Sociology and Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology and Anthropology - Essay Example Since most people know that smoking is hazardous to people’s health, just a limited number really understands what other social problems smoking can cause to both the people and the entire society. As stated, smoking results in death. According to the World Health Organization, smoking holds responsibility for every single death in five. Extent of Effects of Smoking as a Social Problem Apart from deaths, smoking extended illnesses such as cancer, respiratory and heart diseases among others. Facts maintain that continuous smoking can lead to cancer, which is a killer in both the contemporary United States and the world. Furthermore, smoking claims a higher percentage of heart diseases and respiratory illnesses in America. Smoking also causes liver cirrhosis, which, in turn, results in death if not treated early enough (McEachern, 2010). As people continue to wonder about the direct effects of smoking, research observations reveal that passive smoking, which is a common phenomen on among most Americans, causes lung cancer. Passive smoking is as endangering as it has links with cot death and asthma in children as well as glue gear (Barrett, 2009). Therefore, it is agreeable to say that smoking does not only affect whoever is smoking but also affects those around him. Additionally, contemporary United States, among other countries, is part of the largest producers of tobacco leafs. Tobacco planting results in deforestation as planters must clear the bushes before they replace them with tobacco trees (Gobo, 2004). This shows that the need for smoking leads to deforestation, which in the end results in lack of land for other agricultural purposes. Consequently, people suffer from poverty and other social problems due to tobacco plating in the contemporary United States. Further, the level of crime is on the increase in contemporary United States (Delamater & Myers, 2010). Criminal investigations record the habit of smoking among the youth as one of the most com mon motives of indulging in crime. This is because smoking among teenagers in contemporary United States goes hand in hand with other substance abuse. As a result, the need for more of these substances and lack of resources to acquire them among this generation accounts for their involvement in criminal activities (Barrett, 2009). Sociological Theory That Explains Smoking Interestingly, sociologists and other great thinkers tend to theorize almost everything. Through theorizing, they believe they can set forth better platforms where people can understand certain phenomena. The theory of structural functionalism explains smoking by aiding in establishing the factors that lead to smoking (McEachern, 2010). Additionally, it tries to expound on matters relevant to ways of stopping the habit of smoking. Sociologists in the criminal department have made the use of structural functionalism as a core element in trying to establish the type and amount of smokes, and the time consumed by smok ers. The theory of structural functionalism tries to provide empirical and modified range of type of cigarette that a particular person has been smoking (Evans, 2009). This symbolic dialect also encompasses the application of the theory of symbolic interactionalism which is a social psychological instrument used by sociologists in establishing the amount of smokes consumed by the subject. Essay Two The Nature-Nurture Debate The nature-nurture controversy has been and still is a