Defining "social justice"

Definitions.

Maybe, just maybe, some of the difficulty in the discussion of this topic has to do with how we define our terms.

Do you think defining terms would be helpful? I would think that permie ideas and practices would be very much in the realm of social justice.

Google wizard says:

so·cial jus·tice
noun
justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society

so·ci·e·ty
/səˈsīədē/
noun
1.
the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.

com·mu·ni·ty
/kəˈmyo͞onədē/
noun
1.
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.


place
/plās/
noun
1.
a particular position or point in space.

char·ac·ter·is·tic
/ˌker(ə)ktəˈristik/
adjective
typical of a particular person, place, or thing.

That’s interesting. So you think it might be good to focus on justice for your neighbors and kin? Or focused on the abundance and gifts of the land?

Josh Hoffman wrote:so·ci·e·ty
/səˈsīədē/
noun
1.
the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.

com·mu·ni·ty
/kəˈmyo͞onədē/
noun
1.
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

"People" refers to human beings collectively, including men, women, and children, often distinguished from other beings.

The first point I'm making above is that the definition of people matters too. Right at this moment, the above quote seems reasonable. But from any reasonable social justice perspective, 200 years ago it didn't meaningfully include women or people of color. The circle of agents that we value as our peers has been expanding over time for at least hundreds of years. Maybe in 200 more years we will, as a society, also value the preferences of less cognitively sophisticated animals as well. But that also points out that it might be worth considering how the other words change over time.

I think relying on the definition of place provided is sort of foolish, since it appears to be an arbitrarily small point. If the place is much, much smaller than a single person, community and society don't exist at all. So it clearly can't really mean that. However, considering the scope of place puts me in mind of the widening circle of "people" that I called out just above. Maybe place, too -- in the society/community sense, has been expanding as we see the world with a more nuanced lens (or at least as travel has become more accessible). When you read letters written during the Civil War, it's obvious that people take quite seriously their home counties. But today, the county seems like an almost embarrassingly backward artifact. No one cares what county you're from. (You may notice that I call out my county in the blurb about my location under my name. I'm "taking it back".)

So anyway, I think most social justice disputes comes down to different people including and excluding groups of other folks.

Christopher Weeks wrote: So anyway, I think most social justice disputes comes down to different people including and excluding groups of other folks.

M Ljin wrote:That’s interesting. So you think it might be good to focus on justice for your neighbors and kin? Or focused on the abundance and gifts of the land?

I like the highlighting of the person aspect you included, Christopher. One of the main filters I run all my thinking through is the "community filter". When I highlighted place, I was and am picturing the people I know here, along with the physical location.

Yes, I think any type of change will happen with the individual, then their family, then the community. Bottom up instead of top down.

My conscience is not able to be regulated by any lawmaking. My thinking has to change first.  

Social Justice, Environmental Justice, phrases that get muddled so easily.  Cultural misappropriation sometimes gets stirred into the Social Justice category. Fair or equal treatment come to mind.
Does a hard worker have to share equally with an individual who does not work to their capacity? I personally don't think so.
Does one who can't work deserve compassion and help from my labor and largess? I would share with one in that position.
Does my celebrating the and cooking foods, dress or hairstyle from a country that I have no connection with mean I am misappropriating their culture? No
Should a Juvenile who commits a heinous crime be charged as an adult? Maybe, for me it depends on mental age.
Race, sexual preference, religion, I cannot put myself in your shoes. I am not apathetic but none of those things should be a reason for someone discriminating against you.  I'd say something if I observed it.