Social Problems: Readings offers readers a set of tools for analyzing any social problem. Silver's collection invites students to explore provocative questions concerning our society. Why do some social problems receive substantial attention while others receive comparatively little? How do claimsmakers bring attention to problems in particular ways that galvanize public awareness? How do certain claimsmakers use their power and influence to bring attention to certain problems while diverting attention away from others? What are the impacts of defining, and consequently treating, a problem in a particular way? After completing this book, readers will look at the social world in ways that they probably never have before. Book jacket.

Ira Silver is Associate Professor of Sociology at Framingham State College. His areas of interest are social problems, inequality, organizations, and culture. He is the author of Unequal Partnerships: Beyond the Rhetoric of Philanthropic Collaboration, published by Routledge in 2006.

Preface	p. ix
To the Instructor	p. xiii
The Power to Construct Social Problems	p. 1
Spotlighting Disaster: The Spectacular City: News Organizations and the Representation of Catastrophe	p. 7
Waging War on Drugs: The Crack Attack: Politics and Media in the Crack Scare	p. 32
Viewing Bodily Imperfection as a Health Problem: Millions for Viagra, Pennies for Diseases of the Poor	p. 51
Seeing Police Mistreatment of Blacks as a Necessary Evil: Behind Police Brutality: Public Assent	p. 61
Making Road Dangers Invisible: Drunk Drivers and Other Dangers	p. 65
Getting Fat on Misinformation: The Center for Consumer Freedom, An Epidemic of Obesity Myths	p. 68
Making School Shootings More Thinkable: Dying to Be Famous	p. 75
The Problem with Welfare as We Know It: Why Do Stereotypes and Lies Persist?	p. 79
How Social Problems Are Framed	p. 85
Random Violence: Random Violence: How We Talk about New Crimes and New Victims	p. 91
The Horrors of Child Abuse: Horror Stories and the Construction of Child Abuse	p. 107
Dangerous Music in Black and White: Constructing Racial Rhetoric: Media Depictions of Harm in Heavy Metal and Rap Music	p. 122
Injustice Based on Sexual Orientation: When Is Inequality a Problem? Victim Contests, Injustice Frames, and the Case of the Office of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Student Support Services at Indiana University	p. 142
PMS and the Biological Flaws of Womanhood: Misdiagnosing the Body: Premenstrual Syndrome, Postmenstrual Syndrome, and Other Normal "Diseases"	p. 156
Black and Undeserving: Exposing Myths about America's Poor: Race and Poverty in America: Public Misperceptions and the American News Media	p. 174
Treating Social Problems as Emergencies: When Social Problems Are Treated as Emergencies	p. 191
Killer Tales about Serial Killings: Using Murder: The Social Construction of Serial Homicide	p. 200
Stalking as a Danger Potentially Menacing All Women: Stalking Strangers and Lovers: Changing Media Typifications of a New Crime Problem	p. 212
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: This selection consists of a series of photos that illustrate the power of visual images in framing social problems	p. 230
Competition among Social Problems	p. 237
Selling Environmental Problems: Bringing the Issue Back In: Comparing the Marketability of the Ozone Hole and Global Warming	p. 243
Compensating for Deficit versus Enhancing Performance: The Difference Between Steroids and Ritalin Is ...	p. 260
The Crimes That Come to Mind: A Crime by Any Other Name ...	p. 264
Babies Having Babies: Constructing an Epidemic	p. 282
When Kids Become Victims of Violence: How a Few Isolated Tragedies-and Their Supposed Causes-Were Turned into a National Epidemic	p. 298
Homeless, Not Poor: And We Are Not Seen: Ideological and Political Barriers to Understanding Homelessness	p. 303
Catastrophes That Count: Flood Tide	p. 309
Black Men as Criminals and as Victims	p. 313
Policymaking and Outcomes	p. 323
The War on Terror and a Terrified Public: Enemies Everywhere: Terrorism, Moral Panic, and US Civil Society	p. 329
Fostering Personal Responsibility among Women on Welfare: Pyramids of Inequality	p. 344
Providing Free Housing to the Homeless: Why Problems like Homelessness May Be Easier to Solve than to Manage	p. 361
The Politics of Disaster: Disaster Aid: The Mix of Mercy and Politics	p. 371
Labor Strife Produces Disgruntled Consumers: Framed! Labor and the Corporate Media	p. 375
The Colored Stigma of Imprisonment: Blacks and Ex-Cons Need Not Apply	p. 383
Gaming on Native American Reservations: Wheel of Misfortune	p. 387
Acknowledgments	p. 395
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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