Top 10 Social Issues

[killyourtv]

I'm taking an ethics class at the moment, and I was wondering if each of you could list what you personally think are the top 10 social issues in America to date. Things like health care, lack of affordable housing, etc. Also, if you could think of some causes for your top social issue, that'd be interesting to hear as well.

[Shatter590]

gay marriage
Abortion
separation of church and state
immigration
health care
the war/terrorism
education reform
corruption in government
religion
welfare
police brutality
identity theft

im sure ill think of more.

[silverstein91]

let me add social security to that

[awakenarogue]

education reform
racism/sexism/discrimination
accountability of government
active political participation
welfare
health care
religion/government
gay marriage

those are the things that came to mind

[TxRepresent]

gay marriage
Abortion
separation of church and state
immigration
health care
the war/terrorism
education reform
corruption in government
religion
welfare
police brutality
identity theft

im sure ill think of more.

Just add social security and he hit the nail on the head.

[Shatter590]

Just add social security and he hit the nail on the head.

like i said, i knew i forgot one.

[Justin_stacy]

In descending order....I guess.

Taxes (requires two spots).
.
Immigration.
Education.
Family Promotion/Child Care.
Abortion restrictions.
Foreign policy reform/war.
Shrinking Government.
Voter rights.
Healthcare reform.
Blue collar job creation/sustaining/protection.
Crime Prevent.

[killyourtv]

In descending order....I guess.

Taxes (requires two spots).
.
Immigration.
Education.
Family Promotion/Child Care.
Abortion restrictions.
Foreign policy reform/war.
Shrinking Government.
Voter rights.
Healthcare reform.
Blue collar job creation/sustaining/protection.
Crime Prevent.


Immigration--definitely one I can use for this paper I'm writing. Thanks for all your input everyone. You're helping me out a lot.

[LoveHate]

gay marriage
Abortion
separation of church and state
immigration
health care
the war/terrorism
education reform
corruption in government
religion
welfare
police brutality
identity theft

im sure ill think of more.

racism, "glass ceiling", social acceptance (as far as race, social class, your sexual expression ie. gay, straight, bi, trans, whatever) ...that's all I can think of that you didn't say.

[doubleskeet]

money
power
respect

[EnderDove]

money
power
respect

He asked for social issues, not what you desire in life.


Can I just paint it with a broad stroke and say government?

[Shatter590]

racism, "glass ceiling", social acceptance (as far as race, social class, your sexual expression ie. gay, straight, bi, trans, whatever) ...that's all I can think of that you didn't say.

i dont think id put racism in a top 10- id probably lump it in with social equality and just throw that up there. i think gay rights of late have cast a shadow on "traditonal" racism in the public eye.

[Love As Arson]

It is surprising that no one mentioned the severe income inequality that has been created over the past thirty years.

[theESCO]

It is surprising that no one mentioned the severe income inequality that has been created over the past thirty years.

That's exactly what I cam in here to mention. The distance between "classes" is becoming more and more evident ever year. With wages still being where they are, and the cost of living going up the way it is, there's a lot of families who were once lower to mid middle class that are now stuggling to get by.

[Shatter590]

It is surprising that no one mentioned the severe income inequality that has been created over the past thirty years.

stratification is always a silent problem. its always there, but it keeps getting overshouted by all the "flavor of the month" issues. i think in part its because its the one issue politicians on both sides refuse to speak about.

[Salomonbz90]

stratification is always a silent problem. its always there, but it keeps getting overshouted by all the "flavor of the month" issues. i think in part its because its the one issue politicians on both sides refuse to speak about.
The way it's going now, there looks like no hope for a close in the gap any time soon. As long as immigration stays where it's at right now, it's only going to get bigger and bigger.
As far as your 'flavor of the month' comment, I agree. I have not heard one candidate bring this up. Not like it's one of the top 10 issues of the election, but it is without a doubt an issue that needs to be looked at. It's getting pushed behind abortion, immigration and every other issue named in all the 'top 10' lists posted here.

[Shatter590]

The way it's going now, there looks like no hope for a close in the gap any time soon. As long as immigration stays where it's at right now, it's only going to get bigger and bigger.
As far as your 'flavor of the month' comment, I agree. I have not heard one candidate bring this up. Not like it's one of the top 10 issues of the election, but it is without a doubt an issue that needs to be looked at. It's getting pushed behind abortion, immigration and every other issue named in all the 'top 10' lists posted here.

its not that any other issues arent just as pressing, but youll notice how they always sycle- every month another hotbed issue takes up the airwaves and the debates, while stratification is never brought up. then, a few months later the issues have all changed to whatever this celebrity is protesting. its too fickle for any real change to be implemented.

[SPI]

Most, if not all of these are bound to have been said by now (too lazy to read the thread), but I'll chip in:

(no particular order of importance)

Health insurance
(Lots of stories going around on the news lately about how the majority of Americans are not covered - this would actually be news worthy if we had a national "socialist" system where everyone was supposed to be covered. It's an elective, costly privilege/near luxury and not something that is required in order to receive treatment. A more valid news story would maybe be about how the majority of Americans (especially the lower-income Americans who are usually the subject of these reports) presumably feel about adding one more monthly / semi-annual / annual expense to their negative (credit debt) budgets.

Gay marriage
This would be a more valid social debate if people couldn't argue against civil unions of all things. Since (in my opinion) cohabitation is the next natural step in a relationship (dating < moving in together < marriage < divorce) it'd be logical to at least start with allowing homosexual civil unions. I can understand (to a point) where people (especially religious people) wouldn't want gays to marry in their local, say, Catholic church. But then again, I can't understand why gays would want to be married in the Catholic church in the first place. Also, if the priest was willing to perform a gay marriage chances are he wouldn't remain a priest for long. It's a non-issue, for the most part. The real problem here is religious dinosaurs in our society still think cohabitation (or, again, the next natural step in a relationship) is immoral, even (and sometimes especially) for heterosexuals. Arguing against the perceived "unnatural" by denying it's natural progression cancels it out. Society needs to jettison these holdovers before it can move on.

Public education
As a survivor of a relatively rural (yet still seemingly irreparable) public skewl system, I can't even begin to imagine what kind of problems plague inner city skools. I don't know a great deal about No Child Left Behind, but from what I've gathered it's illegal(?) to fail students? I should read more about it. In any case, standards have to be significantly lowered in order to pass collective idiots, ignoramuses, and slackers. Passing everyone isn't as important as not punishing the smart, capable, or even those with enough motivation to muster a C-. And, in the long run, passing everyone is less important than not producing a nation of dipshits. Private skewl vouchers aren't going to solve the problem. Throwing more money at skewls to build new bleachers isn't going to solve the problem. The problem is the combined epidemic of both student and teacher apathy. There really is no cure for apathy except the swift kick in the ass you receive when you're 30 and working at drive-thru. The students seem to be punished more for it, as teachers just keep striking and demanding pay raises for having the same bad attitudes and passiveness as the students. First rats off the sinking ship, I guess.

Immigration
This one is circular. Also swap 2 and 3.
1) Our government has ample means, motive, and opportunity to stem the time of illegals but is not doing so against the will of the people.
2) Anti-illegal immigration candidates on all three local, regional, and national levels are unelectable.
3) Vested corporate interests in exploiting immigrant labor.

Outsourcing
It's a more complex issue than one would think. Private corporations are free to outsource their production. That's the meat of the problem. The solution is ethically, politically, and economically questionable - the government placing restrictions on outsourcing, effectively telling corporations that they are not allowed to move production overseas. Necessary evil? Outsourcing is just one facet of the entire globalization debate in the long run.

Foreign policy
Israel is our #1 recipient of financial aid. Excessive financial aid actually retards their economic growth. Supporting Israel pisses everyone off, especially in the rather large Muslim world, which we happen to get most of our imported oil from.
The war on drugs is purported to be a domestic issue, but you'll notice we coincidentally invaded the world's #1 producer of opium and heroin under the banner of 'war on terror.' We largely ignore Colombia, the world's #1 producer of cocaine and a top ten player in producing and harboring terrorists.
America hosts the United Nations.
Clearly there are more questions to be asked than answered.

Abortion is a sub-issue of the overall gender role conflict. There is no clear problem or solution.

The so called "obesity epidemic" is the least important social issue, not only in America but in the history of civilizations. That a nation is prosperous and has an abundance of food has never been viewed as a problem let alone an epidemic until the very modern age, in fact in the last few decades. I'd say the bigger picture worth examining here is body image.

[Hamlet]

10 is a bit big isn't it? You can pretty much fit every social issue in there.

Also, make sure you chuck in global warming in the category "Issues people say they care about but really don't."

[Nevuk]

its not that any other issues arent just as pressing, but youll notice how they always sycle- every month another hotbed issue takes up the airwaves and the debates, while stratification is never brought up. then, a few months later the issues have all changed to whatever this celebrity is protesting. its too fickle for any real change to be implemented.
Its kind of stupid of the politicians to ignore stratification, as a large passive middle class is what a polity is dependent upon for success.

[Shatter590]

Its kind of stupid of the politicians to ignore stratification, as a large passive middle class is what a polity is dependent upon for success.

i find its the "if i ignore it, maybe itll go away" mentality. and its from both sides- the politicians AND the people. nobody wants to admit the gap between rich and poor is growing. especially those in the middle.