Applying social theory with a problem in today's society (Essay Sample)

Applying social theory with a problem in today's society Student Name Institution Introduction A society is a set of people, who share common values, culture, customs and interests. When people live together social problems are bound to arise and compound the society. I this paper I will generally discuss the social problems that engulf the society but narrow down to homelessness and a major problem in the society. I will discuss homelessness in the society and its consequences on daily life of the people. In addition, I will also discuss what the political leaders think about this social menace. Moreover, the paper will as well discuss the how social theory can be used to solve homelessness and other social problem. Furthermore, the paper will evaluate the homelessness issue and it theoretically application to try and provide solutions. Finally, will provide a conclusion of the discussion that is done in the paper. Current Social Problem A number of social issues surround the society today among them poverty, ethnic prejudice, homelessness, and gender disparity and take place at the community level. Nevertheless, local society can describe specific communal circumstances as community problems (Jennings, 1998). As the world population increase every day the issues of homelessness is becoming problematic and worse. This is a case where common citizens have no place to live and call home. They are suffering in cold, no food, and sometimes go for weeks or months in cold. Homelessness in Texas United States of America is a major social problem. Despite the booming and promising economic growth in Texas as a state in the United States of America, every financial a lot of residents in Texas residence experience one or more incidents of homelessness. The clear factors contributing to homelessness in Texas includes economic fall down and demographics. Lack of a place to shelter in Texas is a major problem statistics show that the problem is likely to continue for some time unless the state and federal government draw a working strategic plan to address it. The impact of lack of homes in Texas can be witnessed from the number of people and families in the streets. Another factor contributing to homelessness in Texas is poverty people are completely unable to pay for housing facilities in Texas. This is brought by poor income on the part of the citizens and housing affordability. Statistics goes further to say that most residents in Texas went and spent fifty percent of the earnings on rent alone. According to U.S. Department of Labor, and RealtyTrac (2010) Jobs were cut by four percent between 2009 and 2010 in Texas. This meant that the many people went unemployed and consequently they were not able to afford paying rent. In essence lack of homes in Texas touches on almost every person, there are sets of citizens that are at augmented risks. People who released from prisons, the old age, and persons released from adult care, and citizens without insurance cover are at risk of becoming homelessness. In addition, people who live with friends, relatives, families, or other non-relatives for economic reasons are at the risk of becoming homeless. In Texas America lack of homes is mainly attributed to deficient in basic needs and these is attributed to America’s structural factors in the late twentieth century, capitalist fiscal pickles. In spite of a variety of strategies meant to decrease the extent and effects of paucity among Texans, the residents of Texas continue to experience poverty that leads to homelessness. Specifically, structural policies in Texas‘s economy over the past few years have had a negative effect on the financial growth of the Texas economic growth. These changes can be attributed to the universal shift from industrial revolution to a more post industrialized and globalised economy. Nationally, this meant that the policies designed made the economy to shift from good jobs that paid good salary in manufacturing sector of the economy globalization system where all work is outsourced and Texans are left without any job hence paying rent is a problem. Certainly manufacturing companies in Texas created trade agreements with national and international firms which formed world economy that led to the loss of between 5% and 7% of jobs in the industrial sector. This definitely leads to low earnings and cannot afford to pay rent because houses are expensive. The civic leaders are concerned on the conditions of the homelessness in Texas. They are working together with state, federal governments and private sector to solve the social problem. They recommend a number of policies to help address the problem. First, voucher program like Residential Assistance for Families in Transition should be strengthened to and pump more money into the organization to support the homeless in Texas. However, the civic leaders are planning to oust the homeless people who are not complying with rules and by laws set in the state when they start evicting the street families. These approaches are meant clean the number of homelessness in Texas. The federal and Texas state governments have prepared laws and to manage homelessness but still there exist a big problem in terms of people who don’t own houses or cannot pay rent in Texas. There is no political will to reduce the social problem if not eliminate it. If the civic leaders had the will to solve the problem, they can do it without a problem but because they are not willing this problem remains serious social problem. A section of the leaders who are concerned about the problems have proposed a subsidized housing program where the state and federal government pays part of the rent until when the individual is able to pay rent by himself or herself. This proposal provides the best way to house the homeless in Texas. Availability of houses costing roughly $300 to $800 that allows the homeless to afford these houses. A few of the leaders who support this approach cannot manage to convince the majority who are not of the idea. The leaders are not concerned with these conditions that the homelessness people are facing. The problem will not be solved any time soon and kind of is a political strategy to maintain the status quo. Texas state government has not in any way invested money to allow the state put up housing facilities that will allow the homeless get shelter. Well paying jobs have been cut down dues the outsourcing and globalization and the wages have reduced drastically. Applying social theory to a modern problem Social theories are the mechanism demonstrates what the society is, the social problems in our society, and how various components interrelate. These are classical social presumptions with great range and aspirations that were created in Europe between the early 1800s and the early 1900s or have their roots in the culture of that period. Philosophers like John Rawls, Jeremy Bentham and many others developed these theories to demonstrate to the society the interrelationship between social problems and people. Jeremy Bentham clearly demonstrated how happiness is related to means to happiness. Patterson (1994) said that when an individual is wealthy the level of happiness will increase and will spill over the society. If an individual is poor the happiness diminishes and he becomes a social problem to the society. Nevertheless, Jeremy recognized and showed precisely the relationship between the principle of diminishing marginal utility that states “the greater the amount of utility a person already has, the smaller will be the utility gain of any extra increment of wealth”. Jeremy goes ahead to inquire the whether the unstopped search for happiness by an individual person is able to be reconciled with morality. He said the ethical principles of a society shape the happiness of a person. The good ethics that a person practices in the society brings happiness to him or her while the bad morals that members of a society exhibits or practices brings sorrow. According to Patterson (1994) classical social theories and its utilities define whom we include in the list to be part of the society. Social theories according Patterson (2004). and the Patterson (1994) in their writings of the social theories of justice articles demonstrate how social problems can be solved in the society structuring social issues to bring order. The two theorists in their articles they describe how organization of basic rules, regulations moral standards, social order justice systems can provide answers to most moral or ethical problems that we experience in the society. Problems such as poverty, homelessness, crime, among others are better answered through systems that are well structured mechanism, order in the society and doing to all members of the society. Homelessness is a social problem in Texas and Rawls and Jeremy use the conflict theory, constructivism to justify reasons why we must use society based structured systems o to solve such problems. They further go ahead and define how basic rights such provisions of homes are supposed to be dealt with. Rawls primarily is arguing that homelessness can be socially dealt with if the society clearly defines ideologies that bring fairness to all members of a society by regulating a model of a socially equitable society rather than with explaining to store fairness to all. He says that justice will enable the society to create policies that would form the basis of a perfect community. Homelessness in Texas is a social problem that has existed in the state for some years now. Lack of proper social principles as Rawls puts is the cause of the menace and the only way to solve the society must put in place clear, well structured measures accompanied with justice system. In addition, to solve the homelessness social problem he proposes the application of utilitarianism and communal convention theory. This approach provides a str...