Political Corruption, Inequality, And The Socially Excluded

In history, there have been many social changes that have occurred like the industrial revolution, the abolition of slavery and the Civil Right Movement. The less powerful not having enough voices to overcome the obstacles being erected by the powerful and many more examples. These voices play a major role when it comes to making big political and social changes. In “Return to Hayneville,” Gregory Orr recounts his experience and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He argues that vocal campaigns and movements in public discourse and deep connections within people, help bring about change in today’s society. Whereas, In Vivian Yee, Alan Blinder and Jonah Engel Bromwich, “Parkland Students Start a Social Movement” they bring

“That citizen sinks further into apathy, anonymity, and depersonalization. The result is that he comes to depend on public authority and a state of civic-sclerosis sets in” (Alinsky, 1971). This statement perfectly describes what is happening to the people today. People are no longer concerned with what is happening around them. The world today is living in an individualization phase where there are more people who know more stuff about the celebrities, latest fashion and gadgets, rich lifestyle, etc. rather than the continuous welfare problems. Because the world has reached the technology era, people are blind and deaf to the oppression that is happening. In this world full of complex networks of problems, where should the people start?

Injustice can be found everywhere in the world. It is in every household, every school, and every workplace. Examples of beliefs changing during adversity are shown in, The Nuremberg Trials, Gang Rape by Stephanie Chen, Perils of obedience by Stanley Milgram, Pearl Harbor Echoes In Seattle by Monica Sone, and the book Night by Elie Wiesel. In all these articles, Most of the time, it is people who cause injustice on others. But some choose to take a stand while others choose to participate. Participating can be a product of pressure and fear from others. Injustice on people can easily be prevented or eliminated as long as society has the courage to stand up for what is right and that people do not rely on other people to act first.

Martin Luther King Jr., the most important Civil Rights leader, once said “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential individuals in United States history, and is still recognized today for his peaceful approach on change. He believed that it was the peoples’ job to point out the flaws of society, and hold the government accountable for them. Many say that it is not the peoples’ responsibility to take this kind of action; however, no one has the leverage that the people do. The heart is to the body as the citizens are to the country. Without the active engagement of the people in the system, the country would fall flat of its responsibilities. With the absence of civil

My dynamic vision of social justice looks like a combination of individual empowerment and group empowerment. Albano (2015) argues that group empowerment is the better form of social justice because individual empowerment is a limited way to change the system and works within the existing power structure. I believe both empowerments are best combined into an effective approach to social justice. A client cannot even begin to advocate with the community if he or she still worries about attaining the basic necessities of living like housing of food. For instance, I work in the San Francisco South of Market (SOMA) district where the youth organizations and the activist organizations struggle over the response

Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” It has become more and more apparent that America’s friends have turned against those who are marginalized, brought down by institutions, and treated unfairly both in and out of the system. The statistics reflecting institutional racism are sickening and uneasy to read of but by bringing them to light and showing that they are there, action can take place and be more effective than simply letting these disparities continue to occur and take over the institutions that we otherwise would trust. By looking into various institutions such as schools, prisons, the workplace, medicine, churches and various

Bonilla-Silva states, “individuals are not the ones who create larger systems such as ‘capitalism,’ ‘patriarchy,’ or ‘racialized social systems,’ but they are the ‘cogs’ that allow these systems to run” (p. 221). The main purpose of this book is not to portray whites as evil beings in the U.S. or demonize dominant groups in other societies but to point out that invisible privilege is in need of acknowledgment from the dominant group. Meaning, if you have a voice to stand up for the injustice, use

The following paper summarizes three philosophical approaches towards social change. Addams’ philosophy of implementing an active democratic process in her work at Hull House is explored. Her research involved combining natural observation and structural analysis to gain a better understanding of diverse populations, oppression, and social issues. Richmond’s philosophy on the importance of determining social diagnosis through systematic research is examined. Her research involved addressing all social systems that affect life problems and behaviors along with emphasizing the role of family as the driving force for creating and maintaining change. Wells-Barnett’s philosophy of empowering African Americans through investigation and reporting on various acts of discrimination and inequality are explored. She believed that by educating the public and bringing awareness to acts of oppression, it would initiate a social

Martin Gilens provides a comprehensive assessment of the economic inequality and political power in America. He explores on how the affluence of politicians influences the political setting of the country. According to the author, political equality is considered as the philosophy of democracy. Due to the inequalities that exist among the citizens regarding information, social and political affairs, it would be impractical to anticipate equal influence over policy making. Nature and the degree of representative inequalities depict the extent of democracy in a particular society. The author points out that when the inequalities in the political influence intensify, democracy shifts into oligarchy, whereby the wealthy few rule the society.

Confronting an injustice in this world requires every individual to take responsibility for his actions. If an individual is aware of their fight and devotes himself to it, he must work to cause whatever small change he can. However, there is strength in numbers, and nobody should attempt to fight a larger fight on their own, lest they become discouraged at their failures.

"Indifference is the very trait that makes the angels weep," said Dr. Cornel West, Princeton Professor and public intellectual, to a congregation of black folk at a NAACP conference several years ago. Indifference to the suffering of black folk, brown folk, and all of the other minorities in America is, indeed, injustice (West). It's wrong to idle in the wake of the pain and suffering of the economically disadvantaged, particularly when one has the means to agitate for social, political and economic change. And make no mistake about it; all people are suffering in this downed economy. But it must be pointed out that minorities are disproportionately suffering in these tough economic times.

Johnson, in his article “What can we do?”, argues that in order to make a difference in the society first we should be able to face the facts that privilege and oppression exists in the society and then, should be aware of the fact that it takes time as well as awareness, reflection and selfless continuous participation to become a part of the solution. It is imperative to understand that the change won’t happen suddenly, and there is a possibility that we won’t be able to see the change, but as Gandhi points out, it’s vitally important that we do it anyway.

As we enter a new era of politics, society, and culture there exists a large necessity for efforts to protect the rights of others and further social justice. With the hostility towards not just immigrants, but also different ethnic groups and women, advocating for others has become more necessary than ever. Being a woman of color, I realize that I have many opportunities to help in the fight for equality. Because of my connection with different communities; I have decided to take more initiative and make sure that the rights of other politically underrepresented groups remain protected. Ever since I began to learn about unfair systems in society, I have always been interested in doing social justice work with the idea that everyone deserves to be treated equally and with respect.

Having grown up in a family that values philanthropy, I always thought I was well acquainted with the plight of the underprivileged in society. However, a community service event on campus that promoted college education for inner city youth opened my eyes to the worrying extent of a few social problems present in today’s society. The idea of intersectionality, in which different forms of social problems and sources of oppression overlap, became readily apparent to me and exposed me to the complexity of the challenge. After interacting with some of the students, I became aware of how factors such as poverty, drugs, crime, incarceration, discriminatory policies, and broken families among other issues interact in exacerbating the already precarious

Social justice is not an “us versus them” mentality; rather it is a “were in it together” mentality where the powerful and powerless work together. Obviously those who are in need are the poor and oppressed: women, African-Americans, Jews, Latin Americans, etc. However, due to the fact that these people are in these oppressive situations, they gain insight into the injustices that surround them specifically, and society in general. Although they are made poor by those in power and the structures, institutions, and organizations run by those in power, they still possess “strength to resist, capacity to understand their rights, [and the ability] to organize themselves and transform a subhuman situation (Boff, 1)”. The poor and oppressed are held above the rich and powerful, in other words are given preferential treatment. Due to their oppression in life,