America’s Social Problems Through the Song “Cookie Jar” by J. Johnson

America’s Social Problems Through the Song “Cookie Jar” by J. Johnson

This country is experiencing turmoil as never before seen in its history. This country has been engaged in numerous wars and rumors of wars are coming fresh every day. There is a threat within and without. But aside from the external threat coming from enemies in foreign lands, there are more serious problems within the U.S. mainland. It is the corruption of children that made them do drugs, shoot each other, and dishonor their parents.

Everyone is blaming the media, gangsters, the easy access to handguns, etc. The blame game can continue but as long as people will not assume shared responsibility for collective actions that created a very imperfect society then these problems will continue and like a bad-smelling wound it will fester. It is time that each one should be responsible and accountable for his or her actions so that this moral decline can be turned around.

The song Cookie Jar is a song written by Jack Johnson and included in the album entitled On and On. The song talks about the blame game that is going on and in American society. No one is taking responsibility and those who have done wrong are not accountable for their actions. The following arguments will show why this is creating problems and how it can be turned around so that positive change can be experienced by everyone.

• P1: Responsibility must trickle down within humanity, understanding how to assume accountability is necessary to have harmony in this country.
• P2: Lack of responsibility, and failure to control reactions to adversity causes division among people in society.
• P3: It is easy to blame others when the going gets tough; when individuals face a problem it is easier to pass it to others instead of solving it.
• P4: By being united and realizing that each one is partly to be blamed for current social problems can help end the cycle of irresponsibility.
• P5: It is how the individuals within a society respond to adversity that will determine where this particular society is heading; it is by assuming personal responsibility and uniting together that will lead to prosperity and the eradication of some serious social problems.
• P6: There must be a better understanding when it comes to taking responsibility for one’s actions, if the perspective on accountability can be turned around then this country can be saved from experiencing further civil decay.
• C: Assuming responsibility for one’s actions will help solve many social problems in this country.

The United States of America is the most powerful nation on earth in terms of its military might and economic strength. Interestingly, it is also a country saddled with so many social problems. The economic turmoil, the high crime rate, the shootings in schools are just some of the major issues being dealt with in this country. Yet, most often than not, its citizens will not assume responsibility for some of the negative behavior that they are guilty of and contributed to the overall moral decline of this nation. Most of the time people would blame the government, the national leaders as well as the local leaders for not being able to solve the aforementioned problems.

The common catchphrase is that there is corruption in government, that there is corruption in the police department, and that there is corruption even in church. When confronted even the guilty person is ready with his defense and it is normally to assign blame on others. The accusing finger is pointed at somebody else and never on themselves. If this will continue then this country will not move forward and experience sustained prosperity as well as be able to help others. This country will be bogged down by a blame game where no one is guilty and everyone is a victim. This has to stop for this country to achieve harmony and move forward in the right direction.

Jack Johnson was able to illustrate – the blame game that is so prevalent in this country – through his song the Cookie Jar. In it, the songwriter tells of the chain reaction of events that started with a boy who was found guilty of shooting someone with a handgun. The boy was caught with his hand on the cookie jar so to speak and yet without shame, he said something familiar, “It wasn’t me” the boy exclaimed. Then he did something unexpected when he admitted, “Sure I pulled the trigger…” but he did not confess because he shifted blame to his troubled life. It was the pain of his existence that drove him to kill and therefore he must not be blamed for the crime.

Somebody has to pay for murder and so the spotlight was focused on the father of the boy. But the songwriter said that the father, like his son, would not accept