Social Issues

Is there really a war against Christmas? If so, how can we put a stop to it? Here’s a modest proposal for doing just that.

Many Americans think mental illness is caused by emotional weakness or is all in the sufferer's head. Physical illness is taken seriously, so why don't we take mental illness seriously as well

There are some major differences between the churches of yesterday and the churches people attend today. Some of those changes include the music and other activities.

This article looks at the pros and cons of a US amnesty for illegal immigrants and lists the arguments used by both sides in the debate.

Why do people put down wild animals in captivity while being perfectly fine with domesticated animals in human control? Are domesticated animals really that different from exotic animals?

This article explores the issues regarding the question of whether or not cigarettes should be banned, with themain arguments that are used for and against making cigarettes illegal listed.

Education reform in America is focusing on bad teachers, teacher's unions and merit pay. But are teachers the main cause of educational failure in America?

Ten big myths, fallacies, misunderstandings and silly ideas about atheism and atheists.

The truth of the matter is tobacco kills, but quitting the nasty habit also carries a series of long term side effects. If you don’t like being lied to, this is a must read.

Ethics and morality are two different things. A lack of morality may or may not harm some people, but a lack of ethics always will.

How can you tell if someone is homeless? There's no sure way but there are a lot of clues that may add up to homelessness when taken together. Knowing them can keep people living on the street safer.

Lots of people have believed for decades that men are the better drivers over women, but do the facts support that belief? Or is it a myth of machismo?

Industrial livestock farming is unsustainable and unethical. Eating meat and dairy causes ill-health and climate change. What can we do?

Bottled water is not only expensive, it's detrimental to the environment. Here are a few tips on how to wean yourself off the bottle for good.

It takes more than eating avocado toast and listening to podcasts to connect with the younger generation. Find out which things you're doing and saying that make you seem old and outdated.

Many deaf and hard of hearing people object to being labeled as “hearing impaired” or having a “hearing impairment.” Surprised? Check out the reasons why.

Often lumped together, this article attempts to discern how chewing tobacco and cigarette addictions are different.

Regardless of the reasons why growing hemp became illegal, there are 1 billion trees cut down each year to make paper. That could be remedied by using hemp instead--if it were legal in all 50 states.

Religion in developed countries is declining, but why is it dying out so fast? Read on to find out why 9 countries will soon be comprised entirely of non-believers, and why the rest of the world will soon follow their lead.

While numerous people have felt deep conflicts between their physiological and psychological structures, gender reassignment has been slow to emerge as a pathway to freedom

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fatally shot with one bullet on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. It has been 50 years, but some people remember the tragic event as if it just happened yesterday.

There are several deep rooted causes of Indian poverty, some have historical roots and others derive strength from social structure. Lack of effective governance has only sustained Indian poverty.

Did you know the United States holds many of the world's records for school shootings? Or that our first school shooting took place in 1764? Learn this and much more with this in depth article.

After watching the documentary film Blackfish, I will never go to SeaWorld again. The film sheds light on the treatment and conditions that orcas must endure while being held captive. Set orcas free!

Many claim homelessness is caused by (and only caused by) making stupid, destructive , and completely avoidable choices. This page examines some of those poor choices. Have you ever made any of them?

If you're homeless and trying to figure out how to spend a small amount of money to best effect, this list may help. It has also proven useful to charities creating care packages for homeless people.

Last year 63,000 American lives were lost to drug overdoses. Where do these drugs come from? You'd be surprised to learn that some of them may actually have been prescribed to people by their family doctors.

Immigration reform idea: a new class of immigrant? Should there be "provisional residency"? Should native-born children of illegal immigrants be made permanent resident first, citizen later?

This article suggests a list of the 10 most polluted rivers in the world. Included in the story are what countries are doing to cleanse these filthy waterways.

Who doesn’t like cute widdle wabbits hoping about the landscape? Twenty-three million Australians for a start.

With climate change and increase in the use of toxic pesticides, honey bees are disappearing. Colony collapse disorder causing their deaths will affect humans, honey bees vanishing is not a good sign.

Learn who the homeless people in this country are and how much our public assistance programs cost. The truth may surprise you.

There have been five mass extinctions; we are now in the beginning of the sixth mass extinction. How is global warming threatening all life on earth and what can we do about it?

All information regarding water pollution - what it is, who it effects, its sources and how it's resolved.

America is passionately divided on the issue of gun control and the 2nd Amendment, and some, it seems, will go to extreme lengths to counter any changes in the law. This is the reason for this article

If there had been any doubt before, the recent catastrophe on the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico has really driven home the message that drilling for oil is a messy and risky business. Consequently, decisions are now being made that affect the future of offshore oil drilling. But how risky is it really? Should we stop offshore drilling?

Welcome the world of the "lifelong customer" where babies are taught from infancy to memorize brand logos and jingles. Do any of us stand a chance? How did this happen?

A formula for bad results.

Why do homeless people seem to avoid using emergency housing shelters? Here are some of the reasons.

Some of my opinions as to why so many people in America seem to have no empathy for homeless people despite being mere paychecks away from the circumstance themselves.

A two-day experiment conducted by Jane Elliot, a third-grade teach in Iowa, teaches her third-graders a lifelong lesson on discrimination.

Some semesters back, the Honors Program at the George Washington University in Washington, DC held a symposium on religion and conflict in the 21st century.  In this symposium, we heard from several speakers, then broke into case study groups in...

Referring to “people first” and then their disability is supposed to focus attention on the person and not their condition. If that is true, why aren’t more people and the media using it?

When it comes sustainability in our world, we need to be concerned about three key areas. The important concepts of environmental, economic, and social sustainability form a basis from which good decisions and actions can be made. Here, I will discuss the three spheres of sustainability and how these interrelated concepts ultimately effect you and society as a whole.

Arguments for Gun Control – International murder rates and crime rates show why arguments against gun control are difficult to support. A novel use of statistics is employed to extract the key gun control argument.

Sociological research demonstrates that when whites are exposed to the Confederate flag, it causes them to react more negatively toward blacks.

Have you wondered why people living on the street don't just get jobs and stop being homeless? Learn some of the barriers to employment they must overcome and share your solutions in the comments.

The symbolism of the Confederate flag is defined by its repellent history, not the belief of its supporters that it has nothing to do with racism, but symbolizes the best in Southern heritage.

One of the world’s oldest tax havens is Monaco, described by writer W. Somerset Maugham as a “Sunny place for shady people.” Now, the world has 50 or 60 places where people can hide money

The new Nat Geo Wild program features an exotic pet vet in Deerfield Beach who regularly derides exotic pet owners while collecting checks from them. Florida exotic pet owners, find a new vet.

We all want murder rates to come down, but is gun control effective? Statistics and facts on gun crime and gun controls vs crime. You decide.

Hostility and contempt towards women, or belief in their inborn inferiority, has pervaded religious and political ideology. Many women believe the fight continues to obtain equality and respect

Invasive snakehead fish populations are becoming established in the USA. But what are the reals dangers and how damaging are they to local ecosystems?

A listing of ways just one person can help protect endangered species. Learn ways you can help by starting right in your own backyard or make a difference for animals around the world!

For every second in David Rockefeller's long life, he's been one of the wealthiest human beings on the planet. But this isn't the only fact that makes it easy to dislike him....

This article examines practical versus impractical gun ownership practices and how changes in gun laws might better serve public safety.

Learn some of the most common stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions about homeless people in America. Weigh in with your opinions in the comments.

Is there a God? Atheism argues there’s no scientific proof that God exists. In reality, atheists willfully blind themselves to a profusion of compelling evidence that God does exist.

Political correctness is a contentious issue in American culture. It is, at the same time, a reminder of the U.S.' despicable racism, and the desire to transcend this country's odious unjust past.

This series of articles is meant to break a complicated subject into easier segments. Each part will focus on one topic within a much larger idea. This part focuses on what a gun is and what it's not.

A positive attitude is contagious and so is a negative one. How is social media affecting you? Whether or not you agree with most social media posts they all tend to have the potential to cause stress. Propaganda can affect your emotions, mood, and behaviour.

Have you ever wondered why people become homeless? This article explains just a few of the most common causes of home loss for people living in the United States. Some of them may surprise you.

Religion has its good points, but does it do more harm than good? This essay does a cost-benefit analysis and discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of religion in modern times.

We use a huge amount of plastic today. Most of it takes a very long time to degrade and can harm marine life. Some bacteria are able to break down plastic.

This article gives the essential arguments for and against gun control laws, listing the main pros and cons that people use in the debate.

Without change, our dependence on petroleum and coal for power could someday lead to society's demise. But why wait for the inevitable when we can enact change now? With a multitude of viable energy sources at our finger tips, we are on the brink of a paradigm shift. Here are nine sources of renewable energy that could potentially change how we power our future.

We can create happy neighborhoods, beginning with personal effort to become good neighbors. The following habits form the foundation for good next door neighbors.

Poverty kills more people every year than any other cause and contributes to even more deaths. Why doesn't anybody care?

Are pets and zoo animals slaves or prisoners? Projecting the human emotional state upon animals is not necessarily in line with optimal animal welfare.

What can be done to change people's minds about tossing trash in the streets or industrial waste in our rivers? We can start by looking at our own behavior and asking ourselves some key questions.

Humankind has reached a turning point. We need to rethink many of our methods. Will Mark Zuckerberg be the key to opening the door to a better future? Will Facebook do the right thing?

In the late 1970s, the population of China was approaching one billion so the government decided to take action to slow down the growth rate. The policy has delivered mixed results.

Facts about water pollution and the environment. How to avoid polluting our waterways and prevent the harm that comes from damaging them.

Our education system is outdated for many reasons. One huge issue is the subject of tenure. The practice allows incompetent teachers to continue doing a hideous job and get paid for it.

Although the debate over whether cannabis should be legal has gone on for decades, the intensity has increased in recent years. This article lists the pros and cons of legalization.

A look at ten of the most tragic events that occurred during The Sixties.

If those searching for the truth don't trust mainline media outlets, where should they go? This article explains media consolidation in the United States and gives alternative sources to the MSM.

I am not a celebrity. I am simply a writer with my own ideas, opinions and creative pursuits. Behind my words, you cannot see me, except for a small profile picture in the corner of the screen. If you saw me in the street, you would not recognise...

Fighting neo-Nazism is a comprehensive endeavor. They're mostly immune to rational discourse and reasoned debate. If they were rational and reasonable they wouldn't be white supremacists.

Simply put, when the Europeans came to America - the Native Americans discovered that Europeans were savages.

Plastic pollution can be dangerous for marine life. Microplastic particles are tiny pieces of debris that may be harmful for animals and for humans as well.

The computer revolution that began in the second half of the twentieth century has brought many benefits, but also some downsides. I look at the advantages and disadvantages of the internet.

This article summarizes the history and misdeeds of the Mexican drug cartels. The scope of this international problem is discussed as well, emphasizing its impact on the United States, perhaps the only country powerful enough to stop them.

Modern farming methods rely heavily on the European Honey Bee for pollination, but the honey bee population is in peril and the cause of the problem is not well understood. Modern farming methods do not currently support adequate pollination by native species of bees.

Wild tigers are critically endangered, there is now more captive tigers than there are wild tigers. If we do not act soon, it is very likely that wild tigers will become extinct dying off in the wild.

So many lessons, so little space

Practice reuse ideas for every kind of waste in your garbage.

A 'challenge Hub' documenting numerous successful climate change predictions--great and small.

Sadly, echoes of the bitter segregationists are still heard today even among those who seek high office.

This is basically my breakup letter to feminism. For many years, I was a feminist, but not a radical one. But radicals took over, sanity has left the building, and I am not a feminist anymore.

Children who were not perfect and considered "feeble-minded" were shut away from society, their families, and everything they knew.

Guaranteed basic income for all is not a Utopian fantasy. The idea has been around since Thomas Paine and the American Revolution, an idea endorsed by left and right economists and philosophers.

Many people already realize the importance that recycling has on our society and way of life. However, if you still need more convincing, here are five big reasons why you need to start recycling today.

Chocolate bars have a dark, often untold story of human trafficking and child slavery. Cocoa plantations on the Ivory Coast use unpaid child labor to harvest the cocoa beans, often employing tactics such as physical abuse by overseers on plantations in West Africa.

Farmers use a variety of potentially toxic chemicals to prevent pests from consuming our food. Unfortunately, many of these chemicals can be bioaccumulated in our bodies or biomagnified through the food chain. Over time, some of them have the potential to cause severe adverse health affects in humans.

Radioactive Waste in the Ocean. Radioactive waste storage in the oceans. The pros and cons of long term radioactive storage of waste.

Think tanks have an enormous effect on public opinion and policy. Most think tanks promote themselves as being unbiased - but are they?

Human services professionals are faced with a barrage of dynamics in the helping field, and often times those dynamics can be a source of internal dilemma for the helping professional. When tasked with the burden of guiding clients, how far is too far in injecting personal biases and ideas?