Racial inequality, senseless violence, uneven wealth distribution, and corrupt politics are a few of the most pressing injustices our society faces today. The definition of injustice from Merriam Webster Dictionary is, “an absence of justice, violation of rights or rights of another.” Time after time our news headlines read of mass shootings and other terrible crimes that happen far too often. Kieran Setiya writes in chapter five of his book Life is Hard that the headlines are swarmed with news such as the economy crashing, climate change, fallen democracy, and in his words for a change of subject, a black man shot by the police. Unfortunately, all of these topics are subjects brought to our attention time after time and it seems like nothing ever changes. In 2023 we face issues such as basic healthcare rights for women being taken away, mass shootings in schools, and things like discrimination, that wreak havoc on society.
I am going to begin with racial inequality and how the effects it has manifested can still be seen in society today. Any unbiased history course will teach you about how we actually rose to be one of the most dominating economies in the world. While settlers were colonizing the United States, our ancestors partook in horrendous acts including killing thousands of indigenous people, seizing land by force, and the enslavement of people. The same people who had spoken out for taxation without representation and wanting freedom also called blacks property and fought for their “right to property” during the Civil War.
According to the Article, Income and Wealth In the United States: An Overview of Recent Data, the median household income for a white, non-Hispanic person was $78,912. The median head household income for a black person however on average was only $48,175. You can read more about that in the article linked here as well. On page 146 of LH, Iris Marion Young, and her idea of structural injustice is introduced. Structural injustice in this particular instance is “injustice that is not localized in unjust attitudes or actions- but emerges interactively.” She explains with the example that American systems have been put in place that sustain our racist history. This is further supported by the education system in the United States. Inequality in Public School Funding: Key Issues & Solutions for Closing the Gap, is an article that further explains how differences in poor and wealthy areas of the country create funding gaps leaving some schools in very poor shape with few resources.
Another pressing topic our society faces today is senseless violence. Kiara Alfonseca posted an article in April of 2023, and by the 10 of April there were 146 mass shootings. In the article it stated that there were 30 mass shootings just in the first seventeen days of April, and by that point there were more mass shootings than days in the year. Read that last line again. Linked in the next sentence are two shootings that occurred in the same week miles apart over simple mistakes. First the shooting of Ralph Lauren, who mistakenly went to the wrong house while trying to pick up his siblings, and then two teenage cheerleaders who had gotten into and out of the wrong car after a game. We also saw very recently how racism can show up in politics when Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson protested for gun reform with the constituents of Tennessee. Although all three representatives participated in the protest, only the two young black representatives were expelled. When the woman was asked in an interview after she was allowed to stay in office for the very same reason the other two men were expelled, she even said herself it might have to do with the color of our skin.”
On page 133 of LH Setiya writes, “The question is not what to do when morality and self-interest come apart, but how do we respond to the injustice of the world?” Many philosophers have different ideas of a “just society” and how to handle the injustices of the world. Simone Weil for example, was a French philosopher who escaped World War 2 with her family. Weil’s was always a very empathetic child often turning down sweets and luxuries because others didn’t have the opportunity. Simone grew up and became a teacher, however even then she gave her salary to the needy. During her lifetime Simone helped fund a school, took part in marches and strikes, and she campaigned against fascists. Eventually she died of starvation after she began rationing her food herself, although she did suffer from tuberculosis as well (134).
Although I admire the strength and determination Simone Weil showed during her lifetime, I personally wouldn’t go as far as she did. In my opinion, taking part in marches, strikes, and other forms of peaceful protest is enough to try to combat the injustices of the world, without creating injustices for yourself, such as starvation. On page 157 of LH, Richard Hugo says, “Maybe the most important lesson one could teach, you are someone and you have a right to your life.” Setiya adds at the end of the line, “you have a right to your suffering too.” This quote really resonated with me as someone who has suffered from mental illness for a while now. Part of the beauty of being human is understanding pain and being able to sympathize with those who are hurting when we are well. Of course, someone, somewhere will always have it worse, but the issue with pain is just because someone else is hurting, it doesn’t make your pain hurt any less.
One of the biggest ways I believe we can fight injustice in society today is by continuing to speak up when we know something is wrong. Peaceful protests, calling representatives, emailing leaders in office, and voting for the leaders you want in office is a great way to fight injustice legally and peacefully. We need to speak out about injustices that are normalized and make sure we remember we are all ultimately part of the same human race. It’s 2023, we should be talking about ways to save the Earth or continue our exploration into space, not continuing to manifest the bad parts of our history such as racism into politics. My hope is that the next generation continues the protests, marches, speaking up when they see something wrong, and most of all remembers to have empathy while we all try to navigate the next few years.
Agreed, we must be meliorists doing what we can to alleviate the suffering and injustice of the world... but we mustn't add to it through gratuitously self-inflicted suffering. We have a right to our own suffering but also to our own pursuit of happiness. Self-denial does nothing to help others, and it's likely to compromise our ability to help in any case.
ReplyDelete