Present Day Social Evils
June 28, 2008
Modern day social evils have destroyed traditional, shared values and left people feeling a deep sense of unease. Most societies worldwide have lost their moral compass, leading to community and family breakdown. With a society blighted by greed and selfishness, family life has been destroyed, due to unwelcome changes thrust upon it. Big business, religion and the media have been blamed for the anti-social behaviour, binge-drinking, violence, gun and knife crime culture that today’s youth find refuge in. Consumerism, drugs and alcohol, immigration and responses to it, crime and violence, poverty and inequality are some of the social evils that make everyone uneasy.
There is concern about society having become more individualistic, greedy and selfish, seemingly at a cost to family life and our sense of community. In addition, greed is increasing the growing gulf between the rich and the poor, including concern that we no longer share a set of common values, having lost our moral compass. Many of today’s social evils are inter-linked as a decline of community has led to increasing isolation and individualism, as relationships get eclipsed with an excessive desire for consumer goods.
Misuse of drugs and alcohol has also been identified as both a cause and consequence of many other social problems, including family breakdown and poverty. Bad parenting is also to be blamed for teenagers drifting into unhealthy lifestyles with poor moral values, with everything based around money and owning things. Decline of the family, poor parenting was felt to cause many other social problems, leaving young people particularly vulnerable.
A fear of local residents that they would lose out to immigrants has also led to negative attitudes and a lack of support for immigrants has led to an intolerant and inclusive society. In addition, child abuse and exploitation are some particularly damaging evils. Young people are seen as perpetrators rather than the victims of social evils. There is a growing gulf between the old and the young leading to a lack of role models for the young.
A decline in religion as the ethical foundation for moral behaviour has led many to identify religion as a social evil, as it is deemed to cause confusion and conflict in the mind. While that as may be, religion has also helped many to keep their balance amongst the social evils that permeate present day society.





















