"Choose a contemporary issue that you are passionate about."

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"Choose a contemporary issue that you are passionate about-Unemployment

1.0 Introduction

Over the past decade, more Americans have increasingly focused on highlighting different social issues by expressing their opinions. According to Dunn, Haugen, and Kang (2018), the availability of social media has paved the way for the majority of social enthusiasts to express their opinions concerning current social problems. I believe that the most vital social problem in the United States is educational issues such as student loans; however, it is far from the only thing that has attracted the attention of the American populous. After considerably observing the trending topics on social media I have concluded that Americans care about a diverse range of social issues that include the access to affordable housing, poverty, civil rights, unemployment, and so on. The social issue that I am passionate about is the growing rate of unemployment because its implications are felt immediately and directly unlike other social issues such as ethics of scientific research, climate change, and so on.

2.0 Unemployment

Unemployment is regarded as one of the most significant problems since it brings about the costs of the unemployed to the general society. I agree with Dunn, Haugen, and Kang (2018), who argues that unemployment results in underutilization of labor thus leading a decrease in the level of consumption as well as output loss. After delving deeper into researching issues regarding unemployment, I realized that American society is forced to bear the cost of unemployment. For example, the society is required to pay attention to the social costs that include increased crime costs, loss of taxes, social transfers, and so on. According to a study conducted by Sahin et al. (2014), it was estimated that in the early 1990s overall unemployment costs amounted up to over $50 million and that included: costs from increased costs of crime and social services. Therefore, I concluded that unemployment is an extensive direct occurrence that has different known implications that possess a significant effect on the general well-being of society.

The increased great interest of people underlines the elevated concerns regarding unemployment as a social problem into the matter. Increasingly, the American population has invested a lot of time in identifying measures that can be used to counter the effects of unemployment (Compolieti, 2012). I think that employment can be regarded as an essential part in the appreciation of productivity and usefulness of human labor. This is because I am convinced that employment forms that basis on which people get to establish their social and financial security thereby finding their central role in any given society. I believe these statements should not be generalized as the definition of the essential values that characterize the lives of people who remain out of employment. Nonetheless, it is important that I acknowledge that the progress of society is hampered by the negative implications associated with unemployment. For that reason, it is my strongest belief that unemployment should be recognized as a growing social problem.

2.1 How unemployment is a social problem

As a contemporary social issue the effects of unemployment are not limited to a person and by extension his/her family but also affects the general society. After going through the strong arguments presented by Compolieti (2012), I believe that unemployment has played a significant role in the increased instances of anguish, unhappiness, and despair.  I hold this opinion because I am convinced that unemployment forces the affected people to engage in dangerous activities that endanger their lives thereby significantly affecting their life expectancy. For example, the prevailing rates of unemployment create the feeling of fear as those affected threaten the security and safety of the employed people (Sahin et al., 2014). Unemployment has negative implications on the level and frequency of social interactions because the affected individuals tend to exhibit problems such as hopelessness, depression, feeling of unworthiness, low self-esteem, and so on. Backed up by important observation of unemployed individuals I established that the affected individuals often develop a negative attitude towards things that are of significance to social cohesion.

According to a study conducted by Dunn, Haugen, and Kang (2018), unemployment is one of the most significant reasons behind the creation of tension in homes. Financial constraints are one of the causes that result in families experiencing quarrels and arguments that lead to an increased number of divorces. I feel that unemployment creates increased cases of tension over taxes where it brings up frustration and discontent. Due to the...