The Jokes on America's Social Justice
Social justice is the belief that everyone deserves equal rights. In the article, Majorities of Americans see at least some discrimination against Black, Hispanic, and Asian people in the U.S., Andrew Daniller states: “Nearly half of Americans (46%) say there is ‘a lot’ of discrimination against Black people. About three-in-ten see a lot of discrimination against Hispanic people (30%) and Asian people (27%).” To me, as a second-generation immigrant, social justice means that everyone is respected and equally treated, regardless of their sexual, political, racial, or other identities. To the world, America is known as the country of freedom, often joked about by its citizens. In theory, people are allowed to say and do anything, but many abuse that freedom to perpetuate social injustice in the guise of it being a free country.
Many of the families in America immigrated from another country and, therefore, face racism. People often make snap judgments based on their appearance and way they carry themselves. This leads to stereotypical assumptions that bring down their self-worth. My family is one of the many who have migrated to America and, in turn, had to face a lot of struggles. There are many people who respect others in these aspects. However, like I said, not everyone does. During the first few weeks America was on lockdown for COVID, my mom saw many videos of Chinese people getting attacked just because they believed all Chinese people were the cause of COVID. Worried for our safety, she removed the doormat with the Hanzi on it. This is one of the first times I’ve seen my mom feel unsafe where we are as she moved here with my family to seek safety and a better life. This is a clear demonstration of how social injustice can affect families and individuals. The fear that they face from this kind of discrimination leads to people to feel endangered, eventually leading to them wanting to leave America entirely.
Many authors portray social injustice in their literary works as well. Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac is one of those works. The story goes into depth about how the native Navajo speakers were slowly torn away from their culture. Those who spoke Navajo were also constantly ridiculed throughout the book: “‘Navajo is no good, of no use at all!’ … ‘Only English will help you get ahead in this world!’” (18-19). It shows the strong beliefs of those who think English is superior over other languages and relates to how some parents encourage their kids to learn English first. That way, they can get ahead in life and not struggle as much as they did. As a child, I was taught my native language first. But after going to an American school, I slowly forgot that language and started to only use my native language with my family. Even so, that knowledge was heavily limited. The norm was to know English to be able to get by, even my parents implied that to me. But in my community and those I'm around, I find it difficult to do so not knowing my native language. The social injustice made them believe that there was no need for it here in America, but it could eventually lead to the fall of my native language, similar to that of the Navajo.
Sexism is another socially unjust issue that is still commonly overlooked by both men and women. In America, many sexists use it against women for simple things like their ability in the workforce or their ability to do physical activities. One of the popular reasons why they believe this is because they say it has been proven by science. When I was younger, a lot of boys would tell me that girls suck at football or any other sport. I wanted to prove them wrong but, with my athletic ability, I wasn’t able to. So, they continued to make fun of me for what they said was "being bad at the sport." This made me feel a new level of embarrassment that also helped their claim. This again reflects how the things we say as a society can be socially unjust and a bad influence on others. But there have also been cases where women were able to prove these beliefs to be false. For example, Larisa Latýnina who won 18 olympic medals. This proves that even if science says that men are biologically stronger and more athletic, there is a possibility that women can still achieve things they can. The most obvious way to make sure this doesn’t continue is to discourage harmful statements and attitudes on others, but doing so is easier said than done. We, as a society, can only work together to make sure no one ever feels discriminated against just because of their sex.
Ultimately, social justice means that everyone feels respected and equal. Everyone deserves to be treated right, and making sure that happens takes time. All we can do is spread awareness about the effects of social injustice. No one should feel that their self-worth is low just because someone said so. The Navajo shouldn't have been ridiculed just because society was telling them English was superior to Navajo. My mom shouldn't have felt like we were in danger during the peak of COVID. There are many ways for people to spread awareness, like taking advantage of social media or in-person discussions. Parents should educate their children at an early age about what social justice means and how harmful actions can affect another. Social justice is a topic that is often talked about a lot, but not acted upon, and that should change. People should do their best to uphold what they believe is socially just. What will you do?
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In your essay, you talked about how social injustice is prevalent in our society today and the different forms it can have. One thing you mentioned was racism. You stated a specific encounter you and your family has had with racism. When I read this part, I felt like I could relate. Like you, my family had been treated differently by people and had false ideas made about us just because of our race. I found it sad how this is something that happens to so many people, but I deeply appreciate how you stated just how bad and harmful discrimination like this is.
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Reading through the essay, I’m in awe of how often injustices occur in society. It makes me think deeply about how society tries to cover up these acts of injustice by not talking about them. I like that you talked about these topics, which affect us all somehow showing the seriousness of these injustices is important.
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I liked the incorporation of recent factual events in this essay. The mention of the pandemic and COVID was something I didn’t previously relate to social justice, but this essay opened my eyes.
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The essay starts off well as it talks about social justice in America. It continues to go on to talk about a personal experience about a group of people who were affected by social injustice in the US. This makes the essay stronger as it shows how much social injustice in the US can impact people. The essay does a good job at criticizing America’s social justice system with it’s strong reasoning.
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I liked how you were able to personally connect with each topic you wrote about. With you being able to connect to what you are writing about, it gives more passion to your essay and makes it more interesting.
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