One of the current and most burning topics for discussion among American citizens is the choice of the President in 2020. The US presidential election is characterized by the presence of many solid democratic representatives with their ideas and values. To make sure people choose correctly, it is recommended to consider a sociological perceptive and analyze if any of the nominees are able to meet the majority of core American values developed by Williams in 1975.
In this paper, attention is paid to the Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders. He is one of the longest-serving congressmen in American History, who is known due to his passion for redistributing wealth and solving inequality issues in society (Graham; Haltiwanger). Some political leaders fail to understand the essence of individualism, humanitarianism, religion, or love, and Sanders, relying on his experience, can restore the worth of a sociological perspective and these values during the presidential elections.
In the mid-1960s, sociologist Robin Williams introduced 15 core values to determine human behaviors in American society. They include the importance of achievement and success to attain wealth and power, individualism to appreciate personal development, and material comfort with appropriate medical care, housing, nutrition, and other favorable economic conditions. People have to consider their best interests to elect their leaders, to choose the number of children for their families, or to share their public opinions (Neal and Youngelson-Neal 15).
The sociological perspective shows that American society is a constantly changing social product with specific backgrounds that influence human attitudes and behaviors. Some human needs are identified after their birth, and many needs are developed with time when the impact of the environment cannot be neglected. American society is a complex concept with many determinants, and the election of the President in the country is one of the most significant events because it shows the achieved progress and preferred values.
People have to investigate the positions of several candidates and make their choices independently. The position of Sanders is not difficult to understand as it includes several core values inherent to American life. He shared his clear vision about healthcare (to provide all with care in a cost-effective way), immigration (to restructure the current policy), and LGBTQ rights (to support people’s interests) (Haltiwanger). He also wants to change the current education system and make public colleges tuition-free, as well as improve foreign policy and reconsider the relationships with Iraq (Haltiwanger). Sanders already participated in the 2016 debates, and now he knows what people expect from the politicians.
He is one of the best representatives for US citizens to protect their core values from a variety of perspectives, including the sociological one. The world continues changing, and it is hard to choose one position and stick to it for a long period of time. However, when a person uses the values that were created decades ago, it proves his dignity and ability to weigh the lessons of the past and the present.
As well as any presidential nominee, Bernie Sanders has enough strong and some weak positions in his campaign. No one is perfect in this world, and Sanders does not want to prove his uniqueness but focus on the issues that are important for people. He thinks about American society as a whole, not as groups of individuals. To be successful and invincible, the United States has to be united. Internal inequality concerns, uncontrolled wealth, and social inabilities should be solved to provide people with a chance to live happy and equal life and enhance development at different levels. Such outcomes can be achieved within the frames of the position introduced by Senator Sanders.
References
Graham, David A. “The 2020 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet.” The Atlantic. 2020. Web.
Haltiwanger, John. “Bernie Sanders is Running for President in 2020.Here’s Everything We Know About the Candidate and How He Stacks up Against the Competition.” Business Insider. 2020. Web.
Neal, Arthur, and Helen Youngelson-Neal. Core Values in American Life: Living with Contradictions. Routledge, 2017.