Imbalance to Balance
Imagine a life with no social workers. In this theory, would there be social justice? Social workers aim to assist people with the basic needs and values that are needed in life. This goal is fulfilled through the use of social work values. According to the National Association of Social Workers (1996), these ideals consist of “competence, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, service, and social justice.” A prime example of these principles at work is in the movie I am Sam. This movie demonstrates social injustice in which Sam is not treated with equality due to his disability.
In the movie I am Sam, and gentlemen by the name of Sam, has a mental disability that restricts his knowledge
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When this woman finally goes into birth, she runs off leaving the baby, named Lucy, with Sam. He recognizes his responsibility and cares for the child by himself for seven years. On Lucy’s seventh birthday, Child Protective Services steps in and claims Sam as an unfit parent. As a result, Sam sets out to hire a lawyer named Rita. At first Rita wanted nothing to do with Sam, however, Sam was not going to give up the easy. He kept coming to her office and even went to a party that she was attending. At the party Rita’s coworkers, who think she is cold-hearted, see Sam and question who he is, putting Rita on the spot. With the pressure of her coworkers she decides to pro bono Sam’s case so she can show them that she is not as harsh as they may think. Together they attend court case after court case. Each one getting worse for Sam’s custody. He has no reliable witnesses to take the stand since he friends also …show more content…
Nobody should be treated unfairly because of race, gender, abilities, disabilities, age, or class. However, Sam is shown this unfairness due to his disability. Since he has the mental capability of a seven year old, Child Protective Services feels that he cannot raise a child. In order to defend their statements on Sam, they claim that Lucy is prohibiting the growth of her knowledge, in order to for her to relate more with her father. Later in the movie they also make the argument that as Lucy furthers her education, she may need assistance that Sam is not able to offer, such as helping her with her readings or algebra homework. The majority of the arguments made against Sam are in relevance to Lucy’s education, however, some do relate to his financial state and whether or not Sam is actually able to afford the care of Lucy. In an effort to win the courts favor, Sam realizes that he needs to make more money and pushes his manager at Starbucks for the coffee maker position. Unfortunately, this does not go well for Sam, but he does fine a more pleasant job at a Pizza
the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained (Lewis, 2012).” This quotation by her simplifies my own idea of what social justice is about. I feel a sense of responsibility for other’s welfare and I want to work with people using the field of social work to achieve progress toward my own goal of social justice.
Before beginning the Master of Social Work program at Laurier I figured I had a strong understanding of what social work was. However, I quickly learned that I had only scratched the surface. I knew oppression existed, but I never understood the depth of it. I now know that I was afraid of it. It was easy for me to stay silent, because it was such a comfortable position to be in. Doing nothing meant I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. This was influenced by the privilege I had.
That causes external conflict. Sal’s dad never told her about them going to move to ohio by mrs.cadaver.and there house is small has one tree and small patch of grass. “Where are the trees”? I said. Where's the barn”?. Where's the river where's the swimming hole”?. Sal does not know why her father did not tell her about the move and her mom and mrs.cadaver. “I asked why my father had not told me how he had met mrs.cadaver and she said he didn't want to upset you”. When sal didn't know about Mrs.cadaver,the bus, or her mom she was angry,and mad at her dad but now she gets why her father moved them he did it for
They end up at a diner, where the officer had stopped, and the owner, Henshaw, refused to serve Tibbs because of his skin color. Tibbs notices that the officer changed his route, which leads Gillespie to question the officer of the murder. Gillespie and Tibbs discover that Sam made a large deposit to the bank the day after the murder, along with a local named Purdy filed a charge against Sam for getting his under-age sister, Delores, pregnant. Sam is arrested, without Tibbs approval. During Delores’ interrogation, Purdy is outraged that Tibbs was there because he is black. Purdy organizes a lynch gang to get back at Tibbs.
7)As a child, Sam was curious and was always willing to learn. However, he discovers his mother's secret was that she could not read.
Social work is based on respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people as expressed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights(1948) It is therefore of paramount importance that a social work professional should work towards promoting the best interests of individuals and groups in society. I very much recognize the contribution that social work brings to inclusion having worked alongside social workers during the course of my shadowing placement. I possess a real commitment to promote equality which I have had the pleasure of doing in a multitude of different roles. From academic journals as well as my lecture notes I now appreciate the central importance of using the fundamental principles of human rights and equality to underpin my practice, and the inherent need to promote justice in relation with the people I will work.
Social injustice is any issue when unfair practices are being carried out in society. Social injustice effects many groups today, especially minorities. Societal isms are the prejudicial attitudes directed against groups that society identifies as “lesser”-less capable, less productive, and less normal.
The name of the film selected for this case study is I am Sam. (2002) The protagonist of the film is Sam Dawson, who is played by the actor Sean Penn. Sam Dawson is a developmentally or intellectually challenged adult male, who has a young daughter, primary school aged, named Lucy. Sam and Lucy live together without her mother, who is a homeless person. There is not extensive information provided in the film regarding Sam's upbringing, but based on his present situation, he is a well adjusted person in a middle class atmosphere. It seems he has enough assets to provide for himself and his daughter in a fairly independent basis. His daughter, Lucy, is happy and taken care of, but the tension begins when Lucy exceeds Sam's mental capacity. Her peers ridicule her and her father because of his intellectual deficiencies, calling him a "retard." The character's family consists of Lucy primarily, and some of Sam's other disabled friends who all help each other. One of Sam's greatest and most prominent "likes" is that he is a huge fan of the band The Beatles. One of his strengths is his love for his daughter. Another strength, although it is perceived as a weakness by others who might prey on him, is that he goes through life with a sense of awe and naivete. Of course, this is a result of his disability, but even still, he could have
I chose the movie I am Sam to challenge my own opinion on how people with disabilities should be treated under certain circumstances. I am Sam is a movie about a mentally challenged man, named Sam, striving to raise his daughter, Lucy, alone. Diagnosed with Autism, Sam’s intellectual capacity cannot exceed the age of 7. As we watch Lucy grow up under Sam’s roof, we are able to see the love they have for each other. When Lucy reaches the age of 8, social workers see this as an issue, so they place Lucy in a temporary home while Sam goes to court to try to win Lucy back. Sam’s lawyer, Rita, took this “pro bono” case to impress her coworkers. At first, Rita doesn’t believe Sam is capable of raising Lucy along with the social workers who
These ideologies have a profound effect on the professionals that implement social work ethics and values in the pursuit of justice. The function of social welfare is to
Upon her return, Rita moves in with a woman named Trish. To her, Trish defines elegance. What Rita doesn’t know, is that Trish has troubles of her own. When Trish attempts suicide, Rita sees that even the most advanced people have demons. Rita asks Trish why she tried to kill herself and Trish responds, “When I listen to
Society tends to forget that everyone has equal rights in America. In the movie they are basically trying to take Sam’s rights away as a parent because of his disability. They believe that he is not able to properly care for his child being that his mental capacity is that of a seven-year-old. Instead of the justice system trying to provide him with the resources he needs, they rather just take the child out of her home. This is unfair treatment and a form of discrimination in my opinion. Another diversity issue in this movie is his socioeconomic status. Sam is classified as having low socioeconomic status. Due to his disability he can only work at fast food types of jobs which don’t pay well. With him having a child to take care of on his own it limits his finances even more. There are not a lot of places that hire people with disabilities. If they do find a job the pay is low making it extremely difficult for them to live on their own, and take care of their family.
The movie, "A Beautiful Mind", John Nash, who is played by Russell Crowe, is a true story about a mathematician whose life is horrific because of his disease, schizophrenia. He was an egocentric man who studied Mathematics in Princeton University. During the whole time that he studied in Princeton, he was trying to come up with his own original idea. He felt that by only
Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. “Clients” is used inclusively to refer to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. These activities may be in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and application, education, research and evaluation. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. They also seek to promote the
Faced with a seemingly unwinnable case, Sam vows to fight the legal system and forms an unlikely alliance with Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), a high-powered, self-absorbed attorney who initially takes his case pro bona as a challenge from her colleagues. On the surface the two couldn't be further apart, but in reality they are subtly similar. Sam's