Soc 204	Social Problems 					Test 3

Name:_______________________________________________________________

1.	Some have argued that the answer to many social problems is a global capitalist economy with free markets so that people and societies will prosper.  The counterargument looks at the dark side of global capitalism in that it creates and aggravates many troubling conditions such as poverty, unemployment, world hunger and environmental destruction.  In his presidential address to the American Sociological Association, Joe Faegin predicts that the current difficult economic and environmental times will bring pressures to change capitalism.  

 “By the end of the 21st century, it is likely that there will be sustained and inexorable pressures to replace the social institutions associated with corporate capitalism and its supporting governments.  Why?  Because the latter will not have provided humanity with just and sustainable societies”.

Explain, using what you’ve learned in this class, what Faegin is referring to in the underlined  passage above.  (20pts) Note- you don’t need to find this quote – it is given to you as stated.

As the gap between the rich and the poor widens deeper, the number of those who are poverty stricken will be immense. Even with current figures, one can barely call this system of capitalism sustainable. Because wealth is far from proportional, a larger number of people are poor than not. The companies that are in power have worked to ensure that new ones do not arise to compete, and have done considerably well. For these reasons, what the rising number of people in poverty have to look forward to is a struggle to sustain their own lives, with a decreasing hope of ever rising out of it, or pursuing the American Dream. It's not that America has insufficient wealth to go around, but rather that the distribution is so offset that even in abundance, such a large percentage of the population still finds themselves in struggle.

2.	Describe 4 ways in which a position in the US social stratification system translates into better health, and support your answer with data.  (40 Pts)

3.	Describe how the Standard American Diet and HMO policies contribute to sky-rocketing disease rates and health care costs in the US.  (40 pts)

Because the industries of health care and food production and distribution are run by profit-seeking capitalists, the first objective will always be profit, followed by their established goals. For this reason, food manufacturers and workers in the medical field will only provide the quality of product that allows for the most profit. Put into practice, it is cheaper and easier for food manufacturers to make food that is lacking in vital vitamins and minerals. Not only does it pay to make lousy food in this respect, but essential dietary staples are substituted yet again in making the food more appealing. This is done with additives and preservatives, used to increase the conditions in which food can last. Those who market the food know exactly what they are doing, and how to market the product to its target audience. For example, a brand of food will be pumped full of sugar, filled with colorful, cartoon endorsed designs and put at eye level for the children. This begins the process of poor dieting at a young age. The use of partially hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup can be found in most if not all the processed food we eat. While these have been deemed a serious health risk by professionals, they will continue to be sold, simply because they sell. For this reason, it is no wonder why disease rates in America have grown as high as they have. The same principles are used in hospitals when dealing with patients. If caring for a patient is too costly on the institution, the administration will attempt to steer them away, either to a different place, or to often insufficient treatment, so they may not lose money. The same ideas place a cap on the performance of the health industry, while at the same time, raise the prices.