We looked at some essential questions in class, both in the handout and in our discussion after watching some of the videos. There are so many important questions, and I personally find it very, very hard to not be able to see the answers. At times, it makes me feel as though the issues are too big. I'm hoping that as we all share our ideas, insights, doubts, information, more questions, and plans for action, we will all be able to look at social justice as a big, big issue, but not one that renders us overwhelmed or immobile.
As a way to feel more certain about actually being able to make a difference, I looked at the We Day videos on "shameless idealists". You might want to check it out!
http://www.weday.com/we-day-u/shameless-idealists/?catid=shameless-idealists&slg=the-dalai-lama-in-conversation-with-craig-kielburger"
In my opinion, the very nature of a "big question" is ambiguity, but also idealism. To ask a "big question" about social justice is to inherently have "big ideas". It's impossible to be a social justice student and really do some good if you're not willing to ask the big/hard questions.
ReplyDeleteBecause I would like to focus my efforts in this course towards bullying and drug abuse—two issues that hit close to home for me—I chose to ask my "core questions" around those two areas.
I really found the video that centered around the "lucifer effect" to be particularly interesting, but I think we could get even more broad with our big questions.
Perhaps, to be general, one could ultimately be "Are human beings inherently good?"
In terms of drug abuse, one could potentially ask "What drives a person to such rapid personality changes; Is it really the drugs talking?"
"Why do humans gravitate towards substance abuse in the first place?"
"Can one really ever be rehabilitated?"
"Does our Canadian system account for the needs of the drug addict?"
and finally, perhaps we could ask the question "What makes drugs addictive to some and 'harmless' to others?"
We can also ask several big questions around the idea of bullying:
"What compels people to seek to dominate others—nature or nurture?"
"How does bullying start?"
"Can anyone become a bully under the proper circumstances?"
"Why do people chose to inflict pain on others?"
"Are certain demographics more susceptible to that lucifer effect we were talking about? (Gender, age, socio-economic status, etc.)
"How should bullying be dealt with—fire with fire, or silent internalization?"
I hope I've succeeded in getting the ball rolling for this discussion and that I'm on the right track in terms of the questions I'm posing.
Thought provoking essential questions, Brogan, each of them important for every one of us to explore if for no other reason than that addiction and bullying are such significant elements of our society.
ReplyDeleteOver the next month or so, you will work towards narrowing your focus and exploring one question in greater depth.
I think it's extremely important to try to bring social justice to other countries through democracy, and proper education, but sometimes I think people forget about the problems within our own country. I realize Canada, compared to other countries is well developed in terms of social justice; However, there is still work to be done. Issues such as poverty and homelessness are still affecting Canada today.
ReplyDeleteA question that I would like to explore further is "How do we maintain social justice in other countries without losing track of the issues in our own?"
Sinead,
DeleteI definitely agree with your essential question.
It is very, very important to not lose sight of the injustice in our own country whilst still trying to positively impact the world.
I think our class will have their work cut out for them as we try to balance the idea of doing local and international good.
It would be almost interesting to explore the idea of a class in which half the members focus on international relief aid, assistance, etc., with the other half focussing their efforts on on the local community at large.
The issues that plague our community locally are most definitely different to the issues that plague the world. Despite the differences in issues as a whole, there aren't certain issues that should take precedence over others. Most people seem to focus more on international aid than aid for the community, which I think is a shame.
That is why I intend to focus my efforts in this course on local causes.
You've asked a thoughtful question, Sinead. It's an interesting phenomenon, to me, that Canadians (possibly others as well, but I have only had the opportunity to observe it here) are much more willing to donate money to international aid than they are to help a marginalized group at home. Why is that? Perhaps because looking close to home would make us uncomfortable? Because we would have to acknowledge our own shortcomings? Why does BC have such a high rate of children living in poverty? Why do we have such a high rate of suicide in our First Nations communities? Why are we allowing the government to build more prisons instead of focussing on the underlying causes of crime? As Brogan is looking at, why do we have such a problem with drug addiction? Why do young Canadians kill themselves because of bullying? The list goes on, and I agree that it is so very important that we take a good look at ourselves and ensure our own neighbours are not the victims of social justice.
DeleteSocial Justice is a very broad topic, encompassing many concepts in society that deal with the practice of human rights. It seems that we often narrow down social justice to certain topics and consider other global issues to fall under other categories. I am referring to issues dealing with the Environment. Our world is forever changing and we are constantly facing new world issues, including the degrading quality of our environment. Many of you may agree that environmental issues are social, whereas others may question the relation between the two.
ReplyDelete“Environmental justice is the social justice expression of environmental ethics. The environmental justice movement is a distinct expression of environmentalism, for it works to improve the protection of human communities and is generally less attentive to wild nature. It is environmental protection where people live, work and play. Over the two past decades it has expanded its scope from community-oriented anti-toxics activism to address global scale inequalities in economic development and environmental degradation.” - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
I believe that the Environment should be of our highest concern because without an environment nothing can thrive, nothing can exist.
"In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?" Modern scientific knowledge has allowed us to understand the critical effect that we are having on our environment and the need for more active commitment towards sustainable living. Thus, perhaps the answer to Stephen Hawking’s question is simply to better educate our future generations (with application courses such as social justice).
I love Stephen Hawking’s question, yet it is very broad. If I were to narrow down my interests that deal with global environmental concerns I would focus on environmental education, which I researched last year in English (I love this topic so much!).
My “big question” this year may be something like, “How should we educate our world’s children in order to change the next generation’s environmental values and encourage future generations to live sustainably?”
I agree with you, Sam. The environmental issue is probably preeminent, as if we destroy our world, it won't matter how we treat each other! And certainly as we're in the process of destroying the earth, there will arise a whole new set of social injustice. I'd like everyone to watch: http://grist.org/climate-energy/my-tedx-talk-on-climate-pimped-out/ for Monday. Perhaps we don't have enough time to educate the next generation!
DeleteLike Sam said, social justice is a big topic but I don't feel like any idea is to big, it just takes longer to understand and change. Social Justice is one big idea made up of smaller ones and I believe all are of equal importance. Other people have thought of smaller topics about what they want to concentrate on but I just can't seem to do that because all the issues are so prevalent.
ReplyDeleteI guess the one question I would want to do is "how does parts of humanity stay in the dark and ignorant to the big problems plaguing the earth".
We can deal with all these problems and it will take a lot of time and effort from everyone on earth, not just small groups. To do that we would need to educate and enlighten people. I know it will be hard to do but i really want to try to do something along those lines this year. This seem like an insurmountable task but if more people feel this way it is possible to do it together.
Do you think it makes sense to choose one issue, and even one group of individuals, to start with?
ReplyDeleteI think starting small has always been the best way. However cliche it is to say, every little bit counts. And that is actually very true. I think an effective way to make change would be through the arts. Film and theatre are things that people enjoy on a regular basis. If we can put a message into those forms then people will be receiveing messages of change through the entertainment they enjoy. I think great change can be made through the arts. And why not start small? Perhaps a local issue, then moving on to something bigger and eventually taking the issues being expressed to a national, even international, level. I truly believe that film and theatre are catalysts for change. Shows make people think, as well as laugh and cry. And through this fantastic medium, audiences will ponder the issues brought forth.
ReplyDeleteI love your points Maddie! I know that I could personally do much more to make a difference, because as you said every little bit does count; however, agreeing with this I do try as often as possible to do things differently. Most things that I see myself doing on a small scale, regular basis are just expected of me by myself and my parents. For example: recycle, don't waste water, don't waste food, don't drive everywhere, when possible do not buy packaged foods etc. The problem is that in many households these actions are seen as progressive, not normal, and even worse they can be seen as insignificant. I think that it is the role of a parent to lead by example, as mine have done.
DeleteAdditionally, I adore your idea of combining the Arts with Social Justice because I have always considered pursuing a career that focuses on both of those! I believe film is a very powerful medium, and may lean in that direction with my future plans. I can see the theater aspect also being very important and effective, thought I know less about this field.
Jonas, though you have a very thought provoking question, I find that it just leads me to want to know more about the specifics of where your ideas were going. Like Mrs. Nelson said, I think that it would be easier for the rest of us students to more understand where your coming from and where you intend to go if you narrowed your plans down to maybe just one certain issue rather than all issues plaguing the world.
ReplyDeleteOn the same note though, what a very well thought out question. Though it is broad it has such great potential to be something huge, and since you already intend to make an impact this question could be a good starting point. But I disagree with you about small groups not making an impact. Every group and every one who chooses to can make some sort of difference, no matter how big or small the difference is it is still effective in some way.
Personally, I am huge procrastinator and I have no idea what my essential question will be. I know that I would like it to focus more on human trafficking and the lack of rights that people have when drawn into this trade...but other than that I do not know where to go. There are so many things that tie into social justice that its hard not to pick all the topics and choose to try and do everything to make some sort of impact.
I believe that social justice is a big idea with numerous little ideas tied in. All of these little ideas are equally important to achieve worldwide social justice. One idea I am interested in and would like to focus my “big questions” on is poverty, both in our own country and across the world. First off, I would like to go back to Sineads question, “How do we maintain social justice in other countries without losing track of the issues in our own?” Many people don’t even realize the issues in their own country, after doing the poverty scavenger hunt I realized how serious the issues really are. I knew that there were issues, but I never realized to that extent, many of the facts I came across really shocked me. Another question I have is, “Why is so much money wasted on simple indulgences, instead of helping starving, poor people?” Americans and Europeans spend $31 billion a year on ice cream, when you think about how it only would cost 19 billion dollars a year to eradicate poverty. Ice cream is not a necessity of life, but people waste money on it and deny people real necessities for life, such as clean water and food.
ReplyDelete