Prevalence of Economic Inequality in America

Racial and economic inequality persists. Why do many people deny it?

The main social problem discussed in the article is economic inequality and why most people prefer to ignore that it exists (Sumagaysay & Berman, Jan. 26, 2022). If a person does not acknowledge something, it does not take up space in their minds, and they can lead their life as they prefer. Most white Americans have continuously ignored the existence of economic and racial inequality, and they prefer to assume that the reason for these inequalities is that black people are lazy. Using such perspectives, they can easily ignore the glaring economic inequality within society. A sociological perspective is presented by demonstrating how people do not mix with others from different backgrounds. Segregation begins in school, where K-12 schools are divided along racial and economic lines (Sumagaysay & Berman, Jan. 26, 2022). Colleges are segregated along the same lines, and workers will not interact or mix with others from different backgrounds. Segregation causes people not to see the growing economic inequality since they only interact with others within the same economic status. It is not possible to notice the impact of economic inequality if you only interact with those from the same educational and income levels. It becomes easy to blame the poor and assume they are not hard-working. However, the situation is different, and the system is set up to discriminate against them.

The failure to acknowledge economic inequality tends to push policies that discriminate against poor people and create more advantages for the rich. Even after being presented with information on how their class affords them certain advantages, people assume they are lucky, and their class does not come into play. While it might be true that a person has worked hard to get what they have, they will have received some advantages over others, like being taken to high-end schools and having wealthy parents who have enough connections. Picture the same with a poor black kid who has to study in underfunded schools, and their parents do not have the connections to hook them up with a decent job.

Social disorganization theory would improve the context of the article regarding the issue of economic inequality. Social disorganization is a theory that explains the ecological differences in crime levels based on the cultural and structural factors that shape the nature of the social order. Ecological characteristics state location matters, meaning the location a person lives determines their likelihood of engaging in crime. However, for economic inequality, we can use the theory to explain that the residential location of a person shapes their wealth and income status. People who live in affluent neighborhoods tend to do well economically than those from less affluent neighborhoods. Using social disorganization, we can improve the context of the article by showing how there are underlying causes of economic inequality that prevent specific individuals from ever-improving their economic status. Social disorganization would suggest that public spending be used more in impoverished areas. Here we do not mean spending the funds in areas bordering the poorest neighborhoods. Public spending should be taken to the underclass neighborhoods and be run by those with ties in the community.