Song Guo
Professor Elizabeth Vu
COMPSTD 1100
21 October 2020
Diary of Systemic Injustices
I think there is a systemic injustice towards disabled people. In my daily life, I may not see a lot of disabled people, but it does not mean that there is no disabled people in my country. And the proportion of people with disabilities in our country is definitely not in the minority.
Unfair treatment of people with disabilities has been going on for a long time. Most of the barrier-free blind sidewalk that were originally set up specifically for the disabled are now occupied. As a member of the city, blind people deserve the right to travel freely, but these occupied blind sidewalk have prevented them from walking. In addition to being occupied, the blind sidewalk has a very serious problem with damage. The main function of the blind sidewalk is to guide the blind person to walk through the upper bumps, if the upper bumps are grounded, then it will greatly affects the use of blind people.
My friend Amy is blind, she once told me about the injustice she had encountered. She might hit a wall when she is walking on the blind sidewalk. Barrier-free access becomes obstructed access. Some public services, too, refuse to let her guide dogs in, it made her feel that her life was full of incomprehension.
These are the grievances that have been accumulating among the disabled, and they can slowly be suppressed. If you are healthy now, can you guarantee that you won’t have an accident or something that will cripple you in the future? Will you be able to experience this discontent and still live with it?
Although disabled people cannot be completely equal to us, they can also embrace life in their own way. Respect must be built on a virtuous circle, and any unilateral output of values and feelings will inevitably bring greater problems. If our eyes only focus on the form of their suffering—disability, instead of giving them gentle attention, how can we fundamentally help these people and treat them equally?
People with disabilities are also a part of this society, they also have the right to live well. They can work as well as pay taxes. But they pay the same price as normal people, but do not enjoy equal treatment. People with disabilities do not want to be disabled. They also want to live a normal life and avoid being judged by others. They also want to pay the same tax and enjoy the benefits and convenience brought by the society. But did they get what they wanted?
Disabled people is just like Spivak’s subalterns. Although disabled people have encountered many difficulties and systemic injustice in life, few people can understand them because no ordinary people can experience their feelings in firsthand. It is also difficult for people with disabilities to be heard, most people ignore their demands and even occupy their own interests. Let us listen to the voices of the disabled, understand their needs, provide them with convenience, eliminate the systemic injustice they suffer, and make this society a better place.
https://www.sohu.com/a/116152597_507923
Hi Song,
I appreciate your topic very much. We really need to pay more attention to the disabled and reduce these systemic injustices in order to help these disadvantaged groups. In my country, China, this problem is also very serious. Although there are blind tracks in the city, many times it cannot really help them because of some unreasonable settings. I have also seen in the news that bus drivers do not allow guide dogs to board the bus, because he thinks it will affect other passengers. We should try our best to help them, not discriminate against them or let these systemic injustices exist in society.
Hi Song,
I thought this was a great example of injustice that happens all around America! When I think of injustice, I usually think of race or cultural beliefs, but I have never considered the unfair treatment that disabled people face in their daily lives. What your friend Amy has to face in her everyday life is awful, and there needs to be a change in our society to grant equal/fair treatment to all!
Hi Song,
I think your example of systemic injustice is very good. Discrimination against persons with disabilities is indeed a very common problem in society. I participated in an activity to help the disabled before, and I did a detailed survey in the city where I live. My team found that most of the facilities for the disabled have been destroyed, and there are no convenient facilities for the disabled in some public places, such as barrier-free elevators in subway stations. These examples of systemic injustice for the disabled need to arouse our attention. The disabled should enjoy the same social benefits as normal people. We should establish the concept of equality for all, and this problem can be quickly improved.
Hi Song,
I agree with you and think this is a very important issue that should be discussed more! I really liked how you were able to connect this to your life, and think it made your diary even better!
Hi song,
THanks for bringing this issue to the forefront. before reading I did not realize this issue was as serious as it is and now thinking about disabled people and their struggle to live as much of a normal life as possible. There are definitely some things that people can do to alleviate the stress that disabled people have.
Hi Song,
I think the way you discuss how people sometimes do not respect to those with disabilities, is similar to my showcase that discussed the discrimination towards elderly people. We both are very connected to this issue because we both personally know people that have been subjected to this type of injustice. Overall I really like your presentation and the video you included!
Hello,
I wanted to say thank you for bringing topic up for your showcase. I think it is extremely important to educate people on the injustices many people face for having a disability that they have no control over. I really enjoyed the video you included because it really helped strengthen the point you were trying to make.
Hi Song,
I really enjoyed this piece of writing. I thought your comparison to the subaltern was spot on in this case. I also liked how the reader could see that your sympathy for your friend has allowed you to expand your sympathy to a wider circle of people with disabilities. Those with disabilities are a very complex group, and not just because “disabilities” is an umbrella term for a wide range of topics. Many disabled people would not consider themselves disabled, and some people who do consider themselves disabled might prefer themselves that way. Over all, this is a complex issue and i love that you are bringing attention to it!
Hi Song! I really enjoyed your expanded thinking on systemic injustices. It can sometimes be easy to scope in on some of the more obvious injustices in today’s society (i.e., racism) that many other important facets are ignored or forgotten.
I think you gave a good example of systemic injustice. Although many places will help the disabled to get some convenience, but like the blind sidewalk you mentioned, many normal people can’t see the difficulties of the disabled and place debris on them at will, which will affect the life of disabled. I think that people’s consciousness should be strengthened to seek better welfare for the disabled.