Social Justice Warriors

This one was mine, and I managed to write a little something for the Leader to post before the meeting.  It's with his own pondering on the webpage.

Our Doctor began the discussion by trying to break down the phrase into its components: we warrior, a fighter, somebody considered strong; justice is normally respected as a concept; social groups are one of the human being's basic needs.  We need to be aware of what's going on around us for our own protection and preservation, since we might be attacked at any time.  However, we really do not know what is happening in the world, even with the wealth of information available to us through sources like the internet.  We are bombarded with information.  Furthermore, in spite of the possibilities we now have to explore and find new ideas, we are creatures of habit, visiting the same places day after day.  Regarding the warrior bit, he said that reacting to offense, either personal or social, is a natural thing, like going to the toilet.  Still, we do not fight against the powers that enslave us intellectually and even dismiss those who try to do so as "weirdos".  Intellectual slavery is a fact, and the manipulation necessary to achieve it is obvious, but we are comfortable enough that we do not want to risk any changes now.  Later on, he spoke of the keeping of records on computers, which on one hand makes access easier for the people who need or have a right to the information, but also makes things much easier for those who would use it for their own ends, or to hurt the people whose information they can find.  Many people and business, not to mention governments, have an enormous amount of details about any individual they choose to pay attention to, but at the same time they know nothing real about that person.  Finally, he reminded us that to right wrongs or preserve justice, people will be or at least feel attacked.  They can easily give in to their natural reaction of protecting themselves, which may be violent.  Justice may be a worthy thing to reach for, but we must pay attention to the means as well as the ends.

The True Philosopher revealed a little of his own past, saying he had been a social justice activist in his youth, confronting police on the university campus and the like.  He had the idea of "armchair revolutionaries" but the particular combination of social justice + warrior was new to him.  Still, the intent was clear.  As he says in his short article, activists are welcome but "warriors" can get out.  While theory is not a bad thing, and sometimes quite necessary, those people who do nothing but spout theory not only look like cowards or even hypocrites, their once useful theory becomes disconnected from the reality they are trying to change.

The Leader focused on the emotive part of fighting for social causes, saying that these "warriors" have the tendency to be extremely loud and aggressive.  They are also likely to focus exclusively on the goal, without considering the possible consequences of achieving it.  As an example, he pointed to the banning of fox hunting in England.  While it seemed to be a brutal and cruel sport, mainly for the fox, although the other animals involved were also at some risk because of their participation, the banning of it came with the perfectly foreseeable result that the fox population exploded.  People are now allowed to poison or kill foxes without the ritual of the hunt because of the problems their overpopulation causes.  Another aspect of the fox hunt was its classism, as only the well-off or highly placed socially were allowed to take part in such things, and now anybody anywhere might have the opportunity to kill a fox, but saying that this is a victory for social justice would be unlikely to attract much support.  Furthermore, many people made their living from the ritual of the fox hunt, including kennel masters, game keepers, and artisans who made and repaired the equipment used.  Without the fox hunt, their jobs disappear for the most part.  Returning to the general topic, he repeated his earlier point that the basis of the argument for "warriors" is emotional rather than rational, and the fruit of a reaction to an injustice already produced.  While they demand reparations for a crime committed, they often ignore the possibilities of preventing it, or something similar, from happening in the future.  In his final contribution, he spoke of responsibility in society, especially on the part of governments.  In his view, if governments functioned as they should, there would be no need for charitable organizations, since most of the needs they fill have been caused or exacerbated by governments.

The Educator also mentioned clashes between police and university students in her country, the result of the dictatorship in power at the time.  Dictators inevitably promote injustice, and somebody will always fight against it, although the success of the efforts it not always guaranteed.  Social justice, in her opinion, is protection of the weak and the prevention of exploitation.  It is necessary to ensure the education of children includes these principles, to provide equal opportunities, and avoid situations where it could be necessary to use more force.  We should be social justice "guides", rather than "warriors" in a fairer society.  Responding to the apparent dismissal of emotion by the Leader, she insisted that human beings have feelings for a reason and she personally cannot help but react emotionally; she refuses to be a robot.

The meeting ended with an exchange focused on economic justice rather than strictly social, although as the Leader pointed out, much social injustice is perpetrated and continued by means of wealth.  Although discrimination takes many forms and uses many outlets, to be really effective there has to be power behind it, and power in our society is inextricably linked to money.  A social justice "warrior", if we accept the picture drawn in this meeting, might fight to have a discriminatory law abolished or something like Affirmative Action created to promote equality.  On the other hand, a real social justice advocate will try to find the root cause of the discrimination and rectify all errors that lead us down a dark path.  Unfortunately, that is really a long-term sort of plan, one which those who suffer the injustice are often unwilling to wait for, understandably, and like the Educator have strong feelings about their situation.  While some might shake their heads at the lack of foresight, we cannot deny the attraction of the immediate solution, the one represented by the warrior, just or unjust.