The Problems We Face Now

I was thinking about the things that most concern me. What are the issues that I think are most serious, and deserve the most attention?  I've made here a list of the top twenty problems I worry about.  These are the social problems and situations that bother me the most.  These are in ranked order.

The COVID-19 Pandemic is not on the list, because I think we will have it handled within a few years, and likewise the economic depression or recession that results from the COVID-19 will probably be solved in a few years. Of course I am extremely worried about the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States right now, but because I do not think it will be an enduring challenge to our society, it does not rank in my top continuing concerns. Someday we may face a virus with an R-naught of 10, a latency period of two to four weeks, and an infection morality rate of 50%, and when we're faced with something like that I'll be scared. Likewise, we may someday detect an asteroid 5 kilometers in length on a collision path with our planet, and that would jump to the top of the list.  But those threats seem remote to me just now.

So, here is my top list.

1) Climate Threat

I am frightened by the global climate change that threatens to make oceans rise and temperatures go up so that some areas of the planet become essentially uninhabitable. The resulting mass migration away from coastal cities and torrid regions, combined with the loss of cropland due to coastal flooding, will present challenges.  This problem poses a nearly existential threat to humanity, and all other problems on this list are far less important in comparison.  I would solve this problem first, if I had to choose, but of course the solution to this problem will involve addressing several of the other problems on this list.

Protesters in Springfield, Illinois want the environment to be protected

2) Nuclear War

I am disturbed by the threat of nuclear war, which remains remote, but continues to be real. So long as the weapons exist and countries that have nuclear weapons such as Russia, North Korea, China, Pakistan, India, Israel, and the United States threaten war, I am uneasy about the long-term future of humanity. Until there is an strong system for regulating international relations in such a way that war becomes impossible, these weapons pose a nearly existential threat to humanity’s long-term future.

Because this threat is not imminent, it could perhaps be ranked near the end of the list.  But unlike the other 18 problems below it, this problem poses a real threat to the planet that is so worrisome that I think it deserves its number 2 ranking. It is also a problem I believe could be solved with greater ease than many of the other problems on this list.

Survivors mourn at mass grave

3) China's government is too belligerent toward Taiwan.

I am worried by threats that the Communist Party of China and the People’s Liberation Army make, where they claim they may invade and conquer the Republic of China headquartered in Taiwan. If the authorities in Beijing launch such a war, I think America, NATO, Japan, and other Asian countries must come to Taiwan’s defense, and in so doing, there is a threat of an escalation of the conflict that could lead to a world war between the PRC and much of the rest of the world. I care very much about the people of China and Taiwan, and I do not want to see a war that would impose terrible suffering on those people.

Sunflower Movement protests in Taipei

4) The displaced people need our care

I care very much about the continuing problem of displaced people around the world who are refugees from racism and war, and in particular the fate of persons fleeing violent anarchy and prejudices in Central America (Guatemala-Honduras-El Salvador), Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan, and other places. The international system needs to create fulfilling lives for refugees so that they can live in safety and develop their skills and personalities, and be productive and happy. This is a burden all humanity should share. I am not in favor of open borders, but I do think humanity needs to create resettlement regions and enclaves where people will be safe, and where people can build new lives while having their human rights respected.

Ai Weiwei’s Odyssey (2016)

5) Poverty in the United States. Why does it continue?  Why don't we end this travesty?

I am outraged by the perpetuation of poverty and economic deprivation in the United States, a country that has achieved a level of wealth that makes it possible to eliminate poverty. Our country has allowed the creation of many billionaires and multi-millionaires who hold concentrated wealth in a society where over a third of the population lives with economic precarious paycheck-to-paycheck insecurity or else actual poverty.  Poverty is the root of many of our social problems, and if we would eliminate poverty (with a mix of guaranteed employment and basic minimum incomes) we could drastically reduce many of the problems we now face.

Protesters want government to respect the interests of everyone

6) Racial prejudices and racism

I am committed to addressing the general problem of racism and prejudice in the United States. There is a widespread feeling of paranoia and distrust aimed against African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Americans with American Indian heritage (including Hispanic Americans).  I’m especially concerned about the 20% to 30% of Americans who are hostile toward “black and brown” and want to keep high levels of social distance from persons with non-European heritage. I’m concerned about the subtle racial prejudices that make Americans overvalue European racial characteristics and heritage and devalue non-European heritage. This racism and failure to see that we are all one family, one race, is a core problem in my culture. Many injustices are rooted in a large segment of European-Americans refusing to support policies and interventions that would address the problem, but we are also plagued by many well-meaning anti-racism activists more concerned with identity politics and symbolic interventions instead of using empirical evidence to guide us toward the interventions and policies that would most effectively reduce racism.

Martin Luther King Day festival at Civil Rights Museum in Memphis

7) Violence, violent crime, militarism (all associated with a toxic masculinity in my culture)

I am concerned about the violent tendencies in my culture. The gun-loving fetish of a significant minority of the country, combined with the tendency toward violence in some national sub-cultures, makes my society have a very high rate of death and injury due to homicide, suicide, and firearms accidents. Mass shootings, domestic violence, child abuse, violent crime in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty, foreign policies that cause thousands of innocent civilians in foreign lands to perish, and a glorification of military power (the achievement of being able to kill many people whom we have dehumanized) are all manifestations of this tendency toward violence in America. I say this as a person who enjoys hunting, and who does think that some Americans (“well-regulated” could mean “well-trained and licensed”) should have a right to own and use some kinds of firearms.

Poster during the Sunflower student movement in 2014

8) Anti-intellectualism in American society

I am concerned with the anti-intellectualism in my society, and the tendency of Americans to devalue the evidence of science and dispassionate and reasoned argument, and instead use cognitive distortion and confirmation bias to inform their opinions on most controversial matters. I also lament the low quality of intellectual life in our public sphere, the rather shallow understanding of theology, science, philosophy, history, art, and aesthetics of most Americans. My national culture is rightly criticized for being overly materialistic and shallow, and this is an aspect of my society for which I am ashamed.

Protesters in January of 2017

9) Increasing inequality.

I am concerned with the growing inequality and excessive power concentrated in the hands of economic elites. I detest the “winner-take-all” society.  The pay differentials between those who serve as corporate executives and leaders of major institutions  and those who serve as rank-and-file workers and professionals erodes democracy. The concentration of wealth is deeply unfair, and causes resentment and anger, because the masses of American workers who are productive and working long hours are seeing most of the fruits of their labors go to a minority (the top 10%) while living standards are fairly stagnant for most of us. The powerful and wealthy control much of the news and political debate, and the political parties have been captured by the elites, so that very few political leaders authentically represent the interests of the vast majority of Americans.  Billionaires can buy elections, and they influence the political system so that taxes on the wealthy remain relatively low, while public goods and public services are diminished in quality.

The problem is widespread across the globe. Economic elites can hide their money in tax havens, and avoid contributing to the public welfare.  This is wrong, and it is wreaking havoc everywhere.

Occupy Springfield protest in 2011

10) Industrial food production and the inhumane treatment of the animals we eat.

I am worried about the food system being dominated by a few companies that use an industrial production model to provide food, and especially meat, in a system that is unjustifiably cruel and harmful. The treatment of livestock, of agricultural workers, of the land, and of many other workers involved in bringing food from fields to the table is unacceptable to me.

As a person who is sometimes a farmer and farmers market food vendor, and also as someone who enjoys hunting (only for animals I would eat), my concern is partly about the alienation between modern people and the sources of their food. This alienation makes people willing to accept food systems that are unsustainable and destructive. It also prevents people from understanding the consequences of their food choices.

Protesters in Springfield, Illinois

11) The Police Problem.

I am worried about our system of criminal justice and law enforcement that incarcerates over two million Americans. Associated with this is our police force that seems to be filled with too many sadistic and brutal persons. I think that our society has a policing problem. I have friends in law enforcement, and I do not hate the police; in fact, I rather admire and like many persons drawn by the idealism of “protecting and serving the public” who show by their actions that they really want to help and protect people.  I also know that there are people who are predators, who are psychopaths or suffering from anti-social personality disorder, who are dangerous, from whom we need protection. But I believe many local law enforcement organizations, as well as state police forces, and even the Federal Marshals and FBI, have been infiltrated by corrupt persons who are basically callous, violent, vindictive, paranoid, and hateful. This is a huge problem.  We need a system that emphasizes prevention of crime and raising the rates of solving crimes and finding perpetrators and rehabilitating them (if possible), rather than a system that is based on intimidation and retribution (harsher punishments do not effectively reduce crime). We need a system that rehabilitates persons who can be rehabilitated, rather than a “corrections” system that punishes people without doing much to help them reform or reintegrate as healthy and productive citizens after they have been punished. Yes, there are people so dangerous that they need to be locked up forever, and there are people who unjustly hate all police and are violent threats to law enforcement workers, but the primary problem is a toxic culture in many police departments and in the widespread contempt in which many police hold the rest of us, the way our justice system is a retribution and hate system, rather than a rehabilitation system.

Young Taiwanese idealists face off against riot control police

12) Inadequate services for persons with substance abuse problems.

I am concerned with the lack of services and assistance for persons suffering from substance abuse or addiction. I believe that substance abuse and dependence is a major cause of child maltreatment and homelessness, and it seems insane to me that our society is not putting more resources into substance abuse treatment and substance abuse prevention. I believe that reducing social isolation and increasing psychological and relationship training in K-12 schools is one way to effectively prevent some of the substance abuse.  In the meantime, we must provide treatment for persons who are abusing substances, and especially persons who are homeless and abusing substances.

I would do whatever worked to solve this problem. Pragmatism should guide us.  If the government legalized all dangerous addictive drugs and then created a state monopoly on them, and gave them out free to those who wanted to use or abuse them, but constantly encouraged those persons to get free treatment to reduce their addictions or abuse, I would support that sort of thing if evidence showed such a policy would significantly solve the problem.  On the other extreme, if we had mandatory life imprisonments for everyone who was caught selling or distributing any quantity of dangerous addictive substances, and put them all to work breaking rocks in the Aleutian Archipelago, and that approached worked, I would support it.  In other words, I am in favor of almost anything, whatever it takes, to pragmatically solve this problem. Until we help persons who suffer from addiction, we are going to continue to have high rates of child maltreatment, homelessness, and property crime.

Aboriginal Formosans join in protest against policies threatening their well-being

13) Inadequate mental health services.

I am worried about the lack of treatment for persons with mental illness, and I am especially concerned about the lack of support for family caregivers who take care of persons suffering from persistent and chronic mental illness or dementia.

Human Service providers try to remind Illinois government of their duties

14) Cultural celebration of cynical nihilism, coarse language, and materialism.

I am distressed by a crudeness and descent into profanity and cynical nihilism in our popular culture. My culture generally accepts glorification of hateful violence and meaningless sex in popular music and film. I am not a prude, and I do not object to the use of profanity in art, but our language has become so crude and debased with offensive words that such words have lost their impact. Many artists and creative types attempt to shock just for the fun of shocking people, and offer no serious criticism of problems or any constructive suggestions in their art. Likewise I believe sex is a worthwhile topic for art and popular culture to address, but it seems to me that the capitalist impulse has harnessed human sexuality and used it to create a culture where many people seem to care more about sex than love. I recognize that the quality and diversity of popular media (music, film, television, and other arts) is now very good, and we are in a golden age in some sense.  Yet, despite this, the most popular forms of leisure arts, especially popular music and video gaming and film) seem dominated by the most empty and materialistic drivel packaged for mass consumption, and there is too much violence and excessive shallow sexuality. 

15) Injustice of the American immigration system

I am appalled by our immigration system.  I prefer the United States to have a fairly stable population, and so I favor a modest decrease in immigration, but I still want a significant number of immigrants allowed into the country.  I want these immigrants to include many who come here to unify families, and I also want us to bring in refugees and talented persons from all corners of the world. We ought to have an immigration system with clear rules and procedures, and persons coming to our country ought to know exactly what they should do to apply for rights to live here or to become citizens. When visitors or immigrants apply for legal status or naturalization, our system ought to swiftly give them clear answers about their status. We ought to allow people who are culturally American because they came here as children and grew up as Americans to remain here and become citizens, even if they are undocumented immigrants (provided they have committed no serious crimes and have made positive contributions to society as students, workers, or volunteers).

Water Protector Encampment at Standing Rock Reservation

16) Black Lives Matter

I am concerned about bias in our police and courts that manifests in higher rates of state-sponsored violence against members of minority communities.  That is, I’m concerned about police being disrespectful and bullying African-Americans and others who are non-white. I am concerned that courts give harsher sentences to persons who are non-white.  I am unhappy about the fact that our society gives much attention to the crimes against wealthy and European-Americans, and largely ignores crimes and injustices perpetrated against poor and non-European-Americans. I think that non-whites are over-represented as victims of unjustified police violence against suspects or harmless innocent persons. I believe that the Justice Department’s report on the Ferguson Police Department shows a type of racist police culture that, while not being universal or dominant in local police forces, is probably still fairly common and widespread.

My friend Diane Elze engages in her civic duties

17) Growth of extremism and intolerance in civil discourse in my culture. Rise of fascism.

I am concerned about tendencies toward extremism and intolerance in my culture.  On the right, there seems to be a more rabid and proto-fascist cult of authoritarianism manifested in the people who practically worship Donald Trump, and the general tendency in the Republican Party to excuse the Trump Administration’s traitorous behaviors. There also seems to be more racist and nationalist behavior and extremism on the far right. To a lesser extent, the Democrats and the far left are mirroring this behavior, and I’m concerned about cancel culture and a tendency toward group-think and identity politics on the left.  I have never admired or identified with either the Democrats or Republicans.  The Democrats tend to support policies with which I agree about 60% of the time, whereas the Republicans and I agree on policies maybe 10% of the time, so when I can’t vote for a Green candidate, I tend to vote for Democrats, but I do not think people ought to identify with political parties or ideologies. We ought to instead identify by our passions, hobbies, values, beliefs, families, communities, and our professions or trades, and our geographic locations. The tendency of Americans to identify by their political tribe is worrisome to me. I’m especially bothered by the fact that the tribes often suspend critical thinking and just engage in group-think in support of their “cause” or their “tribe” no matter what the facts are.

Protester in Springfield, IL

18) Global erosion of democracy and the rise of nationalism and the authoritarian right.

I am worried about the growing nationalism in India, Russia, China, Brazil, the Philippines, Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Israel, and of course my own country. These nationalisms are eroding democracy, and in places like India, China, Russia, and the United States they threaten world peace. I’m especially worried about the way the ruling dictatorship in China is promoting hatred and resentment against Europeans, Americans, and Japanese in their education and mass media systems, and I think this sort of virulent nationalism is being promoted in China and other countries to distract the masses from the corruption, incompetence, and miss-management of the political elites.  I think this nationalism also makes the public in such societies more susceptible to militarism and justifications for war.

Nationalists who went too far in the former Yugoslavia

19) Sexism.

I am upset at the continuing sexism oppressing women, and the enduring threats of sexual violence against women, whether in human trafficking for the sex trade, violence against women in the home, honor killings, or rape as a tool of terrorism and warfare. I am angry about the fact that women are paid less than men, with their salaries perhaps being 4% or 5% less than men’s salaries (after controlling for education, type of occupation, tenure in occupation, type of work, and tenure in specific job).  I am angry at the injustice that “women’s work” is devalued compared to “men’s work” so that nurses, school teachers, social workers, and others are relatively low-paid.

Grave of a boy who was murdered in Srebrenica.

20) Degraded natural environment and extinction of species.

I am distressed by the environmental destruction wrought by humanity beyond the problems of climate change.  The bush meat trade, the conversion of rainforests to rangeland, the poaching of rare animals, the exhaustion of fisheries, and other human attacks on ecosystems are causing the extinction of many animal species. 

Earth Day poster

Other Concerns

There are many other issues I care about that are not in my top twenty. I think it is crazy that we do not have universal health insurance or universal health care provision here in the United States. That is probably the 21st issue if my list continued.  I am bothered by continuing prejudices against persons who are transgender or queer or have other sexuality tendencies or gender identities outside the heterosexual hegemony. I am distressed by religious extremism and fundamentalism in all religions, including my own.  I am dismayed by the persecution of my co-coreligionists in Iran. I am opposed to the tyranny and cruelty of the worst governments (in North Korea, and several other countries). I am upset at the cruel injustices against the Uighurs and other Islamic minorities in China, the oppression of the Tibetans, the mistreatment of the Palestinians, the persecution of the Rohingya, the continuing injustices perpetrated against American Indians, and so forth. I am concerned at any attempts to erode the civil rights of Americans by diminishing the protections of the Bill of Rights. I do not think the state should intrude on the rights of women and their doctors to have privacy in their medical decisions (even decisions about terminating pregnancies).  All these things also bother me, but they just are not in my top twenty list.