Sociology Writing Assignment: A Bus Ride in Toronto

SOCIOLOGY
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A Bus Ride in Toronto
Introduction
Income inequality or simply inequality gap has been an issue ever since most countries obtained independence. Income inequality is the disparity of income or wealth among members of a society or members of a certain group. It is what brings out the issue of social classes. It is the gap between the rich and the poor. The aphorism, "the rich grows richer, and the poor grows poorer" explains this better. This paper reports on the experiences on a bus ride in Toronto to bring forth the truth of the prevailing inequality gap in the City. It also looks into the experience of a single parent who relies on public transport for all her endeavors.
Background
Before getting to the main point of the paper, let's look first into why the issue of income inequality would be of importance. It is true that this has been an issue that has never left the tables of most discussion boards. Sociologists and different analysts have spent their lives trying to analyze this issue. Why is it of importance? Looking into the pros and cons of income inequality to a nation and its people highlights the importance of the issue.
One of the pros of income inequality is its ability to drive an economy. Those with high social status work to get the coveted labor jobs. Those with low social status use innovation to come up with businesses so as to push themselves up the ladder of the income inequality. If the gap was smaller, the rates of innovations would be low. The other pro of income inequality is its role in fostering fairness in the society. To attain economic equity, it will mean that resources will be obtained from the have's and then given to the have not's which is not fair.
First con of income inequality seems to contradict the first pro; however, income inequality stifles growth. This is in the essence of poverty. Poverty is associated with poor public health and high crime rates. This is a burden to the economy. Inequality, as mentioned earlier, decreases the health of the people and increases crime. In addition, income inequality leads to inequality politics. People tend to choose leaders from the higher social statuses. Poor education is also associated with income inequality. The beneficiaries of the pros are those on the upper end of the inequality ladder. The cons affect those on the lower end.
Another thing to look at is why Toronto. According to Notable Life 2016, Toronto reports being the fourth highest in income inequality in North America. It is increasingly becoming a place of two groups; the haves and the have not’s. The rampant inequality is despite it being a city of diversity. Globally, Toronto comes in the 19th position of the cities with high inequality gaps. The research continues to point out that the income inequality in Toronto when compared to other cities in the country; it is rising twice as fast. The 1960 census found that 68% of the areas in Toronto were occupied by middle classes. In 2012, the number had decreased to 32% (Notable Life, 2016).
The Bus Ride
The journey that seemed to have no specific destination started at 8.00 am. The journey took a total of five hours. It might look a shorter time but what I observed can fill an entire novel. Being an inhabitant of Toronto, am familiar with most places. This time, however, I went through the city with a different mindset; as if this place was strange to me. People got on and out of the bus on various bus stops. There are those who looked in so much hurry to get to the workplaces. Others had school children whom they had to drop to school before going to work. The bus carried people of diversity, but it was important to note that most people on the bus were from the middle class. Looking outside, people of class drove to work peacefully in their cars causing a lot of traffic.
Potential Harm to the Study
Having put in mind that the observational learning or exercise posed harm to the observer; I analyzed the potential harm for the purposes of preparedness. The major harm is emotional distress especially when it comes to ethical dilemmas. The first harm to the study is our personal blind spots and bias. To encounter this, self-knowledge must be at its peak to differentiate where our judgment is according to our own beliefs. Another harm is the discomfort to the researcher. I was really affected by this in that it was the first time I used public transport on my own. I was afraid that I would be pickpocketed among others.
My personal safety was also at stake. I was afraid of verbal attack in case I did something wrong on the bus. I was on the lookout. This made me avoid talks with the other passengers; something that limited my collection of data. I was also afraid of saying something that could lead to my embarrassment (Miesel, 2008). I relied on what my eyes could catch.
The Experiences on the Bus
It was an observational study, and I was, therefore, one of the passengers. Comparing the cost of the ride to owning a car, I deduce that taking transit is much cheaper. It is only that owning a car will ensure that one gets to their destinations faster. It is also more convenient in that one can pull off the road anytime, unlike the buses which must stop at the bus stations. It was a tiresome experience especially now that I don't like traveling. It was also freaking out because I could not just talk to anyone. I was afraid of starting conversations with strangers.
The bus pulled from one street to another then from one neighborhood to the next. It is surprising how the neighborhoods alternated. There was always a poor city beside a rich city. The rich cities were characterized by very fine homes. The homes had gardens with ample parking spaces. Most of them contained swimming pools and a playing ground in the neighborhood. It was hard, however, to spot a kid playing in the neighborhood. In these neighborhoods, I observed that hardly did people get into the bus. The children were being dropped in schools in personal cars or others got ...