In the short story Harrison Bergeron, equality forces in American society. The characters Harrison and George are both handicapped by the Government to be equal with society. Harrison is taken away from his mother Hazel and father, George because he is against being handicapped to be equal. George believes it has made the world a better place than it was before. Although, George is above average I look up to him because I'm similar to him along with his intelligence, beliefs in equality, and support for the laws.
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” This quote from Elie Wiesel, who is the author of the best selling book Night and who himself survived the greatest injustice, the holocaust (Bio. Com), addresses an effective method to fighting injustice, protesting, which is found in both the readings on Socrates and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. But what causes injustice so that “there may be times when we are powerless to prevent” it? From my desire to address the primary cause of injustice, resulted my thesis that ignorance anywhere is injustice everywhere.
Confront Injustice Martin Luther King Jr. was an ordained minister and one of the best known civil rights leaders. He worked very hard to end segregation and injustices in the south. While participating in a program of sit-ins at luncheon counters, the famous theologist was arrested. In consequence King wrote, “a Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which he addressed to a group of white clergymen in an attempt to demonstrate the justices of his views. Within the letter King describes an unjust law as, “a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself” (259).
In fact, the only way that a problem is solved in our day and age is with our voice. Will that be your voice? During the years of racial segregation, there was a woman who altered history by being courageous. Rosa Parks is an amazing example of someone who was not fearful of breaking the chains of our racial country. One day Rosa Parks was taking the city bus from her working place back home.
There should have been more freedom of speech among the people to where they could stand up for what is right without being accused. In order for collective injustice to terminate, individuals must
The oppressed cry out but until somebody in power joins them, their words fall on deaf ears. This has remained a pattern from the time of prehistory to today. Until someone else is willing to lend an ear, and eventually a hand, the beaten down stay beaten down. Such was the plight of the black slaves in America. Despite their attempts and partial successes they could not free themselves without help from the outside.
Thomas Jefferson once stated that,”When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.” Jefferson’s statement shows that resistance to injustice becomes a necessity in order to obtain true justice. There are several examples in history and books alike where people or characters had to rise against the injustices around them. Taking a stand against injustice was a very important part of the Crucible, Women’s Suffrage, and the Civil Rights Movement. The actions taken against the injustices by the characters in the Crucible, and people fighting for Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights shows that often times you have to stand up for what you believe in, in order to reap the positive benefits.
No matter in what circumstance the unprivileged will always be farther away than those who are privileged. At the same time, choosing whether to struggle against oppression you have to decide if you want to use your privilege to help others. Some may decide they don't want to which will make life harder on the oppressed, while others will choose to indeed help them which will make their life easier. “ Shifting The Center” by Arturo Madrid states,“Shifting the center asks you to think more inclusively” (Madrid). This means that we should no longer prioritize dominance and power.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Martin Luther King Jr.) According to famous speech speaker and black rights activist, injustice even in its most small form is a threat to social equality in society. Social injustice is a continuous problem that has developed over the years. For example, the McCarthy case and the witchcraft problems that were hundreds of years apart but still posed a great conflict in life.
One of the wise words said by Martin Luther King Jr., specifically in a letter while in Birmingham jail, is "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". King was the leader of a civil obedience group and was therefore arrested for it due to it being a group that resisted laws, despite it being peacefully, to show the public and the government that a change was needed and succeeded in making that change to let the U.S. be what it is today. Thus, peaceful resistance to laws ultimately impact a free society positively so that a free society may remain or truly become free. Peacefully resisting laws help inform the government and/or citizens that something is not right. Rosa Parks is known for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man for the laws back then were white accommodating and she was
William Jennings Bryan once said, “Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority”. Standing up to the majority is vital, it gives individuals the opportunity to express their individual, unique opinions and experiences. It allows the majority to become open to diversity and the cultures that come along with it. This has been shown throughout history, Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, is an instance of this. This speech encapsulated all that he was fighting for, for the African American minority in America and their rights.
There are many challenges you may face when you are resolving the injustice done to you or the people around you. You may face laws that restrain you from accomplishing your dream. You may also have to convince people of your desire of making America a better place to live in. During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans had to get around the Jim Crow laws, convince the federal government to help move the movement along, and they also had to defuse the tension of uniting African Americans and whites that supported the movement. Http://thedreamcatch.com says “If you witness any acts of cruelty or injustice around you, be willing to speak up and stand up for what you believe is right.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was undeniably a bold prophet who dropped a golden nugget filled dream that still challenges the universe on the manifestation of its occurrence. It seems as though another one hundred million years will pass before justice will be allowed to make it up to us. More importantly, when I look at our world from an omniscient view, I see that injustice has become a cosmic epidemic. Not just systemic in its root, but nurtured by a strategic, survivalist ploy that we, as a unit, as a world shall overcome some day.
Martin Luther King, in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," shows the reader how a minority should fight for what is right and true when against a majority. King's suggestion provides a way of attaining greater social cohesion, by encouraging peaceful protests for one's cause, and for their beliefs and actions to be supported by arguments and evidence; not emotional appeals and/or dogmatism. Tradition thrives in majorities, because those who have the fortune of seeing why it's wrong, are, in many cases, unfortunately suppressed and are thus unable to promulgate their viewpoint; it is the majorities that squelch the ideas of minorities to prolong their interests. The only ray of hope we can have for a brighter future is one reinforced by positive change accompanied with open-mindedness; for then will truth and mankind's successful progress be within our
Wealth and Inequality in America Inequality The inequality in America has increased over time; the gap between the rich and the poor has become a problem that many Americans don’t see. Inequality is the extent of income which is distributed unequally among the citizenry. The inequality of the United has a large gap between the poor and the rich making it unfair to the population, the rich are becoming wealthier and the poor remain poor. The article “Of the 1%, By the 1%, For the 1%”, authored by Joseph E. Stiglitz describes that there is a 1 percent amount of American’s who are consuming about a quarter of the United States income in a year.
