Discrimination In Social Justice

2052 Words9 Pages
Elie Wiesel said in his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Discrimination happens in three different forms: bystander, perpetrator, and victim. Every single individual is guilty of judging another person for being themselves. Whether you realize it or not, every one of these situations can be formed around an ism. An ism is a social phenomenon and psychological state where prejudice is accompanied by the power to systemically enact it. Social Justice is promoted to try and get rid of the isms’ that hurt our society. Social justice is the pursuit of equality for people who have been discriminated, past and presently. I have been involved in all three forms, which all relate directly to a specific ism. I have been a bystander to Heterosexism, discriminating against someone because they are not straight. I have been a perpetrator of Religious Oppression, putting someone down based on their religious/non religious beliefs. I have been a victim of Classism, people who are discriminated against based on their social class. Albert Einstein once said, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don 't do anything about it.” One day when I was in seventh grade, my friends and I had corned this girl named Erica. At first, we were just throwing around some jokes about her appearance and how