...Brad Connor 2/5/14 SOC 350 Professor DeWitt What is Social Justice? In today’s society, people use the phrase “social justice” to form a basis of how individuals should act with one another. However, there is really no clear definition of the right “social justice”. People depending on diverse circumstances look social justice differently; for example race, economic status and gender can come into play. Michael Novak defines social justice as “the capacity to organize with others to accomplish ends that benefit the whole community. (Social Justice: Not What You Think It Is)” The definition of social justice seems to always circle around a few key words: fairness, equality, common good, merit and morals (What Is Justice?). These words form a foundation to allow society to function properly with free will and choice without totally controlling the people. As stated before, every person may have a different meaning to what social justice is and who deserves social justice, which presents issues around the world. The death penalty is a major issue that is problematic to the question of “what is social justice?” Society looks at criminals as outsiders, uncivilized and dangerous. So society decided to form the procedure of the death penalty, which sentences a person to death who has committed a capital crime. Some people find the death penalty just while others do not. Some individuals feel that the death penalty helps society. By killing the criminal you eliminate any further...
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...Social Problems in the Society Name of Author Institutional Affiliation Social Problems in the Society Social problems are issues which according to the beliefs of a society are not generally acceptable by a large number of people. They affect quality of life in the society and often defined by history and culture in the society. They include factors like corruption, unemployment, abortion, overpopulation, pollution, social discrimination, economic factors, and life threatening crimes, inequality, political and cultural issues. In the society today, so many people are affected by the impacts of the social vices. People have lost their lives; there has also been erosion of morals, a lot of suffering like diseases, poverty and insecurity. Therefore, social problems are not an issue to be overlooked in any societal setting. Overpopulation is currently becoming a challenge in the society. This has created a lot of pressure on existing social amenities. This is caused by factors such as improved medical services, lower mortality rates, technological advancement in health issues, birth planning techniques, migrations and lower poverty levels. This has led to a lot of competition and governments spending a lot of funds to sustain the economy. It has also led to upcoming of slums in various cities like Kibera, Kawangware in Kenya. Challenges faced by people in such overpopulated societies intrigues creativity which at times is negative like crime...
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...Poverty increasing rates during the last 10 years have been an issue in Canada in general, and a huge one for aboriginal communities on the reservations and in their territories. This is brought to mind because of a recent surge in suicide attempts in the Cree community which has drown a national attention to the effects of poor living conditions on First Nation's children. The reality is that these children live in poverty, and the situation is getting worse. The most recent available data from the national household survey was last updated back in 2011, and it shows that child poverty rates in aboriginal communities living on the reserves rose to staggering 60% in 2010 (MacDonald, Wilson. 4) The indigenous child poverty at the reservations is structural and systematic: it reveals a history of racism that goes back to the time of colonization. Canada's long history of residential schools and the under-funding of basic services on reserves have left aboriginal communities experiencing living conditions many would expect to see only in developing countries, not in a rich nation such as Canada. Too many aboriginal children live in abject poverty, and in many cases, without hope of improved prospects in the future....
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...The Ontario Women’s Justice Network states that “homelessness is tied to structural inequalities and the unequal distribution of resources; it’s a social problem (1). Poverty and homelessness are difficult to escape because a person’s individual choices and chances are restricted. The issue resides with social structures and the elite because they fail to address the factors that cause these individuals social distress. The Ontario Women’s Justice Network insists that “governments should attempt to address and solve the root problems of poverty and homelessness; it’s doing the opposite by criminalizing it instead; those that beg,...
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...everyone is susceptible to the effects of climate change, such effects will be experienced unevenly, with the most vulnerable people in the most deprived communities bearing the most of damaging of the effects of climate change, (Smith, 2006). It must be recognised that the experiences and concerns of the people who are themselves living in poverty must be taken into account. This is especially of concern given that deprived groups and individuals will experience the most difficulty in coping with market based responses to climate change. This research will seek to address the current gap in our understanding of the relations between climate change and the experience of living in poverty in Ireland. Aims and Objectives The aim of this research essentially is to try and gain a broader understanding of how climate change is affecting those living in less than acceptable standards in Ireland. This research will attempt to: 1) Document the major climate change concerns that emerge for people experiencing poverty in Ireland; what are key economic, social and political concerns related to climate change that arise for people experiencing poverty? 2) Examine how these concerns are influenced by perceived risk: To what extent do individuals identify themselves as at risk to climate change? How is this influenced socially and culturally? 3) Investigate the ways in which risk perception impacts on adaptive responses to climate change. Purpose and Rationale The ultimate goal of this...
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...Week 3 Case Study 3.3 Poverty in America Stacey Curry Business Ethics Upper Iowa University Professor Kalai McHan TRY TO TURN POVERTY TO POSITIVE In the time of the Great Depression back in 1930’s, where a time where four million Americans had fallen into poverty. Then in 2008 the economy experienced a serious economic meltdown crisis and recession, at this time 44 million adults now live below the poverty line officially defined as an income below $10,830 for a single adult or less than $22,050 for a family of four (Shaw, 2013 p.132). The economy today in my opinion, where poverty is still a huge impact due to the cost of living going up but the income is not changing and it appears people are digging themselves into bigger holes. There are times I feel bad for a lot of people in this world and I wonder a lot how is it going to be when my kids grow up, has me thinking are they going to be able to take care of their families and not have to struggle. The young kids this time in day, especially for my kids I advise them all time to please get a college degree not just a high school diploma and pick a great career. The existence of poverty doesn’t imply that our socio-economic system is unjust, what is causing the socio-economic system is lack of education in the schools, divorces, single parent households and disease’s. The concertation of poverty groups doesn’t matter at all, the ethnicity of the religion or race, has nothing to do with poverty. The Americans have a different...
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...The Grand Challenges of Social Work initiative, launched by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, outlines ambitious yet achievable goals to address some of the most pressing social problems facing the United States today. One such challenge is Reducing Extreme Economic Inequality, an issue that has profound implications for both individuals and communities. Economic inequality refers to the uneven distribution of income and wealth within a population, and extreme inequality often leads to disparities in access to essential resources such as healthcare, education, and housing. In this reflection, I will explore how the challenge of reducing extreme economic inequality intersects with social welfare policy, analyze existing...
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...University’s NEW Office of Social Justice and Activism. With the director of the OSJA (Office of Social Justice and Activism), we worked together to design a program to replace their Tunnel of Oppression that they could no longer hold. Together, we created a weeklong event consisting of five different presentations focusing on different subjects. Our event was, Social Justice Week. My responsibility was to think about different subjects we could cover, and find different departments or speakers we could get to present and reach out to them. The topics we covered were Gender Diversity, Poverty and Class, Being an Ally, and Social Justice for the Deaf. We had the Women's, Gender...
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...texts as source or vehicle for framing and thinking through issues) * Both deliberate and conscious of challenges of relating Biblical faith to Social issues * Housing and immigration are public policy issues * Daniel devotes a chapter to this question, using “Caesar vs. God” image from New Testament * Micah Shows up in both books (see below) * Differences? * Is immigration more of a “hot button” issue than housing? * If so, do we find different kinds of rhetoric? * Phil comment in class: Does Reckford focus more on system or structures or root causes (next slide) and Daniel more on individuals? * If so, do we have different kinds of solidarity in these two approaches? * Root Causes (“cycle”) of Poverty (structural analysis) (52-53) * Rhetorical device? * Cites 5 of them * “social capital” (56-58) is a rich illustration * Solidarity involves “learning” and “sensitivity” and “collaboration” (60) * Corresponding interventions/Solutions * E.g. “not charity but capital” (Clarence Jordan, cited 54) * 62-63: justice = level playing field (Sen. M. Fenwick, grandmother) * Housing is one of several interventions, but foundational (59) * Note structural components (infrastructure) of this intervention * E.g. ONE Campaign (http://www.one.org/us/) : 1% of US budget against extreme poverty * Immigration as “spiritual pilgrimage” * Religion/Public...
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...November 2011 Poverty Rises, Inequality Gap Widens Wealth of 40 richest Indonesians equivalent to 60 million people’s Key Points: • Poverty rate rises over the last three years, Indonesia is the worst country in Southeast Asia in combating poverty • Inequality gap widens, wealth and economic resources are concentrated in a small number of people only • Social and economic justice must be included as development target to prevent social explosion and maintain the sustainability of the development process Managing Director: Setyo Budiantoro, MA Perkumpulan Prakarsa Executive Director ndonesia is the poorest performer on poverty reduction in Southeast Asia region. It is calculated that 2.7 million people become poorer in the country over the last three years. This increase of extreme poverty is, shamefully, the worst one in the region. Indonesia even lags behind its neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Laos in reducing poverty, -not to mention when it is compared to the better off neighbors such as Thailand or Malaysia. Moreover, it is not just that the poverty increases, the share of wealth has also been more disproportionate. The accumulation of 0.02 % richest Indonesians’ wealth is equivalent to 25% of the country’s total GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and the wealth owned by only these 43 thousand people is equal to the wealth accumulation of another 140 million people. If this situation persists, people will feel that their sense of social-economic justice is torn down...
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...focus on market, family, and military-based inclusion rather than ending issues facing queer people of color or queer people living in poverty or transgender people or any queer people who do not want to join these normative institutions. Disabled people are also excluded from these institutions, but it is a different form of exclusion, an exclusion based on the idea that disabled people are not capable of contributing to capitalism and therefore are not truly people within American society. Neoliberalism tends to lead to anti-poverty type measures that supposedly focus on the “causes” of poverty without acknowledging that, without capitalism, there would be no poverty. Both disabled and queer people are more likely to live in poverty, but this does not mean that disability or queerness cause poverty. Only capitalism, neoliberalism, and the globalization of these values have that power. Ruer...
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...peel back the layers”. As I develop into an amateur social justice fighter, if I had the opportunity to solve a problem I would fix the many social injustices occurring in Milwaukee. Day after day I encounter social issues such as poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, and segregation. In fact, my family’s life was infiltrated by these issues and caused significant damage to our familial bond. My desire to have peace does go to the extreme of wishing for a utopian ideal with absolute peace; however, I believe solving a few social injustices will lead towards a stable community....
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...Social justice issues: child removal, racism, transgenerational grief effects, overrepresentation in criminal justice systems, dispossession of land, lack of access to basic health and wellbeing needs, etc. Selected social justice issue: Child removal Aboriginal children have been subject to intervention by European people and governments since. In the days of protectionism, Aboriginal people were theorised to be an inferior and therefore dying race (under social Darwinism) and therefore in need of protection by public health and order interventions including provision of shelter, food, clothing and religion; and eradication of cultural knowledge, values and beliefs through dispossession of language, land, etc. In some respects child protection...
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...been growing concern and controversy about the over-representation of Aboriginals within the Criminal Justice System, a considerable problem that has been found to be more even extreme with Aboriginals female offenders. For Aboriginal women the rates of incarceration are particularly disturbing. Aboriginal women are over-represented in the federal prison system. They represent only 4% of the women in Canada yet account for 32% of the women in federal prisons. The number of Aboriginal women federally incarcerated has increased by 151% between 1997 and 2006 (Elizabeth Fry Society, 4). Aboriginal women are not only disproportionately over-represented but also the fastest growing population sentenced to federal prisons. The over-representation is even more pronounced in terms of Aboriginal women incarceration rates: As of April 2010, Aboriginal women accounted for 32.6% of the total female offender population (SOURCE 5). This means that one out of every three women federally incarcerated is of Aboriginal descent (Correctional Service Canada, 2009/2010, at 18). Furthermore they are over-represented in the maximum security prison population, making up 45% of the maximum security federally sentenced women, 44% of the medium security population and 18% of minimum security women in 2006 (Elizabeth Fry Society, 4). The justice system has played a major role in the creation of poor social conditions in Aboriginal communities today. It has failed to provide them with protection against oppression...
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...I knew I wanted to study crime in white communities when, I graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, with a degree in Criminology. While attending John Jay, I was introduced to research, all of the research I had been a part of dealt with black males. As a student and a researcher I became aware that something was missing, “what about members of the poor white communities?” Most of the work I did and the discussions that were apart of my courses, all focused on poor black and brown communities, specifically, black and brown men. There were very little, if any discussions about members of the white community unless it involved, white collar crime, drugs, or youth violence. This led me to develop an interest in understanding the relationship between poverty, crime and public policy, specifically as it relates to members of the poor white community. Growing up in a white suburb, just outside of Detroit, I witnessed several acquaintances go...
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