Economic Struggles

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Recommended: Components of sociological imagination

The twenties are supposed to be the best years of someone’s life; however, with the declining economy and lack of potential jobs, the generation of young adults has been forced to live substandard lifestyles. Depicted through The Wall Street Journal’s article, Young Men Suffer Worst As Economy Staggers, the life of Cody Preston and Justin Randal, 25 year-old males living in the recession, exploits the common economic and social troubles of their generation. The similarities of Cody and Justin’s situation portrays the troubles throughout the population shown in For Those Under 24, Job Shortage Adds Up to Crisis. The ability of thinking that allows for an individual to recognize a specific circumstance and apply it to a more general concept of the world is known as the sociological imagination. C. Wright Mills, a sociologist, recognizes the sociological imagination to be the understanding of personal troubles and public issues allowing for common relativity of world problems. The jobless market, lack of long-term relationships and economic struggles are not only personal problems; they effect the nation and stimulate the desire for change.

With the economic recession prevalent in the United States, the job market is malaise. Many young adults, including Cody Preston and Justin Randol, have become unemployed and been forced to take menial, inept, and low-paying jobs. The unemployment rate has skyrocketed in the past few years exceedingly affecting the young adult population. The personal issue of economic struggles seemingly correlates to the bigger problem. Personal troubles become societal problems and the economic recession is a huge topic of politics and societal matters. Alike the recession in the early 80’s, history has begun...

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...adult males in society will have the ability to support themselves and eventually create a family. The connection between the private lives of Cody and Justin reveal the adverse economical issues prevalent in society for all young adults portrayed in the article, For Those Under 24, Job Shortage Adds Up to Crisis.

Through the globalization of the world problematic issues such as unemployment are often exploited in the media, making personal issues public knowledge. C. Wright Mills depicts the intertwining of personal bibliographies and public history throughout The Promise. The use of this concept, the sociological imagination, creates a direct link between the struggles of Cody Preston and Justin Randol to those of young men in society through the inability to obtain jobs, recurring relationship failures and the inabilities to support themselves due to low wages.

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