# 12 Violence in Our Society

Concern:

The leading concern when considering this issue is the effect that violence has on the children of our society. Violence is passed down through generations, if our society became more aware of the implications that led to violence, starting with the effects that violence has on children I believe that our society would be greatly benefited.  

Causes:

Internet, before the Internet became a widely used source of information the only real place where one could learn about violence in our society was the newspaper or news on the television, and even then all news was carefully screened and filtered.

Now not only does the Internet provide an unlimited source of knowledge on topics that many deem inappropriate, but it also provides a place where crime can be organised. The largest concern with the Internet is the fact that anyone can access sensitive topics that have gone through no screening process, which could potentially have a negative effect certain individuals.    

Childhood, the childhood of an individual will effect how they will treat others for the rest of their life. A prime example of someone with a scarred childhood that led them to do terrible things was Joseph Stalin, his father was an alcoholic, and beat him and his mother, until he was forced to leave home at an early age. Stalin was the leader of Soviet Russia from 1929-1953. During his reign his policies killed approximately 10-15 million lives. If he had been raised differently by his parents he would have almost certainly grown up to be a completely different human being.     

Political Implications:

Many governments focus on trying to control violence when there are other pressing issues on hand. However if governments simply focused on creating stable foundations for children that would otherwise be forced to live extremely traumatic lives, generations would be far more aware of violence and the implications that it has on others.      

Social Implications:

The implications that violence has on our society are huge. Large parts of our culture, whether they be historical, or part of our pop-culture are based on violence. There are hundreds of television programs about violence, both against and for it. An example would be UFC, there is an entire audience that is obsessed with ‘organized fighting’ many people are unaware the effects that such programs can have on young children. 

  

Economics Implications:

The economic implications of violence are rooted deep in our society, entire business whether they be legal or illegal are based on violence an the attention it attracts, for example drug barons make a lot of money through organised crime, whether it be drug smuggling or people trafficking – both evidently lead to blood shed and unnecessary violence.   

Environmental Implications:

The environmental implications that violence has are not as severe, however violence does affect the environment in that governments would rather spend money combating crime than researching new technology that has less impacts on the environment.  

Solutions:

There is no real solution to violence in our society as there will always be someone willing to commit a crime – whether it be for money, revenge, or simply a random act of violence.

However I believe a solution that would have the greatest impact would be improving the education of young children, and directly showing them the impacts that violence has on society and encouraging them to always consider their actions for even the smallest violent act can have unseen implications. 

# 11 Gender Inequality

Gender Inequality is a global issue, 50% of the earths population is being mistreated, simply because they are not male. However it is in developing nations that this issue is most prominent.

Before I go into further detail concerning discrimination against women, I will explain the main role that women play in these developing countries.
It is the women's responsibility to cook, and prepare every meal for the entire family, it is the women's responsibility to keep the house clean, and sometimes walk miles for drinking water, and most importantly it is the woman's responsibility to raise and care for the children.


It is this final responsibility that I view as being the most critical to the overall problem of Gender Equality, for a mother will teach everything she knows to her children. If a woman is kept in the dark with regards to having a fulfilled education simply because of her gender, she will never be able to teach her children how to read or write, and it is very unlikely that the father (if he is even present) will be willing to spend the time to educate his children, and so this cycle of illiteracy, and mistreatment continues, simply because of a society unwilling to allow its women to be educated.


The traditional role that many women fulfill is due to the extremely patriarchal society that is rooted into the core of these countries,  in order to abolish gender inequality we need to start by educating the children in these countries about the important position that women hold in society.

I ultimately believe that education is the key to this problem, however children are not the only ones in need of an education. Many of the countries that support gender inequality are still developing and so rely on aid from foreign nations to help support their populations. I believe that the organizations that send in aid should be allowed to demand that the Governments of these countries focus on educating their public as a whole, with specific regard to this issue.  

#10 Disease and Epidemics (AIDs)

Recently we have been discussing the pressing issue of disease, especially in developing nations that lack the finance to support a sufficient health care system that is able to meet the demand of  its people. 

Disease is the number one killer of humans worldwide, over 2/3rds of the deaths each year are disease related. The main cause being diseases related to the Cardiovascular System. Over 17.5million of these deaths are from underdeveloped countries. 

The reason why there is such an alarmingly high rate of Cardiovascular Disease related deaths in developing countries is partly because of the change in diet that has taken place of the past years, cheap food that contains very low nutritional value, that tastes good because of all the fats and salts in it has become the #1 food source for millions of people, mainly because most people can not afford to buy anything else. 

The other reason is one that is directly linked with the standard of healthcare present in developing countries. Many countries simply depend on foreign aid to treat their people, preferring to focus their spending's on military interests instead.   

Disease affects everyone, regardless of race, gender, or even wealth. Although it can be said that those living in developed Countries, with access to doctors, proper medical treatments, and  a sanitary living environment are much less likely to get sick.

The main issue we discussed was AID'S, and the epidemic it has become, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2008, 33.4million people were diagnosed with the HIV virus, of these 67% live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although researchers are yet to have found a cure for AIDS I believe that if the conditions that many of these people lived in were improved, and their knowledge of HIV/AIDS expanded, these alarming figures would decrease. 

One solution to this problem would include putting pressure on the Governments of countries that have especially high HIV/AIDS rates, asking them to invest in raising awareness regarding this fatal disease, and to encourage the use of birth control.  

Another solution we discussed helps to raise the livelihood of those willing to work for a better future. This solution is called 'Micro-Credit' and it works through organizations donating small loans (for example $1000) to farmers in developing Nations. This small loan will buy the farmers the tools and resources they need in order to produce a successful crop, overtime they will be able to pay back the initial loan, as well as producing a profit in which they can live off, thus improving their standard of living.