Social Justice is the practice of opposing forces of prejudice, discrimination, and classism in our everyday lives. Social justice means that there is an inequality between groups due to one group being unfairly advantaged over the other, and that this should be corrected so that each social group in society has the same opportunities and same lack of oppression as each other group. In practice, people only see their own oppression while using labels of social justice as an excuse to oppress others. The ideal social justice practice seeks to repair group inequalities by rising up the disadvantaged and removing barriers that hold them back. I agree with Mullaly’s (2007) concept of consciousness-raising through which awareness of …show more content…
My vision of a socially just society is possible with the support of two socialist paradigms, Social democracy and Marxism (Mullaly, 2007). Primarily, by the overlaps between them with respect to their views, beliefs, and fundamental values (Mullaly, 2007). My personal values of equality are supported by socialism in which equality does not mean treating everyone the same, but recognising that individual needs must be met in different ways. My socially just society is built on the foundation of increase in positive role of government intervention, as it can create the conditions of social equality vital for the attainment of freedom for all (Mullaly, 2007). Underpinning this role of the state is an emphasis on co-operation and a corresponding de-emphasis on competition (Mullaly, 2007). According to Bishop (2002) competition assumes that we are separate beings- separate from each other; “competition assumes that there is a hierarchy of beings; those who “win” can take a “higher” position, one with more power and value than those who “lose”” (p 19). In this collective way of living all individuals can participate in its governance; extending to all areas of life, not just to political and economic areas, for example, giving those acquiring services a say in formulating policies and services affecting them the most. …show more content…
It serves as good example of a developmental perspective which believes in universal and encompassing social policies, following the principles of “little but to everybody” (Kangas & Palme, 2009). This would impact the whole society by redistributing resources equally, working on flat structure as opposed to hierarchal. According to Kangas and Palme (2009), “health and income are two key components of the standard of living” (p. 67). The fact that health is perhaps the most important element of individuals’ welfare, my just society would include more prevention health programs and government would provide free health care. My socially just society would also include free education and child-care. Kangas and Palme (2009) believe “youth with poor cognitive skills or inadequate schooling today will become tomorrow’s precarious workers, likely to face a lifetime of low wages, poor-quality jobs, and frequent spells of unemployment or assistance dependency” (p. 66). Purpose of this shift is to end this cycle of oppression, therefore regulation and equal distribution are important for environment and stable economy (Mullaly, 2007). Increase in government intervention in these services