Philip Schultz is one of the renowned poets who used his work to portray various issues that affect the stability of a given nation. In the poem Greed, he portrays how different individuals make decisions that contribute to the instability of the nation (Poetry Foundation, “Philip Schultz”). The poet refers to them as greedy people as they only support factors that will favor their wellbeing. It is everyone’s goal to live a good quality lifestyle and hence tend to do everything possible to achieve their objective. This paper highlights how various social issues have been portrayed in the poem Greed and their impacts on society.
One of the major social issues that have been outlined in the poem is social class. Social class is one of the aspects that matter within society because it portrays how people are ranked in society. Socioeconomic status is a major contributing factor that leads to social class stratification across the world (Zhu et al.). An individual may be in the upper class, middle class, and the lower class, one class depends on their ability to enjoy various financial privileges. In the poem, the Hispanics have been categorized in the lower class while the blacks are in the middle class and the white in the upper class.
The author portrays how social class issues have a great impact on different aspects of a nation’s economy. The job market is one of the most significant sectors of a country’s economy because of its great contributions to the Gross Domestic Product. However, social class issues have negatively affected the job market since individuals in the lower class are willing to work for lower wages which affects the job market for the middle and upper-class individuals (Zhu et al.). In lines 3 and 4, he portrays how more men stand by the railroad station hoping to be hired for work (Poetry Foundation, “Greed by Philip Schultz”). More black and white men have been left jobless in the United States of America because the Hispanics are willing to do the jobs at low wages, which is considered an act of greed.
Another significant factor that the poem highlights are the issue of job remuneration and the working environment. Good remuneration is one of the motivational factors in the job market. Organizations that pay their employee’s satisfactory salaries and awards have recorded high-quality output from their human resource (Clerke et al.). Many organizations have lost highly productive employees because of lack of remuneration, while other individuals are not willing to work for some entities because of the low wages they offer (Clerke et al.). In the poem, the black and native white American citizens have declined some job offers because of poor remuneration.
The workstations and environment are major factor that has been covered by the poem. The author highlights how individuals within the lower social class are willing to persevere in poor working environments and low wages. This is because most of the people in the lower class do not have the required qualifications to get hired for white-collar jobs and have to do everything possible to live a satisfactory life (Clerke et al.). In lines 15-16, the author highlights how his father was not an educated individual but had to work on any job to be rich and live a satisfactory lifestyle.
People of different social classes experience different problems due to the lifestyle they are living in society. People in the upper class within a given economy tend to spend many financial resources to sustain their lifestyle (Zhu et al.). However, many of them experience stressful situations when resource turnover decreases. When there is a decrease in income for individuals in the upper class, it becomes impossible to meet the financial obligations of their families’ lifestyles. In lines 23 and 24, the author portrays how empty corteges, which were owned by the rich individuals, are currently being owned by banks because some of the rich individuals failed to honor the payment of their mortgages (Poetry Foundation, 2021). People in the lower socioeconomic class experience different types of problems related to their class and quality of life in society.
The main problem faced by individuals living in the lower socioeconomic class is worrying about what the future holds for them. Mental distress is a major issue for low-class individuals because they have limited access to opportunities available in the job market. For example, people in the low class worry much about paying for various basic needs; however, they do not have the financial power to satisfy their needs. Individuals in the high socioeconomic class do not strain to meet their financial obligations compared to the low-class citizens (Zhu et al.). There is a great gap that exists between the two groups; the rich tend to be closer to people of their social class, which can be considered an act of greed.
The relationships between the employers and employees within a given sector are a critical issue that the poem covers. It is the responsibility of every employer to ensure that their employees’ welfare is well managed (Zhu et al.). Effective management of employees’ welfare involves ensuring a proper remuneration system, providing a good working environment, and helping them develop their skills (Clerke et al.). Employers who ensure a good welfare system for their employees have recorded high-quality productivity from their human resources. The poet has portrayed greed in the poem by highlighting how some employees are only concerned about their profits and not the wellbeing of their employees.
There are various organizations that have been formulated to ensure that the needs of every worker are satisfied by their employers. Employees have rights that govern how they operate in different working stations. However, there are still some employers that do not adhere to the set guidelines for ensuring an employee’s wellbeing within various working stations (Zhu et al.). Many individuals have been greatly affected by unworthy working relationships with their employers, leading to poor quality of life for their workers as the entity records high levels of profitability. Most labor organizations have failed to investigate such organizations, which can be considered to be an act of greed (Zhu et al.). This is because many of the managers of the labor organizations collaborate with the businesses at the expense of the workers.
The issue of foreign individuals working in the United States of America has been covered in the poem, where the author highlights some of the challenges that foreign workers experience in other countries. A significant number of businesses in the American job market can be considered to be managed by greedy individuals because they only hire foreign workers so that they can pay them lesser wages (Clerke et al.). Human greed is one of the major factors that have affected the wellbeing of individuals in different socioeconomic groups.
Works Cited
Clerke, Alexa S., et al. “Association between Social Class, Greed, and Unethical Behaviour: A Replication Study.” Collabra: Psychology, vol. 4, no. 1, 2018, p. 35, 10.1525/collabra.166.
Poetry Foundation. “Greed by Philip Schultz.” Poetry Magazine, Web.
“Philip Schultz.” Poetry Foundation, 2022, Web.
Zhu, Yiming, et al. “Is Greed a Double-Edged Sword? The Roles of the Need for Social Status and Perceived Distributive Justice in the Relationship between Greed and Job Performance.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 10, 2019, Web.
Economic Inequality And Pandemic Challenge
Economic inequality continues to be relevant to modern society, with the full range of human rights being available only to the wealthy minority. However, many social workers have now been focusing on working toward addressing the issue, with their commitment to social justice and equal human rights being illustrated by the way in which they promote equality (Rine & LaBarre, 2020). The target population of their efforts includes predominantly marginalized individuals who are excluded from the majority of social processes and thus have no influence on policymaking. Most of the time, social workers will draw on the value of social justice to address issues related to oppression and deprivation. In the restrictive economic environment that has been significantly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers find it challenging to address the economic implications of healthcare.
It has shown that the most underserved and vulnerable populations were affected by the coronavirus pandemic because they often could not access to economic and public health resources to meet their needs. Besides, lower-income populations did not have the privilege of staying at home and not working for some time or work remotely. Therefore, it has been the responsibility of social workers to provide support to populations in need during the pandemic while also pushing for policies to address the economic gaps and facilitate the steady financial and psychological recovery from the pandemic.
Policies that can help reduce gaps between higher- and lower-income classes are crucial at this time because of the need to build economic security among populations that are not financially prepared to withstand the pressures of global health emergencies. With the stabilization of the environment in the US worldwide, the economic recession has already stopped for white-collar jobs with good benefits while low-wage workers continue struggling (Goldberg, 2012). The building of financial security among underserved groups can begin with implementing initiatives that encourage employers to support low-wage workers in the form of child support, food assistance, as well as extra pay for long shifts. Both financial and non-financial support is imperative at this time so that the underserved populations do not feel as if they are left on their own to deal with the problem (Rine & LaBarre, 2020). Another way in which social workers have been supporting lower-income populations during the pandemic is by providing clear and concise information on the nearest COVID-19 testing and vaccine locations. Also, the additional psychological support has been vital to providing the economically disadvantaged individual a refuge to take comfort in because of the loss of loved ones to the disease, which has been so traumatic to hundreds of thousands.
Considering the immense challenges of the pandemic and the adverse impact on the economic stability of populations, social workers have been increasing their focus on the issue of privilege (Olcoń, Gilbert, & Pulliam, 2020). Similar to the employment and educational contexts, privilege and positionality has also played a significant role in the healthcare context. It has been the responsibility of social workers to analyze the universal and large-scale equality projects to solve this problem. The National Association of Social Workers has been dedicated to protecting employees’ rights during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that they have unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, as well as sick and family insurance. Overall, social workers have been instrumental in supporting the needs of lower-income and underserved populations due to the immense pressure of them lacking privilege.
References
Goldberg, G. S. (2012). Economic inequality and economic crisis: A challenge for social workers. Social Work, 57(3), 211-224.
Olcoń, K., Gilbert, D., & Pulliam, R. (2021). Critical consciousness raising about global economic inequality through experiential and emotional learning. Journal of Experiential Education, 44(3), 308-322.
Rine, C., &LaBarre, C. (2020). Research, practice, and policy strategies toreduce extreme economic inequality. Health & Social Work, 45(3), 145-148.
Choosing A Career In The Administration Of Justice
Introduction
The careers open for students with a degree in the Administration of Justice provides a possibility for being hired for jobs in the US Department of Justice. The positions in the Administration of Justice include Police Officers, Probation Officers, Intelligence Analysts, FBI Special Agents, and First-Line Supervisors of the Police (“Administration of Justice,” 2021). This paper presents the career outlook for the degree in the Administration of Justice.
Name of Career
Interestingly, the US Department of Justice also has the careers like Attorney, Criminal Investigator, Correctional Officer, Information Technology, Intelligence Research, and Forensic Scientists, some of which are entry positions. In general, the Administration of Justice is a specialization in criminal justice (“Police and detectives,” 2020). Professionals in this field are trained to properly apply the law within the framework of criminal justice, and they work in the police, prison systems, and other departments.
Reasons to Choose the Career
A career in the Administration of Justice, and, in particular, a career of the police officer is associated with law enforcement duties. Police work may include patrolling, providing security during mass gatherings or emergencies, looking for signs of criminal activity, and making arrests if police see the law being broken. A police career requires personal qualities of courage and the ability to make decisions in difficult situations.
Credentials
A police officer can be an entry position requiring a high school diploma, or college courses. Regardless of the degree, all police applicants receive practical training at the police academy, where they are trained in emergency response, ethics and self-defense. Education in the Administration of Justice guides the students for future work in law enforcement, corrections, and forensics, requiring bachelor’s degrees offered by colleges and universities. Expanded curriculums include courses in “domestic and international terrorism, white-collar crime, and juvenile justice” (“Administration of Justice,” 2021, para. 4). Admission requirements for undergraduate programs require internships or work experience. Master’s degrees include programs in the study of justice and the administration of justice and open the way to higher positions such as chief of police.
Marketability
The work of a police officer is quite popular among the population, given the prestige of the work, and salary levels. Despite the challenging and stressful work environment, including 24/7 shift work, many people choose this career path. According to statistics, in 2020 the average annual salary of detectives and police officers was $67,290 (“U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,” 2019). Experts also predict employment growth in the field of 7% by 2030 (“Police and detectives,” 2020). Remarkably, 67,100 vacancies for detectives and police are opened annually (“Police and detectives,” 2020). The stability of the demand for specialists is associated with the replacement of employees who retire or change their field of activity.
Economic Growth
Economic growth is an important factor in choosing a profession, as it determines its reliability and stability. It is noteworthy that the average salary of police officers corresponds to the standard of living in the United States and allows you to pay for the necessary goods and services. According to forecasts, salary growth is expected at the level of 5% by 2029 (“Police and detectives,” 2020). This level of growth is faster than in other industries, due to the high demand for professionals. The average annual salary for probation officers is $54,290, while the average annual salary for FBI agents is $75,497 (“Police and detectives,” 2020). The salaries of chiefs of police departments and other leaders are even higher than indicated, which indicates the economic attractiveness of a career as a police officer in the United States.
Conclusion
Thus, the career outlook for the degree in the Administration of Justice was presented. The careers in the field include police officers, probation officers, intelligence analysts, and FBI special agents. The career path of the police officer is particularly appealing, due to job responsibilities and its economic stability. Education to start as a police officer can range from a high school diploma to a university degree, depending on the suitability of the intended position.
References
Administration of Justice: jobs and degree. (2021). Web.
Police and detectives. (2020). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). Occupational outlook handbook. Washington, DC.