Well, this is a new thing for me to be writing in a blog for an assignment. Actually, it's just a new thing to be writing in a blog period. So far it seems exciting and will be a cool learning experience. Anyways, on to the subject of social injustice...
Ya know, i've never actually thought about social injustice in this way until I read these articles. I must say I agree that Pelton is right in saying that social injustice should be fought on an individual level. He makes a good point in saying that focusing on fighting group social injustice can ironically lead to creating more. It's a weird concept that i've never really thought about. As future social workers I think this a important to think about and to really explore.
I also feel that the disagreements Longres and Scanlon have with Pelton show how social workers are all real human beings like anyone else. By this I mean we all have our own thoughts and opinions as social workers. Obviously since we chose this field as a profession we all have society's best interest in mind, but I think we are all different in the ways we choose to advocate for it.
In Pelton's article he says, "Sentiment and feelings of collective guilt are poor bases for policy making." This is so true. I agree that people shouldn't form decisions out of guilt. This reminded me of last semester when I took an Asian American Studies class where I was one of three white kids in the class, while the rest were Asian American. Every class I felt so uncomfortable because all the class discussions led to how "white people are all priviledged and they're all racist and discriminate against Asians and other minorities." While this may be true for SOME whites, it's certainly not true for all, including myself. It was as if the class tried to make us whites in the class feel guilty for others' mistakes. I believe that collective guilt is brought on by stereotypes.
So basically I think that Pelton is right. We should work on bringing social justice to the individual level, not groups.
I have to admit, I was so overwhelmed with these articles that I did not fully appreciate the section about collective guilt. When I read about the situation you were in last semester it reminded me of a very similar situation I was in as well. I took a class very much like the one you were in and felt the exact same way. I felt as if it was a blame game rather than learning through past experiences. I believe that being through such situations we as social workers can learn from these experiences and hopefully not make others feel the same as well as work toward educating how harmful stereotypes can be. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete