I formulated a similar question just a few minutes ago in a discussion with a fellow fediverse dweller, and would love to gather your honest opinions. I’m not looking to troll or flame bait anyone.
Just looking for honest perspectives.
Please keep it civil and respectful.
Comparing and ranking peoples suffering is in a really bad taste. By establishing a hierarchy of victimization you’re sending a message to some that their problems don’t matter because someone else has a bigger problem. Also you’re reinforcing the division between groups and reinforcing negative stereotypes, without offering a stable long-term solution for a society without injustice.
The current narrative at least on social media like Lemmy, Reddit, TikTok, etc is of the “equal but separate” variety. Injustices exist and we must protest, we must fight for the underprivileged, but the lines of division between groups are sacred and must not be questioned.
The actual long-term goal should be the merging of groups in which the former out-group becomes part of the in-group. This idea is offensive to many which is why it’s so hard to achieve.
Class is the only thing that matters. The rest are just divisionist terms made up to keep the poor whites from seeing that their struggle is the same as the poor blacks.
Are you asking if policy changes should be made while taking into account the experiences/struggles of its citizens? If so, then yes. It definitely should be.
Policies should be passed at a governmental/institutional level to reduce inequality as it’s identified by data. No one should be at a societal disadvantage because of how they were born or choices that are their personal right to make.
That said, I think some problems to avoid are:
- On case-by-case scenarios, assuming that broad trends apply to every individual. I don’t like automatically assuming everyone of a certain demographic is a victim. Also, some people in disadvantaged groups will use very real discrimination to excuse bad decisions and behaviors. Everyone is fallible, and sometimes justice requires punishment even for these folks.
- Gatekeeping suffering. It’s hazardous to society and individual mental health to tell people of “advantaged” demographics that their suffering/problems aren’t valid because of who they are. I’m talking about “what do you have to complain about, you’re not X or Y”. We can acknowledge discrimination and work to reduce it without dismissing the concerns of other groups.
Addressing inequality is a no-brainer.
