Unpacking Social Justice Stereotypes

Unfortunately, proponents of social justice are often dubbed with the negatively connotated term "Social Justice Warrior", or SJW. This derogatory term arose from criticisms of outspoken progressives, who sometimes espoused their beliefs with extreme language that was off putting and alienating to many other people. Thus begins the negative associations with the pursuit of social justice. It is important to remember that extremists arise in any discipline or movement, and that these extreme parts of a whole do not represent every aspect of a movement.

One of the foremost issues among social justice is the difference between equality and equity. Although equality is promoted in today's society, it focuses on the outward appearance of major issues. Equity looks at the internal structures that still hold up inequalities. An example from history: after the 15th amendment granted all people the right to vote regardless of skin color, Jim Crow laws, literacy tests, and other subversive methods kept many people from voting. Furthermore, the 15th amendment faiked to address women. So while it created equality, the 15th amendment lacked equity,  which only came nearly 100 years later with the Civil Rights Movement.

A second misconception in social justice arises with the use of the terms charity and solidarity. Charity manifests as donating to those less fortunate and is key to the first steps of social justice. However, certain forms of charity undermine the desired effect. For example, TOMS shoes donates one pair of shoes to Africa for every pair bought. Outwardly, a perfectly admirable form of charity. However, the shoes, made in China, have overwhelmed the shoe-making industry of some African countries, taking business from local economies. In this situation, charity moves vertically,  from a place of perceived higher power and can lead to dependecy.

Solidarity, on the other hand, is a key mark of social justice and a principle of Catholic social teaching. It functions on a horizantal plane of equal persons. Continuing with the TOMS example, solidarity wiuld occur if TOMS helped shoemakers around the world by using local factories and resources in those areas. In this way, solidarity creates global communities and partnerships.

I love the concept of solidarity so much because social justice can be daunting. Amidst the world's countless inequalities,  equity can appear so far away. Solidarity occurs when we examine which charities we donate our money to, ensuring they work toward community building and preservation. It occurs when we stand with those who have less not in pity, but as friends and advocates. With the rise of global networking via the wonder that is the Internet, it will be easier than ever to achieve solidarity among global communities.