"Social Justice" has become a prominent rallying cry on the Political Left. It is the "justification" for any number of Progressive movements and initiatives, and one can hardly hear any Liberal speak in public without invoking this unimpeachable moral imperative.
And yet, it is total nonsense...but not harmless.
Under the theory of Social Justice, I - a white man - owe a debt to all of the descendants of black African slaves. I owe this debt as a result of (1) slavery, (2) generations of discrimination against so-called "Blacks," and (3) the "inequality" of the races in contemporary America. Conversely, these descendants of black African slaves are owed the debt, and may draw down on it through the intervention of government policies promoting "equality," whatever that means. The conduit for repayment of the Debt is the Internal Revenue Code, by which money is taken from me, whence it can be paid to my figurative "creditors" in the form of welfare, subsidized housing, food stamps, school grants and subsidized loans, preferences for various government grants, jobs, and benefits, and so on.
"Justice" is without any doubt a "good" thing. Justice refers to the situation or course of events where there is balance between merit and reward. When the best student is named the Valedictorian, that is an example of "justice." If the award goes to someone else because of political machinations, that would be an example of injustice. When a criminal is convicted and receives a sentence that is commensurate with the harm done by his crime(s), that is an example of "justice." When an inventor creates a device that makes the world a better place, and is rewarded with an appropriate level of riches, that is another example of justice.
But what about "Social Justice" as applied to me, a white man? None of my ancestors ever owned a slave. In fact, among the "white" population of the U.S., less than two percent have any ancestors who owned a slave. Neither I nor any of my ancestors - as far as I can ascertain - ever discriminated against, or mis-treated a "black" person in any meaningful way.
There is no defense I can present in order to rebut the existence of this "debt" that I owe to African Americans. No one need even claim that I have discriminated or harmed any "black" person, and yet I still owe this debt. The thousands and thousands of my tax dollars that have gone to fund the various anti-poverty programs in the U.S. count for nothing. The thousands of lives and billions of dollars that my government gave/spent to end slavery count for nothing. The money I've given to charities - nothing. The debt remains.
And what about the other side of the ledger? Do I owe this debt to the children of Michael Jordan? Harry Belafonte? Bill Cosby? What deprivations have they endured as a result of my theoretical discrimination, or the discrimination of white people in general? They are not obvious.
What about the "black" people who have contributed mightily to their own state of wretchedness, by failing to take advantage of free public education? Having children out of wedlock? Failing to aggressively pursue gainful employment (as I have throughout my life)? Are they still entitled to payment on this debt of mine?
In short, there is nothing just about "social justice." It is the imposition of debt and obligations on people who did nothing to deserve them, and the conferring of money and benefits on people who did nothing to merit them. Social Justice is the opposite of justice; it is the irrational imposition of punishments and benefits for no reason other than the accident of inherited pigmentation.
Anyone who even uses the expression is a tool.
And yet, it is total nonsense...but not harmless.
Under the theory of Social Justice, I - a white man - owe a debt to all of the descendants of black African slaves. I owe this debt as a result of (1) slavery, (2) generations of discrimination against so-called "Blacks," and (3) the "inequality" of the races in contemporary America. Conversely, these descendants of black African slaves are owed the debt, and may draw down on it through the intervention of government policies promoting "equality," whatever that means. The conduit for repayment of the Debt is the Internal Revenue Code, by which money is taken from me, whence it can be paid to my figurative "creditors" in the form of welfare, subsidized housing, food stamps, school grants and subsidized loans, preferences for various government grants, jobs, and benefits, and so on.
"Justice" is without any doubt a "good" thing. Justice refers to the situation or course of events where there is balance between merit and reward. When the best student is named the Valedictorian, that is an example of "justice." If the award goes to someone else because of political machinations, that would be an example of injustice. When a criminal is convicted and receives a sentence that is commensurate with the harm done by his crime(s), that is an example of "justice." When an inventor creates a device that makes the world a better place, and is rewarded with an appropriate level of riches, that is another example of justice.
But what about "Social Justice" as applied to me, a white man? None of my ancestors ever owned a slave. In fact, among the "white" population of the U.S., less than two percent have any ancestors who owned a slave. Neither I nor any of my ancestors - as far as I can ascertain - ever discriminated against, or mis-treated a "black" person in any meaningful way.
There is no defense I can present in order to rebut the existence of this "debt" that I owe to African Americans. No one need even claim that I have discriminated or harmed any "black" person, and yet I still owe this debt. The thousands and thousands of my tax dollars that have gone to fund the various anti-poverty programs in the U.S. count for nothing. The thousands of lives and billions of dollars that my government gave/spent to end slavery count for nothing. The money I've given to charities - nothing. The debt remains.
And what about the other side of the ledger? Do I owe this debt to the children of Michael Jordan? Harry Belafonte? Bill Cosby? What deprivations have they endured as a result of my theoretical discrimination, or the discrimination of white people in general? They are not obvious.
What about the "black" people who have contributed mightily to their own state of wretchedness, by failing to take advantage of free public education? Having children out of wedlock? Failing to aggressively pursue gainful employment (as I have throughout my life)? Are they still entitled to payment on this debt of mine?
In short, there is nothing just about "social justice." It is the imposition of debt and obligations on people who did nothing to deserve them, and the conferring of money and benefits on people who did nothing to merit them. Social Justice is the opposite of justice; it is the irrational imposition of punishments and benefits for no reason other than the accident of inherited pigmentation.
Anyone who even uses the expression is a tool.
