Social problems affect the nation every day. Sociologists spend hours on end trying to discern these problems and give a solution to them. Unfortunately, the field of sociology has not been given much attention. In fact, there are other fields such as medicine, engineering, and economics which are considered more superior than sociology. For this reason, some problems that were solved years ago continue to persist within the society. It has come to a point where the public needs to be urged to place its focus on other sectors such as sociology. For this reason, Neil Irwin wrote an article on economics versus sociology. His objective was to sensitize the public on the crucial role played by sociologists.
Article 1: What If Sociologists Had Much Influence as Economists
Summary
On March 17 th, 2017, Neil Irwin wrote an article in the New York Times entitled, What If Sociologists Had Much Influence as Economists . The article begins with an illustration of the number of economists that are out there. Nowadays, it seems everybody whose opinion matters is an economist. By making their voice heard more, economists are in some way shaping the thoughts of the public to think in the same way, which is the economic way. Irwin continues to write that if one has a hammer, every problem they encounter will appear like a nail. The same way goes for problems within the nation. Because economics is addressing them, national issues revolve around GDP and per capita issues. Irwin (2017) also points out that it is wrong to give one sector of the economy too much attention over the others. He claims that although other fields have not been given much attention, they have a better chance of explaining the challenges faced by the nation.
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Critical Analysis
The work of sociologists is to monitor the social trends of the society. Irwin (2017) writes that while some of the most pressing in America are economically inclined, for instance, unemployment rates, the evidence can also be seen in social problems such as high mortality rate, drug addiction, and depression. While economics does indeed make the public and government of problems in the economy, it only provides a percentage of the bigger issues. Irwin claims that wages are essential to a household to help in operations. However, the loss of wages leads to more issues such as loss of identity, depression, and frustration. In other words, people lose themselves and their normal functioning. Another sociologist studied unemployment and found out the ability of a person to get a job as based on how their value themselves ( Löwe, 2013). In other words, some answers that people look for in economics are better explained by sociology. Therefore, Irwin claims that it is a high time people started paying more attention to a sociologist.
Irwin's argument is somewhat valid. Learned people have come to see economics as the only pillar of hope in national matters. As Irwin (2017) writes, when one has a hammer, every problem is a nail. Focusing too much on economics makes the minds of people locked. They fail to see some critical issues that are right under their noses. For instance, unemployment goes along with depression. Depression leads to reduced productivity. The more people are depressed, the larger the unemployment rate. These are some of the factors not covered in economics. The government should start encouraging elites to shift their mindset and explore other fields. Also, it has been said that when one applies a particular strategy, and it does not work, the wise thing to do is change it.
Taking a critical look at the problems facing the society that affect the economy, are more profound than the economic view. For instance, economists view employment as the exchange of money for labor. They fail to take into consideration the effects of taking away this employment. There was a recession in 2008 that ended in many people losing their jobs. The recession was then followed by a bloom, leading to the creation of more jobs. According to research, the people who lost their jobs during the recession did not bounce back as expected despite the availability of jobs ( Löwe, 2013). Turning to economics to answer such questions will be a dead end. Also, economists will not pay attention to such factors or concerns. They tend to tailor make their inquiries to suit the knowledge they have. On the other hand, sociology explains that the loss of a job leads to emotional disappointment which many people handle differently. Some people take rejection the hard way and do not recover from it. A few other people tend to bounce back from rejection.
The same case applies to poverty. Economists will try to identify the causes and come up with policies that attempt to reverse the situation. On the other hand, sociologists are aware that solving the problem of poverty needs a much more practical approach to issues than putting into place mere policies. Poor people face stigmatization and discrimination that makes them feel discouraged to even take advantage of some of the housing policies put forth by the government. They are also ever so worried about the insecurities that may follow them if they were to lose their houses. However, economics does not touch on these insecurities. Some years back, there was a proposal to have a council of social advisers in the government that never came to be. The work of these advisers would be to inform the presidents on such issues ( Löwe, 2013) .
Article 2: New Sentences: From ‘Lower Ed,’ by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Summary
Moving away from comparing sociology to economics, we take a look at more social problems facing the society at large and not just in America. Some evils happen outside America, but since it does not affect the country directly, the people will only sympathize for a day and continue with their lives the next day. Another article was published in the New York Times that talks about the same. The article enlightens people that considering themselves an exemption to the social evils happening around the world does not mean they will never be affected. Below is an overview of the paper and a critical analysis of the intentions of the author.
New Sentences: From ‘Lower Ed,’ by Tressie McMillan Cottom is an article written by Sam Anderson on September 15 th , 2017. In the article, Anderson gives a quick summary of the book Lower-Ed written by McMillan Cottom. Cottom is a sociologist who disapproves of the mindset of many Americans, which seems to be a generational affair. Anderson (2017) writes that at the end of Cotton's book, she addresses a particular belief that Americans seem to have taken to heart. The idea is that people should not be held responsible for things they have not consciously intended. America as a whole has a culture of individualism (Cottom, 2017). This culture has been handed down from previous generations and will continue so until change is achieved. The belief that Americans are special because they do not experience genocide, profiteering and oppression should come to an end. The nation lays behind the works of the forefathers who did their best to untether themselves from a collective history. In essence, Americans are experiencing what is called psychic numbing.
Critical Analysis
Psychic numbing refers to a situation whereby one seems to care only by theory, but because they haven't seen the actual tragedy, they feel less affected. In fact, Americans are happy that such social evils do not happen in their country. Anderson (2017) claims that to live like so is to live in ignorance. The people forget that the nations are on the same ground, earth and that these social problems can affect them just as much as they affect other nations. Being exempted does not mean sheltered forever. In fact, it means that the country is more prone to such problems. By turning a blind eye to them simply because they are not visible to the people, the nation stands at risk. The moment these calamities hit the country, people will not be aware of what to do. In this case, it is not an affair of intent, as Cottom (2017) puts it, but more of the push and pull of the tides that exist in the world.
Both Anderson and Cottom’s opinions juggle one’s mind. The phenomena of psychic numbing seem to have corrupted the minds of many, just like in the article of economics. People have put more focus in coming up with policies that try to solve the solution on a short-term basis. One would argue that it is the government and other humanitarians to handle such issues, such as the calamities felt in Haiti and Syria. This argument can be considered accurate to some extent. No one expects an individual to with no skill and experience in matters concerning war and genocide to save an entire nation by themselves. However, turning a blind eye to them or sympathizing for a day also does not help the situation (Cottom, 2017).
As Anderson and Cotton (2017) put it, America faces the risk of having these tragedies hit them worse, mainly because they do not prepare for them. The best idea after putting the policies in place would be to sensitize the entire nation on these social problems, why, where they happen and what be done as a precautionary measure. The best team to do so would be a sociologist. As it was mentioned, the work of sociologist is to try and figure out how a society works. They can explain in depth why some social vices happen in specific regions and why. Sociologists will also give the impact of these vices to the persons affected directly and indirectly, such as Americans. They will also explain why the idea of psychic numbing will not work in the long run, even though it offers a solution that makes people comfortable in the short run.
The article circles back to the issue of sociology being given importance just like any other field. The truth is that sociology has many answers that can make America walk a path that is more informed than their colorblind delusions. In conclusion, yes, America and the entire world face economic problems that governments try to solve every waking day. Yes, economics is a strong pillar. However, sociology is broader than any other field and should be given a chance.
References
Cottom, T. M. (2017). Lower Ed: The troubling rise of for-profit colleges in the new economy . New Press, The.
Löwe, A. (2013). Economics and sociology (Vol. 3). Routledge.
Irwin, N. (2017, March 17). What If Sociologists Had Much Influence as Economists? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/upshot/what-if-sociologists-had-as-much-influence-as-economists.html
Anderson, S. (2017, September, 15). New Sentences: From ‘Lower Ed,’ by Tressie McMillan Cotton. The New York Times . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/magazine/new-sentences-from- lower-ed -by-tressie-mcmillan-cottom.html
