One of the ethical and social problems highlighted in the Ted Talk was how we, as a society, need to change our identity regarding how we view and treat the underprivileged and those who are experiencing hardships such as poverty and incarceration. Another problem mentioned was how people can focus on the positive and the good but need to be involved in the despair and negativity of issues, as well. One notion was that these circumstances are not a part of everyone's lives, so there are people who consider these injustices to be not their problem. Kind of like the saying "Out of sight. Out of mind.". If it is not happening to you directly, you may not think about it happening at all, or simply ignore what is not directed toward you.

These issues affect individuals and families through their experiences and help mold their perception of the world and how to appropriately deal with situations. Being ignorant of negative information does not mean that the information does not exist. How can someone try to change a situation that they are not fully aware of or aware of at all? Stories of injustice are not told in every household. Some families make it a priority to know about these stories to try and protect themselves from having the same negative experience.

Some of these issues may be tied to ethical decision-making as human services professionals because we have to evaluate each situation individually but take our experiences from other cases to help evolve our thinking process. We may not be exposed to a certain reality until we experience it for the first time with a client; therefore, that reality may seem unreal or unfathomable to some.

Another social problem in society that elicits the need for ethical decision-making, advocacy, and social justice is the race factor. People of color are disproportionally discriminated against in the United States and its "justice" system. Recent health services research has found a variety of disparities in services received by minorities, as well as the outcomes from these services, such as screenings, diagnosis, and specific treatments for different medical conditions and diseases (National Academies Press (US), 2003).

This country has a long history of discriminating against people of color and people of poverty. When dealing with a client, I need to examine all aspects of their lives, including trying to understand their perspective. It is important to gather information and not assume any details because of certain background information.I, myself, come from poverty and have experienced it and racism firsthand. The bias I would have would be in regard to the relation between upbringings and similar environments, making it easier to empathize. I now live in a middle-class income tax bracket household, so I am able to understand the struggles that come along with that aspect. I have yet to experience being in the high-class bracket; therefore, I believe being able to empathize in some situations would take strategy to focus on details of their perspective.

The steps I would take to advocate for eliminating inequality would be to raise the minimum wage, expand apprenticeships, and invest in education ("6 Policies to Combat Inequality," 2014). With inflation and everyday costs, why should someone work 40 hours a week for an amount of money that would not suffice a comfortable lifestyle (meaning not living paycheck to paycheck, not worrying about crime being outrageous, and being able to afford healthy foods and medicine)? The federal minimum wage currently is $7.25 (The Impact of the Raise the Wage Act of 2023, n.d.). Working 40 hours at $7.25 will earn you a whopping $290 gross pay a week, while, according to Redfin.com, the average rent in the United States is around $2000 (Katz, 2023). Apprenticeships would allow for strategic training while paying the person to learn the required skills in white-collar occupations. Private and chartered schools have different resources than what is provided to those who attend public schools. Investing more into technology and learning for our youth will allow them to be able to have the knowledge to begin in the workforce sooner. Please respond to post