Examining Social Justice and Equality - Essay Example

CRITICAL REFLECTIONS PAPER Critical Reflections Paper: Examining Social Justice and Equality 1.What is meant by the term "socially just" social welfare "Socially just" social welfare is social welfare which does not harm the person. There are many kinds of welfare which put individuals into a holding pattern which are dangerous, not only for society but for the individual receiving welfare. The society that foments welfare which is socially unjust tends to punish the person receiving welfare by promoting a system that is unforgiving, harsh, and does not allow for the person to gain upward social mobility in his/her life, no matter what is done. Typical welfare systems such as these also put a strain on the systems that produce such environments. One example of such a welfare system that harms both the society and individuals is the U.S. welfare system. People (mainly poor women) are issued checks by the government and food stamps in order to keep their households running. This system punishes the poor by keeping them continually dependent on the system and not encouraging them to become independent. 2. What does the book "Social Welfare in Canada: Understanding Income Security" by Steven Hick and other readings you choose to use, offer as suggestions for moving toward a socially just society According to Hick (2002), "Income security programs are at the center of the welfare state in Canada. These programs do much more than protect the poor from destitution; income security programs are used by all sectors of society" (pp. 1-2). In Roman times, according to Myers-Lipton (2006), "with the increase in poverty in the early republic, elite society began to argue that outdoor relief was financially inefficient at best and inhumane at worst, since poor people were shuffled around from community to community" (pp. 35). Instead of shuffling the poor around, some suggestions include making the poor an integrated part of the community, giving them work through a WPA-style program that would focus on giving the homeless jobs. This would be one way of promoting a healthier and happier community. Part of the problem with homelessness is that very few people care about the homeless. The homeless themselves feel powerless and as though they do not have choices in life. It is in this paradigm that one realizes that something must be done to arrive at a more socially just society. This includes taxing the rich at 90% as used to be the case, and requiring less from those who cannot afford to pay. Most welfare systems nowadays depend on the dependency of the person receiving welfare in order to keep afloat as a program. When welfare programs stop preying on people, there will be more just societies. Until that day of welfare reform comes to all nations, one whose focus is achieving social justice for all cannot rest. After all, how can the economically well-off person sleep at night knowing there are others out in the world who have nothing or next to nothing The simple fact is that they cannot. Once people realize their greed and heartlessness is causing them lack of sleep, they will realize they have to get out in the world and give back. Charities and other goodwill foundations need to capitalize on the fact that there are many guilty people out there. People who feel guilty about having more should feel badly about the fact that society is unjust to the poor and this should serve as a motivator to help urge people to give more to charitable programs. 3. What is the relationship between social justice, equality and human rights Social justice is the assurance that everyone in a society is receiving fair treatment. Equality is the assurance that everyone is being treated with the same measure of justice as everyone else. Human rights are those inalienable rights guaranteed to persons of governments that are based upon the British system. The relation between these three items should be quite apparent. Social justice cannot happen without the enforcement of human rights laws. If there were no social justice, then human rights would be violated undoubtedly. The concept of equality seeks to help achieve the dual goals of social justice and human rights. Without a standard of equality in place, no human rights or social justice can be realized. Usually, these standards are implicitly or explicitly stated in the law. However, there are times when human judgment becomes the standard for calculating human rights violations. An ambassador from the U.N. went to Darfur to examine the carnage left by the Janjaweed in Sudan. The fiasco happening in Darfur was not declared to be genocide (although, by rights, it could have been declared so), and thus Darfur received no help from the U.N. In this writer's opinion, that is a very distorted view of justice. The people who are in Darfur should have been at least acknowledged as having been victims of genocide. 4. How do you understand "poverty" Why is this an issue What are some consequences According to Mink (1998), there is a "high incidence of domestic violence in the lives of welfare recipients; and an important piece on the welfare discourse calls for a reconceptualized vision of dependency and care-giving" (pp. 1). Poverty strikes at unusual times. The man who just lost his job, had a wife and family to support, and bills to pay can easily become the man out on the street, homeless. Financial poverty is a purely social construct, but it is based on some very real assumptions. One of these assumptions is that the person has no money or otherwise monetary assets. This has proved in some cases to be untrue. Such is the case as in one man's story, who happened to have donated a million plus dollars to a charitable cause after his death. Upon his death, it was realized that this man was a millionaire and had left a substantial sum behind for an organization in his will. This man was by no means financially poor. On the contrary, this man had ample assets in order to have lived a comfortable life. However, it was by his own choice that he slept on the lawns of convalescent homes. This man was not in dire financial straits. But obviously, not every homeless person has a million dollars lying around. The fundamental issue with poverty is the fact that a person's social connections are so diminished that he/she has no shoulder to lean on when times get tough. People usually have family who they can rely on. However, in some peoples' cases, their family has either all become deceased, moved away, or otherwise ensconced such so that the homeless person does not have any social network upon which to rely. That being said, homelessness is an increasing problem that is besetting societies all over in the world. The significance of losing or being cut off from social networks is never more profound than at this moment. The world's economy is suffering, and social networking is one of the ways people get jobs, find housing, and buy products. When social networking becomes absent to negligible, a person's social networks break down and thus become vulnerable to becoming completely devastated. Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, SecondLife, and other means of communication have exploded in the past few years, mainly because of the popularity and importance associated with social networking; because, literally, one's next job could depend on it. 5. How might social justice be assessed or factored into welfare design and delivery Social justice can be factored into welfare design and delivery in numerous ways. One, an efficient welfare system must not make the recipient a dependent on the system in order to continue surviving. Ideally, there should be helpful milestones built into the system which allows recipients for upward mobility in the system. Secondly, the most effective welfare system is one that does not only not encourage dependence upon the wel fare system but liberation from it. 6. How is justice to be understood amid the competing aims and needs of state and diverse societal groups Ethnic minorities who are at-risk of falling into poverty must be taken into consideration as one of Canada's potential growing problems. Justice should be aimed to be sought for everyone, no matter what race, religion, creed, disability, or sexual orientation. 7. Describe the roles and responsibilities of Canadian social workers in international social justice issues. Canadian social workers must realize that welfare is only a partial answer to the problem of achieving social justice within the scope of its programs. Additionally, Canadian social workers must realize the extent to which their actions and their government's actions affects ordinary people. "Over the course of our lives, almost everyone benefits from Canada's income security system. Some people retire and draw retirement benefits, some become incapacitated and draw on income support benefits, while others may become unemployed and require Employment Insuranceincome security programs provide social protection for all Canadians [when needed]" (pp. 1-2). 8. What is the role of social workers in helping to achieve just relations in Canadian society Social workers must try to work on prevention, and then treatment. 9. Identify at least two social justice issues related to particular vulnerable populations in Canada. Wage equality and equal rights (generally) for women and ethnic minorities continues to be issues on which Canada should focus in order to improve its society. REFERENCES Hick, S. (2002). Social welfare in Canada: understanding income security. Ontario, CA: Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Mink, G. (1998). Disdained mothers and despised others; the politics and impact of welfare reform. Available: http://www.socialjusticejournal.org/fliers/25-1flier.html Myers-Lipton, S. (2006). Social solutions to poverty: America's struggle to build a just society. USA: Paradigm Publishers. Read More