Social Injustice by Joy

Social Injustice by Joy - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

I would make a speech on social injustice. Social injustice is a matter which involves one group of individuals mistreating another group based on identifiers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported 7,121 victims of hate crimes in 2015, and these are only the reported ones. There are far more disparaging remarks and silent biases that go unchallenged. These social injustices stem from an unwillingness to admit that something different than what one perceives as normal is frightening and confusing. From that fear and confusion, individuals lash out to protect themselves from it. This can be fixed, but it takes time and effort. There are three things an individual can do that will lessen social injustice.
The first way to help lessen injustice is to listen. Listen to what others say, even if it contradicts what you think. A recent study reported on by Vox.com reveals that calling people names doesn’t change their behavior. Instead, having a discussion with the person seems to be more effective. In one case, researchers canvassed individuals about their feelings on transgender bathroom rights. One man said, “‘I'm from South America, and in South America we don't like fags,’”(Lopez). Rather than react to the slur, the canvasser simply mentioned that she was lesbian, and the two proceeded to discuss what they had in common and learn more about each other. After the discussion, the canvasser asked again about transgender rights, and the man was more open to the idea. Furthermore, on average, individuals in the study remained more open to transgender rights three months after, even when presented with a counter argument. This study suggests that an individual’s opinion can be changed, and discussion helps the individual to focus on the similarities between people rather than differences. When individuals focus on what unites them, it lessens what divides them.
This division is caused by a lack of understanding, or a lack of willingness to understand. To teach others about cultures different from their own can be very enlightening. This is especially true for issues that are rarely discussed. For example, the way the hearing community views people in the Deaf community. Individuals who are deaf are often told that they’d be better off with a cochlear implant (CI), so that they can hear and be ‘normal’. The hearing community, in general, fails to recognize that many people in the Deaf community are proud to be deaf. By implying that hearing is normal also implies being deaf is inferior, and highlights it as a disability. Some of the Deaf community feel that they can have normal lives without their hearing, and don’t see the need for CI (James). Teaching the hearing community about the Deaf community is increasing, as more and more schools are offering American Sign Language (ASL) as a foreign language option. By teaching ASL, people are learning that being deaf doesn’t mean that an individual sees their hearing loss as a disability.
The most important way to fix social injustice is to be accepting. Acceptance means respect of others, and a willingness to be open to new ideas different from our own. Acceptance also includes admitting that there are problems, and being willing to address them. These problems are often due to an inability or unwillingness to learn about the contradicting opinion. Rather than have the discussion, it becomes a debate of personal opinions, and the actual problem goes unsolved. To truly fix the problems, we have to acknowledge that they exist. Then we have to find out how and why they exist to be able to fix them. However, most importantly, we have to learn to compromise a little. Cultures don’t change overnight, it takes time to adjust. Through accepting others’ differences, we learn to accept our own differences.
When individuals can come together to listen, learn, and accept one another, social injustice will be lessened and eventually disappear. If it does happen, it will be handled in an appropriate way. Instead of scolding and name calling, we’ll take the opportunity to teach them to focus on the fact that we are more alike than different. Our identifiers are not all of our identity. Our differences are what make us strong. By listening, we learn to understand others’ differences, which helps us to teach kindness to future generations and guides us to accept others for who they are.

Works Cited

Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Latest Hate Crime Statistics Released."
FBI, United States Government, 14 Nov. 2016, www.fbi.gov/news/
stories/2015-hate-crime-statistics-released. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

Lopez, German, editor. "Research says there are ways to reduce racial bias.
Calling people racist isn’t one of them." Vox.com, Vox Media, 15 Nov. 2016,
www.vox.com/identities/2016/11/15/13595508/racism-trump-research-study.
Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.

James, Susan Donaldson. "Deaf and Proud to Use Sign Language." ABC News, 12 Dec.
2006, abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2719254&page=1. Accessed 27 Dec. 2016.