Distribution of Wealth and Income in the United States

The current distribution of wealth and income in the United States has many people wondering what the underlying reasons are behind this growing inequality. First we must recognize the differences between wealth and income. Income is the amount of money brought into a household from various sources during a given period. Wealth is the current value of everything that a person owns subtracted from current debts.  According to page 190 of our Sociology: The Essentials book the wealthiest 1 percent own 33 percent of all net worth; the bottom 80 percent control only 16 percent. The top 10 percent also own 88 percent of all stock; the bottom 40 percent own less than 1 percent of total stock holdings.

These numbers represent the vast inequality of wealth in the U.S. In fact according to our book, the United States is one of the most "unequal" nations in the world. So now you might be asking why is there so much inequality? Due to the current economic situation in the United States, more and more people are finding it harder to create their own wealth.  Society is making it difficult to find good paying jobs as well as harder to afford a college education. Therefore most of the wealth in this society is inherited. There are people who make their way into the high class by their own success, however this is rare. Race also is a factor when looking at the current wealth distribution in the United States. Our book says that for every dollar of wealth held by White Americans, Black Americans have only 26 cents. During difficult times having the ability to draw on assets means those with better financially stability can better withstand these economic hardships.

Sociological Theory of Sexuality

Chapter 12 in the book Sociology: The Essentials discusses sexuality; a topic that is normally intended to be a private matter, however certain topics that fall into this category, such as abortion, sex trafficking, and gays are often times a controversial issue that must be made public. I found this chapter in the book to be very interesting because it covers many different aspects of sexuality in our society, and the way it affects us.

The three major sociological perspectives take on different views regarding sexuality:

Functionalist theory encourages the nuclear type of family. This point of view believes sexual behavior is functional for society because it "prevents the instability and conflict that more liberal sexual attitudes supposedly generate" (Sociology:The Essentials 294). Functionalist believe that family values produce a sense of uniformity in regards to social order. According to an article from this link
http://socyberty.com/issues/assess-the-usefulness-of-the-functionalist-perspective-for-an-understanding-of-the-family-in-contemporary-society/ the functionalist view of social issues in society are that "every society needs rules about sex, for example for sex to happen it should be during a socially approved sexual relationship inside of marriage.

Conflict theorists on the other hand see sexuality as part of the power relations and economic inequality in society (Sociology:The Essentials 295). They say that sexual violence including rape and sexual harassment is the result of power imbalances between men and women. Conflict theorists say that the international sex trade is linked to poverty, the status of women in society, and economics. Lastly conflict theorists believe sexuality is an expression of great social intimacy.

Symbolic interaction theory interprets sexual identity as learned rather than inborn. This point of view believes that  culture and society shape sexual experiences (Sociology: The Essentials 296). This link to an essay shows a symbolic interaction theorists perspective on sexuality: http://www.jstor.org/pss/1318338

These theories are the major theories used when addressing the topic of sexuality.

A very controversial issue throughout the world is the topic of gays and lesbians. Due to this controversial issue I think it is necessary to address what the Queer Theory is. The Queer Theory challenges the idea that only one form of sexuality  is normal. Queer theory is a perspective that has evolved from recognizing the socially constructed nature of sexual identity. This theory interprets society as forcing these sexual boundaries on people (Sociology: The Essentials 296). Paul H. Fry from Yale shares a very interesting lecture of Queer theory with us, below is the link to this lecture.
http://academicearth.org/lectures/queer-theory-gender-performativity

Sex trafficking is addressed in this chapter. Sex trafficking is a very disturbing issue that is a relatively new term. Sex trafficking is where women are forced into sexual acts. This is sometimes linked to a form of slavery, it can involve debt or bondage. These women can be kidnapped or simply tricked into this situation by terms of promises such as marriage or money. According to a human trafficking fact sheet; http://www.dreamcenter.org/new/images/outreach/RescueProject/stats.pdf 27 million people are in this type of modern day slavery across the world. In addition the site also said that 800,000 people trafficked across international borders everyday. These numbers are so disturbing and devastating. It is unbelievable to me that even though the slavery that existed between African Americans and Caucasians is primarily over there is a fairly new type of slavery that needs to be better addressed world-wide so that we will be able to end this disturbing type of slavery.

This following poems paints a very vivid picture of sex trafficking:

And to the Little Ones

Swiped from her village
sold for a dime by poor parents
to a rich global market
Taka’s 10-year-old bones rattle with fear.
Heart?
bound to earth – chained.
Beaten down to size in small back rooms
Spirit broken by westerners who promise the world
and leave her a lump of mud.
No breath…
No breath…
Can’t breathe in this tomb.
Taka’s humanity
her dignity
her soul
is battered and bartered
on the black market for a dime.
And pundits predict her body will be found
in a ditch in an alley
some – day.

An Inside Look Behind Poverty in the U.S.

Ring... Ring...Ring... an alarm sounds, signaling me to get up and began my day, I unwillingly roll out of bed and stumble to the bathroom. There I turn the shower on and wait for the water to warm up before I step in. While I wait, I turn on the bathroom sink to brush my teeth, twenty seconds later I am all done brushing my teeth. I step into the shower where I unthinkably enjoy a nice hot shower. Ten minutes later, I am clean, and refreshed. I return to my room to pick an outfit for the day, the abundant choice of clothing overwhelms me, but I am finally able to choice. On my way out the door, I grab a quick cup of coffee from the coffee pot and a bagel smothered with cream cheese. Then I jump in my car and am off to work for the day.

This scene described is a typical morning for me, but let's stop and think about my typical morning compared to the morning of someone who is living in poverty. A person who is living in poverty wouldn't generally awake with an alarm clock. They would most likely awake to the sounds of cars racing past them as they wake up next to the busy streets, or the sounds of hungry women, men, and children in a homeless shelters. Every morning I wake up and take a shower, this is something I take for granted everyday, hot, running water. The typical person living in poverty struggles to obtain food and shelter for the day, the need for a shower wouldn't even cross their mind. When I think about the way I begin my day, I realize just how fortunate I am. Every time I turn on a light switch, see the running water from my sink, grab a bagel from the fridge, and start my car I know that I am very fortunate for the things that I have, I can't even imagine not being able to do and have these simple necessities, but the sad truth is that for many life, simply put, is a struggle to survive. 

Here is a link for a video that shows you just what poverty is like for some people in America. It has startling statistics, and very disturbing  images. It also discusses the culture of poverty, going against the argument that states that poverty is related to irresponsibility, and work values.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaM6gUHEF5s

During my studies over chapter 8, I stumbled upon the section discussing poverty. The topic of poverty particular interests me because I have never, until now, stopped to consider the many things I have that other people do not, this includes water, food, shelter, clothing, etc. In addition I was really interested in studying the causes of poverty. In our sociology book, blaming the poor for being poor was brought to my attention several times. This myth "stems from the myth that success requires only individual motivation and ability." Many people argue that poverty is the result of early childbearing, drug and alcohol abuse, refusal to enter the labor market, and crime. This thinking blames the individual for his/her own choices, not on society. The book discusses that the culture of poverty argument blames the major causes of poverty to absence of willingness to work, and irresponsibly. 

The link below provides interesting insight into poverty in the United Stated. This link shows the relationship between the wealth of our nation, and the impoverishment of people within it. Being a wealthy nation the United States has the capitalism and assets to change the conditions for the poor, however little has been done to do so, and I believe that this is the most disturbing fact regarding poverty in the U.S.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OmGcVf8r8H8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=poverty+in+U.S.&ots=FwxzKSXinM&sig=RF_lDSyPbiZt7qEiF1v1l0Il8uc#v=onepage&q=poverty%20in%20U.S.&f=false

This picture represents the many people in America who struggle with poverty everyday.

Here are a few links that are worth looking at:

http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/

http://www.bread.org/hunger/us/?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=onlinead&utm_campaign=search&utm_term=us-poverty&utm_content=text&gclid=CLGQ-e3ViKkCFQZDgwodJmDCqQ

-These links provide valuable information about the underlying reasons behind poverty as well as those living in poverty.

Lastly I will leave you with a Quote that I think really does a good job of capturing the U.S. spirits, and the way we should be pulling together to help those less fortunate. 

Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative

"Americans are blessed with great plenty; we are generous people and we have a moral obligation to assist those who are suffering from poverty, disease, war, and famine."

My background information and interest in sociology!

Hey everyone! My name is Robin Cobb. I am from Priest Lake, Idaho and I have just finished my first year at University of Idaho where I am studying dietetics. The limited amount of time not dedicated to my studies is spent mostly outdoors, where I participate in numerous activities including swimming, hunting, fishing, running, gardening, and playing with my dog's.

In a few years I will be graduating and pursuing a career in dietetics. Being a dietitian will give me the opportunity to help people live healthier lifestyles. In order for me to help people to the best of my abilities it is crucial to understand what drives people to do the things that they do. There will be times when I work with people who are sick or have a distorted body image, and in order for me to successfully help these people I will need to understand what drives this sort of behavior. I believe the social science, sociology will help me achieve a clearer understanding of society's effect on people as well as group interaction.

"The first half of life is spent mainly in finding out who we are through seeing ourselves in our interaction with other" 

-Dr. June Singer