SOC220 Socials Problems

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 Poverty in urban areas tends to perpetuate social deviance. GCU conducts community outreach to local areas that are struggling with poverty. After reading the GCU Statement on Integrating Faith and Work document, how might the CWV influence the way to address this social problem?

DQ2 Investigate and create a list of both informal and formal deviance (things that were/are against the law as well as those against social norms). Identify at a solution/technique/action that was used both historically and used in modern times, to control/react to the deviant behavior you listed. Discuss what the differences are and if the modern solutions are more effective than historical solutions and why modern solutions replaced historical ones.

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Urban poverty and social deviance.

Introduction

The urban poor have been neglected in scholarship during the past few decades, because they were regarded as a marginal class. Since the 1970s there has been increasing poverty and deviance, from both the white and non-white population. Poor people are generally linked to social problems, such as crime, violence and drug use. This is not only the case for the non-white population, but also for the white middle class. There seems to be a relation between race and an increase in this kind of deviant behaviour

The urban poor have been neglected in scholarship during the past few decades, because they were regarded as a marginal class.

The urban poor have been neglected in scholarship during the past few decades, because they were regarded as a marginal class. In this regard, it can be argued that there has been a shift in focus away from studying the urban poor and towards studies of slum dwellers. This is perhaps due to the recognition that “the poor” are not only located in slums but also live in suburbs or rural areas (Ngah & Ngah 1992).

In this paper I draw on research conducted on Zimbabwean households living in informal settlements known as “townships.” These settlements are located within cities and towns where people who have been living there for several years form their own community with its own customs and language(s).

Since the 1970s there has been increasing poverty and deviance, from both the white and non-white population.

Since the 1970s there has been increasing poverty and deviance, from both the white and non-white population.

The rate of black people dropping out of school has more than tripled in that time period. This increase is not only for poor blacks but also for middle class whites who are just as likely to drop out of high school if they don’t get good grades.

Poor people are generally linked to social problems, such as crime, violence and drug use.

Poor people are generally linked to social problems, such as crime, violence and drug use.

• The link between poverty and crime has been well-established by research. A study in 2009 by the economists Roland Gori and Eric Harrison showed that the higher a person’s income was—by either job or total income—the less likely they were to commit crimes or be involved in violence against others (Gori et al., 2009). A similar study found that when children grow up in households with low incomes their chances of graduating from high school drop sharply compared to those who grew up in high-income families (Loury & Loury, 1993). This suggests that poor households may have difficulty providing enough resources for their children so that they can succeed academically as well as socially; thus poor children could be more likely than others at risk for delinquency.

• Poverty also seems related with violence towards oneself or others due to lack of adequate food supply (Loury & Loury 1993), which can lead people into fighting over scarce resources like food instead of sharing them peacefully through cooperation instead!

This is not only the case for the non-white population, but also for the white middle class.

In the US, poverty is a problem for all races and classes. For example, in 1970 around 25% of urban residents were white; by 2000 that number had fallen to 10%. As a result of this decline in the value of their homes and property values, many whites moved out of cities as well as into other areas where they could afford housing.

The same thing happened with African Americans: From 1970–2000 their share of the total population decreased from 25% to 16%, while their share within cities remained stable at around 15%. However this trend reversed itself during the next decade when black migration into major cities started increasing again due mainly to economic factors such as job opportunities created by new industries like technology or service industries like finance which require highly educated workers (Kotkin 2001).

There seems to be a relation between race and an increase in this kind of deviant behaviour.

• There seems to be a relation between race and an increase in this kind of deviant behaviour.

• The white middle class is also affected by poverty and social problems, which can lead to crime, drug use and other antisocial behaviours.

Poverty causes social deviance.

Social deviants are people who break the rules of society. They may do so because they have no money or resources to pay for services like healthcare or education, or because they’re unable to get a job in the first place. In other words, social deviance is caused by poverty.

In fact, there’s evidence that poverty itself causes certain types of crime: “the most common forms include burglary and theft,” according to [this study](http://www2s3.warwickhomeservices/accessed-12-02-19). So if you want to end social  deviance in your neighborhood: stop being poor!

Conclusion

We can see from this literature review that there is a correlation between poverty and deviance. This is not merely the case for the non-white population but also for the white middle class. There seems to be a relation between race and an increase in this kind of deviant behaviour. It seems that poor people are more likely than other groups to engage in criminal activities such as theft or drug use, which may be related to their low social status or lack of opportunities (such as education). If this is true then it has implications for how we should treat these types of people – we need policies which provide opportunities for social mobility so they can become successful members of society again!