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Sociology / Unit 1   Soc 0011 short lesson, about 20 seconds

Personal Troubles and Public Issues

Captions available

The idea

Mills separated personal troubles, which belong to one person's circumstances, from public issues, which arise from the structure of a whole society.

In practice

One person unemployed in a thriving city is a trouble; ten million unemployed at once is an issue.

Where people slip

Scale is the test, not severity — a trouble can devastate a life.

Your place on the trail

Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.

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