Progress in America is ideally the advancements in the social organization that leads to the improvement in human welfare. Therefore, the advancements lead to a more strengthened society with regards to social, economic and political structure in America. Hence, “Declaring War on Social Problems” generates from the way the society shapes its policies, what they think and how they fight the problems (Best, 2002) .
What is wrong with declaring "war" on social problems?
It is totally wrong to face social problems without a clear mindset. First, even though war is seen as a single enemy, the causes of social problems are very many. Secondly, fighting the social problems can lead to victory at the end but however, the social policies created are not likely to lead to the triumph as realized in war. Nonetheless, war as a metaphor is viewed in terms of short duration (Best, 2002) . The social problems may thrive even if there are great social policies due to the stipulated span. The best policies are generally achieved through a long duration. In addition to that, the social policies do not provide the harmony and unity as viewed during warfare.
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Problems related to measuring progress in America by how well we do in the social wars like the "War on Poverty" or the "War on Drugs".
Firstly, there are problems related to the balance of progress. There is no way America can win “War on Drugs” yet the “War on Poverty” does not raise living standards of a common American. To measure the progress level, the war has to be achieved objectively for the full realization. Secondly, the measure of progress requires a thorough conceptual framework. This is in line with the development of the lives of Americans based on sustainable development and the quality of their lives. The conceptual framework is a problem because it forms the logical structure to show the relationship of the parameters used. Thirdly, problems related to societal changes arise. The idea of progress changes periodically over time. The progress is based on the past and what comes tomorrow. Progress is an unending process that is structural that would be a setback (Best, 2002).
In conclusion, the “war” on social problems is unending and should be faced with clear guidelines and policies to foresee the progress in America even if it will take a lot of years to come.
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References
Best, J. (2002, December). Review Essay: Constructing the Sociology of Social Problems: Spector and Kitsuse Twenty-Five Years Later. In Sociological forum (Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 699-706). Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers.
