As seen throughout the semester, it’s very easy to find examples of systemic injustice in the news and our day to day lives. This is a current problem but that does not mean there is no hope for the future. Each injustice yields many possible solutions, if the right people listen and take a stand for what is right. In this article, Salem and Jake cover a variety of topics that relate to systemic injustices in America.
The disparity of opportunities and ability to succeed between the rich and poor is huge. In the United States, the Gini coefficient, which is a tool to measure inequality, is one of the highest among developed countries. “I think that a country with an immense wealth inequality, and an individualistic culture are a recipe for social disaster,” Salem said. The individualistic culture here really shines on the ideas of freedom, and independence. These attitudes really get in the way of structuring a common ground among all Americans. “Another reason I find it obstructive for social justice is that it drives people to be self-centered and feel no responsibility to be responsible for the conditions of others,” Jake added. Another attitude that subtly perpetuates inequality is the idea that anyone can “make it” if they work hard enough. Or something like, “If he could do it, anyone can.” This is very disheartening and victimizing. On one hand, the persons who are successful and wealthy are getting justified for what they have, and individuals who struggle in life are left feeling like it is their own fault, and their status is a result of their actions. This kind of culture protects the wealthy from condemnation and negates sympathy for the poor or disadvantaged. Today, the discrepancy of living conditions among Americans is getting much more attention than it used to decades ago, but it still seems like most people are not aware of the level of impact it has on individuals.
The public education system is not consistent in terms of quality at all among different schools. This Is very unusual for public schools if we were to compare it to other countries. Students attend the school of the school district they reside in. Unsurprisingly, wealthier school districts offer great quality education, and vice versa. This drives people to live in certain areas, which is not feasible for any family to do. Then the real estate prices in these neighborhoods rise which continues to benefit those residents. On the other side of the coin, the areas the affluent people left will have no appreciation in real estate prices, and the opposite of gentrification occurs. The home prices are just one factor to look at, but it has a strong correlation with education quality and safety. The education quality influences the abilities of the student later in life. It helps them get into better universities, gives them tools for addressing personal issues, and surrounds them with highly skilled teachers. Similarly, private schools offer a typically great education, but at a steep price. However, some private schools have begun to offer scholarships based on financial needs so that this education can be offered to more people than just those who can afford the tuition. These scholarships often come from large donations from alumni or other donors. Then comes all the mental health problems that come along with being born into a poor area. These issues are not easily fixed and the resources for treatment are not attainable for everybody. For example, access to therapy for mental health is not available for everyone, and if it is, the quality of treatment may not be enough to help them carry on in life. As mentioned with private schools, many private institutions are offering free care for applicable patients as needed on a financial basis. Many Christian organizations have begun to do this in an effort to expand their outreach. This is a great option and idea that companies and services should adopt, if the resources are available.
“In my first diary of systemic injustice, I wrote about minimum wage workers and how difficult life is when everything is unaffordable. It is like when you’re poor, all the hardships in life are more likely to impact you, and when they do, they are worse because they lead to other hardships which lead to other hardships and so on. I think it is a deeply ingrained injustice that the services intended to help us, like healthcare, are not affordable,” Salem commented. Sure, there is Medicaid and insurance through an employer, but it could take months to apply for these programs and they might not cover what is needed. The burden of falling sick for example, as a low-income adult, is greater than if it were on a wealthy or middle-class person. The cost of treatment is a bigger portion of the lower-class person’s money and intermittently, illnesses are more likely to happen to poor people. So, I really feel like the structure of our society has created a huge wealth gap that is still growing today. “I wrote about a similar issue in one of my Diary of Systemic Injustices about how the recent hurricanes Katrina and Ida have disproportionately affected the African American communities in Louisiana. The lack of resources and services to the minority communities after natural disasters are due to the increasing wealth gap in America,” Jake connected.
The judicial system also has drafted laws that disenfranchise certain individuals like women and the Black community. Maternity leave has been a very long issue in the United States but does not really make the headlines of magazines and news reports. Women get no paid maternity leave at all in the US, and I find it baffling. In Canada the paid maternity leave is 27 weeks, In France, it is 19 weeks, but in the US it is zero. Some countries like Sweden even provide paternity paid leave. This is systemic injustice for
women, but also the baby and the woman’s partner. Working women need to strategically select a job that would suit their lifestyle assuming they plan on having children. They don’t have the freedom in the job market to pursue the career they want to, unless they compromise. Also, the stress this puts on families makes the process of labor and raising the baby more difficult, and it could cause postpartum depression. Companies also have a bias against hiring younger women due to the chance that they may become pregnant later on. This has also caused young adults to be opposed to the idea of having children, and this could be a good or bad thing. But it is a shame that our society has not attempted to change the system to better accommodate women. “I think it would be a great idea if government economists studied the impact of funding maternity paid leave and presented the positive impact it would have on our society like healthier families and babies, and more motivated women,” Salem noted. There is actually a lot of research that shows that when someone knows that things will work out in the end, they’ll become confident and work effectually.
“I wrote one of my Injustice diaries about how face recognition in artificial intelligence is designed to distinguish the faces of white males much better than any other group,” Salem said. These systems are frequently used in security and law enforcement. This puts minorities in a very difficult position if they’re scrutinized because the artificial intelligence system is supposed to be unbiased since it is based on computer programming. It’s incredibly frustrating not being able to unlock your phone because the facial recognition software doesn’t recognize you with a mask on. But can you imagine not being able to unlock your phone simply because facial recognition software has shown to be discriminatory towards people of color and females. Although studies have shown that facial recognition software is accurate 90% of the time, the highest rate of inaccuracies appear in minority races. The Gender Shades project reported that across five differe
nt facial recognition technologies, all algorithms performed the worst on darker-skinned females. The training bases for these facial recognition algorithms are predominantly white males. “I think in order to provide increased accuracy across all races and genders, these facial recognition technologies should incorporate a more diverse dataset,” Jake suggests.
nt facial recognition technologies, all algorithms performed the worst on darker-skinned females. The training bases for these facial recognition algorithms are predominantly white males. “I think in order to provide increased accuracy across all races and genders, these facial recognition technologies should incorporate a more diverse dataset,” Jake suggests.This makes me think of many other systems commonly used that were not built to accommodate all demographics. For example, often I hear dairy being recommended for health purposes, and lactose intolerance being considered an uncommon condition. But the reality is, most of the human population globally is lactose intolerant, but medical studies come from the west, where this condition is less common. The dietary recommendations based on those studies are consequently better suited for someone of European descent. Medical professionals should take into account the genetic diversity that exists and try to avoid this one size fits all approach.
These examples of systemic injustices do not even begin to skim the surface of the inequities that exist in America. As a nation, we can and need to make more of an effort to eliminate disparities and be more cognizant of how the actions that political officials, companies, and individuals take affect those around us.