Nickel and Dimed: On Getting by in America, Essay Example

One of the social problems in the United States is moral decadence. The rate at which our moral standards are declining is worrying. Technology has greatly contributed to the moral decline in the United States because people can easily access obscene information that is all over the internet.

This has led to increase in the use of drugs among young people as a result of watching music videos and movies, which portray the use of drugs as a cool thing to do. There are pornographic materials easily available on the internet. Movies and music videos glorifying sex are posted on social media platforms for young people to watch. Young people frequently access pornographic sites, and this makes them become sex addicts, thus engaging in constant sexual activities (Shapiro, 2012).

Irresponsible sexual behavior leads to spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Young girls also drop out of school after getting pregnant. This leads to increase in cases of abortion among young girls because they are forced to get rid of their unwanted pregnancies by circumstances. Teenage girls are dropping out of school due to early pregnancies. Their dream of becoming successful in life is cut short due to their immoral sexual behavior. Music videos and movies also promote gun violence among the Americans. These movies and music videos promote gun violence, and people who watch them religiously practice whatever is depicted in the videos and they end up engaging in gun violence (Barbara, 2001).

Socialization theory can be used to explain the causes of moral decadence among American youths. They are influenced by their social life. The people they socialize or interact with influences their moral behavior. Children who spend most of their time with the wrong company are likely to be influenced by the immoral behavior. They acquire immoral behavior from their peers, as well as different social sites.

References

Barbara, E. (2001). Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. New York, NY: Owl Books.

Michelle, A. (2009). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York, NY: New Press.

Shapiro, R. (2012). The real problem solvers: Social Entrepreneurs in America. Redwood, CA: Stanford Business Books