Chapter 10
Relative poverty is a measure of standard of living of an individual or a group of persons relative to the people they live around within the area. It may also be the minimum amount that a person or an individual requires in order to maintain an average standard of living. On the other hand, absolute poverty is a measure of poverty that is based on a set standard and is the same in all countries. The standard does not change over time and may involve living below certain measure poverty such as $1 a day.
The type of poverty that is prevalent in the United States is the relative poverty. This is because, absolute poverty is commonly found in the developing and underdeveloped countries which have struggling economies. The relative poverty in the United States is also due to the fact that, there is a huge gap between the incomes in the population between the poor and the rich though most people are able to afford their daily expenses and therefore living above the absolute level. The culture of poverty thesis suggests that poverty is cyclical and regardless of the anti-poverty programs put in place, poverty will still persist. It is harmful when used to explain social problems since it advocates exclusion by social institutions.
The total world population today as per the 2013 estimate stood at 7.125 billion people. Out of this population, an approximately 3billion people were living below a $2.50 per day while children under the age of 18 years accounted 26% of the global population. This percentage is about 1.853 people and the people with water inadequacy stood at 1billion where 440million are children. The children dying per day in poverty accounts for 22,000 and people living without access to electricity account for 1.6 billion.
Chapter 11
Prejudice is an unjustified, uncalled for and mistaken attitude towards a person or a group of persons due to their affiliation to a social group. On the other hand, discrimination is a behavioral action towards an individual or a group of persons due to their sex, race, and social class among others. Prejudice involves all the three components of attitude while discrimination involves just one component of behavior. As such, it is possible to prejudice without discriminating but impossible to discriminate without prejudicing.
One illustration of prejudice involves the attitude the Germans had towards the Jews during the world war and killed them. However, prejudice may be positive and hence not discriminatory such as viewing a person as one who should be respected due to their social class.
The stereotype threat is situation where people fear the risk of confirming a negative perspective or stereotype about their social group or groups. It also involves the fear of being viewed by others through the lens of a negative stereotype. One experiment carried out involved giving a test to both white and black students. Before the test, the students were informed that, the test involved testing their abilities on the GRE. As result, the black students performed worse than their white counterparts. When, the test was administered to another sample of white and black students, but they are told the test does not test their ability, and then the black students performed just as well as their white counterparts.
Chapter 12
Sexual harassment is engagement or involvement in the course of action or conduct that is known ought not to be known to be unwelcome. On the other hand, gender harassment is a type of sexual harassment though it is not motivated by a sexual interest or motive. It is based on hostilities towards the other party, and the aim is to make the other person unwelcome in the environment he is in. An example of sexual harassment is that of a teacher making sexual advances to a student in exchange of passing in a subject. Gender harassment illustration involves making negative comment about the physical characteristics of the other person.
In the mom's rising issues and resources, healthy foods for kids are related to the issue of harassment. This is where by, kids take a lot of junk foods and in the process end up being obese. When they go to school, their friends who are not obese will make statements that will make them feel embarrassed such as calling them "fat Joe".
Chapter 13
The median age in Sun City is 73.0 while in Arizona is 36.3 years. The median income in Sun City is 42000, while in Arizona is 49774. This means that Arizona has a higher household income than Sun City though the population of Arizona, 6479703, is above that of Sun City. The percentage of males to the total population in Sun City is 42.8% while females account for 57.2%. In Arizona, males account for 49.7% of the total population in the city while females account for 50.3%.
The racial composition in Arizona indicates one race accounts for 99.4% at 19133 people, where the majority is the whites. On the other hand, the racial composition in Sun City is also similar where one race accounts for 99.5% of the total population, with the whites being the majority. Asians account for only 0.3% of the total population in Sun City while they account for 0.9% in Arizona.
Basing on the data and statistics above, the type of health facilities, recreational facilities and political issues would vary greatly between the two cities. In Arizona for instance, the population median age is 36.3 years. This means that businesses such as video games and any other activities that involve middle-aged population would strive in Arizona. On the other hand, efficient t health care facilities such as Health caregivers would thrive in Sun City since the majority of the population is over 70 years. Advocates for the young generation in political fronts would also target Arizona more than Sun City since there is a vast majority of middle aged in Arizona.
Recreational parks that include swimming pools may thrive and be attractive in Arizona where the age brackets are low as compared to Sun City. This is because there are a lot of young people in Arizona who may find the use of the swimming pools more than the elderly who may not have such use.
Chapter 14
Freegans are a social movement that follows the practice of reclaiming and consuming food that has already been discarded. They have an anti-consumerist ideology where they employ alternative living strategies that are based on minimal consumption of resources. As such, they embrace community generosity and social inclusion where they share what they find.
They oppose purchase of news commodities and goods because they believe that it is a waste of resources and thus do not consume in order to preserve the environment. They also feel that consumption and purchase of new goods is misuse of public resources and thus they do not want any part in such misuse.
QuiverFull are also a social movement whose objective is to provide encouragement and practical help to families. Such families include couples who are striving in order to bring up their large families and nurture them in a godly way in the current setup. The movement may receive support from large Christian families who face up to the challenges of growing and molding their families in a godly way.
On the other hand, the movement may receive opposition or may not receive membership from non-Christian groups since its teaching are based on the bible teachings. An example is the use of Psalm 127:3-5 in King James Version. The verses states that children are the heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Though such a statement may be encouraging from a Christian perspective, it is not received by the non-Christian groups since they do not ascribe to the bible teachings.
Works Cited
United Nations Millennium Development Goals." UN News Center. UN, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/>.
Shah, Anup. "Poverty Facts and Stats." - Global Issues. 7 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats>.
American Fact Finder. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml[Accessed8/12/2014]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeganism
http://www.quiverfull.com/index.php
