Day 360 Question 360:

In your opinion, what are some social injustices?

Money makes the world go around.  When we look at society and see everything that seems to be going wrong we look for a reason.  We don’t understand why we have so many people on welfare and why our government isn’t doing much about it.  We don’t understand why we have so many high school dropouts or pregnant teens.  What a lot of people tend to overlook is that programs to improve these situations cost money….and not just a little bit of money.  This semester I am taking a class called Philosophy of Social Work and it has really swayed me in the direction of working toward being a paralegal.  The course examines the different types of injustices faced by different populations of people and how various social workers work toward making changes.  The problem is that we don’t have a solid definition for social work.  Are they there to help the individual in improving their mental state and potentially assist them in building a better life or are they there to assist the whole…to work on getting society to a better place financially so clients are able to obtain jobs or opportunities.

It is forever implied that this country strives for social justice for all.  The words “justice and liberty for all” have left the lips of millions of children every morning while saying the Pledge of Allegiance.  Social justice goes hand in hand with human rights.  Every single person should be treated equally regardless of race, ethnicity, background, or sexual orientation.  We have seen this country charge ahead and fight for civil rights allowing African Americans to have all of the same rights as the white man.  In 2013 though we still have not allowed equal rights for the LGBT community.  This is an absolute injustice and I believe that our country is not living up to everything it is “based on” when a population is being stripped of the same opportunities as the rest of the population.  Discrimination and prejudice are not a thing of the past.  After the 9/11 attacks we saw many Muslim people treated horrifically and many are still not offered the same opportunities as the rest of the population simply because of being Muslim.  The problem is with the people yes but the bigger problem falls in the hands of our political leaders.  Politicians at this time seem to disregard the Constitution and the importance of freedom and equality and simply base their decisions on opinion and personal background.  The Constitution is supposed to allow each person in this country to be free of hatred and violence and allowed the same rights as every other person.  Sadly we find many politicians that are downright bigoted and others that are making decisions based on their religious beliefs as opposed to what is best for the whole (the country).  That is social injustice because those that have the power to make change are not looking out for the good of the people but simply looking out for the good of self.