The Creation of Social Justice and Equity

Social justice and equity are the buzzwords of our time. It seems like nearly everyone demands it, few can (or care to) explain what it is or how to achieve it, and many mock the desire as utopian wishful thinking. It is disturbing that people want to rely on a corrupt government to create it for us. How can we expect an inefficient government to create social justice and equity for us if we cannot even create it for ourselves? Although it is important to continue to demand better from government, we must take it upon ourselves to create just and equitable communities where we live. It is easy to talk about social justice and equity when we are demanding it from an outside source, but what does it look like to actually try to live it?

First, it is important to understand the term equity from a business perspective. It is conceptualized as shareholder value, in other words, people who invest cash into the business own shares of the business. Only these financial backers and some high level managers receive shares of equity in the form of a percentage of ownership based on investment. The other people within the business structure do not have that kind of power or share in the business ownership and associated cash value return on investment. The reason shareholders make high returns has to do with the level of risk that they take on by investing in the business. An employee does not shoulder that kind of risk or responsibility, and is free to quit and move to another company at will assuming they are not under some other kind of contract. This pyramid structure makes sense and functions well in running for-profit corporations, but what does it have to do with local communities?

The business perspective on equity helps us to understand why it is so difficult to achieve. The fact is, our society is already based on equity. Equity is based on creativity and hard work in the startup process, but it is mostly based on risks, cash investment, and rewards. If one were to attempt a community engagement project where everyone had equity, what would that look like? Very likely it would be a situation where a few people held huge percentages of equity while many held relatively small percentages leaving some with percentages so miniscule that their input would become obviously unnecessary. Many people carrying the torch of social justice and equity seem to be conflating the concept of equity with the concept of equality. It is important to make the distinction between equity and equality since equity refers to one’s returns being based on a percentage of input as opposed to equality which would be everyone getting the exact same reward regardless of investment, or perhaps everyone being forced to contribute exactly equally. Anyone who engages in a group project knows that very often there are a few individuals who end up doing a large amount of the work while there are others who do as little as possible and yet reap the same benefits as everyone else. This is an example of equality of outcome, not equity. Equity is very specifically a recognition of the absence of equality of input. Groups may start with grand visions of equality, but it quickly becomes obvious that equality of outcome is its own form of injustice. Very often this causes the organization to abandon equality-for-all and to organize into a more pyramidal and business-like equity based structure.

Here we have begun to put our finger on the core issues that make it so difficult to achieve equality in groups of people. Going deeper than the simple realities that some contribute more than others, the difficulty in creating groups founded on equality comes down to behaviors. Attitudes such as narcissism, greed, laziness, and resentment are just a few of many characteristics that cause cooperative groups to crumble and reform as a hierarchy. It only takes one person to introduce any of these attitudes to cause a ripple effect of “bad” behavior. Many will compensate with equally bad behavior as an attempt to defend themselves from the others in the group and to attempt to stabilize their own position, but engaging in this approach only furthers the demise of the group. It seems to be a natural law that Communism breeds Capitalism and Capitalism breeds Communism. This is a never-ending tug-of-war between people who want to live in cooperative and equal groups and those who prefer to receive percentage based rewards for their input.

The reality is that a group that seeks to operate in a manner that produces equality must be founded on a philosophy that does not reward any of these “bad” behaviors. This is where social justice comes into play. It is up to the group to stand strong and handle bad behavior in such a way that justice is achieved. If a member thinks of themselves as being more valuable to the group than any other, that individual needs to be put back in line and blocked from introducing capitalistic hierarchies. On the other hand, if an individual is not contributing but still expects equal returns, this person must also be dealt with in a way that does not reward their behavior, puts them back in line, and blocks them from introducing communistic hierarchies. It will always be the case that some individuals contribute more than others and it is impossible to create a system in which everyone contributes perfectly equally without introducing a ruling elite to enforce this equality. This simply comes with the territory and it is important for the overly zealous individuals to curb their efforts and avoid putting in so much work that they become resentful of others not keeping up. On the other hand, it is required that individuals who do not contribute much are encouraged to help in whatever ways they are best suited for and that they are not allowed to contribute less simply because they do not have as many resources or skills to bring to the project as some other members of the group may have. This is a perfect opportunity for engaging in teaching and learning between group members. It is often the case that those who have more do not want to share it with those who have less because it is often the case that those who have less resent those with more and believe that because of this imbalance they are entitled to contributing less to a group effort. This is why it is so important that those who have more not be allowed by the group to lord it over everyone else, and those who have less cannot be allowed to act in a resentment fueled entitled manner.

The creation of equality in a group is a tricky business. It practically requires that everyone be an absolutely perfect human being, or at the very least, all have equal resources and skills to begin with. Neither of these cases are realistic. People are not and can never be perfect and people are not and will never be equal in talent, skill, and resources. At the end of the day, social justice and equality are a matter of behavior and belief. The group philosophy has to be one that pursues social justice and equality despite the fact that those are very unrealistic expectations to have of groups and society at large. In other words, social justice and equality must be the highest values of the group for those things to be achieved and sustained. If any member of the group has ulterior motives, or places their highest value on social status, prestige, recognition, monetary gain, or any other self-serving reward, the group will weaken.

It is interesting to point out that in describing the necessary components for a group to function in a socially just and equal manner we have basically laid out the foundations of thought upon which religion is built. At the center of this group unity is a core philosophy that must be upheld and unanimously agreed upon as the highest value. This also illustrates the fact that a group with this degree of unity would be incapable of including outsiders who are not willing to submit to and uphold the core philosophy of the group. As described previously, it only takes one individual to behave “badly” for a ripple effect of group destroying behaviors to potentially manifest.

Participating in an equality project is an excellent way to learn about oneself and others. By striving for social justice and equality we are faced with our own flaws and bad behaviors as well as those of every other member of the project. If we can stick with it, we will help each other to become more caring, helpful, and honest individuals. At the same time, we will begin to appreciate the hierarchies in our life, such as our primary day job. If one does the hard work of being involved in an equality project, they can learn about how to act in more socially just and equitable ways within the hierarchies that they are a part of. The strength of character and improved communication skills that are built in these equality projects can also be put to use in negotiating more equitable salaries for ourselves in our day jobs. By understanding the difference between equality and equity in action, we begin to understand in what ways we are unequal, and for what reasons we do or do not have equity. Just about anyone who has ever successfully negotiated a pay raise will tell you that their success was based on effort and risk. The standard template to successfully achieve a pay raise or contractual equity begins with presenting proof that one’s contributions are not being equitably rewarded. The next step is to update one’s resume, land interviews, and ultimately to have other job offers to choose from. This provides one with leverage upon which to bargain. One has to be motivated to seek other opportunities and willing to take the risk of leaving their current situation. As the saying goes, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. People who put all of their eggs in one basket practically manipulate themselves into putting up with inequitable circumstances.

When an employer is faced with the probability of losing an employee’s contribution to their business, they are forced to re-evaluate that contribution and this very often leads to a pay raise. The ability to pay people less than they may deserve is founded on the reality that many are not willing to do the work and take the necessary risks that come with demanding equity. In other words, unfair pay is based on people’s own fears of change, risk, confrontation, negative outcomes, and especially, low sense of self worth. Harsh as it may seem, our feelings and fears are our own responsibility. A great deal of the perceived injustice and manipulation that we experience in our lives can be attributed to our own fears and low sense of self worth. This is not to say that external forces do not engage in injustice and manipulation, but once we realize what we can do to overcome our fears, and realize that we are of great worth, a great deal of that injustice and manipulation seems to magically disappear. It then becomes obvious that what remains is in fact external but now that we have grown stronger we are much more capable of combating that injustice and manipulation and accurately calling it out for what it is.

The point is, just because social justice and equity are extremely difficult goals to achieve does not mean that we should not strive for them. Just because we can never be perfect human beings does not mean that we should not strive to be better. These kinds of investments in our growth are not about reaching a goal but rather, they are about pursuing growth and strength of character. It takes strong and balanced individuals to make strong and balanced groups. The strongest among us must be appreciated but also encouraged to be compassionate just as the weakest among us must be appreciated but also encouraged to grow stronger. Barring the most extreme circumstances, there must always be a path to redemption for an errant member of our group. If there is no path to redemption the group will quickly devolve into a backstabbing pack of hounds, bloodthirsty for the next perpetrator of bad behavior. These kinds of groups implode by constantly finding a reason to expel members until all that is left are the most dishonest, manipulative, and weak individuals claiming social justice and equity while enacting an authoritarian hierarchy.

So, what kinds of endeavors are good candidates for social justice and equity  projects? There are many, but community gardens and art and music collaborations are excellent low cost and low stakes projects that we can engage in to learn about how to act in a more socially just and equitable manner. By doing this kind of work, we inevitably learn how difficult and nearly impossible these goals are to achieve and also how important and fulfilling their pursuit can be. If we want a society defined by social justice and equity, we must achieve it one individual at a time and the only individual that we can force to change is ourselves. If we as individuals can muster the strength to live a life dedicated to true social justice and equity, we will attract others who live that way or want to learn how. This is a long and difficult road, far more difficult than pursuing monetary gain. The question is, what do you value most in life? Are money and expensive toys going to make you happy when you live a lonely life devoid of meaningful relationships? Or, is it possible that the most fulfilling happiness generator in life is meaningful relationships with other people? The answer is up to you. What kind of life do you want to have? The choice is yours. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

If you want to improve in your creation and manifestation of social justice and equitable relationships, a great place to start is to study and gain an understanding of your own personality and temperament. Click here for an anonymous and in depth analysis.

Sources:

Experience, conversation, and study.

Image: Library of Congress