Social Problems in the US: Gun Violence, Racism, and Drug Abuse - Essay Sample

Introduction

A social problem is an issue that faces a considerable number of individuals within a society (Gabor, 2016). In the United States, many issues confront ordinary American citizens due to the great diversity that the country has in terms of religion, race, and economic background. However, three areas can be identified as significant problems in the contemporary United States, and they include gun violence, racism, and drug abuse. These issues challenge the prosperity and cohesion of the American people and will require a collective effort from the government, private sectors, and the citizen at large to work together towards the eradication of the problems.

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Gun violence is complex and deeply rooted in American culture. Based on Amnesty international 2013 statistical findings, it was found that guns kill more than 38,000 and injure about 85,000 people each year in the United States (Gabor, 2016). The contemporary gun problem started in the 1980s and early 1990s when homicide rates surged in cities across the United States. What worsens the problem is that most people have guns, and thus when confrontations occur, the likelihood of death is significantly increased due to aggressive thoughts and reactions. To address the challenge of gun violence, the federal and local governments have imposed limitations which prohibit the sale of certain firearms to ordinary citizens. Also, various civil groups have advocated for abolition gun ownership (Gabor, 2016). Citizens have also aired their concerns through demonstration and online platforms where most people have suggested strict laws to be put in place to reduce gun violence.

Racism is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities, and that the differences in the skin color make a particular group of people more superior to others. Racism in the United States has been a common problem where its root cause dates back to the introduction of slavery in the United States. Although the civil right movement achieved considerable gains in the 1950s and 1960s, the majority of Americans (about 60%) still believes that white people benefit from advantages in the society that black people do not have (Okun, 2013). To aggress this challenge, the government has put in place laws that prohibit racism and has imposed massive punishment towards racist people. The nonprofit organizations have taken the responsibility of educating the people on the effects of racial segregations.

Drug abuse, also known as substance abuse is the use of chemical substances that increase the risk of problems and the inability to control the use of the drug (Kalunta-Crumpton, 2016). Nearly three-quarters of the American people consider drug addiction to be a severe problem. The drug challenges became a significant problem in the 1980s and early 1990s, and since then, they have only advanced from bad to worse. Currently, drug abuse poses serious public health problems that affect every community by causing violence, stress, homelessness, robbery, and child abuse (Kalunta-Crumpton, 2016). The government is working with other stakeholders to offer rehabilitation services to drug addicts, on the other hand, members of the public have become vigilant and have reported people whom they suspect of selling drugs in their community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the social problems that the Americans face are not new to humans, nor are they isolated to a specific geographical location. However, the American people will need to work with their government and the various stakeholders involved to ensure that problems of racism, gun violence, and drug abuse are eliminated in the foreseeable future. These challenges should not divide the citizens; instead, they should be the glue that binds them together in the collective hope of eradicating them and establishing a utopian community.

References

Gabor, T. (2016). America's Gun Violence Problem. Confronting Gun Violence in America, 3-19. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-33723-4_1

Kalunta-Crumpton, A. (2016). Drugs and Drug Control in the United States. Pan-African Issues in Drugs and Drug Control, 349-374. doi:10.4324/9781315599335-17

Okun, T. (2013). Teaching about Race and Racism: The Imperative of History. Teaching Race and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America, 55-64. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7101-7_6