Contemporary issues in America
Introduction
Human beings are social beings; hence are in contact with different groups of people who socialize them differently. Due to these interactions, contemporary issues are likely to arise and cause social problems that may hinder the development of a country or a society. The environment and conditions that a human being is put through play a critical role in the rise of contemporary social issues in a state. For example, due to poverty, people are likely to engage in criminal activities such as robbery, drug peddling, and prostitution. This makes it necessary for the government of a country to be observant on issues that may bring rise to social disorder in the country.
America is no different since it has shown to have many contemporary issues that have greatly affected the social relations among U.S. citizens. Since the U.S. gained its independence, many social problems have risen, with most of them having devastating effects on relations between the U.S. and the world at large. Issues ranging from crime, drug abuse, racism, nepotism, corruption, and abortion have stained the reputation of America with some of these problems proving to have no solutions over the years. Due to the nature of these problems, the U.S. government has been forced to put measures to reduce the impact of these problems on the American citizens and the economy.
Drug abuse
For many years, drug abuse has affected many youths in America, with millions of U.S. citizens being drug addicts. Drug and substance abuse is the intake of drugs in methods or amounts that have harmful effects on human life or health (Hora). The most commonly abused drugs in America range from marijuana to hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and meth. Hemp is an organic drug from the plant Cannabis Sativa. This drug can be consumed through smoking or mixing it with flour to make edibles such as cakes and cookies. This drug is addictive but not as compared to hard drugs such as cocaine.
This drug is prevalent among teenagers since it affects the brain functions causing relaxation of brain cells, commonly referred to as feeling high. However, this drug causes laziness in its user hence making them unproductive, making most of the American teenagers and youth a liability to the economy. Although the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has been approved in many states across America, most people use it for recreational purposes, making them addicts and unproductive members of society. According to research, marijuana effects range from madness, increase and decrease in appetite, memory loss, unexpected mood swings, and suicidal thoughts (Fishburne). The U.S. government can curb this problem through the sensitization of the effects of marijuana in schools and public gatherings.
Hard drugs such as meth, heroin, and cocaine not only have effects on a personal level but also to the economy and security of America. These drugs have exponential profits; hence the trade is run by cartels and gangs. The gangs that run this trade are notorious since most of them are armed with guns, which they use in protecting their business (Fishburne). Many gang-related murders have been reported over the years, with most of them being gang members and innocent members of the community. On a personal level, these drugs are highly addictive, and addicts have to keep on using the drug or suffer from withdrawal symptoms. These drugs can be consumed by smoking or inhaling through the nose, depending on their form, either as rocks or powder. The effects of this drug on personal health range headaches, intense happiness, decreased appetite, sexual troubles, bowel decay, mood swings, and loss of smell and, in extreme situations, death. (Hora)
In many states across the U.S., many deaths have been reordered from overdoses of cocaine and heroin, making this a matter of national security. The U.S. government has been engaging in the fight against the trade of drugs in America, but no long term solutions have been achieved. With many of the drugs coming from neighboring countries such as Mexico, the U.S. has tried measures such as closing borders and conducting body searches at the border, but still, large magnitudes of drugs make it to the U.S. (Hora). Since the high profits in this business, many youths, especially among the black community, have been lured into the market, with most of them dropping out of school to join the business. This has played a significant role in increasing levels of insecurity, especially in black neighborhoods. The first step in minimizing the rate of hard drug abuse is through educating people on the harmful effects of abusing drugs. However, the U.S. government should be vigilant in arresting drug dealers to reduce drugs available in the U.S. market.
Racism
Racism is another contemporary social problem in America. Racism is the discrimination of people due to the color of their skin. Most Native Americans believe in the notion that there are superior to other people hence creating grounds for racial abuse. In the U.S., black Americas and Mexicans are the most common victims of racial injustice and discrimination (Love). In America, it is sad to see that law enforcement officials such as the police are in the frontline of racial abuse against black Americans and Mexicans. Research has shown that black citizens are more likely to be arrested and convicted of crimes as compared to whites. In most cases, black people are wrongly convicted since prosecutors promise shorter sentences if they cooperate. It’s a shame that schools in America are ground for racial abuse against Mexicans and blacks. Black students face severe punishments for small offenses in schools as compared to whites. This makes it hard for students to learn since they have to be very careful about how they conduct themselves in the school compound.
Interviews on black drivers have shown that black people are twice likely to be stopped and searched by police as compared to whites (Scars). In more than a third of these incidences, the police didn’t find any contraband and did not have enough reasons to stop the car. This shows the magnitude of how racism is engraved in law enforcement. The job market is another area where blacks and Mexicans are discriminated against due to their race. In America, a white person is most likely to be employed with less qualifications as compared to a black person. In the 21st century, racism should be an issue of the past, but it is evident that it is still a contemporary issue affecting American society (Scars). Due to the sensitivity of this matter, the U.S. government, through learning institutions, should teach citizens that all people are equal in the world. Families also have a role in ensuring that their children grow in an environment where they can freely interact with people from different races. Law enforcement agencies should treat all citizens equally without discrimination based on color.
Abortion
Abortion is another contemporary issue that is very sensitive among U.S. women and society. Abortion is the removal of a baby from the uterus to end a pregnancy before the necessary time. Most women in America get unwanted pregnancies, and the only solution is abortion to get rid of the fetus. The issue of abortion has resulted in the rise of two groups; pro-life and pro-choice. Supporters of the pro-life base their arguments on Christianity, which states that all life is sacred, so abortion is an act of murder. After abortion was legalized in America, some radical members of the pro-life group started bombing abortion clinics to scare people from conducting abortions. However, the pro-choice group advocates for reproductive rights among women in America (Noonan). In an argument, members of the pro-choice advocate for freedom of choice on the matter involving abortion. People have different reasons for abortion, such as early pregnancies or unwanted pregnancies; hence a decision to abort should lie on the woman.
Research and studies have proven that making abortion illegal does not reduce the number of abortions in America. This makes it essential for the U.S. government to legalize abortion so that women do seek other alternatives that may endanger their lives. Since it is evident that abortion is a national wide social phenomenon, the U.S. should adopt methods such as providing birth control pills to reduce the rate of abortions. More abortion clinics should be licensed across the nation so that women can perform safe abortions that don’t have health complications. People who oppose abortion should be educated on the importance of legalization of abortions since abortion by quack doctors’ causes health complications on women, some even leading to deaths.
Immigration
Immigration in the United States of America is the most common phenomenon, with significant figures of about forty-seven million immigrants. It involves the international movement of non-Us citizens for permanent residence in the country. This phenomenon has been the primary rationale behind the population growth and cultural change throughout the entire nation of the state.
Importance of immigration in the United States
A wide variety of workforce has been guaranteed by the undocumented immigrants in the country. In the United States, the ratio of native citizens to immigrants is seven to one (7:1). This among the 19.1% of the immigrant population in the world. These immigrants are always in search of jobs, and they are often willing to take the job at any wage payment. In one of the reports extracted from a case study in a restaurant in California, it is noted that many workers in the restaurant are immigrants whose nationality is Mexico (Jagdish, 465). The main reason as to why they choose to work in the U.S. is because they find that labor in the country can be located easily in the place, unlike their original homeland.
Similarly, back in Mexico, where the immigrants originate from, there are no jobs; therefore, the people find it hard to survive in the area since they are all dependent on daily wages. The immigrants, who are also referred to as busboys, work with poor working conditions in the restaurant to finance their stay in the city as well as for their families back at their home, Mexico. In one of the interviews during the case study, one of the workers suggested that the city had too many opportunities that he could not leave the city.
Contribution of tax to the nation. Since the immigrant workers are in the country, specifically for working reasons, they make a significant contribution to taxes. From the Non-Partisan Congressional Budget Office reports, it is noted that fifty to seventy-five percent of the immigrant workers pay both federal and local taxes in the nation (John, 356). This is a direct reflection of how the immigrants contribute to the economy of the country. Despite their status of being undocumented, these immigrants, as well as their family members, add value to the U.S. economy not only through tax contribution but also as the consumers of the country’s local products and entrepreneurs.
Demerits of Immigrants existence in the US
Stiff competition in the labor industry. Since immigrants in the country accept any amount of payment in the workplace, they make the American workers settle for less pay. Therefore, the American government made a plan on how to reduce the influx of immigrants in the country to avoid such competition. The strategy in the plan was to make the working conditions unfavorable for the undocumented immigrant workers in their respective workplaces. From the case study in the workplace, it was observed that the immigrant workers could bear all the conditions, however hard they were. The managers in the restaurant were so hard on them, but they did not take it as a strategy.
Contrary to the philosophy of reducing the immigrant influx in the country, trade unions, as well as individual revolutions, led to a change in the working conditions for the undocumented immigrant workers in the country (David, 987). The revolutions led to a change in the perceptions of immigrant workers. Besides, the unions fought for change in workers’ rights to humans. With the change in the view of workers’ rights, the workers could no longer think of departing the place.
Overpopulation
The feature is a contemporary issue in the U.S. nations. The effect of overpopulation is also a major contributing factor to the poor economic levels in some regions where the issue is dominant. In some areas such as California, it has been observed that the major reason behind overpopulation is the issue of immigrants in the region. However, other factors contribute to the overpopulation in the U.S. nations as follows;
High poverty levels; from research done in some places like the interior of California, it is evident that overpopulation is associated with high poverty levels. The primary reason behind the issue is that that people living below poverty lines have a challenge of accessing family planning services as well as affording the services (David R, 123). In some cases, such people are not educated enough to understand the importance of family planning and how to undertake the service. Besides, some native Americans are too attached to their rigid culture, which does not allow smaller families.
High life expectancy has led to increased population rates. Since the rate of death among the elderly is slightly lower than the rate at which infants are being given birth. Similarly, the issue of influx of immigrants contributes largely to the population pressure in the states.
Conclusion
From the above research, it is evident that American Nations have different contemporary issues that are associated with significant impacts on the entire nation. However, some issues are too hard to solve as well as to contain. In some cases, where the immigrant issues are depicted, it is hard to completely resolve the issue since the challenges keep recurring over and over. The U.S. government has, in many ways, tried to control the issue of immigrant influx rates. Still, it has been difficult since there are obstacles such as trade unionism and the workers’ organizations that fight for the workers’ rights.
Concerning overpopulation issues, it is also evident that the many cities are having high population with several challenges associated to the phenomenon. Issues such as high crime rates in overpopulated areas such as the urban areas of the U.S. nations, for instance, Los Angeles, are very rampant. The problem has been in existence since time immemorial, and therefore the ordinary citizens are adversely affected. Drug abuse, on the other hand, is also rampant in the states of America due to unemployment issues among some citizens. Similarly, depression and stress issues contribute significantly to drug abuse. From case studies done by scholars, it was observed that many reasons that contributed to the high cases of drug causes are associated with prior issues of stress and depression. Abortion, on the other hand, is evident among the teen, and therefore they might not be in a position to keep a child. However, some women above teenage also practice abortion due to poverty cases.
WORK CITED
Bhagwati, Jagdish N., and Gordon Howard Hanson, eds. Skilled immigration today: Prospects, problems, and policies. Vol. 17. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Fishburne, Patricia M., Herbert Irving Abelson, and Ira H. Cisin. National survey on drug abuse: Main findings 1979. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Office of Medical and Professional Affairs, 1980.
Harlow, John. “Billionaire club in a bid to curb overpopulation.” The Sunday Times: May 24 (2009).
Hora, Peggy Fulton, William G. Schma, and John TA Rosenthal. “Therapeutic jurisprudence and the drug treatment court movement: Revolutionizing the criminal justice system’s response to drug abuse and crime in America.” Notre Dame L. Rev. 74 (1998): 439.
Jacobson, David, ed. The immigration reader: America from a multidisciplinary perspective. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1998.
Klein, David R. The problems of overpopulation of deer in North America. Vol. 119. Academic Press, New York, 1981.
Love, Erik. Islamophobia and racism in America. NYU Press, 2017.
Noonan, John Thomas. A private choice: Abortion in America in the seventies. New York: Free Press, 1979.
Sauer, Robert. “Attitudes to abortion in America, 1800–1973.” Population Studies 28.1 (1974): 53-67.
Sears, David O., et al., eds. Racialized politics: The debate about racism in America. University of Chicago Press, 2000.