“Unless we engage in these and other conscious acts of reflection and re-education, we easily repeat the process with our children. We teach what we were taught. The unexamined prejudices of the parents are passed on to the children. It is not our fault, but it is our responsibility to interrupt this cycle” -Tatum
Social Justice methods are a tool for reflection, to learn about how we are engaging each other, and to consider how our preconceived notions can lead to uninformed or accidental mistreatment of people. Contrary to this purpose, many have begun to see it as an infringement of one’s right to think and say what they want. In our previous post, we addressed the misunderstanding of the term, breaking down the meaning and the purpose. However, understanding it’s meaning is only one step in the process. It is also necessary to know how it applies to you. Here, in part two of the series Examining Social Justice, we address how this topic pertains to you, how you can engage it, and why you should.
From my experience, when people hear the term social justice, or when topics are brought up around racism or inequality toward women, it is a signal for them to check out of the conversation. As any term gets used more loosely and frequently, people become desensitized to it. From TV shows to comedians, we hear jokes chiding people for being “PC” or politically correct. On Tumblr, facebook and other social media websites, people call each other out for their view points and their word choice. These platforms allow users to type a quick quip without taking the time to unpack their reasoning. With time, the term and the cause behind it have begun to get a bad rap for being a form of social policing. This misconception in meaning has led to varying approaches when engaging significant issues that impact people’s lives.
Reasons you might think it doesn’t matter:
- The pursuit can seem idealistic. It is seen as philosophical and only attainable in the form of ideas. From this standpoint, it has no application to how life plays out in the “real world” where the roots of these dynamics go deeper than we can control.
- There is a lack of knowledge of social injustice, or at the very least a denial of the impact that these dynamics have on individuals and how that affects their reality.
- Injustice seems to be something that is happening to someone else, somewhere else or something that only occurred in the past.
All of these examples lead to a reason to either not worry about or not believe that there is a need for change. The controversy over this subject matter can distance people from the reality of both the dysfunction that we treat each other with, and the necessity of each individual playing a role if we ever want “justice for all”. These ideals can only become real if and when every part of society joins in the movement toward change.
This topic holds a lot of depth. It is not something that can be addressed through brief commentary. In order to care about it one must first understand why it matters to them as an individual. This requires self reflection and looking within to understand other people. It asks you to stand in someone else’s shoes, which takes more than a minute.
Question: Why is it my job to care?
Answer: Because you are a member of society.
“There is no hierarchy of oppression. The thread and threat of violence runs through all of our isms. There is a need to acknowledge each other’s pain, even as we attend to our own.” – Tatum, TNIY 21
When talking about social justice we have to discuss diversity to show the necessity behind this goal. Diversity is another word whose definition is misconstrued. “If people can see diversity as relative to someone other than themselves, or more so, relative to “the other” then they have an excuse not to lean into that conversation, not to genuinely care about it and to comfortably not consider it” (TNIY, 10). When people do not know what diversity is and that it pertains to them, it allows them to step away from the problem. In the book, “The Nigger in You”, Dr. J.W. Wiley, a great mind in the world of diversity, inclusion, and equity, frames diversity in a way that it becomes relevant to us all. Diversity is not just defined by race or heritage. It is anything that distinguishes us from one another: gender, class, age, ability, intelligence, mental health diagnosis, disease, economic status, etc. All of these factors have stigma associated with them in one way or another. For these various descriptors, there are different treatments, values, norms and even policies that come with them.
The reason social justice matters is because diversity is relevant to all of us. Throughout our life, in one way or another, we will be faced with ways in which we are part of a minority because of one or more features of who we are. In order to engage people in conversations about why helping “the other” matters, you must frame for them how they too are or have the potential of being an “other”. When we think of how we could be treated, it helps us to see the impact of how we treat people. It forces us to unpack our interactions with people because we may also be defined and treated based on aspects of who we are.
“Once we have knowledge about
the myriad ways we disrespect others,
once we start to cultivate insights about
how we might be unknowingly deflating
someone due largely just to our ignorance
of that person’s reality,
we no longer have legitimate excuses
to continue on with that behavior” (TNIY, 10).
As members, participants and creators of society, do we have a moral obligation to this work?
Social justice situates the concept of diversity in a way that it has weight. “Without social justice, the concept of diversity is somewhat lessened in terms of the emotional reaction dysfunctional language and inconsiderate action can have on the victim or witnesses to the victimization” (TNIY 16). Through this lens, dysfunctional language becomes less about whether it is wrong or right and more about how it is problematic for the impact it has on individuals and communities of those who would fall under that category. Looking at social injustice allows us to see the whole impact, and gives context to it being ethically relevant.
Although our forefathers idealized the concept of treating all justly, we have never seen it be played out with the desired sense of equality. “Dominant groups, by definition, set the parameters within which the subordinates operate” (TNIY, 21). It is the dominant culture’s sense of normal that creates an underrepresented culture and the normalcy of the dominant leads to inconsideration of the others to the point that even they question their own identity and wish to conform. When society does this, people face the reality of an identity crisis. People feel as if there is nowhere for them to belong. What impact does it have on people when they they have a lack of community, no place to fit in or be a part of?
If part of the role of society is to create norms that build cohesion between its members, then we have to reflect on how we are contributing to the building of these norms.
What is the best way to go about this?
We could assume that individual’s want to treat each other with dignity and that those who don’t are just plain bad. But, without a deep discussion of how we unintentionally disrespect each other, we won’t be able to address the true cause. When people do and say things that are insensitive, more often than not it comes from a lack of awareness of it’s impact rather than a place of cruelty. Instead of having conversations about this, we are skipping straight to the accusation. When discussing social justice, we need to be conscious of our articulation in appealing to the empathy in people rather than just using it as a form of policing. This is about something bigger and more important than social control. It is about raising people’s awareness of how they are impacting and affecting other people.
Any society will have dynamics at play that have an impact on it’s people. As participants, it is necessary for us to take accountability for how we interact with one another. But, the current way that we are holding each other accountable is being done in an unhelpful and potentially harmful way. If we want to truly create change, then our approach is key. Are we putting people down for not knowing better? In what way can we engage this topic to actually accomplish what it set out to do? The purpose of this movement is to change certain problematic norms in our culture by challenging dysfunctional language and attitudes, all to create a more equitable world. The only way to do that is to approach the topic with as much dignity and respect as we want to get out of it.
“It is the value inherent within our understanding of the role we play in oppressing others while we grapple with being oppressed that is why those of us who promote diversity and social justice are invaluable to the national conversation. This is a conversation that we should all be invested in.” (TNIY, 21)
This two part series both answers some questions and raises even more questions. There is so much that could be said about it. This is an ongoing issue and topic that needs to continue to be discussed and revamped.
Please let the questions that this raised for you follow you into your life. Engage this topic mentally and conversationally. Discuss more below in the comments. Let’s talk about this ever increasingly controversial discussion.
