One of the biggest problems we face today is social justice. It’s become the banner flown whenever there is social inequality or oppression that is occurring at all levels. However, the entire social justice movement has fallen under scrutiny by many groups. I’ll preface this by saying that I do not necessarily agree with all of these criticisms and think that many are baseless white dudes being too sensitive. However, I think that the only criticism worth considering is this: the social justice movement lacks direction and has spread itself too thin to cause real change. I’ll also add this last piece before getting into it: Marx was right.
When we look at the origins of social oppression it is important to know the different factors that went into who gets oppressed. It’s not as simple as “Women are inferior” or “African Americans are subservient to whites.” No, this kind of reductionist analysis keeps us from looking at the real root of the problem: profitability and accumulation. Why are certain groups marginalized and kept in the slums of America? Because those at the top fear competition from different groups. One of the best examples of this anger and fear can be seen in the Great Migration in Post-War America. Many African Americans were tired of Southern oppression and violence which lead them to move North in the hopes that booming industries would allow them to both get jobs and escape southern violence. However, this was also the time that white soldiers were coming back from fighting in Europe and while looking for jobs were outraged that they had to compete with the black population to find a job. White Northerners were losing the economic and material ground they had held for so long they began to develop new forms of violence to try and help them reclaim their footing. This lead to massacres and riots which resulted in what is known as the “Red Summer” of 1919. All of this racial tension and violence was born out of the desire to see people of color marginalized in the hopes that whites could keep their stranglehold on the job market.
However, it was not only racism that was fueled by the market and capital wealth. We also see this with how ableism is utilized in academic spaces as well. Those who do not perform well in school because of their mental or physical disabilities are shunned and set aside t other classes because they are not as “productive” as the other students. Under a market-centric framework, this makes the most sense as why should resources be invested in a student that doesn’t seem like they’d contribute much to the market.
Clearly, the logic deployed in both instances is both disgusting and wrong but sadly, is the reality of the times we live in. However, the best way to promote change is not by challenging each instance as an isolated scenario, but a part of a larger system: that of capitalism and the driving ideals of the market. We shouldn’t be thinking of sexism, racism, ableism, or class-division as separate issues as doing so keeps us from challenging the market and the larger system. So workers of the world unite! All you have to lose is your chains.
