Understanding America: A Sociological Perspective

Is America done? Have we run our course? Is the best behind us with nothing but stagnation, turmoil, and decline ahead? Are we living during the fall of the United States, the New Roman Empire? Calls to Make America Great Again motivated millions of Americans recently to engage in the political process for the first time in their lives. Motivated by a concern that they, like the old Romans of the fifth century, were on the precipice of disaster. The ancient Romans, of course, were not naive; they saw the problems, they even had solutions, but they failed to save their civilization. Is this the destiny of the United States? Solutions to health care, taxes, immigration, crime, sex roles, and environmental degradation are numerous and available, but it seems, like the ancient Romans, Americans lack the political and social will, unity, and objectivity to get it done. Part of the problem is that the nation's airways are filled with social commentators espousing liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, progressive, anarchist, and other partisan perspectives for the nation's condition. All of this hyperbole, fake news, spin doctoring, and outright lies are a result of everyone relying upon partial, alternative, or simply made-up sets of facts. If we cannot even agree on the facts, then how in the world can we agree on what should or should not be done? Well, there is a solution to this: old-fashioned, scientifically grounded sociology. Not the current activist sociology, which has helped contribute to the static. But the type of sociology that adheres to the scientific methodology. By understanding and applying the sociological perspective, it is possible to not only understand the true nature of the problems facing the nation, but also how we arrived at this point, and where we can go from here. This is the promise of this book: by understanding sociology, we can then understand not only America, but also Americans. Only by embracing the truth about the nation's status can we get back on the right path to fulfilling the promise of America.