The case that this paper will be investigating is the maquiladora (currently called Solvay) chemical plant. It is one of the largest producers of hydrofluoric acid (HF) in the world- a highly corrosive acid that is dangerous to handle. Throughout it’s years of operations, there have been child deaths, chemical releases resulting in harms to the workers, and failed attempts to indefinitely shut down the plant. There has been an increasing trend of discrimination towards the migrant workers with the plant and the surrounding areas. This essay will apply Iris Marion Young’s framework of structural injustice to the case of Solvay. Structures defined by Iris Marion Young refers to the relationship of social positions to the conditions of the opportunities and life prospects of the persons located in such positions. This specific positioning occurs because of the way that actions and interactions reinforce the rules and resources available for other actions and interactions involving others who are placed in other structural positions. The consequence of the convergence of many actions is often the producer an reinforce of opportunities and constrains, which make their mark on the physical conditions of future actions, including the expectations of other actors. This is a mutually reinforcing process which consequently means that the positional relations and the way they condition individual lives are difficult to change. This is what Marion Young is meaning when she implies
Economic status is a relevant aspect in the experience of punishment. To an individual who sternly believes that the American justice system entitles every person to the same standard of due process, the previously mentioned idea is blasphemous. Unfortunately, the concept is false. The American justice system does not equally accommodate the needs of criminals placed on trial. Class is relevant in the experience of punishment only because economic inequality is barely recognized in the formulation and carrying out of prison sentences. The foundation of this unjust punishment is laid down at the trial, where disadvantaged individuals find themselves the victims of stereotypes, poor legal representation and haphazard verdicts. Once imprisoned, lower class criminals become immersed in an environment which mimics the troubled circumstances that originally led them to commit crime. Having received an ineffective sentence, convicts return to their poor communities and are expected to reintegrate into society without proper treatment.
A Critical Analysis of The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap
It always begins with a promise. A promise for better living conditions, higher wage, more opportunities, etc. This is when hope is established within an hard working individual. In the video, “New England cotton mills” and the reading, “Life in the Iron Mills”, there are similarities in regards to working conditions, solidarity among workers, and owner attitudes. Both mills show identifiable occasions of mistreatment of workers, although there are clear differences in quality and benefits offered by each institution. The purpose of this essay is to compare discuss issues of worker mistreatment, solidarity, class, and fulfillment of everyday life in regards to work.
Who else is better to advocate for human rights than Elie Wiesel. Elie Wiesel survived the Holocaust, one of the worst crimes against humanity ever committed. Being a victim of injustice gives you a deeper understanding of the situation. You can feel much more sympathy for those who are currently facing injustice if you already have. That’s why there’s none or few people better than Elie Wiesel to fight for human rights.
The factory jobs were controlled by owners and bosses, who showed little regard for workers and their wellbeing. Workers forced themselves into work during even extreme illnesses; one absence or mistake and they might be replaced without question. These low wage jobs came with few benefits and no rights; there was nothing in place that protected the livelihood of the worker. Immigrant’s willingness to work all the time created these conditions.
We have read and watched a lot of information about the women and the way they are treated in their working area, specifically when we talked about the maquiladoras on the boarder. This week we are presented with another source of information about the maquiladoras and how maquiladora employees live their daily lives. The film, “Maquilapolis” by Vicky Funari and Sergio de la Torre uses a social art practice to contribute to the privileging of subalterns voices. In the film, the filmmakers start by telling the stories of a few women who worked for the maquilas and tell their experience as employees of those big corporations such as Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, among many others. Some of these women explain how they started working since those maquiladoras opened in the 1960’s and they explain how it was a big deal to work
Social Justice: Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.
There comes a time, in most citizens’ lives when they must stand against their government to produce change. Change can only be acquired if people take the necessary actions for it to take place. Nelson Mandela was a historical revolutionist who helped his people in Africa, to revolt against the government, in order to bring about change. As a result, he was sentenced to prison for 27 years for trying to overthrow the government. Many revolutionist, such as Arundhati Roy and Martin Luther King Jr., explain in their essays how the role of the citizen is to stand against injustice, and how the government labels them as anti-national because of it.
The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology Defines structure as “A term referring to any recurring pattern of social behaviour or, more specifically, to the ordered interrelationships between different elements of a social system or society… It is sometimes used rather loosely to refer to any observable ‘pattern’ of social activities” More simply put, structure is the
One in every five African American people did not work in 2016 (2018, CNNMoney). It has been like that for many years. Is it possible that social injustice plays a part in it? I decided to use A Raisin in the Sun as an example for this essay. This play was set in 1959.
Is there structural inequality in the criminal justice system? When we watch the news or read our newspapers, we can see that most of the criminals portrayed are of African American or Hispanic descent. Being a fan of true crime novels, they even depict more Black male criminals than White males. Are African American males committing more crimes than White males? What factors are involved for Blacks to be more involved in crime? How do African American stereotypes play a role with possible racial profiling from the policing force? Are Blacks treated fairly in the criminal justice system? After much research, I hope to answer these questions and determine if African Americans
Though the concept of social injustice is universal in nature, the experience varies with each person. Factors like a person’ race, or gender can further influence the severity of the injustice; victims caught in the overlap between discriminations often go unrecognized by the law and society. Many people recognize the names Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice as African Americans who were murdered by local police. But names like Michelle Cusseaux, Tanish Anderson, and Meagan Hockaday often receive less feedback even though they are also murdered African Americans. The only distinction between the sets of names is gender. Even within racial injustice, discrimination is present between genders as some cases get national
The social injustice I humbly relate to is the intolerance toward Hispanic populations in America; whether the person is documented or undocumented. Before moving to Carthage, Missouri; I had essentially no interaction with Hispanic people. Embarrassingly, I admit, I relied on stereotypes to build my opinion of the Hispanic population as a whole. On May 22nd, 2011, we lost our home, every personal belonging, and our car in the Joplin tornado. We anxiously awaited our homeowner's insurance payout; with three dogs and nowhere to stay, we fretted, meanwhile homes available for sale shrunk by the hour. Soon, an acquaintance approached us, he had a home in Carthage; that was for sale and vacant. Built in 1910, I immediately fell in love with the home; it is my perfect home, with historically abundant features.
Over the years in our country’s history it has been apparent that the idea of same sex marriages is becoming much more popular, however in most states there is still one thing stopping them. That one thing stopping two people from the pursuit of happiness which they desire is a social injustice. Social injustices are situations where a person or group of people is treated unfairly due to certain factors for example discrimination, prejudice, racism, heterosexism, sexism, and so forth. In the case of same sex marriages, the factor playing a major role in this social injustice is where most people believe that opposite sexes attract, but in the case of a same sex couple wanting to be married, this brings about many topics to be discussed by
Communitarian critics of Rawls have argued that his A Theory of Justice provides an inadequate account of individuals in the original position. Michael Sandel, in Liberalism and the Limits of Justice argues that Rawls' conception of the person divorces any constitutive attachments that persons might have to their ends. Hence, Sandel asserts that Rawls privileges the standpoint of self-interested individuals at the expense of communal interests. I do not find Sandel's specific criticisms to be an accurate critique of what Rawls is doing in A Theory of Justice. However, this does not mean the more general thrust of the communitarian analysis of Rawls' conception of the person must be abandoned. By picking up the pieces