What are some of the pros and cons to the rise of medical information on the internet? How might the increased availability of private information about one’s personal medical treatment delegitimize the medical community? How might all of this be tied to the deprofessionalization of medicine?

Why do you think the United States is the only industrialized country to resist implementing a public/universal health care system? Since 2001, the United States government has spent nearly $7 trillion fighting the war on terror—nearly $1 billion per day. How could it be reasonably argued that if we can spend $1 billion per day for 18 years on a war, we cannot provide the most fundamental health resources for our citizens?

Do you think body modification is becoming more or less accepted in today’s society? What social factors might contribute to one’s decision to get liposuction or a breast augmentation? Why might these forces be critical to understanding and explaining the social trend of body modification in the United States? Is this experienced similarly across racial and gender lines? Explain.