5 Reasons Why Social Justice Can Be A Good Thing

In the United States, we have an ongoing passion for the law.  The law has served this country from its foundations and continues to permeate every level of our society today.  It was the legal profession that ushered in the dawn of the civil rights movement and it was the courts that ultimately lead to dramatic revolutions in American society.  We have a constitution that is the envy of the world, legal institutions that are studied by law students all over the globe, and a robust and open judiciary that administers the giant legal machine, daily.  Now, is it perfect? No, certainly not but it is exactly in that pursuit in which the American legal profession has excelled.  Let’s take a journey together through 5 of the best reasons why the pursuit of social justice, a particularly American trait, is always a good thing.

ENSURING BASIC PROTECTIONS FOR ALL

At its best, the legal profession ensures that all citizens enjoy a very minimum level of legal protection.  So the use of the words “minimum level” should be quantified a little and what that means isn’t that all citizens receive minimal amounts of legal protection, but rather that there is a minimum level of protection that no one should fall beneath.  These levels differ from state to state but on a Federal level, all Americans are entitled to legal protection at work, as consumers, and as minorities or marginalized persons. Children have a set of rights that protects them from harm at school, online, or in life.  But unless you know how to access legal services they don’t hold much value, do they?  So you can find all you need to know, here.

PROTECTING EVERYONE FROM DISCRIMINATION

Note: there is a big difference between the so-called social justice warriors and those who pursue social justice.  The former is often associated with the entitled classes who pontificate from behind computer screens, while the latter are those actively engaged with our institutions to work to expand rights to ever greater amounts of people.  Between these two, are you and me and it’s never easy dealing with being on the receiving end of unfair treatment based on something that you don’t necessarily have any control over.  Your race, religion, gender, sexuality, social class, disability level, and mental health (to name a few) should never be used against you or as reasons to deny you employment, access to healthcare, or social services.  

PROTECTING FAMILIES

The law and all of its operatives have been instrumental in shielding families and children from rapidly changing legal realities.  In the quest for greater legal egalitarianism, it is very important that all sides involved in arguments, debates, legal proceedings, activism, and more are guided along that path with solid processes and as much fairness as possible and we’ve all seen recently how this can get out of hand, very quickly.  In the mix of all of the dramatic social changes that are taking place in the United States, is the “traditional” American family.  This is where the pursuit of social justice meets everyday living but a consequence of this pursuit, has been the awakening of the “average American family”, so as much as so much of what we thought was familiar has changed, social justice also means that we get to define our families in whatever way we wish without intervention from the authorities or society at large.

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS

Along with protections against discrimination in the workplace or just in everyday life, social justice has also worked in many protections for consumers.  This means that you have the right to seek compensation if a product you bought was faulty or poorly made and this leads to injury or financial loss. Consumer protections are a very big part of our rights in this country and it’s always a good idea to know what you’re entitled to if things go a little wry at the point of delivery of your product or service or beyond – and this is going to become very important during the time of Covid.

HOLDING CONGLOMERATES TO ACCOUNT

Here’s one of our favorites.  Without social justice campaigners and professionals, we would never have known about some of the biggest corporate scandals in history.  We also would not have been able to seek compensation and recompense for those who have suffered or been victims of corporate misbehavior.  Think tobacco companies, mining companies, companies that have damaged or hurt the environment.  In recent history, we’ve seen record-breaking class actions against companies that have exposed their workers and or miners to asbestos and other life-threatening substances or chemicals.  You may well need mesothelioma attorneys who genuinely care.

This is a collaborative post.

Melinda