Grasping for a Better Future

Social responsibility is the idea that an individual has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystem. In the 2013 Inauguration Speech, President Obama emphasizes that it is America’s responsibility to focus on social responsibilities such as gun control, advances in technology, and global warming in order to reach the ultimate goal of freedom, safety, and equality which was set forth by our ancestors.
One of the things President Obama covers in his speech is the issue of gun control. He says, “ Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.” In this quote, President Obama was referring to the deadly shootings that happen almost every day in the United States. The most recent and popular shooting was the shooting in Newtown Connecticut where 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School. President Obama tries to make it known that actions like these are appalling and a national problem. He uses the streets of Detroit, lanes of Newtown, and hills of Appalachia in order to show that gun violence could happen anywhere. Whether it is the suburbs, or the streets, it is time to make some big changes to make America a safer place. This shooting prompted a proposal for new legislation banning the sale and manufacture of certain types of semi-automatic weapons and magazines with more than ten rounds of ammunition. It is a U.S. citizen’s responsibility to have the self-control to be safer with guns. If they do not choose to be safer with weapons, crime rates will be higher and more innocent people will get hurt.
Another issue that President Obama touches on in his speech are the advances in technology that other countries are starting to have over the United States. The President says, “ We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher.” He then shows his competitive side by saying, “We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries- we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure- our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks.” Obama believes that the United States has to be on top of its game because countries like Japan, who are believed to be more technologically advanced than the United States, will try to find more ways to become a stronger country at the United States’ expense. He thinks technology can be one thing that makes education easier for kids of this generation. This could be done by making schools better and giving citizens more of an opportunity to achieve. Also, better technology could mean less labor in the work field so that products are more efficiently made. The President believes that if technology in the country is ahead of the game, than it will then create a living environment across the nation that is more enjoyable and relaxing to live in. It is the U.S. citizen’s responsibility to take technology more serious and invest more money into things like new renewable energy technologies in order to keep up with more industrialized countries. If this