SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Why should we even care?

What is Social Justice?

A concept born out of fairness and equity Recognizing that opportunities, resources and

wealth were and are distributed unequally throughout the world It is what it is--- some people create their circumstance

and some have no control Example:

Child born into poverty VS. Person being homeless with little motivation to get assistance or

help

Identifying Social Justice issues and addressing them aims to level the playing field for all people

What is Social Justice?

Societies that are suffer from unequal distribution need CHANGE:

-An effort to re-distribute wealth and pinpoint and deal with corruption

-Provide real opportunities for citizens to increase quality of life and NOT band aid solutions

E.g. Micro-finance

It literally means “people fairness”

More specifically, the term 'social justice' implies fairness and mutual obligation in society: that we are responsible for one another, and that we

should ensure that all have equal chances to succeed in life.

The most influential thinker on social justice has been

John Rawls (1971): Rawls argues “for a balance between social equality

and individual freedom. However, social equality and individual freedom”

-Many still don’t know how to balance these ideas Action Research Centre, 2008

What’s the justice issue?

Answer: Poverty

Resources, money and food are available in the world

A small group have access to ALL of these while a large group goes without

We could help each other, but we don’t Why?

What is the Justice issue?

Answer: Fair work for fair pay (Equality)

Western society creates the demand for products, as long as we continue to “want” we create the “demand”

The demand creates the need to make the most profit by owners of companies

They choose to outsource labour at cheaper rates to maximize profits While we have Worker’s unions and laws that protect

us here in Canada, it is not the same everywhere else Do we just be grateful that we “happened” to be born

or allowed to immigrate and dismiss those that live with the reality of factory slave like conditions?

Let’s have a truth moment…

Humans have always struggled in social settings, we continue to find adjusting to new situations quite challenging We have a tendency to look out for ourselves

and our immediate family/friend groupResult: It is easier to not be affected by the

realities of others around the world-We just are happy it’s them and not us…

TRUTH?(What do you think?) Discussion

Misconceptions/Concerns

We are only 1 person, we cannot create change It is too big of a job and we can’t do it alone It doesn’t affect me, I don’t want to get involved

This revolves around your privilege in life We all have some sort of privilege that we take for granted–

we may have earned it but in most cases it just happens out of our circumstance, truth of the matter It could have been you---

Then maybe your interest would be different

How do we do it? Video: Social Development and Change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XbPihcFMOTo#t=0

Things to Consider:

•When we demand products, the resources are extracted from the 3rd world using a labour force with very little options• Poverty = less choice for survival options• They take what they can get

•We use the products that have to disposed, some is kept here, and MOST is sent to dumps in India, Malaysia and Taiwan •We create harmful environmental conditions for people of the third world• E.g. Electronics in Guyu, China

• Electronic waste is shipped there and ACID is used to release metals and break down elements, no protective wear is required- CANCER RATES have skyrocketed

• Acid residue have seeped into lakes, soil and water affecting the health of those in surrounding areas

Case Study: Electronic Waste

LET’S THINK!?: HOW WE CREATE SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES

Debrief with a Social Justice lens

-We create the demand

-We use more than our share

-We dictate the importance of people according to the resources that they have to offer

We enable the devaluing of people by our consumer choices We don’t object to cheaper prices of

products even though we know there is a “story” of exploitation behind it

There are MANY environmental and social effects to our choices that affect other people, but “out of sight, out of mind” Global Warming/Climate Change+ Poor

Soil quality= Effect on those who depend on Agriculture

Discuss!

What can we do?

SOCIAL CHANGE

It’s not easy!

What is it exactly?

Social change is the transformation of beliefs, social interactions, practices, organization and structures of society.  

These changes occur over a period of time and challenges are something that take time to over come.

Barrier:People have become very stuck in their ways of how they understand and make sense of the world– at times it is very oppressive.

• Taking prejudice and discrimination out of the mix is an example of long term change that we have been dealing with for decades.

Social Change

Social Change requires everyone to be on board and on the same page

In a capitalist world, (least effort, most profit) that is VERY difficult

It’s like teaching everyone to “care” for their fellow man

It is a world issue that organizations have tried to “fix” with band aid solutions (short term only)

The concept of Status Quo is the idea of what is normalized, expected and is observed and reinforced by the majority. Many people choose to just stay in line rather than step out of their comfort zone and challenge these ideas.

Status Quo- to be the same, that is the question!

Factors that Affect Change (social)

One thing is for certain….

CHANGE IS UNPREDICTABLE!

Physical Environment Environment affects migration/shifts in

society Migration (population changes) Proximity/Location Societal types or norms

Willing to change, can work together etc Ethnocentric = Barrier= stagnation

Technology E.g. Arab Spring– Video + Social Change https://

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tDuD15AzLvM#t=0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAuxNXmAbyY