this topic but what would make the most change, is believed to be education.

            In conclusion, the prominence that alcohol has in young adults and teens is very big in today’s world. Obviously, the law that has been passed for the minimum drinking age of twenty one is not working. Young adults are still able to get their hands on any type of liquor or beer. As studies show, as the years go on, the average age of young teens/adults is getting lower and lower. The only way to prevent all of these horrible tragedies, such as drunk driving, is to educate the people. Giving them responsibility is the biggest thing. Once that changes, I believe that you will have a very different America in the coming years.

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