Paige Buhite
1/17/20
Having a sociological imagination is the ability to look at certain issues that may be deemed
“personal” & relate it to society a public issue. The video uses obesity as an example. Obesity is not just
a personal problem; it is a public issue due to the high percentage of people that have the same issue in
the same areas. The video gives several reasons of why obesity is a public issue and not a personal one.
These reasons include “food deserts” which are areas that have limited access to healthy food or
healthy markets. It also mentions that healthy foods are less affordable than unhealthy foods.
Another personal problem that can be related to society as a public issue is homelessness. Some
people will see homelessness as a personal problem due to their personal actions. However, if you use a
sociological imagination, you will understand that it is indeed a public issue because they probably did
not get there due to their personal actions. The homeless population probably had several outside
factors that attributed to their homelessness. These factors may include unemployment and/or high
cost of living, as well as the lack of help/treatment for mental illnesses or drug abuse.