I was doing a review in class today and I realized how we can always continuously connect things that are going on in our lives to Sociology 101. We were in class and I was thinking about the best way to distinguish between "problem-posing" and "problem-solving." I was thinking and thinking...then it came to me an example I had just experienced a couple days ago.
I was walking to my car with friends and we saw a homeless man nearby. My friend gave him 5 dollars for food the next morning. We then drove down the street and I saw another homeless man, and then down the next street and another homeless man. I thought to myself, that if I gave this one man 5 dollars, why isn't it that I dont give this next man 5 dollars, and so on. Evenmoreso, then I would have to come back the next day to give 5 dollars to them all over again because they would need money for the next meal. Then Dr. Choi talked about the idea of charity. Then it clicked...if I give this homeless person 5 dollars I would be doing something good, but I would have to take it even further or else it would merely be problem solving.
In order to participate in problem-posing, I would have to not only help them but ask why they have been made poor in the first place. Then I can begin to combat the real enemy. So I used the example of Nike donating thousands and thousands of dollars to 3rd world countries, but then we are not able to link the fact that Nike also employs slave laborers. Hmm...problem-posing indeed.
I used this example in class and alot of students said that the example of poverty clicked for them. It became something concrete and real. It became something urgent and demanding of attention. It became reality.
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